LeBron James suggested Daryl Morey 'wasn't educated' on the situation in Hong Kong said he should have kept quiet about it
LeBron James suggested Daryl Morey 'wasn't educated' on the situation in Hong Kong said he should have kept quiet about it GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Sean M. Haffey

KEY POINTS

  • LeBron James expressed his opposition on load management
  • James is willing to play if he is healthy
  • He wants to see the kids cheering for their favorite NBA stars

If there is one thing that has been the talk of the town in the National Basketball Association for at least the latter part of the decade, that would be this so-called "load management".

Some teams, if not all, have been giving their superstars a day off at least to keep them in tip-top shape for their next games.

Although there is nothing wrong with keeping your key players out for a game even if they are not injured, the said act somehow is not sitting well with the league.

The NBA made some measures in efforts to at least minimize if not eradicate entirely load management. The league first issued a memo to the teams saying that their star players should be available for action if they are scheduled in a national television game, that is, their game will be broadcast either on ESPN, TNT or on ABC.

Later, the NBA moved to push the start of its season a week earlier than before to minimize back-to-back game schedules for the team.

Teams have been reasoning that having games on consecutive nights has prompted them to rest their main men either in the front end or the tail end of the said schedule.

But despite the latest measures, some teams still tend to rest their key guys in certain games, and at least for LeBron James, he is not liking it.

Asked by reporters on Sunday night after his Los Angeles Lakers pipped the Atlanta Hawks, 101-96, James reiterated that he will never undergo load management if he is not injured.

"If I'm healthy, I'll play. That should be the approach," he said. "Why wouldn't I play if I'm healthy. It doesn't make any sense to me."

LeBron James then considered the younger generation which has been looking at him and the other NBA superstars as heroes as another reason why they should not sit out some games even if they are healthy enough to play.

"I don’t know how many kids that may show up to a game that are there to come see me play, and if I sit out, then what? My obligation is to play," he continued.

Commenting on James' statement, Yahoo! Sports' Liz Roscher said, "He’s still LeBron, after all, and that name (and the guy attached to it) still means something to kids who love the game. James doesn’t want to let them down, or any fan who comes to see him play."

Basketball NBA