Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been sidelined for the better part of the last month due to ongoing issues with sciatica. Although several reports have suggested that James has been experiencing problems for an extended period of time, Craig Carton shared a rather controversial take on the subject while speaking on “The Craig Carton Show“.
“LeBron James not playing because of some invented sciatica, which by the way is treatable,” Carton began. “You have good days and bad days for sure, but he just decided that I’m going to be out for weeks and weeks and weeks, despite the fact that sciatica shouldn’t knock you out for a month in advance.”
Given that Carton has already sounded off on James’ injury in the past, this updated take isn’t surprising. However, this time he based his argument on the general approach to treating sciatica and the expected timeline for recovery. While plausible, the circumstances and demands from a high-performance athlete are quite different.
“I don’t even think LeBron James even plays for the Lakers this year,” Carton continued. “I think he is sitting out, and he wants to watch the Lakers falter and have a bad year without him playing. I think he recognizes that even with him on the court, the Lakers, at best, are a flawed team.”Â
Although Carton gave credit to Luka Doncic for his spectacular performance against the Warriors, he pointed out that the current outlook for the team isn’t positive.
With this in mind, he added, “I think he’s sitting out for two reasons. One, it’s my belief that he’s getting whatever type of serum he needs to still play at 40 years old. I respect that, because I want to see him on the court as a basketball fan. And if he’s putting poison in his body, allegedly, to keep playing, good for him.”
“But I think the other reason is, he’s trying to force his way out. LeBron James doesn’t want to be a part of the Lakers anymore, because his legacy is what? His legacy is shopping himself to teams that have great talent around him.”
“The ethos of LeBron James is not leading a team to victory, even with only a Robin to your Batman,’ he concluded. “It’s, ‘I need 3 or 4 great players to go out there and win.'”
Carton’s claim about James using steroids or other performance-enhancing substances wouldn’t be the first time that the Lakers superstar would be facing such allegations. While such a statement could easily be dismissed, his take on a potential trade carries some intrigue.
Given how the relationship between James and the Lakers deteriorated over the summer, along with the denial of a contract extension, the superstar has enough reason to consider forcing a trade.
A trade may have seemed more plausible during the summer, when the 40-year-old was garnering significant trade interest from teams around the league. At this point, especially with his injury, this would seem less likely.
Regardless, the future looks turbulent for the Lakers, as LeBron James is expected to be sidelined for a significant period due to sciatica. With recent reports indicating that he could be primed to return by mid-November, the Lakers will have to fend for themselves and potentially stay afloat until their star player is back on the floor.
