LeBron James departure hint could be reaction to Game 4 loss

After Monday’s classic 40-point performance in which he played all but 4.3 seconds from the Lakers. end-of-season loss to Denverit turned out that LeBron James there was one more hissing shot.

Asked to evaluate his season and look into the future after the Nuggets finished the Western Conference Finals with 113-111 victory At the Crypto.com Arena, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer said he wasn’t ready to look that far ahead. The season was challenging for him and for the team, but he called it “a pretty cool ride”. Then he became mysterious.

“Let’s see what will happen next. I don’t know. I don’t know. Honestly, I have something to think about, ”he said at the post-match press conference. “As for me personally, I have a lot to think about in terms of playing basketball.”

Later, when asked to clarify what he meant, he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin what he meant: “If I want to keep playing.” How about next year? “Yes,” James said.

That would have meant he would have given up the $97.1 million left over the last two years of his contract. “I need to think about it,” James said.

The drama around the Lakers never ends, even though their season abruptly ended on Monday.

James’ feelings may have been raw and intense disappointment that his basketball calendar went blank after he was supposed to play Game 5, Game 6, Game 7 against Denver, and possibly more. On Monday, he led the Lakers against the unpaniced, all-out business Nuggets, becoming the oldest player in NBA history at 38 years and 143 days old to score 40 or more points in a playoff game.

“Possibly the best player to have touched a basketball. He went out on fire. He came out super aggressive and kept us on our toes in the first half.” Anthony Davis said.

Trainer Darwin Ham I saw this passion. “He just came in with the idea of ​​continuing this business,” Ham said. “He came into the building like he did all year, throughout the playoffs, with concentration, determination to get things done by any means necessary.”

And yet it was not enough to continue the season. For some of the usual reasons — Davis’ inconsistent efforts and a lineup that Ham could never settle for — and some new ones, including the Nuggets’ superiority in size, skill, and discipline.

Recast at the trade deadline, the Lakers finally became a team last month, taking advantage inexperienced Memphis Grizzlies in the first round and using Weaknesses of the Golden State Warriors in the second round. They were beaten against Denver, the No. 1. 1 seed in the West, but the Lakers left the court optimistic that they would celebrate the conference title some day not too far off, just as the Nuggets did on Monday.

“I said that to Bron after I think it was the third or fourth game of the Memphis Series and it was the most fun time I played basketball, just a group of guys that we had, the level we played at, and I, as a member, obviously want to go back to this stage and beyond and win the championship,” said Austin Reeves. “I know there’s no better feeling than just talking to Bron, [Davis]guys who won championships.”

Davis admitted it’s hard to tell what the Lakers will have to do to equal or top the Nuggets because they’re not sure what their roster will look like next season. “A lot of our guys are free agents. So who knows? It’s a difficult question. We don’t know what kind of team we will have next year,” Davis said.

“But whatever it is, whoever we come to training camp with the intention of building this chemistry, building this foundation, LeBron and I are setting the tone, trying to get back here and on. I think we are more than capable of it. We just have to do it.”

Interestingly, Davis mentioned him and James as setting the tone and leaders for the following year, because that would have meant that James had not informed Davis of any plans to retire.

Chances are, James’ responses may have been his way of flexing his muscles in front of the Lakers’ front office staff. He could use his influence as a weapon to encourage general manager Rob Pelinka to pursue one free agent this summer or reshuffle the roster again.

Change is inevitable. Point guard D’Angelo Russell, who was moved to the bench on Monday and replaced by Dennis Schroeder as a starter, may have avoided a new contract offer. It is imperative that the Lakers retain restricted free agents Reeves and Rui Hachimura, even if it means keeping up with the offers they receive from teams that would be happy to push the Lakers to cut their salary cap.

The opportunity for James and Davis to become centerpieces in yet another title run is rapidly shrinking.

“We know the window is always small and obviously he’s not getting any younger,” Davis said. “You know, that’s why it was so important to both of us, and it hurts me that we didn’t. But you know, we’re regrouping, figuring out how we can get better. Think about how I can be better, more consistent for our baseball club, and we’ll be back next year ready to go.”

That is, if James has another year with the Lakers and doesn’t retire his talents.