News earlier in the week had LeBron James missing time, and being re-evaluated in two weeks.
Times have changed, and not for the good. Reports on Thursday provided a little clarity into his injury. Turns out it's a tendon problem in his right foot (ouch!) and the Lakers will take another peek under the hood in three weeks. So let's say for a moment that he's cleared and good to go on evaluation day (which, to be honest, seems unlikely), it would mean the Lakers would be without James for another 10 games. They only have 20 left, so realistically the hope is LeBron could return with about five or six left to play.
So the big question at that point: Will those games, however many there are, have any meaning?
Well, it won't be easy, but assuming D'Angelo Russell, who won't play Friday against Minnesota but hopefully won't miss too much time after that, gets back in the lineup a look at the schedule shows the road is about as easy as could be expected. A couple games against Houston, a some of those inconsistent squads bunched up in the middle of the conference, including teams like New Orleans (slumping!).
Could it all go downhill in a huge hurry? Of course! But the Lakers have shown they are a better team now than they were three months ago. Even with James out.
Meanwhile, this situation does set up some interesting long-term questions the Lakers have to answer about how to get LeBron and Anthony Davis successfully through a season. Is it even possible? Can teams figure out the right balance when it comes to questions like load management? Are teams, who no doubt drive the bus on these player management questions, getting it right?
First things first, though: The remaining 20 games, including Friday against Minnesota. You may have heard this before... but it's kind of a must win.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: LeBron is now out for at least three weeks. What changed?

SEGMENT 2: Breaking down the remaining schedule. Could the Lakers be playing meaningful games when LeBron returns?

SEGMENT 3: Are teams more broadly doing the player health management thing correctly? Is there even a correct answer to find?

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Built Bar
Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.

PrizePicks
First time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDON

FanDuel
Make Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices