Why Paul Pierce Thinks Lakers Should Shut Down LeBron James For Rest Of Season
The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of an interesting season, to say the least.
The Purple and Gold have shown flashes where they look like a legitimate playoff team, and other times they’ve looked lifeless. LeBron James has called out his teammates, saying they need to get “comfortable with being uncomfortable” and they shouldn’t feel “accustomed” to losing.
As it stands, Los Angeles is 11th in the Western Conference heading into its Wednesday night matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. And with 22 games left on the schedule, Paul Pierce suggested shutting down the Lakers star.
“If I were the Lakers, I would shut LeBron down,” Pierce said on ESPN’s “The Jump.” “No, seriously. He’s getting older, he has to do too much for them to win. Just look at … he puts out a triple-double, and they can’t win. Just imagine if he really goes out and really exerts himself and has to go for 40 … This season was a wash coming in to it. They weren’t contending from the jump.
“Why am I gonna put more wear and tear on LeBron? I need him for three more years,” he added. “This window is this short. This window is this short to take advantage of LeBron now. He’s still — to me — I think he’s pretty much still injured.”
James suffered a groin injury on Christmas Day but returned in late January. However, with the Lakers’ playoff chances getting smaller and smaller, it makes sense to bench the star to have him 100 percent for next campaign.
