COACH JJ REDICK ISSUES CRYPTIC "COUPLE MORE DAYS" WARNING FOR LEBRON JAMES
LeBron James remains day-to-day with hip injuries as the Lakers climb to the 4th seed behind Luka Doncic's triple-double.
LeBron James glanced over his shoulder during a timeout Tuesday night, just another moment in a season that’s starting to feel pretty uncertain for the Lakers. The team picked up a big win over the Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena, but the bigger question hanging over everything: When will LeBron be back?
The latest update isn’t exactly comforting. The 41-year-old forward is still nursing hip and foot injuries, and it looks like he’ll be out longer than anyone hoped. Head coach JJ Redick spoke to reporters before the game and said LeBron needs “a couple more days” to recover. That’s a familiar phrase at this point.
LeBron has missed three straight games now. First, it was his elbow that he hurt against Denver, but he seemed to bounce back from that. Then he showed up on the injury report with foot and hip issues. Redick told everyone not to panic, though. He doesn’t think this turns into a long-term thing. “We want him in the lineup. With the schedule we’ve had six games in eight nights, two back-to-backs, you never know how his body will respond,” Redick said. “I wouldn’t say I expected him to miss time, but it doesn’t surprise me either.”
It’s hard to ignore the fact that LeBron’s the oldest player in the league now. “Father Time” is catching up, even if he just broke the NBA’s all-time field goals made record. Redick still called him “day-to-day.” That could mean he’s back soon, maybe not by Thursday’s game against the Bulls, but the Lakers don’t seem worried he’ll miss weeks.
“He shot before our walkthrough, just needs a couple more days,” Redick said. “Day-to-day sometimes means two days, sometimes five or six. He’s day-to-day.”
But here’s where things get interesting and maybe a little awkward. A conversation is picking up about whether the Lakers are actually better without LeBron on the floor. The numbers are hard to ignore. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been on fire without him. When those two play together, and LeBron sits, the Lakers are 9–2. Their net rating is an eye-popping +16.9, with a 125.7 offensive rating and just 108.8 on defence.
Add LeBron back in, and the team’s 11-6. Not bad, but the net rating drops to +1.5, offence to 115.3, defence up to 113.9. Even when it’s just Reaves and LeBron, or Doncic and LeBron, the results are average at best.
Redick’s not shying away from those numbers. He talked about the “human element” Basically, it takes time for three big personalities and skill sets to mesh. “There’s a clear pecking order when Luka and AR are out there with low usage guys. That’s just how it works, and it’s been that way with every ‘Big 3’ ever. We’ll figure it out.”
Honestly, this might not be a long-term issue anyway. Word is, LeBron’s probably leaving the Lakers this summer and looking for a new team in free agency.
For now, the Lakers are rolling. They beat Minnesota 120-106. Luka put up a monster triple-double (31 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals), Reaves matched him with 31, Ayton added 14 and 12, and Kennard chipped in 10. Suddenly, L.A. has won six of its last seven and jumped to the No. 4 spot in the West, leapfrogging the Timberwolves.
But the focus is still on getting LeBron healthy and seeing if he, Doncic, and Reaves can find some real rhythm before the playoffs. Until he’s back, the Lakers will keep pushing, chasing home-court advantage, and hoping their oldest star still has something left for one more run.
DEXTER LAWRENCE TRADE REQUEST LOOMS OVER GIANTS' PREPARATIONS FOR PITTSBURGH NFL DRAFT
Dexter Lawrence wants out! Discover why the Giants are considering a trade before the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
The New York Giants might have no choice but to trade Dexter Lawrence before the NFL Draft. Negotiations on a new contract with the star defender have hit a wall, and Lawrence already asked for a trade earlier this month. He's skipped the team’s first offseason practices under new head coach John Harbaugh, which hasn’t helped matters.
At this point, the Giants have been talking with several teams about a possible deal for Lawrence. With the draft coming up in Pittsburgh next week, the pressure is on. They need picks, and right now they only hold two selections in the top 100. Harbaugh’s trying to breathe new life into the roster, but he needs more draft capital to do it.
News of the stalled negotiations came just hours after GM Joe Schoen sounded pretty upbeat, saying talks had been "productive". He explained that he, Harbaugh, and senior VP Dawn Aponte were all in regular contact with Lawrence’s reps, looking for some kind of resolution. Schoen insisted they want Dexter to stay, but he admitted it’s out of their hands now. They’ll just have to see what happens.
Lawrence, 28, signed a four-year, $90 million extension last year. Since then, defensive contracts have exploded, so his deal has dropped to just 11th among league defenders. On top of that, the team’s shaken up its roster, letting go of many Lawrence’s close teammates like Saquon Barkley.
Lawrence has been with the Giants since they drafted him 17th overall in 2019. He’s played his whole seven-year career in New York, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and two second-team All-Pro honours. His career stats include 30.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and an interception. But last year wasn’t great; he only managed half a sack, eight QB hits, and a pass rush win rate of 8.3 per cent for a team that finished 4-13. It’s hard to tell if he’ll stay with the Giants much longer.
RORY MCILROY TARGETS SEVENTH MAJOR AT ARONIMINK FOLLOWING EMOTIONAL MASTERS DEFENSE
No long break for Rory McIlroy! After his 6th major win, McIlroy eyes the PGA Championship at Aronimink this May.
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Rory McIlroy isn’t following the same script after this Masters win. When reporters asked if he’d take another long break, as he did in 2025, Rory had a different plan in mind.
He’s not disappearing for months this time. Instead, he’s taking a couple of weeks off before jumping back into PGA Tour action. The next big event on the calendar is the PGA Championship, starting May 14 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, but it sounds like Rory wants to get some tournament play before then.
He talked about his mindset shift after winning again at Augusta. “My schedule’s going to be different this year,” he said on April 13. “Last year, I thought winning the Grand Slam would be the destination. But actually, it’s just part of the ride. Now that I’ve won my sixth major, I feel great about my game and my body.
“I waited ages to win the Masters, and then I won two in a row. I definitely want to enjoy this. I’ll take a couple weeks off, but I don’t think I’ll hit that motivation lull I felt last year after the win.”
So, what comes next for Rory? He’s skipping the RBC Heritage this week, and his appearance at the Zurich Classic isn’t confirmed either.
Then, there’s Donald Trump, who might’ve let the cat out of the bag. After congratulating Rory on social media, Trump said he was looking forward to watching him at Doral during the Cadillac Championship on April 30. That’s not an official confirmation, but it’s a pretty solid clue that Rory’s next start could be there.
Now that he’s up to six majors and finally has back-to-back Masters titles, Rory’s thinking ahead. The next big stop? The PGA Championship, where he’ll chase number seven. But he’s not feeling satisfied just yet.
“I don’t want to put a hard number on it, but this is just part of the journey,” he said. “I’ve still got things I want to accomplish even as I make sure I enjoy the moment, too.”
