PORTLAND — LeBron James watched once again from the sideline as Russell Westbrook fired airball after airball, muffed layups and committed casual turnovers. As Anthony Davis was not available to his team. As the remaining Lakers failed to successfully execute even base-level defense.
These have been the hallmarks of the first 10 games of this go-for-broke, championship-or-bust Lakers season and likely will be for as long as James is unable to play due to an abdominal strain.
And how long will that be? How long will Westbrook’s worst traits represent the Lakers’ best hope for winning games? How long before James returns to do, well, everything?
The Lakers have not put an official timeline on James’ injury, although coach Frank Vogel reiterated Saturday that the team believed it would be “at least a week.”
That’s intentionally vague, open-ended and likely misleading, evoking memories of the lack of clarity around the groin strain that knocked James out for 17 straight games in 2018-19.
