With the Los Angeles Lakers struggling and trade rumors heating up, LeBron James tweeted something mysterious Thursday night, prompting speculation about what “The King” might be thinking.
LeBron James, a star player for the Lakers, sends out a mysterious tweet as rumors of a trade spread
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A simple “Make a Play (M.A.P.)” was all that James tweeted to his 50 million+ followers that evening.
While the comments section was filled with wild speculation, it was eventually determined that the tweet from James was actually a 2016 song by the artist Jerreau. Lyrically, the line “First they love you then hate you, then they love you again. The same ones burning your jersey the same ones cheering again.”
Several people commented that it should have stood for “Make a Trade,” hence the M.A.T. acronym. Despite mounting injuries and the team’s inability to string together wins, the Lakers have yet to make a move that has been the subject of numerous rumors.
Despite some huge games from James, the Lakers have lost four of their last five and are falling further and further out of the playoff picture.
In the aftermath of a game in December, James appeared to make an appeal to the front office, lamenting the fact that the Lakers were out of the title race.
“I’m a winner and I want to win,” James said. “And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion, that has always been my goal since I entered the league as an 18-year-old kid out of Akron, Ohio.
“I don’t wanna finish my career playing at this level from a team aspect. I still want to compete for championships. I know what I can bring to any ball club with the right pieces.”
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Lakers Worried About How Much Work James Has
James recently turned 38, but he shows no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by his season averages of 29.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists.
The Lakers have a problem with his heavy workload, as he has played over 40 minutes three times in the last eight games and is averaging 36 minutes per game.
“I feel bad about that. He’s playing at an amazing level. But we can’t run him into the ground. That was one of my main goals coming into this season,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said after a loss to the Kings on Wednesday. “We just have to manage him and have clarity in terms of scaling back his minutes some.”
As of this date (January 19), the Lakers have a 20-25 record and are the 13th best team in the Western Conference. While that may sound discouraging, the Lakers are actually only two games out of a playoff spot and need to start winning soon.
There is “Zero Room for Error,” in James’s opinion, for the Lakers
Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and Lonnie Walker IV are all out for an extended period of time due to injuries for the Lakers.
Davis’s absence is the most noticeable because the All-Star was playing at an MVP level before he was sidelined by a foot injury. Although the Lakers have not been able to replace his 27.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, and intimidating defensive presence, they have been successful in his absence.
The Lakers had a five-game winning streak snapped by a four-game losing streak, all of which were close games. James has stressed the importance of the Lakers playing error-free basketball in close games.
“We are limited with bodies,” James said. “So until some of our big guys or some of our key guys get back … we got to continue to play how we’ve played the last couple games. Play mistake-free basketball.”
James and the Lakers’ next game is on Friday against the 31-13 Memphis Grizzlies, who will present a formidable challenge.
