LeBron James says Nuggets matchup isn’t what motivates him،
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Five months after being eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets and just days before starting a new season – his 21st in the NBA – against the same opponent, LeBron James has generally had the upper hand. road when asked about the defending champions on Saturday.
“I am not motivated against [who] the opponents [are] about more,” James said after one of the Lakers’ final training camp practices before the regular season begins Tuesday in Denver. “I don’t need it. I don’t mean I’m not motivated to play, because I’m motivated to compete, I like to compete with the best. But I don’t need an individual or a team to motivate me. I’m motivated. I am enough.”
James’ 20th season ended with a 40-point, 10-rebound, 9-assist performance in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. James played all 48 minutes, but it still wasn’t enough to prevent Los Angeles from losing the game 113-111 and the series 4-0. The 38-year-old veteran told ESPN after the game that he would consider retiring in the offseason, with the season taking a toll on him both mentally and physically.
The Nuggets then beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, winning the first championship in franchise history, and took some photos in Los Angeles as part of their celebration tour. Denver coach Michael Malone was introduced as “the daddy of the Lakers” during the team’s parade. Malone, once an assistant coach to James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, also poked fun at his former player’s retirement sentiments.
“Speaking of the Lakers, I just want you to know – this is breaking news – that I’m thinking of retiring, so don’t tell anyone,” Malone said as a guest on “The Pat McAfee Show”.
James appeared to address Malone on his Instagram in June, without recognizing him by name. “I hear you think about me so much, huh??? I mean, I guess I see why… Enjoy your light but just know that I am the SUN.”
When asked Saturday what compels him to respond to the many detractors who have targeted him over his decades-long career, and what sometimes causes him to choose silence, James vowed to bark at all world one day in the distant future.
“There will be a time,” James said. “When that time comes, I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s now or… if there will be a time. There will be a time when everyone will have it, for sure .”
For now, he wants a chance to add a fifth title to his already impressive list of achievements.
“[I am] I still see the Larry O’Brien Trophy in my mind daily,” James said.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said this week that he thinks eight teams are “legitimate contenders” this season and “I like our chances better than anyone’s.
James echoed his coach’s confidence but wouldn’t put Los Angeles among the rest of the pack.
“We could be a really, really good team,” James said. He added: “I don’t even think about June. It’s too precious – the game is too precious – and I don’t play with the basketball gods like that. I don’t take it for granted.”
On Saturday, Ham finally named a fifth starter for the opener, revealing that Taurean Prince will join James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell with the first unit. Jarred Vanderbilt, who played the role last season, had his left heel soreness reevaluated Friday and participated in practice on a limited basis. Vanderbilt is listed as day-to-day by the team, and Ham said “in all likelihood” he won’t be available against Denver.
As Vanderbilt continues to improve, Los Angeles will at least have its leader back at 100 percent, after James missed 27 games last season with a right foot injury.
“It took a few months, but when I was able to get back to training, I was able to do some things that I wasn’t able to do throughout the playoffs, probably even before the playoffs,” James said about his off-season rehabilitation. “My workouts started to improve, my wind started to improve, my fast twitches started to improve. I didn’t have to think about it as much.
“It’s great to have that feeling, you just have to get your motor back.”
