Is he gonna burn himself out for the playoffs?

And if so, like, when do they start talking about that magical load management?

See?

So I saw him last night after the post game and right where he was like, Look like I'm not tired, like, stop asking me questions about it.

But he's the one who told us he go ahead.

But no, he's the one that told us he was tired.

He wanted to season to start after, you know, after you know Martin Luther King Day.

So all of a sudden, now he's refreshed.

He's got a second breath.

No, no, But this is what athlete?

That's what we tell ourselves.

Far right.

This is psychological warfare.

I'm never tired because as soon as soon as I start telling myself that I'm tired, I will be tired.

So I'm gonna play this role because that's type of leader LeBron is.

Here's what it comes down to, man.

It's Frank Vogel strong enough to start load managing LeBron James because this is what I believe.

Do you want to play the Jazz or the Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals?

Probably not, but well, if a baby is back in his health and there's no fans in the arena, even though some arenas I saw Brooklyn is, you know, kind of slowly allowed to come back with the same, you know what I mean?

It's gonna be the same pack arenas.

Is it that much of a disadvantage?

Like if you're a three or four C is it?

Isn't that big of a thing?

I I'd rather played a long term here with LeBron than have him try to be Rocky Balboa and play 43 minutes like he did last night and again, that goes into overtime against the Washington Wizards.

You know what I mean?

Jake, let me ask you this now.

It's clearly he was asked the question, So it's not like he's pushing it.

He he was asked the question about and then he responded to the idea of rest.

Because we're all very concerned about LeBron's health.

I guess for some reason we're all worried that he's going to break down.

He's 36 he's putting up huge numbers.

He doesn't look he's ever going to stop.

And yet we're worried about like, Oh, I don't know, Like I've heard Frank.

I Solo called this the Minutes police and I think it's hysterical because it's exactly what we become in the media were all the minutes police.

When a player plays well and he plays 38 to 40 something minutes in a game, it suddenly becomes, uh, probably gonna sit him tomorrow, right?

Don't you have to sit him?

Oh my God, He's gonna break that.

Like, what have we become?

N b A media where we have to now ask all the time about minutes.

Let a player play?

No, man, I'm not talking about a dude who's 21 22 23 24 25 years old.

I'm not talking about Yanis.

I'm not talking about Luca.

I'm talking about a dude who's 36 years old, who has been to multiple Olympics, who keeps training throughout the entire year, who just finished the season.

You know, last October, who only had 71 days off like I'm not a minutes police type of guy.

If there's anything out, I'm a old school type of cat.

I want to see guys play through it, like to sit there and say, Hey, LeBron, at age 36 we need you to play 43 minutes tonight like that.

That's not the fact that can't be the right algorithm for success.

You playing 35?

So he's e 43?

Well, he played 43 because they were in overtime.

He missed the free throw.

If he doesn't get the free throw, he doesn't get the 43 minutes make free throws s.

You would play him 35 36 minutes tonight.

Every night, let him display.

If LeBron had his way, he will play every game.

You'll be fine with that.

I would play him every game until the season until I'm locked up with where I have to be as a playoff team, I would.

Now you're playing some teams as we know, and you know this once we get to the second half of the schedule should be coming out any day now.

When we get to the second half.

There are those teams that have scrubbed teams that now are deciding we're here for lottery picks only on DSO.

You're gonna be blowing teams out of the point where you're not going to need him to play all those minutes.

You could manage them in those games.

We got like, 25 teams that all feel like right now they can get for a place they could get a playoff.

7 10.

Yeah, Most.

This is the most parody.

I've seen an MBA in a long time.

So I think those scrub teams that typically when there's only like, you know, I don't know what 20 teams that are playing realistically were playoff.

But now, like I think now you're gonna have teams that are going for it.

I don't think you're gonna have the same luxury just to take games off in the second part of this season.

All right, let me add this caveat.

Let me ask.

Caveat, And I'm gonna be the bad guy.

Now, Jane, you can yell at me.

That's fine.

You always do.

What if What if this is also for LeBron an opportunity to build a little more that legacy?

You know, MJ never took time off.

M.

J never got tired.

MJ played every minute of every game and all this other stuff.

And boy, what an M V P season.

He's having having to carry this team.

Don't you think this is even though he's calling it a narrative that he's trying to dispel?

He's also wanting it to stay like, Hey, everybody, I don't want to rest.

I want to do this and it turns into man.

LeBron's got to be the M v P.

Look what he's doing with the Laker team that's missing its second star.

Or that we're going to make a switch or it flips.

Let's say on this from about a d say they go, I don't know.

Five and 10.

Okay, does that help his beefcake like MVP vote?

Like, you know, they lost three in a row right now and I'm not like this, not the end of the world, but like they're coming up with a pretty interesting schedule here with Utah Phoenix.

Um, you know Portland, when they've lost three in a row, I hear what you're saying that could also back Fowler.

Backfire on them.

No island.

But I I do.

You know, it does seem like it makes sense, because if he plays at a high level while a D is gone and keeps his team about 500 they haven't really dropped positions.

I think he runs away with envy.

People runs away with.

But if he does but way, Yeah, I feel like we have LeBron fatigue, though, when you think about it.

Yes, he should.

He's an argument every year, but I think, you know, we always look at the new person to the conversation, a guy like Jolin beating what he's been able to do just with this new system and how he's able to to look beautiful.

I think somebody that's hurting themselves with John this man John is is like a bad wine is like that box wine that when you know, when he was in college, we were trying to get that Andres that box wine and it just don't age.

Well, you know, I mean, once you open it like it's, it's a wrap like I feel like That's John is John is not aging.

Well, man his game, this looks worse and worse, and he's coming off with these excuses and all these sob stories on.

I think their window has opened and closed before our eyes.

We didn't even realize, and he didn't even realize it, and now he's locked into a long term contract where I don't think it's gonna be a lot of people trying to knock the door down to the act.

John is to be his second star because he's so limited.

Is far from a basketball, you know, skill set.

That's why I said from the beginning.

Just because he signed a four or five year deal doesn't mean he's gonna be there are four or five years, especially, I mean, well, through holidays, been out contact tracing.

So I think that plays into it just a little bit.

But I will say this mark is down like I know dwelling beat and LeBron at the top of the conversation.

But I'll tell you right now, who's coming?

We'll probably have a chance to better off too well and beat against LeBron down the stretch.

James Hardie Man here we owe thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.