LeBron questions preseason journey to Milwaukee

Earlier than the Lakers departed on a 1,750-mile flight from Los Angeles to the Midwest for Thursday’s exhibition in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks, LeBron James took to social media to query the need of the journey.

“Can somebody please clarify to me why we’re getting on a [plane emoji] and heading to Milwaukee for 1 pre-season recreation!?!?” James posted to X on Wednesday.

The Lakers will play a six-game preseason slate this month and not one of the video games are at dwelling.

The workforce scheduled the video games on the street due to deliberate renovations to Crypto.com Enviornment. The constructing is finishing the third section of its main renovation program since present process a rebrand from Staples Heart to Crypto.com Enviornment in 2021.

The NHL’s Los Angeles Kings additionally will probably be displaced from their dwelling ice till Oct. 24, after they open the common season in opposition to the San Jose Sharks.

The outcome has been the purple and gold happening a barnstorming tour earlier than the curtain rises on the NBA’s common season on Oct. 22, when the Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers performed their first two preseason video games in Palm Desert, California — a couple of two-hour bus experience from their apply facility — this previous weekend.

Following the Milwaukee journey, the Lakers will play their remaining three preseason video games over a span of 4 days: vs. the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas (Oct. 15); on the Phoenix Suns (Oct. 17); and on the Warriors (Oct. 18).

“Not a really perfect preseason for us,” Lakers first-year coach JJ Redick stated Tuesday when requested concerning the journey schedule.

In previous years, the Lakers would usually play just a few preseason video games at dwelling, a pair on the street in opposition to Western Convention opponents and some others in non-NBA cities within the broader L.A. area to offer followers in locations like San Diego and Ontario, California, an opportunity to see the workforce in particular person.

Whereas the NBA is liable for placing collectively the 82-game schedule for all 30 groups, the league doesn’t management the preseason schedule and permits every workforce to deal with it by itself. There is no such thing as a minimal variety of preseason video games required, however the most allowed is six.

The Bucks made the flight to Los Angeles final preseason as a part of a three-game street journey by means of Memphis, L.A. and Oklahoma Metropolis and scheduled it so the workforce may spend practically a full week in Southern California between the Grizzlies and Lakers video games.

The Lakers are returning the favor to play in Milwaukee this preseason, as a part of a pre-arranged tradeoff as a home-and-home sequence, sources advised ESPN.

Lakers level guard D’Angelo Russell stated he understood how journey may very well be taxing on James and Anthony Davis after the pair spent the offseason competing internationally, however he added the majority of the roster is trying ahead to getting again on the courtroom — wherever which may be.

“I feel for guys like AD and Bron who performed all summer time within the Olympics, they’re going to be load managing these guys,” Russell stated this week. “However the remainder of us are nonetheless hungry. We need to go on the market and play each recreation and put the Laker uniform on and see how the group responds to whoever is on the market on the ground. Get some vitality from that.

“So, for me, I sit up for having time.”