"This was drama king at his best last night" - Skip Bayless revisits LeBron James' practice footage, continues load management speculation for "Michael Jordan's team"

LeBron James found himself in Skip Bayless' crosshairs yet again – as the analyst called the four-time NBA champion "a piece of work." Shannon Sharpe responded to a question about James' availability for the LA Lakers’ matchup against the Charlotte Hornets by predicting a big Friday night for James.

Sharpe even liked the prospect of Anthony Davis chipping in on the scoring alongside James after Davis had a 31-point outing in a Thursday night loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. With attention shifting to James going up against Michael Jordan’s team, Bayless called out LeBron for missing the Philadelphia matchup because of load management, saying:

“So, Shannon Sharpe, your man LeBron James, he is a piece of work. He’s turned into the greatest entertainer in all of sports. And I’m talking about off the floor. I’m talking about before and after games.”

Bayless was referring to James’ appearance on the court before the Philadelphia game. LeBron came out to test his knee, later announcing he would not be available due to a sore knee. Bayless claimed LeBron missed the game intentionally, saying:

“So, this was drama king at his best last night. He comes out before the game ... this was about three to four minutes of – 'I need to show everybody just how bad my knee is. I’m gonna try it. I’m just gonna be a little ginger over here and I’m gonna step on, I’m gonna push down a little bit. I don’t know about that knee. I don’t think I can go.'”

In Bayless’ opinion, James sat out only to get ready to play against the Charlotte Hornets, which is Jordan’s team. Skip added:

“He needed to load manage one night in Philadelphia to get ready for a game at GOAT’s team. Because he lives to play against Michael Jordan’s team. Not against Michael Jordan himself, because if Michael Jordan could still play right now – that would be the game you’d be load managing.”

Will having Michael Jordan courtside inspire LeBron James to an exceptional performance?

The Charlotte Hornets had one of their best games of the season in blasting the Indiana Pacers 158-128 Wednesday night. LaMelo Ball recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Meanwhile, Kelly Oubre Jr. scored a season-high 39 points – making 10 of 15 attempts from beyond the arc.

With the Lakers’ roster age being a defensive problem, it will be an interesting matchup against the fast-paced Hornets.

LeBron James has been exceptional for the Lakers this season, averaging 30.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the last 10 games.

Having Anthony Davis back and the possibility of Charlotte owner Michael Jordan being courtside makes this matchup all the more interesting.

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