"Don't see him coming back" - Charles Barkley rejects idea of LeBron James making early return from injury 

LA Lakers superstar forward LeBron James is reportedly making strides in his recovery from a left groin strain. However, NBA legend Charles Barkley is skeptical that the 21-time All-Star will come back during his squad's final 18 outings.

On Thursday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that James "returned to LA, per medical recommendation," before the Lakers' last two contests of their four-game road trip. Charania added that James "continues to progress well from the groin strain" he suffered during Saturday's 111-101 road loss to the Boston Celtics.

Moreover, LA coach JJ Redick provided encouraging injury updates ahead of Thursday's 126-106 road defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks. Redick noted that James, and his injured teammates Jaxson Hayes (knee) and Rui Hachimura (knee), are considered "day-to-day."

This aligns with the early end of James' initial one-to-two-week recovery timeline. Thus, the four-time MVP could seemingly return shortly after the Lakers conclude their road trip on Friday against the Denver Nuggets.

Nevertheless, Barkley anticipates James possibly sitting out until the postseason.

"LeBron's probably out for the rest of the season," Barkley said during Thursday's TNT broadcast. "I don't see him coming back."

The Hall of Famer's comments came after he mocked LA for reportedly being cautious amid its stretch of six games in eight days.

"I hope they survive," Barkley said. "... Listen, man, they're not flying commercial, they're not flying (on) Southwest (Airlines)."

So, Barkley doesn't seem to be a fan of how the Lakers are managing their team for the season's stretch run.

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Charles Barkley says LeBron James focusing on playoffs is "best situation" for Lakers

Despite ridiculing LA's approach to its condensed six-game slate, Charles Barkley noted that LeBron James should focus on recovering for the postseason.

"Listen, man, LeBron's gonna get healthy for the playoffs," Barkley said. "That's the best situation for the Lakers, but come on, stop acting like six games in eight days — come on, man, stop it. Every NBA team plays a lot of games."

LA (40-24, fourth in the Western Conference) has endured three straight losses and sits mere percentage points ahead of the fifth-placed Houston Rockets (41-25). Thus, the team will likely welcome James' potential early return as it battles for favorable playoff seeding.

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