Atlanta coach Dan Quinn says running back Devonta Freeman
won't make it back for the final two games of the season.The Falcons were
mathematically eliminated from the playoffs last week. Even though Atlanta's
chances were less than 1
percent
Matt Ryan
Jersey Limited , Quinn didn't want to rule Freeman out for the rest of the
year until he was certain.Quinn said Wednesday that the Falcons "were going to
keep all of our options open in the hopes that the season would keep extending
so he would have the largest window if he could come back. We know where that
window is closing, so he won't make it in time."Freeman, signed to the NFL's
richest contract for a running back before the 2017 season, has missed 14 games
over the last two years with head, knee and groin injuries. He is still not
fully recovered from in-season groin surgery and hasn't practiced since Week
5.Tevin Coleman, Brian Hill and Jeremy Langford will handle the running duties
Sunday when Atlanta (5-9) visits Carolina (6-8). The Falcons, already with the
NFL's second-worst rushing attack, lost Coleman's primary backup, Ito Smith, to
a season-ending knee injury in last week's win over Arizona.Atlanta ends its
regular season at Tampa Bay on Dec. 30. LeBron James scored 44 points in the
Lakers¡¯ 126-117 over the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. In doing so, he
passed Wilt Chamberlain for No. 5 on the NBA¡¯s all-time leading scorer¡¯s
list.James recorded the historic basket with just under four minutes to go in
the fourth quarter, driving by Jake Layman to knock down the floater plus the
foul. He rounded the night out with 10 rebounds, nine assists and three blocks.
It was James¡¯ best game since signing a four-year deal in Los Angeles over the
summer.James has extended his prime longer than many playing careers last in an
entirety. He¡¯s kept his body in tip-top
shape
http://www.atlantafalconsteamonline.com/matt-ryan-jersey ,
dedicating seven figures to his health, well being and bodily upkeep annually.
As a result, at age 33 ¡ª soon to be 34 ¡ª he hasn¡¯t slowed down a beat. ¡°I¡¯ve
done something right in my career, and I give it all to the man above for giving
me these God-given abilities,¡± he said while walking to the locker room. ¡°And
I¡¯ve taken full advantage of it, so I give all the credit to my coaching staff,
my teammates all through these 16 years. It¡¯s all about hard work, man.¡±James
continues to find new ways to score, even though he entered the league as a
playmaker and not a scorer. Now, he finds himself high up on the leaderboards.
The only question left is how high can he go?Can LeBron James catch Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar?Let¡¯s take a look at the NBA¡¯s all-time leading scorer¡¯s list,
which features some of the best to ever play the game:Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
38,387 points (that¡¯s a lot of buckets)Karl Malone: 36,928 points (also a lot of
buckets)Kobe Bryant:
33
Calvin
Ridley Jersey Limited ,643 points (not as many buckets, but still quite a
few)Michael Jordan: 32,292 points (a moderate amount of buckets)LeBron James:
31,425 points (very few buckets)That¡¯s a 6,962-point gap between fifth place and
first place ¡ª or 22.2 points per game over the 314 remaining regular-season
games on James¡¯ four-year deal in Los Angeles. It¡¯s doable. Barring any major
injuries, actually, it¡¯s likely.James has played every game this season,
including three sets of back-to-backs. He is averaging 27.6 points per game. If
he maintains a 27 point-per-game scoring average through the remaining 68 games
on the schedule, he¡¯ll score an additional 1,836 points.That would give James
33,261 career points, moving him past Jordan and within striking distance of
Bryant.And that¡¯s just in Year 1James is both aging and expected to attract
other superstars to Los Angeles next summer. Both factors could contribute to a
lower scoring average next season. Let¡¯s call it one fewer point per game.If
James averages 26 points per game next season and plays 80 out of 82 games, that
would give him an additional
2
http://www.atlantafalconsteamonline.com/calvin-ridley-jersey ,080
points. After Year 2 in Los Angeles, provided he maintains that level of
production, James would be sitting third all-time in front of Bryant and behind
Malone with 35,341 points.After Year 2?Using that same logic, it would be
miraculous for 36-year-old LeBron James to continue averaging that many points
per game. But James is an all-time great in large part due to the shape he¡¯s
kept his body in. If in Year 3 in L.A., James could find himself averaging 24
points per game and over 77 games. He would add an additional 1,848 points to
his scoring total.That would send him past Malone and behind only Abdul-Jabbar
with 37,189 points. James would only be trailing Kareem by 1,198 points. And in
Year 4?If James enters his fourth season in Los Angeles with 37,266 points, he
would only need to average 14.6 points per game over 82 games ¡ª or 17.1 points
per game over 70 games ¡ª to make that many points up in Year 4. A healthy
37-year-old LeBron James could average 18-to-20 points per game in his sleep.
Barring any major injuries, he should be able to catch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and
claim the top spot on the NBA¡¯s all-time leading scorer¡¯s list. And that¡¯s if
his scoring totals decrease over the years... not if they stay the same.