The Los Angeles Lakers want to make sure LeBron James is available later in the season as the team marches toward the playoffs and have plans to pay closer attention to his playing time.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported, "Still, all parties involved aspire to limit James' minutes when the team can get fully healthy, sources told ESPN. James has already missed one game in the early going because of a left calf injury, and the long-term goal is to get him to the finish line with the wheels still intact."

The team is absolutely right to do so.

The Lakers go as James goes. Even at age 38, he is an elite player in the NBA and in the conversation for best of all time. Through the first month of the season, James is averaging 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.

He is also averaging 33.8 minutes, a number that team officials hope to bring down to somewhere between 28-30.

Unfortunately, key injuries early in the Lakers season have interrupted head coach Darvin Ham's ability to manage James' time on the floor as he had hoped. As those players affected early on find their way back into the lineup, the team will have the opportunity to manage when and for how long James is on the floor more effectively.

LeBron averaged four points less in last year's playoffs than his season average and never really took over the games the way he had in so many instances over the course of his career.

It was not an indictment of the player or a reflection of an aging great, but the result of a tendon injury that affected his explosiveness on the court and availability when the team most needed him.

Los Angeles does not want a repeat of that, nor do fans who want to see the greatest of his generation play at his best when the stakes are the highest.

Look for the Lakers to immediately adjust James' playing time the moment the early depth issues are resolved so that, when the team makes it to the postseason, they can build on last year's Western Conference Finals appearance and, potentially, compete for James' fifth world title and the Lakers' 18th.