The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be heading in the right direction after a slow start, but LeBron James is worried about the team's rotation. James, the league's MVP in four of the previous five seasons, spoke out this week about the amount of playing time that he, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving are getting.
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James is averaging 39.1 minutes per game this season, a total that ranks third in the league. According to ESPN, he told the media on Tuesday that he thinks he and the other members of Cleveland's "Big Three" should be playing less. "I wouldn't mind it," James told reporters. "I think we have to give our guys on the bench more of an opportunity... myself, Kyrie (Irving), and Kevin (Love) are three of the top five guys in the league in minutes per game and that has to come down."
Kyrie irving and Kevin Love are fourth and fifth in the league in minutes per game, averaging 38.4 and 37.0 minutes per game, respectively. "For me, I don't want to do that all year," said James about his playing time. He later added that he thinks reducing his minutes "would be for the best."
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James has earned a reputation for being nearly indestructible over the years, and he was among the league leaders in minutes played for the entire time he was in Miami. However, he turns 30 in December, and even the best athletes have a shelf life.
Teams often reference the San Antonio Spurs in regard to playing time. Gregg Popovich is regarded as a master at managing the minutes of his star players, resting them for entire games if he feels it necessary in order to keep them fresh for the playoffs.
Last year, no San Antonio player averaged even 30 minutes per game, and that freshness showed when the Spurs rampaged to the title. It certainly seems like LeBron was implicitly referencing the Spurs with all of his talk about his playing time in Cleveland.
Below you can see the highlights from the Cleveland-Boston matchup over the weekend that saw LeBron score a season-high 41 points.
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