The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to play the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night and the news and rumors are ramping up.
Check out the latest buzz below.
LeBron Wants Playing Time Reduced
LeBron James says that he wants to play fewer minutes, indicating that the time is right for the minutes to start coming down.
James is averaging 39.1 minutes per game--third in the NBA--with Kyrie Irving (38.4 minutes) and Kevin Love (37.0) ranking fourth and fifth.
“I wouldn’t mind it. I think we have to give our guys on the bench more of an opportunity. I looked at a stat and 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,” James told ESPN.
“For me, I don’t want to do that all year. Obviously right now it’s difficult because we’re trying to find a groove, we’re trying to find a rhythm and we’re trying to implement something that you don’t want to shortcut it, but at the same time you want to be smart about it.
“So, I don’t mind giving a few of my minutes up just to help the team, to help my minutes go down. I think it would be for the best.”
James has been playing so much partially because Shawn Marion, who was designated his backup, replaced Dion Waiters in the starting lineup.
Coach David Blatt says that he has the minutes situation on his mind and that he wants to lower them for some of the players going forward.
However, he said there’s no problem with James’ minutes specifically.
“Right now LeBron has said and has told me that he’s feeling good and he’s starting to feel his real game shape. So this is not the time to think about resting him. He’s feeling good. This is the time to allow him to get comfortable and to get in his rhythm. And he’s been playing great basketball. Let’s not overlook the fact that he’s been playing great basketball and he looks good physically. He looks excellent,” he said.
“So, for the foreseeable future, we’re going to ride that. Would I like to get him a couple less minutes per game? Yes. And that really has to do with how we’re playing, how we’re doing game to game. But down the line, if that’s a necessity, then like anything else we‘ll weigh it and we’ll consider it and we'll do what’s best for the team and for the player.”
No Trade Out of the Question
Cavaliers general manager David Griffin says that no player on the team’s roster is untouchable in response to recent trade rumors.
The main rumor is that the Cavs and Rockets are pursuing Corey Brower of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“The Cavs are unquestionably interested in a deal for Timberwolves forward Corey Brewer, as reported by ESPN. One team official told FOX Sports Ohio that Brewer would be the perfect fit,” reported Fox Sports.
“He defends wings, doesn’t need the ball, and would allow Marion to move back to his role as James’ backup at small forward. And yes, keep the often shot-happy Waiters coming off the bench and scoring points -- which is how the Cavs’ really like him.”
Now Griffin tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he'd include basically any player in a deal if it was the right one.
“No one is untouchable, and you’re never done building a team, so we’re always paying attention to what opportunities are out there,” Griffin said.
“My tendency is always trying to do what we can do to improve the roster. But I’m not looking to create one so much as paying attention to what I’m hearing.”
Griffin didn’t specifically respond to the Brewer rumor, but noted that the team needs more defensive talent.
“Fortunately, we’re blessed to have a lot of talent, but we’re also not blessed with a great depth of defensive talent,” Griffin said. “We need to improve in that area. That’s probably an area where we may need to act at some point to improve the roster.”
Waiters Eyes Sixth Man Award
Now that Waiters has bought into his new role as sixth man, he wants to get the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
“I would be very grateful, thankful for the opportunity [to win the award],” Waiters told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
“I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing. Hopefully we can keep winning and I’m able to walk away with it.”
Waiters struggled as a starter but has improved to 12.2 points and 45 percent shooting per game since coming off the bench.
Waiters said that he always believes he’s the best on the court, and that being with the second unit enables him to be aggressive.
“I’m a leading scorer on the bench, I’m a leading scorer in the starting five,” he said with a dead-serious expression on his face. “It doesn’t matter. You know what I’m saying.”
James Doesn’t See Spurs as a Rival
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio—He’s met them three times in June when everything has been on the line. Still, LeBron James doesn’t view the San Antonio Spurs has his personal nemesis or a hated rival.
In fact, quite the opposite. James believes the defending champions have shaped him.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a rivalry,” James said after practice on Tuesday. “But I would say it’s mutual respect, it’s great competition and they definitely helped me grow along the way and hopefully, I pushed them too.”
James, who has gone 1-2 against the Spurs in the NBA Finals, will face them again Wednesday night for the first time since returning to Cleveland, and for the first time since San Antonio dismantled his Miami Heat squad in last season’s Finals.
With exquisite ball movement and flawless execution, the Spurs easily captured their fifth title, taking the series in five games with each win by an average of 18 points. It wasn’t close as the Spurs simply overwhelmed the Heat, who were seeking a third straight championship.
“That’s what happens in a series sometimes,” James said. “They were just playing at a much higher pace than we were at the time and they had everything clicking. They had the ball movement. They had guys that were making shots. They had the pace and the space and they had it going. And it resulted in them winning a championship.”
San Antonio’s win may have hastened James’ departure from South Florida. It would have been difficult for him to leave a three-time champion, so Cleveland fans may want to thank Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and his “Big 3” of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
James first encountered the postseason Spurs in the 2007 Finals, when San Antonio swept aCleveland team making its first — and only appearance — on basketball’s biggest stage. James got revenge in 2013 but came up short last summer before deciding to return to Ohio to try to bringCleveland its first pro sports championship since 1964.
During his 11 years in the league, James has developed a deep appreciation for the Spurs’ consistency and character. He says they’ve been the blueprint for team success.
“They work a championship mindset every single day on and off the floor,” he said. “Do they win the championship every single year? No, obviously. But I think good karma comes with how you approach the game and how you approach off the court as well.”
At 5-4, the Cavs are still developing chemistry and seem to be playing up or down to the level of their competition. That was the case Monday, when the struggling Denver Nuggets came into Quicken Loans Arena and outplayed the Cavs, beating them 106-97 and ending their four-game winning streak.
Afterward, James warned if the Cavs aren’t ready for the Spurs, trouble awaits.
“If we’re not mentally focused, they’re going to embarrass us right off the jump, it’s just that simple,” he said. “It’s the Patriots of the NBA. They come into your building and they want to embarrass you. They’re going to execute at a high level and they’re not going to beat themselves.”
While some have hyped the game as a potential finals preview, James knows better. A game in mid-November won’t dictate Cleveland’s status.
“Win or lose it’s not a measuring stick,” he said. “It’s too early, that team has been together — I think Tim Duncan, he’s won more games than all of our guys together.”
James and his newly-assembled team have a long way to go, but San Antonio’s success is indisputable. Popovich and Duncan have combined for 904 regular-season wins and Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have combined for 503 wins, the second most for three players, trailing only Boston’s Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, who won 540.
After the Cavs play the Spurs, they'll head to Washington, another team with whom the four-time MVP shares a history. During his first stint in Cleveland, James played the Wizards in the postseason from 2006-08 and each series was tainted with trash talk and tough play.
James remembers.
“Now that’s a rivalry,” he said.
NOTES: Cavs F Shawn Marion missed practice after bruising his left foot in Monday’s game. He’s listed as probable against the Spurs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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