LeBron jokes he could use more time off; no timeline for Love or Irving
LeBron James has been putting in the requisite work for another run at an NBA championship this offseason, and put his body through a ridiculous regiment in September.
James provided a sneak peek at his workouts last week but revealed just how insanely he's been preparing for the season at media day on Monday. The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar said he's used September to "get a little crazy," working out three times a day, five days a week for the month.
His plea for some additional rest makes a lot more sense given that information.
"I could definitely use a couple more months off," James joked, likely scaring Cavs fans who remember the multi-week reprieve his ailing body required in 2014-15.
While James is surely in phenomenal shape, the 30-year-old seems more willing to take on a slightly lessened workload, a reported goal of the Cavaliers' organization for this season.
"I don't need to be as hard-headed," James said. "I won't have to worry about playing as many big minutes this season."
James averaged 36.1 minutes last season, the fewest of his career, but he's still played far more regular season minutes than any other player since entering the league in 2003-04. Factor in 10 consecutive trips to the postseason and five to the NBA Finals, plus national team commitments, and James has a ridiculous amount of mileage on his odometer.
Once healthy, the Cavs will boast more depth than a season ago - especially if they can get Tristan Thompson into camp - perhaps allowing them to give James more rest. James identified Kevin Love as someone who can help spell him, though Love's status for the start of the regular season is somewhat unclear.
Love, Kyrie Irving, Timofey Mozgov, and Anderson Varejao are all expected to be healthy enough to participate in camp at some point, but general manager David Griffin was non-committal on a timeline for Love and Irving on Monday.
"(We'll) bring those guys along very slowly," Griffin said, pointing to health in the playoffs as the team's primary concern.
Irving fractured his left kneecap during Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, going under the knife shortly thereafter with his recovery set at three-to-four months, though that timeline has reportedly since been amended. Love dislocated his left shoulder after getting tangled up with Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk during Game 4 of Cleveland's opening-round playoff series and deemed himself "a month, month and a half away" on Sept. 11.