Cleveland Cavaliers Roster Update: LeBron James Could Sit Out Remainder of Preseason, Kevin Love Could Play Sunday
LeBron James could sit out the remaining preseason games of the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Kevin Love could make his return to action on Sunday.
James missed their preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday due to illness and was not used during their match with the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.
Cavaliers head coach David Blatt said that he is still unsure if he will field in James in their upcoming showdown with the Toronto Raptors on Sunday and against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
"We'll see what happens at the beginning of next week," Blatt said via ESPN. "I certainly don't expect him to play both games, and I don't know if he'll even play one. We'll see."
Blatt added that they are giving James enough time to rest heading into the new season, knowing that the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player played a lot of minutes before. The second-year head coach clarified, though, that James is healthy and came in great shape in camp.
"We're really happy with how LeBron came into camp. Came in great shape," Blatt said. "We want to take good care of him for the start of the season. As you know in his great and storied career, he has amassed a lot of miles. We're trying to keep those preseason miles to a minimum."
But while the Cavaliers could miss James in their final two preseason games before their season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 27, they could also welcome Kevin Love back to their roster.
Blatt told the Northeast Ohio Media Group that he liked what he saw from Love during his first 5-on-5 practice on Saturday. He said that the former All-Star power forward is "coming along well" and is making progress, as he tries to regain his shape following a long layoff.
"He came in and he really looked good," Blatt said. "It was great to see him on the floor playing. Obviously that raises the level of practice and makes everybody feel good to see him back out there."
Love, who will be playing in his second season in Cleveland after the blockbuster trade last season, missed the majority of the 2015 NBA Playoffs. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during their first-round series with the Boston Celtics.
Love, who averaged 16.4 points and 9.7 rebounds during the 2014-15 NBA regular season, signed a maximum five-year contract worth $113 million this summer.
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