Cleveland Cavaliers rumors about the ankle of LeBron James have become a hot topic around the NBA. A new report by ESPN sheds some additional light on the situation, with some possible good news, not just for Cavs fans, but also for fantasy basketball owners counting on James this season.
NBA analyst Dave McMenamin states that James went through a full practice on Thursday (Oct. 5), marking the first time he has been able to do so in about a week. James hurt his left ankle earlier in the NBA preseason, with the Cavs playing it safe with their superstar player ever since.
There has been no rush to get him back on the court, especially with how important James will be to the success of the Cavs this year.
Cavs vs. Indiana Pacers on Friday
On Friday morning (Oct. 6) Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue will make a decision about whether LeBron James will play against the Indiana Pacers later in the day. If James is still feeling good after his full practice on Thursday, then it is very likely he will join the Cavs starting lineup for the night. It would be the first time that Lue gets to use the new starting lineup that he wants to go with to open the 2017-18 NBA season.
Joining LeBron James in the starting rotation are Kevin Love at center, Jae Crowder at power forward, J.R.
Smith at shooting guard, and Derrick Rose at point guard. This would mean that Dwyane Wade will be coming off the bench as the leader of a very talented second unit. Also coming off the bench will be Kyle Korver, Tristan Thompson, Richard Jefferson, Jose Calderon, Channing Frye, Cedi Osman, and Iman Shumpert.
Cavs projected to win the East
There have been a lot of Cleveland Cavaliers rumors over the past few months, stemming not just from the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors, but also about how the player rotation will look for the team. Coach Tyronn Lue has a lot of egos to work with this year, even after Kyrie Irving got sent to the Boston Celtics.
In the short-term, Lue will be able to keep veteran point guard Derrick Rose happy, as he will be the starting point guard and seeing a lot of minutes. When Isaiah Thomas returns from his surgery, though, that could become an important issue.
The NBA experts feel that the Cavs are going to win a lot of games this season, but the roster will have to stay healthy to get the franchise back to the NBA Finals again. Having a healthy LeBron James is the first step, but the team also needs healthy guards and a non-injured Kevin Love pulling down rebounds. In a weakened Eastern Conference, the biggest test for the Cavs may be to stay healthy. If this roster can do that, then the Cleveland Cavaliers rumors in March will be less about James going to the Los Angeles Lakers and more about how many wins this team can get.
