Things aren't going well for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season as their record is 10-7 after 17 games this season. However, they have been doing much better lately as they were two games under .500 less than two weeks ago. At the moment, the reigning Eastern Conference champions are on a five-game winning streak, and despite injury problems, they keep playing at a high level and getting closer to the top.
LeBron James is the biggest reason why the Cavaliers are on a win streak and it seems that he just keeps getting better. However, James may not be able to carry the Cavaliers for a long time as he is leading the NBA in minutes per game this season.
Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue doesn't think it's a big problem, but it might backfire very soon.
Tyronn Lue's comments
"I played with Michael Jordan when he was 39 he played 37 minutes a night. Karl Malone was 37, played 38 minutes a night, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe. Everybody's built different. If you're one of the greats, sometimes you've got to play, sometimes you get rest like tonight," said Tyronn Lue when talking about LeBron James' minutes.
Lue spent 11 years in the NBA and he has been a lot of things. He played with Michael Jordan, who is considered the greatest player of all time, for two years in Washington. LeBron James is often compared to Jordan, and it seems that Lue thinks it's fine to play LeBron nearly 40 minutes per game.
The truth is that James has to play more since the Cavaliers are plagued with injury issues. Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, Derrick Rose, and Isaiah Thomas are all out, and until they come back, the four-time MVP will have to do much more. Without any doubt, LeBron is capable of carrying his team, but it might hurt them in the long run and when it matters most.
Michael Jordan averaged 36.1 minutes per game in his final two seasons in the NBA, including 37.0 minutes in his last season. He is considered the greatest player of all time for a reason, but that doesn't mean that James should play too many minutes to surpass him.
James talks about his minutes
LeBron James, who is averaging 37.9 minutes per game this season, doesn't think that his playing time is a big deal either.
"You make so much a big thing about my minutes. It's not a huge issue. But at the end of the day, when we can get a win like this, everybody benefits from it," said James after Monday's win over the Detroit Pistons.
The Cavaliers forward is leading the league in both minutes per game and total minutes. He has played four more minutes than Harrison Barnes, who ranks second in total minutes, even though Barnes has appeared in 18 games.
Next game
In their last game, the Cavaliers took a big lead over the Pistons, allowing James to get some extra rest. At the end, the forward spent only 27 minutes on the floor, scoring 18 points and dishing out 8 assists. The Cavaliers will host the Brooklyn Nets for their next game which will be played Wednesday night.
This will be the second game between these two teams as the Nets were victorious in their first matchup. Cleveland will enter this game riding a five-game winning streak while their opponent lost three out of their last four games. There is no doubt that the Cavs and LeBron have an advantage, but the Nets can be a tough opponent so they will have to fight hard in order to win their sixth straight game.
