CLEVELAND: Kyrie Irving responded so well to rest the first time that Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue hasn’t ruled out doing it again.
Lue said prior to Irving’s return Saturday after a week off that he’ll consider resting him again at some point if necessary, although he doesn’t have anything scripted out in his head.
Irving played 38 minutes and matched his career high with 12 assists in the Cavs’ win Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers. More important, Irving felt rested following the time away from the court.
“It was warranted,” Irving said of the time away. “Knowing the importance of what was coming up in the season, I think it was a great group decision in terms of the rest that was needed. I had no arguments with that.”
Irving spent much of the time away with his strength and conditioning coach. He stayed away from the court for a couple of the days, but also spent time in the gym trying to keep his rhythm.
Irving knew early in the game against the Charlotte Hornets a week ago his legs were gone. He had a fast break opportunity early in the game, but he had no explosion.
“My legs just weren’t ready to go. I didn’t have that same lift on my jump shot or that same quickness,” he said. “Knowing the magnitude and platform that we played at and things I was able to accomplish this summer, I kind of expected a game or two for my legs to be fatigued.”
In a vacuum, it’s unusual for a 24-year-old to need a week off during the first two months of the season. But Irving is coming off consecutive Finals appearances and played for Team USA last fall in winning gold, not to mention the major knee surgery that forced him to miss half of last season.
Despite the fuss that was created following Lue’s benching of the Big Three for a game at Memphis on Wednesday, it sure looked like the right decision. LeBron James scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter Saturday, while Kevin Love grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds and Irving dazzled with some nifty dribbling in scoring 21 points to go with all of the assists.
“Our biggest thing is trying to keep Kyrie healthy,” Lue said. “It’s gonna be times where he’s going to be mad at me or mad at the training staff, that’s part of it. The biggest thing is we’re trying to prepare ourselves for the playoffs and having healthy legs and fresh legs and being healthy going into the playoffs.
“So he can get mad at times, because you’re young and you want to play. You’ve got to understand the task at hand and what we’re focused on and what our mission is. He understands that now, and we just gotta keep moving forward.”
Lue left open the possibility of benching Irving again later in the year.
“There will probably come another time where he’s going to need a little rest, also,” Lue said. “Right now, he’s feeling good, and that’s the biggest thing for me.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.