INDIANAPOLIS: LeBron James encouraged diversity while criticizing President Donald Trump’s executive order that temporarily bans all new refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries to enter the United States in a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
“I am not in favor of this policy or any policy that divides and excludes people,” James said. “I stand with the many, many Americans who believe this does not represent what the United States is all about. And we should continue to speak out about it.”
James and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich have been two of the NBA’s more outspoken critics against Trump since the campaign. The ban is not currently being enforced because a federal judge granted the states of Minnesota and Washington a nationwide temporary restraining order blocking the ban.
Not yet
The original plan regarding James’ minutes appears to have been postponed. He isn’t showing any signs of resting more anytime soon.
James’ minutes were supposed to start tapering off near the end of January or beginning of February, yet he’s averaged 39.8 over his last nine games. He has dropped from the league leader in minutes played to second, however, behind Kyle Lowry. At 32, James is averaging 37.6 minutes per game this season, his highest number since returning to Cleveland.
“He’s being bullheaded about it,” Lue said Wednesday. “He doesn’t want to back down because he says he’s in a good rhythm right now.”
James said the minutes discussion is a “two-way street” with Lue and even referred to their relationship as a marriage, but made it clear he doesn’t believe he needs to slow down.
James played Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, but Lue said it’s likely he’ll sit Thursday at Oklahoma City if he’s again in the high 30s or low 40s against the Pacers.
“I’m fine,” James said. “Coach is going to do a good job of looking at my numbers and trying to get me rest throughout the game, but I don’t see me having slowed down. My numbers are up. We’ve been in a good groove and if I get rest [a] couple minutes here throughout the game, couple minutes there, off days, things of that nature, it helps the body. But it’s whatever Coach wants to do.”
Lue said it’s important for the Cavs to put teams away when they have big leads so he can get extra rest, but that has always been a problem for this team. The latest example was Saturday’s game at New York, when the Cavs led by 27 late in the third quarter, yet James had to play the entire fourth because the Knicks pulled within 11.
In order to combat the heavy workload, Lue has canceled most of the team’s scheduled practices the last couple of months. He did so again Tuesday when he scratched a practice at Georgetown during the team’s off day in Washington following Monday’s overtime win.
“We just have to play it by ear. If we’ve got the chance to get him rest, we’ve got to get him rest. When we get up on teams, we have to put teams away so his minutes will go down,” Lue said. “We’ve got to be conscious of that and see where it goes.”
Two in a million?
Wizards guard John Wall grudgingly said the acrobatic 3-pointer James banked in at the end of regulation Monday night was a shot “that he will probably make one out of a million times.”
James laughed at the remark Wednesday.
“That’s not one in a million,” he said. “Not for me. Maybe for somebody else.”
James said he knew where he was on the court and knew he had to get behind the 3-point line before he could do anything.
“I figured the best shot for me was to go glass on it,” James said. “But it started with [Kevin Love’s] pass, first of all. He gave me a great pass, and I just tried to trust my judgment, knowing where the rim is at and knowing where the glass is. I was able to bank it in.”
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.