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I like Shumpert on this team. JR and Mike Miller are kind of redundant.
The Big Shot: Finding a place for Kevin Love in Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love in action during an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday. (Matt Slocum/AP Photo)
PHILADELPHIA — Kevin Love didn’t necessarily choose Cleveland, so much as LeBron James and the Cavaliers chose him and sold him on trading in a few points and rebounds for a shiny trophy. Through his first few months along Lake Erie, however, Love has either been underused or misused and probably come close to blowing a fuse.
The Cavaliers haven’t plowed through the Eastern Conference as many expected after four-time most valuable player James returned home and then convinced three-time all-star Love to accept a trade to another cold-weather town that already had possessed another all-star talent in Kyrie Irving. Love has more wins after 35 games than at any point in his career (19) but that total is just two more than his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and he probably has to wonder if the actual gold-plated reward for this season will come from Tiffany or an alchemist.
“We’re not where we want to be,” Love said after Cleveland (19-16) lost on Monday to the woeful Philadelphia 76ers, “and we know we have to play better.”
Rookie Coach David Blatt, a success at previous stops throughout Europe, has taken much of the criticism for the team’s sluggish start but Dion Waiters became the first scapegoat Monday when the Cavaliers shipped out the disgruntled former first-round pick in a three-team trade with New York and Oklahoma City. Cleveland needs the Love part of this superteam experiment to pan out since it was a move that turned James’s heroic comeback into an urgent chase for a title, no matter how often Blatt, James and others have tried to downplay expectations.
Love can opt out of his deal this summer and has no hometown allegiance pulling him to stick around, though he has repeatedly stated a long-term commitment to the Cavaliers. Until Cleveland can get going and find a fit for Love, the concern over his future will linger.
The previous all-star Kevin that Minnesota shipped out – Garnett – needed no time to connect with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and win a title in Boston. Pau Gasol has twice been rescued from a struggling organization only to click almost immediately with Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose.
Realizing the stakes for Cleveland and the patience required for most star alliances, Love has kept his grumbling to a minimum. When asked after the 76ers’ loss how this season has gone for him, Love bristled, “It’s not about me.”
Chris Bosh warned Love that the adjustment to playing with James would be “very difficult” after having spent so many years as an offensive focal point in Minnesota. Love never denied he would have to take a step back, but there is a difference between deferring and drifting.
Too many times, Love became the forgotten man, or worse yet, a one-dimensional jump shooter who has to wait for whenever James or Irving decides they don’t want the basketball any longer. Love ranked eighth in touches last season, the highest among non-point guards, but now comes in 34th, with James and Irving eighth and 10th respectively. Love’s usage percentage, which measures the number of possessions a player uses per 40 minutes, has dropped from 27.7 last season to just 20.7 – tied with former Timberwolves teammate Corey Brewer and well below that of James (30.3) and Irving (23.7).
Playing with other stars was theoretically supposed to result in a more efficient player who wouldn’t have to work so hard to produce. Despite maintaining his status as a double-double machine, Love hasn’t experienced a favorable trade-off. Love’s scoring average is the lowest since his second season, rebounding rate is lowest of his career and he is poised to finish with a player efficiency rating lower than 20 for just the third time in his career – and that includes the 2012-13 season when Love was limited to just 18 games with a broken right hand.
LeBron James and Kevin Love share an all-too-infrequent smile. (Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
Acquiring Love meant sacrificing No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins, a graceful, breathtaking talent who entered the league prepared to accept the challenge of guarding elite perimeter players but in need of time to develop an offensive repertoire and a demeanor to dominate. James didn’t want to wait for the full Wiggins package to come together.
But with James sidelined for at least another week with a sore back and left knee after carrying heavy assignments on both ends, Wiggins’s absence may have already proven costly — especially with Cleveland 1-5 without James and set to take on what Love deemed “murderers row.” The Cavs next face Houston, Golden State, Sacramento, Phoenix, the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Cavaliers basically doubled down on the Love trade Monday by acquiring a wing defender in Iman Shumpert, who provides some of what Wiggins can bring without the upside. They also took on J.R. Smith, a streaky shooter without conscience or couth who replaces Waiters.
With the trade going down moments before tip-off at Wells Fargo Center, and with James and Irving (back) both sidelined, Love reprised an all-too familiar position from his days in Minnesota – racking up ridiculous numbers (28 points and 18 rebounds) in defeat. Love stayed on the court long after the game ended, unable to digest a loss to the team that had, at the time, the league’s worst record.
“Any time we lose I’m not in the best of spirits,” Love said. “This is a tough one to have here.”
Love recently shaved his beard and now resembles in both looks and game the player that he was as a lone Timberwolf. In his past three games, Love has averaged 28.3 points and 11.3 rebounds and his usage rate has gone up to 28.7 – but Cleveland has just one win over Charlotte.
“Kevin has had games like this during the course of the year,” Blatt said. “Perhaps not as consistently. Obviously, with other main guys out, he’s taking on a bigger role and he’s responded in a great fashion, but it hasn’t shown me something I didn’t know. At all.”
The time without James won’t necessarily be good for the Cavaliers, who are a plus-4.9 with James on the floor and a minus-5.4 when he sits this season. Cleveland doesn’t risk sliding out of the playoff picture in the annually beleaguered Eastern Conference but it is 4 1/2 games behind fourth-place Washington and only a game ahead of sixth-place Milwaukee.
But removing the dependence on James might help Blatt figure out how to better utilize a two-time second-team all-NBA performer. James might even recognize that Love has more to offer than just ample floor spacing. Love is eager to get everyone back, so that he can experience why he came to Cleveland.
“We’re down but we’re not out,” Love said, “so we just need to continue to keep fighting.”
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love in action during an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday. (Matt Slocum/AP Photo)
PHILADELPHIA — Kevin Love didn’t necessarily choose Cleveland, so much as LeBron James and the Cavaliers chose him and sold him on trading in a few points and rebounds for a shiny trophy. Through his first few months along Lake Erie, however, Love has either been underused or misused and probably come close to blowing a fuse.
The Cavaliers haven’t plowed through the Eastern Conference as many expected after four-time most valuable player James returned home and then convinced three-time all-star Love to accept a trade to another cold-weather town that already had possessed another all-star talent in Kyrie Irving. Love has more wins after 35 games than at any point in his career (19) but that total is just two more than his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and he probably has to wonder if the actual gold-plated reward for this season will come from Tiffany or an alchemist.
“We’re not where we want to be,” Love said after Cleveland (19-16) lost on Monday to the woeful Philadelphia 76ers, “and we know we have to play better.”
Rookie Coach David Blatt, a success at previous stops throughout Europe, has taken much of the criticism for the team’s sluggish start but Dion Waiters became the first scapegoat Monday when the Cavaliers shipped out the disgruntled former first-round pick in a three-team trade with New York and Oklahoma City. Cleveland needs the Love part of this superteam experiment to pan out since it was a move that turned James’s heroic comeback into an urgent chase for a title, no matter how often Blatt, James and others have tried to downplay expectations.
Love can opt out of his deal this summer and has no hometown allegiance pulling him to stick around, though he has repeatedly stated a long-term commitment to the Cavaliers. Until Cleveland can get going and find a fit for Love, the concern over his future will linger.
The previous all-star Kevin that Minnesota shipped out – Garnett – needed no time to connect with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and win a title in Boston. Pau Gasol has twice been rescued from a struggling organization only to click almost immediately with Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose.
Realizing the stakes for Cleveland and the patience required for most star alliances, Love has kept his grumbling to a minimum. When asked after the 76ers’ loss how this season has gone for him, Love bristled, “It’s not about me.”
Chris Bosh warned Love that the adjustment to playing with James would be “very difficult” after having spent so many years as an offensive focal point in Minnesota. Love never denied he would have to take a step back, but there is a difference between deferring and drifting.
Too many times, Love became the forgotten man, or worse yet, a one-dimensional jump shooter who has to wait for whenever James or Irving decides they don’t want the basketball any longer. Love ranked eighth in touches last season, the highest among non-point guards, but now comes in 34th, with James and Irving eighth and 10th respectively. Love’s usage percentage, which measures the number of possessions a player uses per 40 minutes, has dropped from 27.7 last season to just 20.7 – tied with former Timberwolves teammate Corey Brewer and well below that of James (30.3) and Irving (23.7).
Playing with other stars was theoretically supposed to result in a more efficient player who wouldn’t have to work so hard to produce. Despite maintaining his status as a double-double machine, Love hasn’t experienced a favorable trade-off. Love’s scoring average is the lowest since his second season, rebounding rate is lowest of his career and he is poised to finish with a player efficiency rating lower than 20 for just the third time in his career – and that includes the 2012-13 season when Love was limited to just 18 games with a broken right hand.
LeBron James and Kevin Love share an all-too-infrequent smile. (Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
Acquiring Love meant sacrificing No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins, a graceful, breathtaking talent who entered the league prepared to accept the challenge of guarding elite perimeter players but in need of time to develop an offensive repertoire and a demeanor to dominate. James didn’t want to wait for the full Wiggins package to come together.
But with James sidelined for at least another week with a sore back and left knee after carrying heavy assignments on both ends, Wiggins’s absence may have already proven costly — especially with Cleveland 1-5 without James and set to take on what Love deemed “murderers row.” The Cavs next face Houston, Golden State, Sacramento, Phoenix, the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Cavaliers basically doubled down on the Love trade Monday by acquiring a wing defender in Iman Shumpert, who provides some of what Wiggins can bring without the upside. They also took on J.R. Smith, a streaky shooter without conscience or couth who replaces Waiters.
With the trade going down moments before tip-off at Wells Fargo Center, and with James and Irving (back) both sidelined, Love reprised an all-too familiar position from his days in Minnesota – racking up ridiculous numbers (28 points and 18 rebounds) in defeat. Love stayed on the court long after the game ended, unable to digest a loss to the team that had, at the time, the league’s worst record.
“Any time we lose I’m not in the best of spirits,” Love said. “This is a tough one to have here.”
Love recently shaved his beard and now resembles in both looks and game the player that he was as a lone Timberwolf. In his past three games, Love has averaged 28.3 points and 11.3 rebounds and his usage rate has gone up to 28.7 – but Cleveland has just one win over Charlotte.
“Kevin has had games like this during the course of the year,” Blatt said. “Perhaps not as consistently. Obviously, with other main guys out, he’s taking on a bigger role and he’s responded in a great fashion, but it hasn’t shown me something I didn’t know. At all.”
The time without James won’t necessarily be good for the Cavaliers, who are a plus-4.9 with James on the floor and a minus-5.4 when he sits this season. Cleveland doesn’t risk sliding out of the playoff picture in the annually beleaguered Eastern Conference but it is 4 1/2 games behind fourth-place Washington and only a game ahead of sixth-place Milwaukee.
But removing the dependence on James might help Blatt figure out how to better utilize a two-time second-team all-NBA performer. James might even recognize that Love has more to offer than just ample floor spacing. Love is eager to get everyone back, so that he can experience why he came to Cleveland.
“We’re down but we’re not out,” Love said, “so we just need to continue to keep fighting.”
If I was kevin love I would demand a trade asap! I know bosh is happy as fuck lebron left. At 1st it was Kyrie 's fault, the bench, the coach, and now it's love. The so called leader of the team sits back once again and watch everyone take the blame when he's not even playing good on offense or defense.
You lebron fans are running out of excuses. It can't keep being the teammates! Like I said k love do like lebron did in miami and run out of town. The nba and espn brainwashed the fuck out of ya'll.
This guy at work was like they're not winning any games without lebron I was like they wasn't doing shit with him.
Your hate has made you disialluginal, when LeBron and the Heat won, you was crying and came up with every excuse under the sun.. Now this year he has played injured on a new team and had a winning record and you are now claiming the Cavs wasn't winning with him.
All I know is the Cavs have a worse record with out LeBron than the Thunder with out Durant and if anyone is running out of excuses it got to be your boy KD.... He ain't getting no younger and he still hasn't won shit!
Dude was chilling @ times
Your hate has made you disialluginal, when LeBron and the Heat won, you was crying and came up with every excuse under the sun.. Now this year he has played injured on a new team and had a winning record and you are now claiming the Cavs wasn't winning with him.
All I know is the Cavs have a worse record with out LeBron than the Thunder with out Durant and if anyone is running out of excuses it got to be your boy KD.... He ain't getting no younger and he still hasn't won shit!
KD came back ballin But the last 2 games he played like shit. See that's the difference between me and you I'm not gonna lie to myself and say it's his teammates not playing good. Okay now we're going from he's not playing good bc of him losing weight to he's hurt? Lol the thunder only won a few games without durant and we see how horrible they are when he's not playing good. Love played without the other big 2 scored 30 points with 20 rebounds and all of lebron fans trying find something negative to say about his game. They almost won considering they were missing 2 starters and according to lebron's fans the worst bench in the nba. Love better run and don't look back bc everytime lebron struggles he's getting the blame.
You do realize LeBron is 2nd in the league in scoring even while he was injured, if thats what you call struggling your expectations of LeBron is off the chain wax..
Lol this is what I'm talking about excuses. He play his ass off against bottom feeder teams but he's laid back when he plays the big team? Shouldn't it be the other way? Everytime a team is losing the star of the team gets the blame but when lebron team lose his team gets the blame. Damn I'm reading more and more of lebron's fans seeing through this. Now if Lebron was playing in the last few games I bet they would have lost over half of the games they played since he's been (cough cough) hurt.
ACtually its the opposite, he tends to chill vs the lesser teams and play hard vs the better ones..
Think about it, he logged in the most mins, forcing him to have to literally take breaks on the court..
Them being 1-6 with out him speaks volumes to this point.
He's averaging 24 ppg against garbage teams and most of the games he shot horrible just to get those points. He's having his best games against bottom feeder teams. Kobe is 500 years old and averaging 24 points.
Well I am going to have to write the NBA and ask them why is it only LeBron gets to play against garbage teams, and how his stats vs garbage teams shouldn't count!!!!
While your in the mood of being honest and opening up to the truth answer this, why are you in this thread and not in some KD or OKC thread bragging about his dominance over LeBron...
Oh wait I almost forgot....
Last year when they faced each without westbrook playing durant to lebron to school. Durant faced a double or triple teams everytime he touch the ball while lebron got checked 1 on 1 by perry jones the whole game.
That's just it when he's playing good against a weak team his fans are yelling king james but when he struggles against a good team his fans are like fuck trade kevin love.
If you get doubled and tripled teamed so much as you claim, playing with guys like Westbrook, Ibaka, Harden for a year, and Reggie Jackson, and you still have that god awful record vs LeBron, you a scrub for not being able to give up the rock on these so called triple teams..
But at least you didn't cape up for the boy with one of your famous excuses.
Damnnnn
'Held back' by Cavs? Dion Waiters ready to make his mark on Thunder
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Philadelphia native Dion Waiters was pumped about starting for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the 76ers on Monday night in front of his family and friends. But just as he was about to be introduced in the starting lineup, Waiters was told he wouldn't be playing because he had been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"I'm starting, and right before my name gets called, I get the news when I'm ready to walk [on the court] during the [introductions]," Waiters said. "It was crazy.
"At least let me play since I'm going to get traded. Let this be my last game [for Cleveland] in Philly. Since OKC already went there, I can't even go back there [this season]. I was bitter a little bit. But I'm fine."
Waiters said Cavaliers director of player administration Raja Bell broke the news to him. Afterward, Waiters said he went back to the Cavs' team hotel and hung out with family and friends during the game.
The Thunder acquired Waiters in a three-team deal. Waiters averaged 14.3 points, 2.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds in two-plus seasons with Cleveland. In his debut for the Thunder, he came off the bench and missed eight of his nine shots in 22 minutes of OKC's 104-83 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
"We're excited to have him," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said before the game. "He brings toughness, a scorer and a competitor. I like guys that are going to compete when they are on the floor."
Said Waiters: "I get to come to an organization that has been to the Finals, young talented guys and there are big expectations here also. I'd love to be a part of something like that. I'm just glad it wasn't no bad organization or a team that is not playing for the playoffs."
Kevin Durant says Waiters can help fill the scoring void left by 2012 NBA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden, who was traded to the Houston Rockets prior to the 2012-13 season. Waiters actually wanted to wear Harden's old No. 13 for the Thunder after his favorite No. 3 wasn't available because Perry Jones III is wearing it. But Waiters said the Thunder wouldn't allow it, presumably because of Harden, so he instead took No. 23.
"I guess they want me to have my own identity," Waiters said. "We are going to make 23 look good, though."
The Cavaliers opened the season with major expectations with the return of LeBron James and the addition of Kevin Love and coach David Blatt to join Waiters and Kyrie Irving. The Cavaliers, however, owned a 19-16 record for fifth-place in the Eastern Conference entering Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets.
"We never really played together," Waiters said. "Of course, I played with 'Ky,' but we never played with 'Kev' or LeBron and those types of guys who dominated on the opposing team. For them to come to Cleveland, we all had to change our games for the betterment of the team.
"For instance, my scoring went down [along with] 'Ky.' We're used to having the ball, and with LeBron he needs the ball to facilitate, make plays and things like that. It was a chemistry thing that was still building."
Waiters reportedly clashed with Irving and wasn't happy about primarily not starting. He averaged career-lows of 10.5 points, 2.2 assists, 25.6 percent 3-point shooting and 23.8 minutes for Cleveland while coming off the bench in 30 of 33 games this season. Waiters also said he was "held back" from showing his game.
"I knew something was going to happen with everything that was going on with the way we were playing," Waiters said. "I just knew. I just sensed it."
Asked about his reputation and what the Thunder should expect, Waiters said: "You can't judge a book by its cover until you open up and read it. There are going be a million stories out there, true or not true. I say get to know me first before you judge me. Once that takes care of itself, everything else will fall into place."
Durant said he is fond of Waiters' toughness, ability to drive and pass, and take the pressure off Durant and Russell Westbrook scoring-wise.
"He's not just any other player," Durant said. "He can play. A lot of people overlooked that. He can play basketball, man, and he's had some huge games in this league. He is definitely somebody that is going to help us out. I'm excited to get him over here now."
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Philadelphia native Dion Waiters was pumped about starting for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the 76ers on Monday night in front of his family and friends. But just as he was about to be introduced in the starting lineup, Waiters was told he wouldn't be playing because he had been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"I'm starting, and right before my name gets called, I get the news when I'm ready to walk [on the court] during the [introductions]," Waiters said. "It was crazy.
"At least let me play since I'm going to get traded. Let this be my last game [for Cleveland] in Philly. Since OKC already went there, I can't even go back there [this season]. I was bitter a little bit. But I'm fine."
Waiters said Cavaliers director of player administration Raja Bell broke the news to him. Afterward, Waiters said he went back to the Cavs' team hotel and hung out with family and friends during the game.
The Thunder acquired Waiters in a three-team deal. Waiters averaged 14.3 points, 2.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds in two-plus seasons with Cleveland. In his debut for the Thunder, he came off the bench and missed eight of his nine shots in 22 minutes of OKC's 104-83 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
"We're excited to have him," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said before the game. "He brings toughness, a scorer and a competitor. I like guys that are going to compete when they are on the floor."
Said Waiters: "I get to come to an organization that has been to the Finals, young talented guys and there are big expectations here also. I'd love to be a part of something like that. I'm just glad it wasn't no bad organization or a team that is not playing for the playoffs."
Kevin Durant says Waiters can help fill the scoring void left by 2012 NBA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden, who was traded to the Houston Rockets prior to the 2012-13 season. Waiters actually wanted to wear Harden's old No. 13 for the Thunder after his favorite No. 3 wasn't available because Perry Jones III is wearing it. But Waiters said the Thunder wouldn't allow it, presumably because of Harden, so he instead took No. 23.
"I guess they want me to have my own identity," Waiters said. "We are going to make 23 look good, though."
The Cavaliers opened the season with major expectations with the return of LeBron James and the addition of Kevin Love and coach David Blatt to join Waiters and Kyrie Irving. The Cavaliers, however, owned a 19-16 record for fifth-place in the Eastern Conference entering Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets.
"We never really played together," Waiters said. "Of course, I played with 'Ky,' but we never played with 'Kev' or LeBron and those types of guys who dominated on the opposing team. For them to come to Cleveland, we all had to change our games for the betterment of the team.
"For instance, my scoring went down [along with] 'Ky.' We're used to having the ball, and with LeBron he needs the ball to facilitate, make plays and things like that. It was a chemistry thing that was still building."
Waiters reportedly clashed with Irving and wasn't happy about primarily not starting. He averaged career-lows of 10.5 points, 2.2 assists, 25.6 percent 3-point shooting and 23.8 minutes for Cleveland while coming off the bench in 30 of 33 games this season. Waiters also said he was "held back" from showing his game.
"I knew something was going to happen with everything that was going on with the way we were playing," Waiters said. "I just knew. I just sensed it."
Asked about his reputation and what the Thunder should expect, Waiters said: "You can't judge a book by its cover until you open up and read it. There are going be a million stories out there, true or not true. I say get to know me first before you judge me. Once that takes care of itself, everything else will fall into place."
Durant said he is fond of Waiters' toughness, ability to drive and pass, and take the pressure off Durant and Russell Westbrook scoring-wise.
"He's not just any other player," Durant said. "He can play. A lot of people overlooked that. He can play basketball, man, and he's had some huge games in this league. He is definitely somebody that is going to help us out. I'm excited to get him over here now."
1 on 1 durant would beat lebron easy everytime. Durant has natural talent lebron has nba talent which means he can't be dominant unless he has help. I seriously think with the Cleveland team that everyone thought would be dominated was gonna barely make the playoffs in the east. I think after love other players are gonna get to the point where they're not wanna play with lebron just to be another scapegoat.
Shit. If Waiters had a problem with Kyrie, he is going to have a problem with Westbrook. Coach Brooks ain't going to check Waiters. Westbrook is the alpha dog on OKC....
Cavs got a big body and will be fine....
As I said, Lebron is in chill mode until the postseason. He basically wants to simulate the season and save his energy. Seems like the regular season is looked at as a burden to him.
Cavs got a big body and will be fine....
As I said, Lebron is in chill mode until the postseason. He basically wants to simulate the season and save his energy. Seems like the regular season is looked at as a burden to him.
LeBron James was in Miami while the Cavaliers played at home Sunday, with team's permission
OAKLAND, Calif. -- So "continuous sitting" for a couple hours at a Cavaliers home game was bad for LeBron James' aching body parts, but a three-hour flight to Miami was OK.
James, who has missed the past six games with a strained left knee and lower back, traveled to Miami Sunday while the Cavaliers played a home game at The Q.
His trip was approved by General Manager David Griffin and team physician Dr. Richard Parker, the Cavs said, and James was not at The Q at any point for the Cavs' game Sunday.
James' Miami trip was first reported by ESPN.com.
James was permitted to go to Miami to continue rehabilitation on Monday and Tuesday, and return Wednesday. Team training staff "supported" James in Miami, according to the Cavs, which likely means his long-time personal trainer Mike Mancias (who is employed by the team) went with him.
Miami, of course, is the city where James spent the past four seasons playing for the Miami Heat, and where the Cavaliers were for a Christmas Day game.
On Thursday, the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported that James had not been around his Cavs teammates or coaches since Dec. 31 -- a home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in which James didn't play.
Asked Wednesday about James' elongated absence from the team, Cleveland coach David Blatt said: "He hasn't been around per orders of the doctor.
"He's not supposed to be doing a whole lot of continuous sitting, or a lot of the team activities that are going on during games," Blatt said. "So that was really by design."
James missed the team's two road trips -- to Charlotte and Philadelphia -- and was also "excused" from the team's home game Sunday while rehabbing his injuries. On Wednesday, Cavaliers spokesman Tad Carper told the Northeast Ohio Media Group that James was "at home Sunday."
Carper said Thursday he was unaware James was in Miami. It was not immediately clear if Blatt knew James had gone south.
James' absence followed the Cavs' announcement on New Year's Day that he would miss at least two weeks to rest and rehabilitate those nagging injuries.
James did attend Cleveland's home loss to the Rockets Wednesday evening and traveled with the team to the West coast Thursday and is "on target" to resume play some time during this five-game trip that begins Friday against Golden State.
James was asked Wednesday about not being around his teammates for a week, and he said "that's difficult for sure, not being with the guys, and me being a team guy and a camaraderie guy, it was difficult for sure."
James also mentioned that "it helps that we're going to some warmer cities so my body could use that as well." The Cavs' next five games are in California and Phoenix.
James said he has been rehabbing his injuries "three to four times per day," and hasn't touched a basketball in a week.
OAKLAND, Calif. -- So "continuous sitting" for a couple hours at a Cavaliers home game was bad for LeBron James' aching body parts, but a three-hour flight to Miami was OK.
James, who has missed the past six games with a strained left knee and lower back, traveled to Miami Sunday while the Cavaliers played a home game at The Q.
His trip was approved by General Manager David Griffin and team physician Dr. Richard Parker, the Cavs said, and James was not at The Q at any point for the Cavs' game Sunday.
James' Miami trip was first reported by ESPN.com.
James was permitted to go to Miami to continue rehabilitation on Monday and Tuesday, and return Wednesday. Team training staff "supported" James in Miami, according to the Cavs, which likely means his long-time personal trainer Mike Mancias (who is employed by the team) went with him.
Miami, of course, is the city where James spent the past four seasons playing for the Miami Heat, and where the Cavaliers were for a Christmas Day game.
On Thursday, the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported that James had not been around his Cavs teammates or coaches since Dec. 31 -- a home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in which James didn't play.
Asked Wednesday about James' elongated absence from the team, Cleveland coach David Blatt said: "He hasn't been around per orders of the doctor.
"He's not supposed to be doing a whole lot of continuous sitting, or a lot of the team activities that are going on during games," Blatt said. "So that was really by design."
James missed the team's two road trips -- to Charlotte and Philadelphia -- and was also "excused" from the team's home game Sunday while rehabbing his injuries. On Wednesday, Cavaliers spokesman Tad Carper told the Northeast Ohio Media Group that James was "at home Sunday."
Carper said Thursday he was unaware James was in Miami. It was not immediately clear if Blatt knew James had gone south.
James' absence followed the Cavs' announcement on New Year's Day that he would miss at least two weeks to rest and rehabilitate those nagging injuries.
James did attend Cleveland's home loss to the Rockets Wednesday evening and traveled with the team to the West coast Thursday and is "on target" to resume play some time during this five-game trip that begins Friday against Golden State.
James was asked Wednesday about not being around his teammates for a week, and he said "that's difficult for sure, not being with the guys, and me being a team guy and a camaraderie guy, it was difficult for sure."
James also mentioned that "it helps that we're going to some warmer cities so my body could use that as well." The Cavs' next five games are in California and Phoenix.
James said he has been rehabbing his injuries "three to four times per day," and hasn't touched a basketball in a week.
Wade to Cleveland? Awww shit
I see cac being cac.. Bron suppose to be in the front of the pic and love at the end
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