LeBron James, Tyronn Lue Comment on Star's Minutes, Health, Conditioning - Bleacher Report

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Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is preparing for his 14th NBA season and a title defense with his hometown team.

Head coach Tyronn Lue, who is entering his first full season as the leader on the Cavaliers bench, is focused on keeping James as fresh as possible throughout the 2016-17 season, as he told the media Wednesday, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com:

I've looked at the schedule. Just seeing what makes sense and what's smart when playing four-in-five type of nights. Can't run our guys into the ground. We have to be smart, understand we have to take care of our bodies and take care of our key guys. Make sure that when we get to the playoffs we're ready to go. ... 

My thing is just making sure guys are healthy, continue to limit LeBron's minutes, and he was at an all-time low last year.

While there aren't any stretches of the schedule that force the Cavaliers to play four games in five nights, there are a number of instances in which James and Co. will be playing three games in four nights. According to McMenamin, they also have "two five-in-seven stretches."

For a team that's again favored to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals—with 3-1 odds to win its second straight title, per Odds Shark—it will be imperative to keep James healthy.

That could mean giving him a night off or two during those busy spells in the regular season to ensure that he is as close to 100 percent as possible for the playoffs. 

But Lue might have some trouble convincing James to sit, as No. 23 described himself as "stubborn," per McMenamin:

I try to make myself available for my teammates every night, and I think I've had some pretty good coaches over the last few years, with Erik Spoelstra my last couple years there [in Miami] and now Coach Lue has done a great job of just trying to help me take care of my body, because I'm very stubborn when it comes to wanting to play.

James, who has never played all 82 games in a season, sat out six times last year to rest. His 2,709 total minutes represented his lowest mark for a regular season in which he appeared in 75-plus games.

However, it worked out, as it was the sixth consecutive time that James appeared in the NBA Finals, which resulted in Cleveland's first-ever league title and James' third ring:

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Playing nearly 100 games per season takes a toll on the body, though, which James said he realizes, per McMenamin:

[My coaches] also know I've put a lot of miles on my body over the last six years from going to the Finals every single year, so, health and longevity for our team is very important. ...

For me it's a mindset, and it's getting my body in 82-game fashion. Will I play them all? Hopefully, but if not then ... For me, for my mental [state] to say I can go out and play all 82 because my body feels that good. Last year I talked about it and I could've done it. So I just have the same mind frame as I had last year.

As long as the year ends with another championship, regular-season minutes will be irrelevant to all parties involved.

With the defending Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors having added Kevin Durant over the offseason, James might have to elevate his play to another level if the Cavaliers advance to their third straight Finals, so freshness down the stretch could be key. 

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com. 

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