http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html
LeBron sidelined with back spasms
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) -- While his teammates practiced their free throws, LeBron James worked on a trick shot where he stands under the basket and heaves a ball off a nearby wall, trying to ricochet it back through the hoop.
He hasn't made one yet.
"I'm working on it," he said.
He's got time to.
James was held out of Cleveland's practice on Monday to rest his back, which has been tightening up and bothering the Cavaliers' All-Star forward for the past few weeks. His back spasms got so severe during a recent game against Chicago that James was unable to sit in a chair during timeouts.
James' injury -- the latest back issue for a Cleveland player -- has worsened at an inopportune time for the Cavs, who are still trying to lock down the No. 4 seed in the NBA playoffs and home-court advantage in the first round. With five games remaining, Cleveland, which has dropped five of seven, enters the week with a two-game lead over Washington and a three-game cushion over Philadelphia for the fourth spot.
The Cavaliers, who don't play again until Wednesday against New Jersey, are hoping the rest will help James for the stretch run.
As coach Mike Brown put his team through a workout, James received treatment on his back. Later, though, he came out on the floor and practiced a few shots.
"I told him just to watch TV," Brown said, looking in the direction of his superstar.
James was asked if back spasms were his only problem.
"That," he said, "and tightness and some stuff that shouldn't be going on right now."
Although it had been troubling him for a few weeks, James didn't reveal the extent of his injury until following last Thursday's home loss to the Bulls. The Cavaliers blew a 17-point lead in the second half, and with James unable to slash to the basket the way he can when healthy, Cleveland couldn't come back. James, who leads the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring, missed all five field-goal tries in the final period.
Then, in another loss on Saturday against Orlando, he didn't drive to the basket in the fourth quarter and said afterward that his back was locking up again.
James doesn't want to miss any games and is counting on the rest to get him up to speed.
"One day helps," he said. "But it's something where you need a little more than one day."
Bad backs have been an ongoing problem for the defending Eastern Conference champions. Centers Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace have both missed time due to back trouble this season.
Those injuries combined with contract holdouts by Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic as well as a colossal trade that hasn't exactly fixed things for Cleveland, has made it seem like this season wasn't meant to be for the Cavs.
"I know every team has injuries, but no team has had the injuries that we've had this year," James said. "We don't want to be an excuse team, because we've never been that."
James feels it's important for the Cavaliers to finish strong. There's still enough time for them to get on a roll before the playoffs.
"We can play better basketball," he said. "We have to. We need some kind of momentum going into the postseason. Last year, we won four straight games that we needed to win going into the postseason. You have to have some kind of confidence going into the postseason."
On a far lighter note, James laughed when he was asked if he got a toaster for good friend, rap mogul Jay-Z, who reportedly married pop superstar Beyonce last week.
"No," James said. "I'll wait until I see him in person and then I'll give him what I got for him."
As James left the floor at the Cavs' training facility, a production crew hauled in cameras and other gear to film a commercial with him.
In such a fragile state, it's safe to assume his body double was needed more than ever.
he has been taking a HUGE toll of work load on that body... doesn't matter how young you are... sooner of later.. you'll feel it... he didn't rest one day during the summer... bad news as i was expecting him to knock the Celtics out in the second round... i guess Arenas will take care of that then...
here comes the excuses when he fails to get the finals mvp trophy
"No team has faced the injuries we have"
Umm I think the Lakers and the Clippers have something to say about that King James. Maybe if you didn't sit out 6 games for a pinky injury on your non-shooting hand......
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html
LeBron sits again with back injury
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) -- LeBron James didn't practice for the second straight day in order to rest his troublesome back before the Cleveland Cavaliers begin their final push heading into the NBA playoffs.
James, who has been dealing with back spasms for a few weeks, received treatment while his teammates prepared for Wednesday night's game against the New Jersey Nets. Cavs coach Mike Brown said Tuesday it's possible James could sit out.
"I know he wants to play," Brown said. "But we have to be cautious with him now."
James was not available for interviews. He was still on the massage table when the club wrapped up its post-practice media session.
"We want him healthy in the playoffs," Brown said. "Yes, we want the fourth seed, but to get the fourth seed and have an unhealthy LeBron throughout the playoff run wouldn't do us any good. We've got to make sure that he's healthy and he's able to help us."
With five regular-season games left, the Cavaliers are trying to wrap up the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They have a two-game lead over Washington for that fourth spot.
Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas also has missed playing time with a bad back. He was asked if he would rather see James sit out a few games at the expense of a higher playoff seed for the Cavs, who because of injuries, haven't been able to gel since getting four new players in a Feb. 21 trade.
"It's a Catch-22," he said. "We all realize how valuable he is to us. But without him being healthy, we stand no chance going into the playoffs. We also want to get the fourth spot and home-court advantage, and we also want him in there just for chemistry reasons.
"He's such a good player and we rely on him so much, and a lot of the guys who just got here haven't played with him that much. He has to know where they're going to be on the floor when he gets double-teams and triple-teams."
James' back problems flared up in the fourth quarter of Cleveland's last two games, home losses to Chicago and Orlando. In those games, James was unable to drive to the basket in the fourth quarter and no one stepped up for the Cavs.
Ilgauskas said it was obvious James was hurting.
"He always has a smile on his face and he's always loud. But I've just noticed that he's been quiet and I can see that it has been bothering him," he said. "He hasn't said anything, but from being around him for all these years, I can tell when something bothers him."
That's too bad...you don't want to see a player of his calibre out.
this kind of stuff happens when you carry your whole team all season
He's back...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html
LeBron cleared to play against Nets
CLEVELAND (AP) -- A little rest was all LeBron James needed.
James, who sat out of practice for two days to rest his ailing back, will play Wednesday night when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the New Jersey Nets.
Following the morning shootaround, Cavs coach Mike Brown said James will play. The NBA's leading scorer has been bothered by back spasms for weeks. They became more severe during the second half of home losses to Chicago and Orlando.
The Cavaliers are trying to wrap up the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Cleveland has a two-game lead over Washington and a three-game cushion over Philadelphia with five games left.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote