James says ankle coming along






By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
January 20, 2004












AP - Jan 20, 12:12 pm EST
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CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James isn't going to take any chances with his sprained right ankle.

``It's coming along,'' James said before sitting out Cleveland's game Tuesday night against the Seattle SuperSonics. ``But I'm not going to push it. It's a long season and I've got a long career. When I feel like my ankle is ready and I'm 100 percent, I'll be back.''

James injured his ankle Saturday in Utah when he stepped on the foot of Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko after attempting a layup.

``I thought it was real bad when it happened,'' said James, who started Cleveland's first 40 games.

Coach Paul Silas said at Tuesday's morning shootaround that the 19-year-old might be able to return for Thursday's nationally televised game against Sacramento. But James, who never missed a high school game because of injury, said he doesn't know when he'll be back and seemed to indicate he could be out for a few games.

He hasn't tried running yet, and didn't want to put a percentage on how strong the ankle felt.

``I'll sit out as long as I have to,'' said James, who leads the Cavaliers in scoring (20.4 points) and assists (6.2). ``It's getting better.''






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James wasn't the only Cavs player missing Tuesday as center Zydrunas Ilgauskas served his one-game suspension for throwing a punch at Jazz center Greg Ostertag.

Kevin Ollie started in James' place and Tony Battie replaced Ilgauskas.

Also, Darius Miles explained his absence from Monday's practice by saying he forgot to set his alarm clock Sunday night.

``I made a mistake,'' Miles said. ``I never missed a practice before, check the books.''

Worried when the 22-year-old didn't arrive for practice, the Cavaliers asked the police to go to Miles' house to check on him.

``My friend woke me up and said the police are at the door,'' Miles said. ``I was like, 'Oh, no, what time is it?' I knew then that I had missed practice.''

Miles said he was amused by all the uproar of over his unexpected absence, which compounded a difficult few days for the Cavaliers. He has drawn interest from a few teams and could be traded before the Feb. 19 deadline.

Miles said he'd prefer to stay with Cleveland, which acquired him in a 2002 trade from the Los Angeles Clippers for point guard Andre Miller.

``I'm happy here, I'm enjoying myself,'' he said.

Miles said he and Silas have a good relationship, although it's one that is frequently tested.

``I don't bite my tongue and he doesn't bite his tongue,'' Miles said.link