LeBron James celebrating over a shot. (Photo : Getty Images/Ezra Shaw)
LeBron James will not be participating in the Cavaliers' match against the Mavericks. The coach is preparing him for the NBA playoffs which will begin next month.
The superstar will not appear during the match of the Cavaliers against the Mavericks this coming Wednesday night. The Cavalier's coach, Tyronn Lue, is planning to prepare the team's superstar to rest up. This is to prepare him for the NBA playoffs, which will start this coming April, USA Today reported.
The coach decided on this plan 90 minutes before the team's match with the Mavericks. Currently, the Cavaliers have a record of 0-2 without James' appearance, and 3-12 when he does not play for the team in the last two seasons.
Lue has discussed about this decision with the team and plans to make the players play better when James is not around. He plans for them to take on the challenge and be ready to play anytime.
James was planned to be absent during the Cavaliers' four-game road trip, according to the coach. The team has played at Utah last Monday and came back to Cleveland last Tuesday, Fox Sports reported. After the Dallas match, the team will be going to Orlando and Miami later this week and Lue plans to let James play in both games.
Three days of rest for James was a far better plan than letting the superstar rest one game after another, the coach was quoted as saying. He expects this regimen will make James have better performance before the playoffs. The team is going through five games straight in seven nights, and this Wednesday night will be the only home game for them in two weeks.
James has an average of 24.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.5 assists currently. The player who will replace his place in the starting lineup will be Iman Shumpert, along with J.R. Smith, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love.
Lue pointed out that without James, the team will lose 25 points during a game. This is the reason why everyone else will have to step up and become better. He said that the team will have to use Irving and Love to get some results in the meantime.
Watch the highlights of the Cavaliers versus the Mavericks below:
