National Basketball Association

NBA Report: LeBron likely to miss game in Ohio stretch

Published Oct. 13, 2014 4:15 p.m. ET

foxsports

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- LeBron James and the Cavaliers have said James may miss some games for the purpose of rest and maintenance, and it sounds as if that strategy will start this week.

The Cavs, who are back in Northeast Ohio following a long weekend trip to Brazil, play three preseason games in Ohio. The fun starts Tuesdayat Quicken Loans Arena vs. the Bucks. The Cavs then play a "home" game the next night against the Pacers at Xavier University in Cincinnati. After that, it's back to the Q Friday for the Mavericks.

Following Monday's practice, James said he is likely to sit out one of the games, adding it will most likely be one of the back-to-backs (Tuesday or Wednesday). He added he had not decided which one.

"I haven't figured it out," he said. "I'll talk to Coach (David Blatt) and go from there."

James stressed he's feeling healthier and that his minor back issue is improving.

"I've been managing it pretty good," he said. "I feel pretty good right now and I want to continue that."

So with 82 regular-season games on the way and the preseason not meaning anything but practice against other teams, now would be the time to catch a breather.

When asked about James possibly not playing in the Cavs' lone trip to Cincinnati, Blatt smiled.

"He may not play at home, too. That will really make for some unhappy fans," Blatt said. "You just know who they are coming to when that happens."

Blatt added, "We know and recognize all the importance of all the players playing, particularly all the marquee players that so many fans want to see. We're conscious of that and we're sensitive to that.

"On the other hand, this is a marathon and not a sprint. We have to try to do the right thing for our guys and the right thing for our season in terms of how we manage the minutes and manage the opportunity to give a guy a little bit of a break. I can promise you, I don't do it on purpose."

James is averaging 9.5 points and 6.0 assists in two preseason games (both wins). He is shooting just 31 percent from the floor (6-of-19), but is playing less than half the game at 20 minutes per.

Kyrie on court

Point guard Kyrie Irving is making progress after injuring his right ankle in practice early last week. Blatt said Irving "moved around quite a bit" during Monday's session.

But the coach stressed the Cavs "don't want to rush it" and plan to "be careful" with Irving's foot, considered a mild sprain.

Irving sat out Saturday's win over the Miami Heat in Brazil, and seems likely to miss both the Bucks and Pacers games this week.

"He could play later this week (vs. the Mavericks)," Blatt said of Irving.

Dribbles

1. Cavs forward Tristan Thompson is second in the league in preseason rebounding. Thompson is averaging 11.0 rebounds.

2. James is tied for seventh in preseason assists at 6.0 per game. He is tied with Magic rookie Elfrid Payton.

3. Spurs point guard Tony Parker leads all preseason scorers at 25.0 points per game. Parker played a whopping 36 minutes in a weekend win over Turkish club Fenerbahce Ulker.

4. Early word out of Detroit is big man Greg Monroe will come off the bench. New coach Stan Van Gundy prefers a smaller lineup and may start Andre Drummond and Josh Smith as the Pistons' bigs. Smith started at small forward last season.