LeBron James hasn't looked like himself this season. He has not been as quick or as explosive as he was in Miami, and his Cavaliers have suffered for it. After an unexpected loss to the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 28, James was shut down due to back and knee strains. Ten days later, he opened up with reporters about exactly how much the injuries had affected his game, reported by Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report:
LeBron James admits he hasn’t felt healthy this year
LeBron James revealed that he has been hurt all season and discussed the Cavaliers’ new additions before Wednesday night’s loss against the Rockets.
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“I haven’t felt great all year. I’ve had spurts where one or two games I felt good, and after that, I was just pushing through it, just being the competitive guy I am and wanting to be out there for my teammates. I feel better right now than I [have] for the majority of the season.”
On the reason for finally sitting, LeBron said: “I just finally listened to my body, ultimately. I was affecting my game. And once I see my game being affected by my stubbornness, I had to just look myself in the mirror and understand I had to do something that was best for me as well. It was one of the hardest, one of the smartest, decisions I’ve made.”
James, who said he's on pace to return in another week, also discussed the new additions the Cavaliers have made, saying about Iman Shumpert: "He's a young guy who can form himself into what Jimmy Butler was a few years ago, just a guy who goes out there and you put him on the best offensive player, and he's going to try to contain him the best way he can. I kind of see him as Jimmy Butler at some point for our team." Lofty goals, considering the breakout season Butler is having.
The focus now, James says, is on getting healthy:
“Until we get healthy, we won’t know what we’re capable of doing,” James said. “I don’t think we will ever be fully healthy, as far as being 100 percent, it’s impossible. I can never get my motor back to 100. As close to 100 as possible for all of us. But once we see all our pieces on the floor, coach Blatt and the coaching staff [can] do a great job of putting the guys together, seeing what lineups, what pieces work together well, we’ll see what we are capable of doing.”
The season has not gone like James or the Cavaliers expected. Injuries have robbed the team of a core player in Anderson Varejao and of precious time to gel. With the additions of J.R. Smith, Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov and LeBron finally feeling better, they are hoping to get their year back on track.
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