Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James wants coach David Blatt to cut down his playing time in order to stay fresh for the entire 2014-15 NBA season.
James averaged 39.1 minutes and has played for at least 40 minutes in seven of their first nine games this season. The four-time Most Valuable Player is third among NBA players in terms of minutes per game, while superstar teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are fourth and fifth with 38.4 and 37.0 minutes, respectively.
"I think we have to give our guys on the bench more of an opportunity," James told ESPN. "I looked at a stat and myself, Kyrie (Irving) and Kevin (Love) are three of the top five guys in the league in minutes per game and that has to come down."
James, Irving and Love had to play extended minutes in their first nine games this season as the Cavaliers are still trying to learn each other's tendencies after making a roster shakeup in the offseason. However, James said that he can't afford to continue having longer playing time in order to prepare for a possible playoff run this season.
"I don't want to do that all year," James said of playing extended minutes. "Obviously right now it's difficult because we're trying to find a groove, we're trying to find a rhythm and we're trying to implement something that you don't want to shortcut it, but at the same time you want to be smart about it."
When asked about James' statement, Blatt, who is coaching in his first season in the NBA after winning multiple titles in Europe, said that he is "not overly concerned" with his superstar trio's playing time, but quickly added that he will consider making changes in the rotation.
"I am, and we are cognizant of the fact and desiring of the possibility of lowering those minutes as we go forward, at least for a good part of the season," Blatt said. "And we will adjust to that as much as possible and where possible because it's important. We are cognizant of that fact."
The Cavaliers, one of the strongest title contenders this season, started the season with three defeats in four games, but has improved to 5-4 after scoring four straight wins before taking a 106-97 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
