Terry Pluto
Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt must find a way to cut the minutes for LeBron James -- Terry Pluto (photos)
Updated Jan 11, 2019; Posted Sep 28, 2015
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By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Now that he has coached a LeBron James team that reached the NBA Finals, David Blatt seems to understand that he must take a different approach to playing his bench this season.
A year ago, no one with the Cavs or even the NBA knew what to expect from Blatt. He was the first coach in NBA history to come straight from the Euroleague. He was the first coach who was not an NBA player, an NBA assistant or a college coach before given the reins of an NBA franchise.
Blatt is one of the most respected coaches on the world stage, but he never even coached a 48-minute game until the 2014 NBA preseason. He had never endured anything like the 82-game regular season, followed by the 20 postseason games.
Blatt said he is starting this season "in a better place and certainly more confident in understanding the things that I need to do."
Which brings us to LeBron James. Blatt absolutely, positively must cut down James' minutes.
Blatt mentioned that James played the fewest games (69) and averaged the fewest minutes (36.1) of his NBA career. All of that is true.
But James was in the top three of minutes played early in the season when he took two weeks off for treatment on his back and legs. He still ended up ranking No. 5 in average minutes per game. Kyrie Irving was third (36.4).
There can't be a repeat of that. Irving is coming off surgery to repair a fractured knee cap. James is in his 13th NBA season.
When the playoffs came, James' minutes rose to 42.2 per game. In the finals, it was 45.8. James carried an enormous load.
In the 20 postseason games, he averaged 30.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.5 assists. Counting the playoffs, no NBA player has been on the court for more minutes over the last five seasons than James.
THE LEARNING PROCESS
Blatt admitted that he had "a lot to learn about the NBA and the way the game is played here."
That was especially true compared to Europe. The 40-minute games made it easier to rest players. So did the schedule, which rarely was as jammed as what the NBA features. The Cavs played 102 games last season, counting the regular season and the playoffs.
Blatt coached in very few best-of-seven series, as most of the European tournaments are shorter than that. He heard about the need to have the team ready for the postseason when he arrived in Cleveland. Only now does he understand what that means.
"We are about playing in the postseason," said General Manager David Griffin, explaining how injured players such as Kevin Love, Irving and others will be "brought along slowly."
The Cavs want James to be ready for the games that really count -- the playoffs.
Something else besides experience should help Blatt. He is no longer an NBA rookie. He took a team battling injuries through the playoffs, and they were 12-2 heading into the Finals.
So Blatt should not be under as much heat in the regular season as was the case a year ago.
But anyone coaching James is on the spot, because the expectations are a title.
THERE IS HELP
Griffin was able to re-sign J.R. Smith. He added veteran Richard Jefferson. Both can help cut the load for James at small forward.
"We will be very conscious to look for ways to bring him to end (the regular season) in the best physical and emotional shape," said Blatt. "That should allow us to keep the freshness of the main unit. We have a lot of quality players, a lot of possibilities. ... We can go deep to utilize that."
James will be 31 on Dec. 30. That's not old by NBA standards, but he turned pro at 18. He's made six trips to The Finals in his 12 seasons.
James mentioned that "Father Time is undefeated," but doesn't believe his game is slipping. "I feel just as healthy as I did in my rookie year," he said, then laughed. "Absolutely, I don't. I could have used a couple of more months off."
That is why his minutes must be cut.
"I'm very hard-headed," he said when I asked him about playing time. "But I don't need to be."
James said there are now "a lot of (small forward possibilities). I love to play so much, but I don't have to play big minutes this year."
James averaged 36.6 minutes before the All-Star break, 35.2 after.
It's not only slicing his minutes, but allowing him to sit out some games. It was very obvious that James was playing with a bad back early in the season. He looked stiff. He didn't jump nearly as well as a year ago.
The Cavs told James not to play from Dec. 30 through Jan. 12 last season. The two-week break combined with the new training techniques revitalized him and had him prepared for another strong playoff performance.
Now, it's up to Blatt to make sure playing time is handled so a repeat of the two-week rehabilitation session isn't needed. The coach controls the minutes and the lineup. James is open to a new approach to the regular season. Now, the two men need to get together and create a program that will work.