Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James Is No Longer Mr. Invincible
The biggest thing that the Cleveland Cavaliers have learned thus far in preseason is that LeBron James in no long Mr. Invincible
It’s precautionary. That’s all.
Of course, it’s always precautionary at first. The beginning of the end – or at least the start of it. And that’s exactly what LeBron James could be dealing with as he enters his 13th season in the NBA.
LeBron, who turns 31 on the second to last day of 2015, has played in five-straight NBA Finals, in 470 total games in his last five seasons and averaged roughly 39 minutes played in each one of those games. He’s played more minutes than any other player in the NBA during the last five years – by a large margin. In short, it’s quite remarkable that his body has been able to handle that type of workload without any huge setbacks – via injury or fatigue.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- LeBron James working to assemble super team for USA Basketball in 2024
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
Even though we saw some in him towards the end of last season, no one seemed all that worried about it.
Until now. In preseason, when LeBron James (or his body) – consciously or not – began dropping hints.
First, in the midst of training camp, LeBron dropped the friendly “I could definitely use a couple more months off” quote. Of course, he followed that up with some context that entailed him running three-a-day workouts in the time leading up to training camp, but still. That’s not something that an NBA player, in his prime, should be saying. Much less the best player in the world.
The second, and perhaps most alarming sign, was LeBron receiving an anti-inflammatory shot in his back, similar to the one that he received last season. He missed two weeks.
"[via Akron Beacon Journal]LeBron James received an injection in his back this week, according to multiple sources, and is unlikely to play again in the preseason. James received a similar anti-inflammatory shot in January when he was shut down for two weeks and responded so well that the plan was always for him to have another one at some point, one league source said. By doing it now, James won’t miss any significant time."
LeBron was shut down for the remainder of the preseason, but will likely be ready to go for the season opener, Oct 27 against the Chicago Bulls. Even if it was precautionary, this isn’t the news you want to hear from the player that will make or break your season. The same player that will probably lead his team in minutes played this season.
Father time is undefeated. And while LeBron James isn’t quite at that stage of his career yet, you can’t help but notice some signs of decline.
Sure, LeBron could go through the regular season on cruise control and take another two-week vacation in January (like last season) in order to re-energize himself before the stretch run and the playoffs, but the fact that we’re beginning to hear creaks in LeBron’s previously impenetrable armor should be an alarm of concern.
LeBron James isn’t done. Not close. Don’t get that mixed up. However, with all that said, he isn’t invincible anymore either. And, if that wasn’t on showcase during the last two NBA Finals, these recent signs should tell you all you need to know.
LeBron has had a great career. His prime years have been unlike anything we’ve seen in NBA history thus far. But the matter of the fact is that he’s closer to retirement at this point than he is to his rookie season. He’s a soon-to-be 31-year-old forward who has made his hay by overpowering opponents.
Noticeable decline from a wearing body was bound to happen sooner or later. And it could truly begin this season.