The three times MVP wants to get as much rest as possible during the pre-season…
The 2012 season was the highlight of LeBron James’ professional career, one in which he established himself as one of the best players around the world. From becoming a leader of Miami Heat to regular season MVP, winning his first ever NBA Championship and Finals MVP to going on and winning a second consecutive Olympic gold medal at the London Olympics, James achieved it all.
There has been very little for the All-star to rest in the last 10 months though and to ensure that the fatigue doesn’t take a toll, Miami and James himself want to stay as cautious as possible;
"It does feel different," James said. "I'm in better shape right now than I've been, because I've played so much basketball. Usually, it takes me a week, a week-and-a-half of camp to kind of get back into it. But at the same time, I've still got to be cautious. I've played a lot of basketball and I've got to be cautious and not allow myself to be out there too much. We'll monitor that."
James is pretty sure that he would be sitting out the pre-season opener against the Atlanta Hawks and might not even be called up against the Los Angeles Clippers who will play two charity games against Heat in China.
This does not seem to be a bad decision. While many of the NBA players rested after the playoffs, James continued to play for Team USA. He was the man who propelled Heat to the championship, and then played a huge role in helping Team USA win the Olympics. There were other players alongside him who endured the same level of fatigue – Kevin Durant – but James is not as young and considering how much Miami depend on him for their success, even over cautiousness is justified.
Miami also have Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen recovering from injuries and certainly cannot risk an injury to any other player, especially when he is the best of his generation.
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