LeBron James Comments on Wanting to Play More Minutes, Recent Performance

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been nothing short of a workhorse over his 13-year career. In that span, he's averaged 39.2 minutes per game, something the Cavaliers have wanted to decrease, according to Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon. 

Even James himself called for a decrease in his minutes last season, when he was averaging close to 40 minutes per game, per Vardon. When James spoke after practice on Thursday, it sounded like his sentiment had changed.   

"I'm not a 31-, 32-minute guy. That's just not, that ain't me. ... I'm playing at a high level," he told Vardon. "I'm shooting the ball extremely well and I'm not hurting my team when I'm on the floor. If I'm hurting my team, then I should be sitting down. But I feel good."

This season, James has averaged 37.1 minutes per game while leading the Cavaliers to a 14-7 record and the top spot in the Eastern Conference. All that time on the floor doesn't seem to be affecting him, as he's putting up 26.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per night. 

And he isn't tiring as the game progresses either, as he leads the NBA in points scored in the fourth quarter, according to Vardon. Under the right circumstances, though, he said he'd take a seat:       

"

I'm always kind of like in the middle. I'm not a guy who likes to sit. If we take care of business and we go out and we're able to beat up on a team and I can sit in the fourth, then I can. If not, then I need to play. If I'm in the lineup then I need to be out on the floor. And I'm not saying I have to be out there 48 minutes or 40 minutes. But I'm going to make an impact.

"

The Cavaliers did rest James on Saturday night against the Miami Heat, and even then it was a process. Head coach David Blatt told Vardon that "it wasn't even easy to drag him out of the Miami game and he didn't even dress. When that happens you just have to grin and bear it."

Still one of the best players on the planet, James has played just over 36,500 minutes, according to NBA.com. At 30 years old, that's already more minutes than the likes of Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and David Robinson. 

That's what happens, though, when a player begins his professional career at 18. While he hasn't shown signs of slowing down, his stamina and energy level could dip earlier than some of the other greats who stuck around until their mid-to-late 30s. 

But when you have a once-in-a-generational talent—like James has been over the past 13 years—when the man says he wants to play, it's probably wise to play him no matter how good intentions are to preserve him.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.