Monday NBA Roundup: LeBron James' Newest Historic Feat Comes with Huge Concern

Grant HughesJan 30, 2017

It's time to give LeBron James a break.

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Dallas Mavericks by a final score of 104-97 on Monday, and in addition to cementing a losing record in January (7-8), the defeat was notable for a particular James milestone:

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This is not cause for celebration. It's not one of those moments to sit back and marvel at the breadth and depth of James' impact on the league. It's not even a time to realize you remember where you were when he played his first NBA minute and that you're hopelessly, irretrievably old.

Instead, it's time to acknowledge the enormous, neon-lit warning sign that has been blinking all season: James is being pushed far too hard. Or, if you're of the mind that he's calling all the shots: He's pushing himself too hard.

Either way, Cleveland is flirting with disaster by continuing to rely so heavily on its best player.

James leads the league in minutes per game, and he logged consecutive stints of 45, 44 and 45 minutes in three losses last week. In Monday's defeat, he scored 23 points, handed out nine assists and grabbed nine rebounds in 37 minutes.

Which is relevant because the only thing worse than the Cavaliers running James into the ground to win meaningless regular-season games is running James into the ground to win meaningless regular-season games...and then losing them anyway.

Date	Minutes	Result
Jan. 30	37	L
Jan. 29	37	W
Jan. 27	34	W
Jan. 25	45	L
Jan. 23	44	L
Jan. 21	45	L
Jan. 19	39	W
Jan. 16	35	L
Jan. 13	42	W
Jan. 11	31	L
Jan. 10	37	L
Jan. 8	40	W
Jan. 6	35	W
Jan. 4	37	L
Jan 2	39	W

This is the part where those in support of James playing absurd minutes might argue that applying all we know about heavy playing time and excessive mileage leading to imminent injury or breakdown don't apply to James because, well, what other norms of physical durability have ever applied to him?

Part of the reason he caught Jordan at age 32 is because James has made more deep playoff runs. Starting his career at age 18 and not retiring twice may have had something to do with it, too. But the other factor is his miraculous avoidance of serious injury. His average is just under six missed games per season. And surgeries? Nope. None of consequence in 13-and-a-half years.

He is Iron Man.

But assuming James will hold up forever is folly.

We just watched the ageless Tim Duncan retire a few months ago. If that could happen, we need to acknowledge that even the most enduring figures in the game are all going to be gone eventually.

James' performance remains MVP-worthy, even if he's still taking his toned-down approach to regular-season defense. He's not showing any outward signs of physical failure.

But with six straight trips to the NBA Finals, he's logging mileage no one ever has.

And at some point, he will wear down.

So, it's going to feel like a cowardly concession. It's going to seem like a risk, turning down the intensity and punting on problems—defense, depth, mounting losses—at a time when it feels like they need to be addressed. And it'll probably make James mad.

But sitting him down—maybe for a few games in a row, or perhaps via a per-game minute limit—is really just a sensible reorganization of priorities. Not to mention, it'd square with the approach Cleveland players, like Tristan Thompson, are suggesting for other teammates.

"We hope Kevin gets well, takes care of his body, because you know we're going to need him for the long haul," Thompson told ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin of Kevin Love's balky back. "So whatever he has to do to get 100 percent, that's the most important. We need Kev for the long haul."

Cleveland cannot survive without James. It gets outscored by 5.4 points per 100 possessions when he sits, and it would be difficult to imagine it getting past the second round of the East bracket without LeBron at full strength.

But since Jan. 1, the James’ net rating stands at -2.9, per NBA.com. So it’s not as if James’ heavy workload is paying dividends right now anyway.

DALLAS, TX - JANUARY 30: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against the Dallas Mavericks on January 30, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by download

Danny Bollinger/Getty Images

For as long as James has been back in Cleveland, the only goal has been winning a championship.

Forget losing to the Mavs. Forget a sub-.500 record in January. Forget everything else.

All that matters, all that has ever mattered, is making sure James will be ready to carry his team and whatever flaws it brings along in April.

That means February and March need to be all about rest.

If You Can Hear the Chants, It's Already Too Late

The Philadelphia 76ers—your new NBA darlings, cat-raising meme leaders and massive rebuilding success story—used a decisive third-quarter blitz to secure a delightful 122-119 win over the Sacramento Kings.

Dario Saric whipped ridiculous passes all over the place, Robert Covington scored 23 points and the Sixers withstood 46 points on just 16 shots from freshly minted Western Conference Player of the Week DeMarcus Cousins.

Without Joel Embiid, the Process persisted. Actually, it jubilantly triumphed. And the Sixers are now not only the most entertaining feel-good story in the league. They're also proof that tanking doesn't poison the well.

The thinking was that bad habits and bad vibes of deliberate losing would taint the team and its fanbase. Dropping games on purpose was supposed to have long-term detrimental effects, or so some believed.

Yeah, sure. This really looks like a franchise short on positivity...

Philadelphia plays some of the most carefree and joyous ball in the league. Yes, this team is still just 18-29 and will have to do some work to make the playoffs. But now, because of the relentless asset accumulation of the Process, the Sixers can gun for wins without feeling like they're hurting their future.

This victory, for example, pulled them within a half-game of the Kings in the record department. And the 76ers own swap rights on Sacramento's first-rounder this year. Plus, they've got a shot at the Los Angeles Lakers' top three-protected pick in June. Failing that, the pick is unprotected in 2018.

Everything's coming up Sixers.

Threes Aren't Everything

MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 30: Brook Lopez #11 of the Brooklyn Nets drives to the basket against Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat on January 30, 2017 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, b

Issac Baldizon/Getty Images

It's easy to forget with the three-point shot enjoying a nonstop upward trend in importance, but there's more to winning NBA games than knocking down a bunch of triples.

Ask the Brooklyn Nets, who fell to 9-39 despite surpassing last year's total in three-point makes on Monday. For those struggling with the math, they've still got 34 games to go, which means they're shooting a lot more from distance than they did a season ago.

Through 48 games, the Nets rank fourth in the NBA in three-point attempts per contest.

There's no shame in losing to the Miami Heat these days, which Brooklyn did by a final of 104-96. With Eastern Conference Player of the Week Dion Waiters morphing into a clutch-shooting, game-controlling star (he finished with 19 points, nine assists and six rebounds—because of course he did), the Heat have won an incredible eight straight games.

Brooklyn, 4-of-26 from deep, at least got its shots up.

As the Nets continue trying to build something respectable with no assets or high-end talent outside of Brook Lopez, they'd be wise to sustain their emphasis on long-range shooting. Plenty of good offenses (think Cleveland, Golden State and Houston, just to name three) base their attacks on high-volume sniping from deep.

But, you know, maybe also focus on not having the league's third-worst offense, third-worst defense, and second-worst assist-to-turnover ratio.

Isaiah Thomas Is a Slacker

Isaiah Thomas finished the Boston Celtics' 113-109 win over the Detroit Pistons with 41 points.

The emphasis there is definitely on finish, by the way, as the league's leading fourth-quarter scorer pumped in 24 of those 41 points in the final stanza.

But if he'd reached 50 points, Thomas would have completed the highest-scoring month in franchise history.

Oh well, he'll have to settle for effusive praise and the third-highest monthly average:

Of further historical note: The win moved Boston into a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most franchise victories in NBA history. Given the trajectories of both organizations, the Cs are going to put some distance between themselves and the Lakers over the next several years.