Report: Cavs 'Privately Joked' About LeBron James, 'Tread Is off His Tires'

Officials with the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly joked about LeBron James' stamina after the four-time NBA MVP led the league in minutes played last season.

Per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, a private joke among Cavaliers officials is that "the tread is off his tires" regarding James. 

McMenamin's report adds another dimension to the rift between James and Cavs management. 

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said during a June episode of First Take (via NBC Sports' Dan Feldman) that Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert is "not being particularly fond" of James. 

James appeared in all 82 games for Cleveland last season, the first time he's done that in his career. He also led the league in minutes played per game during each of the past two seasons, including 36.9 in 2017-18. 

Despite being 33 years old, James said prior to the Los Angeles Lakers' season opener on Thursday he has no intention of slowing down. 

"I'm always fresh," he said, per McMenamin. "All my coaches want to figure out a way of how to lessen my minutes, I keep telling them I'm strong enough to play most minutes but they won't listen to me, so, it's OK. I like it."

Lakers head coach Luke Walton told McMenamin the team wants to make sure James is "fresh" by the end of the season when they hope to be playing at their best. 

James left the Cavaliers to sign a four-year deal with the Lakers in July. He led Cleveland to four straight NBA Finals appearances from 2014-18, including winning the franchise's first title during the 2015-16 season.