LeBrons minutes are up, his numbers up, his efficiency down.

[TheOUTLAW]

And it has of course had a corresponding impact on his shooting percentages. But man, he's still had a heck of a week. While his efficiency is down he's putting up 30.2/8.4/10.4 over the last week or so.

The Cavs are better with him playing fewer minutes and not being the absolute center of the Cavs universe like when both Z and Delonte are playing well. Delonte actually gets the entire Cavs team involved.

[D-WestFan]

yeah, but most importantly, we're still winning =)

[bcortell]

I was just about to ask about how he's shooting.. i think with z and delonte gone he has to take more shots (harder shots) and defenses can key on him a little more.. thus he won't make as many and his efficiency will be down. Hopefully it'll pick back up once we get healthy and less pressure will be on him.

[kooldude]

when is Z coming back?

[bcortell]

practicing tomorrow.. might see time against sac.. otherwise against orl.

[heathmalc]

when is Z coming back?

Z said he'd like to play on Tuesday, but Dr. Parker has said that it will be day to day.

This basically means that if Zydrunas' ankle swells-up more than normal, or there is any sign of discomfort, he will have to wait until Wednesday to go through a practice again...and then they will do the same thing.

The Cavaliers aren't willing to risk Ilgauskas' season for one game...and they want to be sure that he is 101% healthy, with ZERO discomfort.

I think Z is in-agreement with the team on this... however, if he practices well tomorrow w/o any problems afterward... we may see him for 10-15 minutes on Tuesday.

[Benedict_Boozer]

Z needs to take his time, we can't afford any setbacks with his ankle. If he is not 100%, I wouldn't even let him touch the floor period. And I might even hold him out an extra week just to be 110% certain this time around.

LBJ's efficiency is dropping because we don't have an offensive threat in the post anymore, teams can cheat off both our bigs and shut the lanes down. With Z in, you can't do that because he will bury you with 15 footers and dunks. He has to rely on jumpers more than drives.

Over the long haul it will balance back out when we get guys back

[witnessmoboobie]

Boozer wrote basically what I was just thinking. Lebron's numbers have gone up because he is playing more minutes per game. I blame the decrease in his efficiency on a few things. One he is probably tired from the increased playing time over the last couple of weeks. This leads to more times that he will settle for long jumpshots of more difficult shots. He has turned the ball over more because the ball has been in his hands more often. He has become more the center of the offense then before. He has less weapons surrounding him (aka Z and Delonte), therefore they don't capitalize on his passes as often. Even with the increased number of assists, I am willing to bet that he would have more if he had Delonte playing over Sasha (though I have been pretty impressed with the way he has played).

About Z, I think I agree with everyone. I would rather him sit out another week if that means he will be 100+% healthy. We can't afford for him to re-aggravate his ankle. I think this will beneficial over the long haul. I would love to see a healthy, energized Z deep in the playoffs.

[Icness]

I just hope both Mike Brown and Lebron himself realize that sometimes less is more. Hopefully if the Cavs can blow out a couple upcoming games, Lebron can get back down under 38 MPG and keep his legs fresher.

I'd like to see Z ease back in and not play the second night of back-to-backs until March at the earliest.

[TheOUTLAW]

As I suspected when I made this thread, LeBron wins the Player of the Week award.