Cavaliers Update: LeBron could Return Tuesday, Love not a ‘Max Player’

The Cleveland Cavaliers would sure be happy to have LeBron James back sooner than later. The Cavaliers have gone 1-7 without LeBron, who has been sitting out due to knee and back strains. Now, according to Yahoo! Sports, LeBron is set to practice Monday and could be back in the lineup by Tuesday night's game against the Phoenix Suns.

Coach David Blatt has not indicted whether or not LeBron will be able to play. However, Blatt also did not rule LeBron out for Tuesday.

"Right now we're in a stage where he is shooting and he is moving. He's running through sets. He still hasn't done live work. [Monday] we will see if we can do that with him," Blatt said. "We entered this process with the expressed idea of getting him back 100 percent. When he's ready, that's when he will play."

Prior to the game against the Sacramento Kings, LeBron participated in a 25-minute shooting and dribbling exercise. According to a team official, the intensity of LeBron's practice on Monday will depend on how he progresses throughout the workout.

LeBron, 30, is averaging 25.2 points, with 5.3 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.3 steals. On Jan. 1, the team announced that LeBron could miss two weeks due to minor injuries. Since LeBron has been out, Cleveland had added Timofey Mosgov, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.

Despite the changes to their roster, the Cavaliers have had a hard time winning. Kyrie Irving has stepped up his game, averaging 24.4 points in 38.1 minutes over the past 10 games. Kevin Love, on the other hand, still has not played up to his potential. Despite averaging 21.4 points over the past 10 games, Love has not been effective on the defensive end, averaging only 0.4 blocks and 0.8 steals.

In a recent interview, according to Blake Ellington, Blatt does not see Love as a max player, at least not yet.

After the 103-84 loss against the Kings, Blatt stated, reported by ESPN.com, "We're going through a lot of stuff, honestly. We're going through a lot of trials and tribulations, a lot of changes. A lot of adjustments on the fly. Sometimes that catches up with you a little bit. Tonight was not a step forward."

"We hoped that we would be able to go at least .500 with him out. We feel like we have enough talent. But we just had a tough go without him. Obviously he brings so much to the table, but we just need to find a way to play without him," Love commented. "Fortunately, we believe he will be back at some point on this trip, but we just don't want to put a lot of pressure on him thinking that if he's out or if he gets in foul trouble that we can't win a basketball game."

Irving added, "Regardless of what happens, whoever is out there when LeBron comes back, you just still got to be a basketball player," Irving said. "Still be aggressive, still read the defenses, still pressure the other point guard and do the best I can to run the offense and do whatever it takes to win."

The Cavaliers are back at. 500 with a 19-19 record.