Superman's Cape Is Showing Some Wear

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">His popularity has reached an all-time high.
But is Cavaliers forward LeBron James the same player he was last year? He finished second in the MVP balloting last year. By season's end, many thought he was the best player in the league.
No one is saying that this year. James' scoring, rebounding, minutes, shooting percentage and free-throw percentage have all dipped since last year. Only his assists and 3-point percentage are better.
But no one seems to be worried.
"I still think he's the same player," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "We're not putting the ball in his hand as much."
Brown estimated that 85 percent of his offensive plays were called for James last year. His offense consisted of running pick-and-rolls and letting James create. That's changed with Brown's "continuity" offense this year. He said only about 50 percent of the offensive plays are designed for James in 2006-07.
James' field-goal attempts have also sagged from 23.1 per game last year to 19.6 this season. That's one of the reasons his scoring average has dipped from an all-time franchise-high of 31.4 last season to 26.4 heading into tonight's game against Seattle at Quicken Loans Arena.
The prevalent theory is James is tired. He played all summer for Team USA in the world championships. James said that's not the case.
"I'm not tired," he said. "It's always good to have rest. As far as me being on the court and behind exhausted, no."
Brown said the Cavaliers (13-8) have kept very close tabs on James to make sure he's not wearing down.
"We have to keep watching that," Brown said. "(He has sat out) numerous practices already. I will continue throughout the course of the year to pick spots for him to sit out. We have to be careful of (him) logging too many minutes and then practicing on top of that."
James said he's also not concerned that his scoring average has gone down.
"We're tied for first in our division (with Detroit)," he said. "Scoring average doesn't matter to me. I'm still rebounding and getting assists.
"I'm getting fewer shot attempts. A lot of teams are double-teaming me. I'm not going to force anything. I'm only getting 14-15 shots a game in the last four or five games (actually 18.2 in the last five). I have to take what the defense gives us. If a guy's open, I'm going to get it to them. I'm going to trust and rely on my teammates. I'm going to need them down the stretch."
Brown said he force-fed the ball to James out of necessity last season.
"Everything was run through him," Brown said. "I felt that was needed for us to score. This year, we have multiple scoring options. I've even called plays for Eric Snow. It means fewer touches for LeBron."
James said it's a matter of getting in a good offensive rhythm and getting some more calls from the officials.
Teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas said the lower scoring average is a product of the new offense.
"I think everybody's (numbers are down)," Ilgauskas said. "We're not a one-man team or even a two-man team anymore. The way it's set up, we don't have to rely on LeBron every game if he doesn't have it going or is in foul trouble. (Everyone) can get a look in every set.
"We do go to him late in the games, especially in the fourth quarter. Everybody is more involved across the board. We're not shooting the ball very well as a team. We have a lot of good offensive players."
Ilgauskas said the Cavaliers will become better overall on offense.
"You don't (want to cut back on James' plays), but it will make you more dangerous as a team," he said. "In the fourth quarter, we always go to him when the game is on the line. He's our guy, no matter what. Another thing is wear and tear. You don't want all of us on his back for 80 games.
"He's an unselfish guy, but he can score 50 points a game if he wants. We're trying to figure out ways to win games."</div>

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