INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Following Cleveland’s final practice before a season opener against Boston with playoff-level hype, Cavaliers Coach Tyronn Lue still wasn’t sure if LeBron James will play Tuesday.
J.R. Smith knows.
“Oh, he’s gonna go,” Smith said of his celebrated teammate. “He’s gonna go, trust me on that. I don’t care what he’s gotta do, he’s gonna play.”
While Smith may be giving James the green light, Lue and other team officials remained unsure of James’ status for the game against the Celtics and former Cavs guard Kyrie Irving, whose ballyhooed return to Cleveland is expected to be part homecoming, part hate-fest.
James didn’t speak to reporters following Monday’s practice, but the three-time champion was in a playful mood while engaging in a competitive outside shooting contest with teammates Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and Jeff Green.
James has been slowed by a sprained left ankle suffered in practice on Sept. 27. He played in only one of Cleveland’s five exhibition games, and his absence has kept a starting lineup that now includes Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose from getting much floor time together.
The Cavaliers have struggled mightily when James has been out of the lineup, losing 11 straight regular-season games and going 4-23 without him since 2014.
SPURS: San Antonio reached an agreement with LaMarcus Aldridge on an extension that will keep him under contract for an additional three years.
A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that Aldridge will exercise the $22 million player option on his contract for the 2018-19 season. He will also get another two years and $50 million tacked on, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the deal.
The Spurs open the regular season against Minnesota on Wednesday night. The agreement came as a surprise given Aldridge’s difficulty acclimating to the Spurs since he left Portland in 2015.
Aldridge averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds last season.
HAWKS: Point guard Dennis Schroder is facing undisclosed discipline for his role in an incident that led to his arrest last month on misdemeanor battery charges.
Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk said in a statement released by the team that the investigation of the Sept. 29 fight outside a late-night restaurant is not complete.
Schlenk says preliminary findings show Schroder was involved in an “unacceptable” physical altercation which “will not be tolerated by the Hawks organization.” He says Schroder will be disciplined “at the appropriate time once the matter has been more fully developed through the law enforcement process and otherwise.”
Schroder, 24, is the top returning scorer for the Hawks after averaging 17.9 points and 6.3 assists in his first season as a full-time starter.
JAZZ: Guard Dante Exum will have surgery to repair a separated left shoulder.
The surgery is scheduled for Oct. 24 in Los Angeles and there is no announced timeline for his return.
Exum was injured in a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 6 when he landed awkwardly on the floor.
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