Sports Then and Now

After playing very little in the preseason, can LeBron James be ready for the regular season.

While there have been some questions about whether an anti-inflammation shot that LeBron James received earlier this month would keep him off the court for the Cleveland Cavaliers season opener on October 27, the superstar is saying that he will be ready to face the Chicago Bulls in the opener.

Of course, the bigger question is whether the injury and shot will hamper the four-time MVP as he and the Cavaliers look to go a step further than a year ago by winning the NBA Title.

This news of him receiving a shot doesn’t come as a shock to many considering that the player also received a similar injection in January where he was inactive for two weeks. According to the team coach, David Blatt, the team will be couscous, but he expects James to be on the court for the opener. A league source was quoted saying that they trust that LeBron would respond well to the shot just like he did earlier this year and will be fit for the upcoming season.

After playing, albeit minimally, in the first two preseason games, James has missed the final five exhibition games and the LeBron-less Cavs haven’t been in good form. It took a 40-point third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks to keep the Cavaliers from going winless.

If anyone was to bet on the Cleveland Cavaliers starting the regular season on a high note, then they would be in for a surprise. Critics are in the opinion that maybe the Cavs don’t really take the exhibition schedule very seriously and would rather rest their best players waiting for the playoffs.

The Cavs have instead spent the preseason giving their role players extensive time and finally getting the contract status of Tristan Thompson settled. James and Kevin Love each played in only two preseason games and it looks like Kyrie Irving will be out for at least the first month of the season and possibly until 2016.

Kevin Love returned to the court for the final preseason games and will look for a strong start to the season.

James has for many years been dealing with back issues and has still been playing in some games. League sources say that his back was not in good shape during their game against Milwaukee Bucks last week at the Quicken Loans Arena.

Last year, there was a lot of talk surrounding LeBron James and how much rest he needed. After making a comeback after a two week long absence, he put himself through strenuous daily workout prepping for the upcoming game.

The betting odds for the Cavs vs Bulls game seem to favor the Chicago Bulls; however, with a healthier James playing alongside Kevin Love the Cavs will be in a good position to make a challenge for the championship.

According to Blatt, James will be ready for the opener, but with three games during the first four days of the season (culminating with a showdown against the Miami Heat), his early playing time may be limited.

All we can do is wait and see. There are some betting sport sites that you can bet on the game of course, but if you like to win real money playing slots you should try SlotsHeaven.