LeBron James: ‘Iman Sumpert Can Be The Jimmy Butler Of The Cavaliers’

Two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion and widely considered the best player of the NBA LeBron James was on the sidelines of the Cleveland Cavaliers' home loss to the Houston Rockets. The starting small forward is currently sidelined due an assortment of injuries to his knees and back which have taken a heavy toll on his teammates.

After the game, James relayed to reporters how much he has not been healthy all year, how his condition and stubbornness have translated to a lackluster performance on the court and how the current changes in the roster can help the team. He singled out former New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert as one of the pieces which could aid the team defensively, even going as far as comparing his new teammate to Chicago Bulls upcoming and improved swingman Jimmy Butler.

"(Shumpert) is a young guy who can form himself into what Jimmy Butler was a few years ago, just a guy who goes out there and you put him on the best offensive player, and he's going to try to contain him the best way he can. I kind of see him as Jimmy Butler at some point for our team," James told Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report.

Shumpert was one of the main pieces in the three-team trade that occurred at the beginning of the week that also sent J.R. Smith and a future protected pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder in return got controversial swingman Dion Waiters from the club while the Knicks mostly received a bunch of players which were waived soon after, making it a salary clearing move for the team headed by Phil Jackson. The cavaliers followed up the roster shakeup by sending the Thunder pick and the Memphis pick to the Denver Nuggets for a rim-protecting centre in Timofey Mozgov.

Despite the assortment of moves, James admitted that they will never see the full potential of the Cavaliers until everybody approach full health. The four-time Most Valuable Player is expected to return by mid-January while starting centre Anderson Varejao is out for the season with an Achilles tendon tear. The Cavs have also been dealing with minor injuries to Kevin love and Kryie Irving who had to be yanked in and out of the line-up due to minor setbacks.

James admitted that missing games has been tough on him as he is not used to the prolonged absence. The King is one of the more durable players in the league but four consecutive NBA Finals appearances, Olympic Team holdovers and other basketball related activities might have taken a toll on his endurance.

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