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When the Cavaliers begin their much-anticipated postseason run this weekend, it could be nearly two weeks since LeBron James last played for the team.

That doesn’t seem to be worrying the 6-foot-8 forward.

Although the Cavs have lost all three games since James sat down, the 25-year old superstar has enjoyed the time off.

“Anytime I can take advantage of some rest during the season it’s great,” James said. “We all know it’s a long, hard season.”

There is still a chance James could suit up on Wednesday, mainly because of the possible return of center Shaquille O’Neal.

O’Neal was cleared to play on Monday and could be activated before the season finale against the Atlanta Hawks.

Although it would obviously be beneficial to get O’Neal and James on the court together before the playoffs begin, Cavs coach Mike Brown is not sure if one game is worth taking James off the bench.

“They probably wouldn’t play the whole game on Wednesday, so are we going to be that much better if they each played 20 minutes together?” Brown said. “Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. I don’t know. I keep going back and forth.”

It doesn’t matter to the reigning league MVP whether he suits up against the Hawks or not.

“For me I’m ready for the playoffs right now, whether I play on Wednesday or not,” James said. ”It’s not urgent. I’m going to see what the team feels and we will go from there.”

O’Neal has not played since he was injured against the Boston Celtics on February 25th. He sprained his thumb in that game when Glen Davis blocked his shot and made contact his hand.

Before the injury O’Neal was playing some of his best basketball of the season. He averaged 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in February.

The team has adjusted to playing without the 38-year-old O’Neal, winning 16-of-22 games since he went down. But the size the 7-foot-1 center brings to the table will be useful, especially if the team plays Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic in the postseason.

“I think Shaq is going to fit himself back into the lineup,” James said. ”He will fit himself back into the grove of things, and he will work around us.”

One possible negative of the return of O’Neal is the impact it could have on young J.J. Hickson.

Hickson has started 71 games this season for the Cavaliers and has improved his game dramatically from a year ago. He will now have to adjust to coming off the bench behind O’Neal and power forward Antawn Jamison.

Even though the forward’s minutes will decrease in the playoffs, it is crucial that Hickson knows how important his “athleticism and above the rim presence” will be to the Cavs the rest of the season, James said.

“He knows when Shaq is back he is going to be out of the starting lineup,” he said. ”What I’m concerned about is that he doesn’t get discouraged about him not playing because we need him.”

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A slow start didn’t derail the Cavaliers plans for a win in Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon. Delonte West made sure of it.

The Bucks scored the game’s first 11 points, but soon found themselves dug into a hole by the visitors. West scored 14 straight points to begin the second quarter, spearheading a 29-0 run that broke open the game for the Cavaliers, who won 101-86.

It was an all-around impressive performance for the Cavaliers as ten players scored, led by West’s season-high 21.

The 26-year-old has been unreliable, to say the least, so far this season. West has battled off-court issues, including his battle with a bipolar disorder, since this past summer, but came ready to play against the Bucks.

“Obviously Delonte was good for us off the bench,” said Cavs coach Mike Brown. ”We were able to play through him for a while. He played some big minutes for us, not only offensively, but defensively too.”

West’s offensive outburst allowed LeBron James to score just 14 points. James didn’t seem to mind taking a backseat to his teammate. The reigning league MVP celebrated with each of West’s baskets, knowing how important West is to the team’s long-term success.

“We know how tough we are to beat when Delonte is at a high level,” said James. ”It was good to see him play well today.”

Even with West’s big night, James was still vital to the Cavaliers success. The Bucks did all they could to keep him away from the basket, but James made it his mission to find open shooters, resulting in 10 assists for the seventh-year pro.

“I’ve always been a guy who just takes what the defense gives me,” said James. “And also, my guys were knocking down shots, much credit to them.”

Everything seemed to go wrong for the Bucks in the second quarter. They shot just 28 percent from the floor in the period and had no way of stopping the Cavaliers on the other end.

The result was a 19-point deficit at halftime, even though James had just one field goal in the first 24 minutes.

Milwaukee did all they could to close the gap in the second half.

Rookie Brandon Jennings scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the third quarter, but the Bucks still found themselves down by 18 heading into the final period.

Jennings, who scored 55 points in a game earlier this season, shot 9-22 from the field and also added four rebounds and four assists.

“He’s very confident,” said James. ”He knows how to play the game of basketball, and it seems like the team has given him the torch to carry this team.”

Jennings looked poised to lead the Bucks to their first victory in almost a week after the first few minutes of the game.

The Cavaliers found themselves down double digits just three minutes into the contest. To make matters worse, Shaquille O’Neal earned his second foul with still 8:25 remaining in the opening quarter.

A veteran ball club, the Cavaliers stayed confident and found themselves up 21-17 heading into the second quarter, a lead they would never relinquish.

“I thought our guys brought a lot of juice to the table,” said Brown. ”They jumped on us early and our guys didn’t panic. They just kept staying with it.”

The Cavalier bench was on the court for much of the team’s big first half run, leaving James and the rest of the starters as mere spectators.

With West leading the way, they showed why the Cavs may have one of the deepest rosters in the league.

“As starters we know what we are capable of doing,” James said. ”so when our bench comes out and has that type of aggression, starting with Delonte, we are very good.”

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LeBron James was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month on Friday.

The award is actually for a combination of two months, October and November, because opening night in the NBA was October 27th.

James is more than deserving of the award. He averaged 29.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and eight assists in October/November. He was first in the East in scoring and second in assists.

It is the 12th time in his career he has won the award and the second-straight year he has won it for November.

Carmelo Anthony was awarded Western Conference Player of the Month.

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Zydrunas Ilgauskas didn’t leave the bench on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks, and LeBron James isn’t happy about it.

Ilgauskas was set to play his 724th game as a Cavalier against the Mavericks, which would have set the franchise-record for games played, but did not log any minutes. He currently shares the record with Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry.

Even though the Cavs won the game, James said he would have allowed his teammate to play and take his place in the team’s history.

“I’m not trying to stir up anything with coach or the organization,” said James on Monday. ”I don’t know who made the call. But sometimes one game is a smaller thing. What was on the line the day before yesterday was something way bigger than us playing the Mavericks, and that was Z breaking the record to become the franchise leader in games played.”

The decision to not play Ilgauskas wasn’t planned, said Cavaliers coach Mike Brown.

“He was on the minute sheet to play his normal 20 to 25 minutes,” said Brown. ”The flow of the game happened where they went small and the teams that were out there just played well, so i stuck with it. Do I wish I would have played him? Yeah. It didn’t work out that way and I’ve got to move on.”

Although on-court matchups was the reason for not bringing Ilgauskas into the game, Brown said that doesn’t mean the 7-foot-3 center would have been unable to guard anyone that played.

“At times, I thought we were better going small and playing Shaq the limited minutes that we played him at the five,” said Brown. ”We played a lot of small ball in that game.”

James offered a solution to the predicament.

Ilgauskas could have started, then come out of the game after a timeout, allowing fans to give him a standing ovation.

“If you didn’t want to play him, there were a lot of ways for that accomplishment to be accomplished,” said James.

The Cavalier superstar made it clear he does not wish to “raise havoc or raise fire in the locker room.”

“But, for me, I speak the truth,” said James. ”I stand behind him, and I feel like Z not playing wasn’t the right thing.”

James and Ilgauskas have been teammates since the 24-year-old was selected by the Cavaliers with the first overall pick in 2003 and have developed quite a bond.

“I stand behind whatever Zydrunas Ilgauskas does because he’s more than just a teammate, he’s a friend of mine,” said James. “He’s a big part of why this franchise has turned around.”

Ilgauskas has been a member of the Cavaliers since he was drafted by the team with the 20th selection in the 1996 NBA Draft. He struggled with injuries to begin his career, resulting in five foot surgeries. Over the last seven years, however, Ilgauskas has played no less than 65 games in any season.

This season has been difficult for the two-time All-Star, though.

The arrival of Shaquille O’Neal in Cleveland this summer in a trade moved the 34-year-old to the bench. He is averaging a career-low 7.1  points, while shooting just 38 percent from the floor.

Still, Ilgauskas has remained the ultimate professional.

“He has made the sacrifice to move to the bench,” said James. ”I think this instance is something totally different. Z has been great. Nothing at all has been said to us as a team that he is unhappy coming off the bench.”

The next chance for Ilgauskas to break the record is when the Cavaliers play the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena.

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A strong week by LeBron James was rewarded on Monday, when he was named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

The award, which is for games played between Monday, Nov. 16 through Sunday, Nov. 22, marks the first time the 24-year-old has won Player of the Week honors this season.

James averaged a league-best 34.3 points in his team’s four games and also added 5.8 rebounds and 9.3 assists. The Cavaliers went 3-1 for the week and the seventh-year pro was pivotal in two fourth-quarter comebacks.

His best game may have been against the Indiana Pacers. The Cavs won that game 105-95 and James scored 40 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out seven assists.

Kobe Bryant won the Western Conference Player of the Week award as he averaged 29.8 points 6.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists.

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Although a lead is never secure in the NBA, having LeBron James at your disposal is a nice safety net.

The Cavalier superstar has been taking over fourth-quarters on a regular basis as of late, something he continued on Saturday against the Jazz. Playing infront of a sold-out crowd at Quicken Loans Arena, the reigning MVP scored 10 of his 21 points in the game’s final five minutes to secure a 107-103 victory for the home team.

“The way that he has closed these last couple ball games has been remarkable,” said Mike Brown. ”I called it Picasso last time, we’ll call it Rembrandt tonight.”

James scored six points in the first quarter, in which the Cavs jumped out to a 34-22 lead. As a team they shot 15-21 from the floor, led by a seven-point quarter for J.J. Hickson.

Hickson finished the game with a career-high 20 points and also grabbed four rebounds. The Cavaliers are 4-0 since Hickson entered the starting lineup and the 21-year-old is one of the main reasons.

“I understand my role,” said Hickson after the game. ”I think that’s a big part of it. I understand my role in knowing that we have LeBron James and Mo Williams out there, so I just got to space the floor and take advantage when I do get my shots.”

Although Hickson was big in the first quarter, the second quarter belonged to a couple of new Cavaliers.

Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker, both signed as free agents this past off season, each scored eight points in the second. The Cavs led by as many as 16 in the quarter, but saw their lead evaporate rather quickly. The Jazz closed the Cavs advantage to five heading into the half, thanks in large part due to their ability to get to the free-throw line. They shot 12 foul shots in the quarter, compared to just four for the Cavaliers.

The second half began with both teams struggling to score. They combined for just 37 points in the third period as Carlos Boozer lead the Jazz with nine points. The Cavaliers failed to register any points in the final two minutes of the quarter and headed into the final 12 minutes leading just 78-72.

James started the final quarter resting on the bench as usual. With him off the court held the Cavs were able to hold their advantage and lead 89-82 when he returned to the game with 6:26 remaining. From that moment on the game belonged to ‘King James’.

“I’m not afraid of the moment,” said James. “I kind of live for it. I’ve been in this position many, many times, so it’s not something I’m stepping into or haven’t been in before.”

The forward has made it a custom to carry the Cavaliers to victory near the end of the game, at which time he makes it his mission to get to the hoop. He was 8-11 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, but also found a way to get his teammates involved, dishing out three of his game-high nine assists in the final six minutes.

The Cavaliers played without starting center Shaquille O’Neal for the first time all season. O’Neal missed the contest due to a shoulder strain, giving Zydrunas Ilgauskas his first start of the season.

Ilgauskas took advantage of the opportunity, scoring in double-figures for just the third time this season. But Ilgauskas wasn’t the only player to step up in O’Neal absence, as six players scored 10 or more points for the Cavaliers. One of those players, Mo Williams, had his third-straight superb game, scoring 21 points and adding six assists.

Even with the strong play of Williams and others, the Jazz managed to keep things close and even took the lead briefly in the final period. The determination of Utah didn’t go unnoticed by the Cavs main attraction, who made sure his team’s fans didn’t go home unhappy.

“The game got kind of close,” said James. ”As the leader of this team and the player that I’ve made myself into, it was time for me to wake up a little bit and take the game over.”

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Year seven of the ‘LeBron James Experience’ in Cleveland is set to begin on Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics. Yes, in case you didn’t realize, the 24-year-old superstar has already been a part of the Cavaliers for a full six seasons.

Time sure flies when you’re having fun.

Since he was drafted by the team in the summer of 2003, James has led the Cavs to four playoff appearances, including an NBA Finals berth in 2007. He also brought immediate national attention to a struggling franchise upon his arrival. The Cavaliers had been in a five-year playoff drought before the addition of the high school phenom, including a disastrous 17-win season in 2002-03, which led to the club receiving the first overall selection in the ‘LeBron Sweepstakes.”

For all the good James has done for the Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland, an NBA title has continued to escape the team. The Cavaliers won a franchise-record 66 games during the 2008-09 regular season, but fell short in the playoffs.

“We had an unbelievable season,” said James after the team’s playoff run ended. ”But we gotta work a little bit harder.”

James did all he could as he averaged 35.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists in the team’s 14 postseason games. After their elimination, questions began to arise about whether the Cavaliers had built a good enough cast around their star to win a championship. General Manager Danny Ferry quickly responded, trading for former MVP Shaquille O’Neal in June.

At 37 years old, O’Neal isn’t the unstoppable force that led the Lakers to three champions in the early 2000s. But he still has the ability to demand a double team, something James hasn’t had alongside him during his tenure with the Cavs.

“He is the most dominant force to ever play the game of basketball,” said James this summer. “There will never ever be another like Shaquille O’Neal.”

O’Neal averagd 17.8 points and 8.4 with the Phoenix Suns last season, earning his 15th career All-Star selection. Whether Shaq can duplicate last season is still unknown as he enters his 18th year in the NBA.

James is immensely more predictable than his aging center. The reigning MVP’s career averages are 27.5 points, 7 rebounds and 6.7 assists. Penciling him in for something similar to those numbers this season is a virtual lock.

Nobody in the NBA is counted on to do more for their team than James. The 6′8″ forward failed to score at least 15 points just four times last season, and that is including the regular season finale against the Indiana Pacers in which he didn’t even leave the bench. Although the team will surely look to alleviate some of the burden on his broad shoulders, at the end of the day the Cavaliers only will go as far as ‘King James’ takes them.

“He’s a great player,” said O’Neal during training camp. “He’s a very, very unselfish player. ”

That unselfishness is one of the things that separates James from many of the other great players in the NBA. His knack for finding open teammates is second to none and helped lure in free agents Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon this summer.

“He’s gonna make my job a lot easier,” said Moon when he signed with the Cavaliers in July.

Things won’t be so easy for Cavaliers opponents this season. Not with James on the other side. Not with the young forward still so hungry for his first championship.