Injured LeBron James denies he’s plotting his escape from Cleveland

LeBron James ended the year with a night off for his sore left knee and an assurance that he has no plans to run away from the Cavaliers.

James missed his second straight game and said his knee has been bothering him since before Christmas.

He said tests have been negative, and he joked that he’s got a lot of wear and tear on his joints after 11 seasons in the NBA.

“I’ve got 41,000 minutes on me, including the playoffs,” he said, cracking a smile. “You drive that car in the winter time.”

James’ injury is the latest piece of news in a turbulent week which began with a report that there was concern within the Cavs’ organisation that first-year coach David Blatt was not connecting with his players. Both James and Kyrie Irving dismissed the ESPN report, which cited unnamed sources, but the team’s struggles haven’t helped Blatt’s transition to the NBA.

Then on Wednesday, a video of James and former teammates Dwyane Wade following Cleveland’s game on Christmas Day began making the rounds. In it, James appears to tell his former Miami teammate that “if things aren’t better this year, we’re gonna reunite again and do some bigger and better things, all right?”