INDEPENDENCE — LeBron James should be back when the Cavaliers play in Philadelphia on Friday, but it sounds like the team might rest power forward Antawn Jamison as a precautionary measure.

Jamison and coach Mike Brown didn’t come right out and say as much following practice Wednesday at Cleveland Clinic Courts, but they sure seemed to be hinting at it.

“We want to take it slow and make sure we don’t rush anything,” said Jamison, who experienced stiffness in the back of his left knee Monday against San Antonio and left the game for good early in the third period. “If it was a big game, I’d definitely be out there.”

Translation: Playing the 76ers in the regular season in mid-March is not a big game, so the 12th-year pro will likely sit.

That could change, of course, but Brown, who is considering starting Leon Powe or Darnell Jackson at power forward against the Sixers, said Jamison “most likely won’t practice” today.

“There’s plenty of guys I could go to if Antawn does not play,” Brown said. “The one thing I would like to continue to do is bring (Anderson Varejao) off the bench.”

James, Varejao, Mo Williams, Anthony Parker and Delonte West were also held out of the contact portion of practice Wednesday, but Brown said he expects James, who missed the last two games in order to rest, to be back in the starting lineup against Philadelphia.

“That’s still the plan,” Brown said.

The plan with Jamison, meanwhile, is to err on the side of caution. An MRI on Monday found no serious damage, but the power forward still has stiffness and some fluid around the knee.

“There’s no rush,” Jamison said. “There’s no pressure that I have to get back on the court. Knowing we had a couple days off and time to rest it, time to relax and get the proper treatment, definitely contributes to a speedy recovery. It’s the perfect time for something like this to happen.

“I’m hard-headed a little bit,” the 33-year-old added. “When they say no, I do it anyway. But the overall picture is making sure I’m healthy the month of April. We don’t need to rush anything now.”

Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rickn@ohio.net.

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