LeBron James to return Tues. night

— -- PHOENIX -- Forget the fallout from "The Decision," or the three losses in five appearances in the NBA Finals. LeBron James says nothing has been as hard on him as sitting out the past two weeks to rehabilitate strains to his lower back and left knee.

"It's the most difficult thing I've been through," James said before the Cleveland Cavaliers' shootaround Tuesday in advance of their game against the Phoenix Suns.

James has missed the Cavs' past eight games, seeing his team go 1-7 in that stretch to fall to the No. 6 team in the Eastern Conference with a 19-19 overall record.

"We got to get better," James said. "We got to approach every game with a sense of urgency. And I hated the fact that we were playing some pretty decent ball when I went out and we just dropped a lot of games when I was out. Hopefully I can get back tonight or very soon and we can start getting back on our winning ways."

James announced later Tuesday on Bleacher Report that he would play against the Suns.

"Obviously we're happy to have him back," coach David Blatt said. "He's a very big part of our team. He's a dominant player in the NBA. I would just caution, to be fair with him, he hasn't played competitive basketball here for eight games, and that's not a normal thing for LeBron. He's a guy that doesn't miss many games. ... I'm sure like any other human being, it will take him a little bit of time to find his normal rhythm, but I know he'll go out there and give it everything he's got."

Blatt said he planned to keep James' minutes in the "low 30s."

Shawn Marion (hip) also will return to the Cavs' lineup against the Suns.

The Cavs have lost five in a row without James and nine of their past 11 overall. James was asked whether Cleveland's struggles have made him find himself pushing for a return quicker than he would have if they were winning.

"Yes, I am," he acknowledged.

The 12-year veteran returned to a live practice Monday for the first time since his rest period began and said his body was feeling the workout a day later.

"A little sore, a little tight, which I figured," James said. "I haven't done no basketball as far as live drills in two weeks, so my body is a little sore. But it's not hurting, so that's a positive."

Blatt, who pulled James out of certain drills Monday to not have him go full bore on his first day back practicing, said the soreness was not surprising.

"Naturally, he hasn't played for awhile," Blatt said. "So getting out there and running up and down the court in a pretty intense fashion, that's normal that he'll feel it today."

James showed up to shootaround wearing Nike sneakers with the Ohio State logo on the tongues. He attended the Buckeyes' 42-20 win over Oregon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Monday night.

James took a private jet to and from the game and said he landed back in Arizona around 12:30 a.m. local time.

"I gained an hour when I came back," James said.

A longtime Buckeyes fan, James took pride in the school's national championship.

"It was a huge game and I'm happy for all the guys and the state of Ohio," James said.