""Yeah," LeBron James said with a smile, "I do."

The question at Thursday's optional Miami Heat workout at the Target Center was whether he still remembered how to shoot 3-pointers.

Through three games, and a very conscious effort, he has yet to attempt a single 3-pointer. Last season, by contrast, he attempted 279, an average of 3 1/2 per game.

This season, James said he's not even practicing them on a regular basis.

"I've cut back a lot," he said. "I still work on it and still shoot it. It's not part of my everyday workout, though."

That doesn't mean the weapon has been removed from his arsenal.

"I don't know if I'll be able to go a whole season without shooting a 3," he said with a smile, as the Heat prepared for Friday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. "It'll be those games where you feel real good and you're shooting the ball extremely well, and that's when you may go back to the 3-point line.

"But we have enough 3-point shooters on our team. We know we're going to have to use it. It's going to have to be something we go to. But for me, I'm just trying to focus on being in the paint and on the free-throw line."

Which begs this question, amid this self-imposed ban: What would happen if there was an opportunity Friday for a midcourt heave at the end of a period?

"I didn't come into the season saying I'm not going to take any threes," he said. "It's played out that way and it's worked for us so far."

He paused, smiled.

"To answer your question," he said, "I don't know. We'll see.""