ORLANDO, Fla. — What seemed like a difficult dilemma for Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue on how to integrate Derrick Rose when he returns from a sprained left ankle might have been solved by Dwyane Wade’s upcoming 36th birthday.

Wade has sat out three games this season, two of those on the second night of back-to-back games. The future Hall of Famer spoke last month about how more “vet days” might be needed for him to remain in peak condition for the postseason.

Little did Wade know then that “vet days” would also mean help from another vet.

Rose, in his ninth season, continues to improve and Lue didn’t rule out the possibility that the 2011 league Most Valuable Player could play on the Cavs’ current five-city road trip that makes stop two Saturday night in Orlando, although it won’t be against the Magic.

Lue said Friday that when point guard Rose comes back he will spell Wade, who has excelled as the leader of the Cavs’ second unit.

“Playing D-Wade on a lot of back-to-backs has been tough for him,” Lue said after practice at the Orlando Volleyball Academy. “Some games he doesn’t feel great, but we don’t really have the extra ball-handler to sit him. So when D-Rose gets back, he’ll definitely help with that and help with D-Wade getting his rest and being able to feel good on the floor.”

In four of the five games Wade has played for the Cavaliers on the second night of back-to-back games, his plus-minus rating has been negative or zero. In those five games, his combined rating has been -5, skewed by a plus-15 on Dec. 9 against the Philadelphia 76ers.