CLEVELAND -- Jeff Green came to the Cleveland Clinic in January of 2012 so Dr. Lars Svensson could fix his damaged heart.

And then the following season, it was Boston Celtics assistant coach Tyronn Lue's job to help Green get back to the formidable pro he was before Svensson saved his life.

Green, 31, a 6-9 forward, signed a one-year deal for the league-minimum $2.3 million with the Cavaliers this offseason. He'll get a chance to speak at the team's media day Monday, where he might mention the opportunity to play for an NBA championship and alongside LeBron James as reasons why he chose Cleveland.

But there is a certain level of personal and professional comfort here for Green. He's playing for a coach in Lue who might know him better than other in the NBA. And he's back in the town where Svensson once stitched his heart back together.

Those are two sizable crutches on which Green can lean this year as he tries to rebound from the worst of his nine pro seasons in 2016-17.

"Having (Green) in Boston and him being like my project and who I had to work with all the time, I think it's going to be a great fit for him," Lue told cleveland.com. "And, I think he believes that too.

"For a guy of his caliber player to come in for the minimum, when he could've gotten more money, that shows he has confidence and trust in me also, so, I think it's a great pickup for us."

As Lue ruminates potential lineups and player rotations ahead of the start of training camp next week, Green is a fixture in his plans -- either as a backup wing to James or a power forward off the bench. Lue views him as an above-average passer who moves well without the ball and has five years of playoff experience.

But last year, Green averaged a career-low 9.2 points and 3.1 rebounds with the Orlando Magic, shooting a career-worst .394 from the field and .275 from 3-point range. He played on a one-year, $15 million deal with the Magic.

Lue talks with great confidence that Green will be more like the player who carries career averages of 13.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and a .333 3-point percentage, based apparently in part on the familiarity they share.

Lue was an assistant for Doc Rivers in Boston when Green was traded there in 2011. Green missed the entire 2011-12 season because of an aortic root aneurysm that was life threatening. Green worked his way back into basketball shape, with Lue assigned by Rivers to help him, and averaged 12.8 points with a .385 3-point percentage. The next season was his best as a scorer, averaging 16.9 points.

"He's got a lot of talent and we just gotta bring it out of him," Lue said.

Svensson, 62, now the chairman of the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic, is a Cavs fan.

There was a game a few years ago at The Q in which Green strode off the court with the Celtics. Svensson was seated near the tunnel used by the visitors, and he grabbed Green's attention to congratulate him on the game and on his general return to health and to the court.

"He saw me, and then he came over and gave me a big hug," Svensson said. "That was super."

Two months after Green's surgery, then-Boston teammate Chris Wilcox needed the same procedure for the same heart ailment. Svensson performed both.

Recalling Green's condition at the time -- Svensson said he's treated five NBA players -- the heart specialist said "when I saw his aorta and opening him up and saw how thin it was and it was translucent, my heart sort of skipped a beat.

"Thank goodness we were able to operate on him before something serious happened," Svensson said. "I have no doubt things would've progressed rapidly with really serious consequences if he hadn't had surgery."

Svensson said he's followed Green's career since the procedure. When Green joined the Cavs and took his physical at the Cleveland Clinic, he sought out Svensson and asked if the two could take a picture.

Green has raised money for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, donating a pair of his game shoes for auction.

"I've always had a very soft spot for Jeff," Svensson said. "I mean, he's a superb player. He went through a big and tough operation and yet he's got an incredible spirit and competitiveness about him.

"To go through that and mentally to have the fortitude to go through the practicing, building up his strength again, and to play at such a high level again, just shows what a fantastic person he is.

"I've been a Cavs fan for many years and I go to games as much as I can, and to have Jeff here is really special," Svensson said.

Green's old coach and doctor are thrilled to have him in Cleveland. It's not hard to imagine why he might be excited to be here, too.