LeBron James is exasperated by the Cavaliers. (Wired)
After the Cleveland Cavaliers' fourth straight loss, this one a 110-93 loss Saturday to the Raptors in which the Cavs squandered a sizable first-half lead, LeBron James had harsh words for his teammates.
"We're a very fragile team right now," James said "We were a fragile team from the beginning. Any little adversity that hits us, we just shell up."
via LeBron James: The Cleveland Cavaliers are a "very fragile team right now" | cleveland.com.
James has been critical of the team over these first few months, talking about their "bad habits," their immaturity and general lack of professionalism. His body language has been under a constant microscope. James seems not only frustrated, but genuinely disappointed by what's going on there.
The coaching isn't helping. The Cavs' offense has nights where it looks transcendent, as it should. But the nights where it isn't, it looks downright pedestrian and like it's trying way too hard to run something overly complex. And I will ask this question for the 7,000th time, for all of us. Why in the name of everything holy are the Cavaliers not running more pick and pop with Kevin Love?
So the question now becomes: Is James' haranguing a good thing for the team? It's clearly not getting through to them. There was talk early in the season that James was trying to force them to break their habits and not rely on him, that he wouldn't "help" them unless they fixed the way they're playing. And instead all that's happening is his struggles are bringing the team down. From the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:
He's the leader of the team and his actions and discouraging body language are not setting a good example. He has said the right things before and after games, but the words are hollow when James doesn't follow through when the game starts.
It's his team. Everything starts and ends with him. In the four-game losing skid, James is averaging 18.5 points, shooting 41 percent (28-68) from the field and 66 percent (12-18) from the free throw line. He also is averaging 5.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 4.5 turnovers. Those numbers aren't bad ... until you remember we are talking about the game's most talented player and a four-time MVP.
via LeBron James is at the center of the Cleveland Cavaliers' struggles and more lineup changes on the horizon: Fedor's five observations | cleveland.com.
James, though, seems limited by his back, which started bothering him two seasons ago. It was a significant issue last year and seems a downright concern this year. It's not going to go away, and it's not going to get dramatically better at age 29 with the miles on his body and his playstyle. That's not saying he can't play better, but it is saying that he may not be able to be the tide that lifts all boats here, which is why he's probably so frustrated.
The Cavs' roster is in part designed to make things easier on James. There are shooters and cutters, and post players. But none of it is working, and their defense, quite honestly, is broken. It is a shattered mess. They have breakdowns on backdoor cuts, they don't stop the ball in transition, pretty much everywhere is a problem. There are fixes, but we don't know enough about David Blatt to know if he can figure out how to implement them.
And the body language is a concern. There's no resolve. James is right. When things go badly, the whole thing falls apart. The Cavs have essentially become frontrunners. They're only engaged when things are going well. When things are tough, they became the same team they've been since James left: a lottery squad resigned to its fate.
Basketball Hot News
Report: Heat preparing to call up center Hassan Whiteside from D-League
The Miami Heat are closing in on a D-League call-up for center Hassan Whiteside, who currently plays for the Iowa Energy. From ESPN.com’s Marc Stein:
Hearing that the Miami Heat are lining up Hassan Whiteside for an @nbadleague callup after Whiteside’s big-stats start with the @iowaenergy
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) November 23, 2014
Whiteside was a second-round pick of the Sacramento Kings in 2010 and played in 19 games with them over the course of two seasons. He has been sent up and down between the Energy and their parent team, the Memphis Grizzlies this season but has yet to appear in a game.
In two games with the Energy this season, he’s averaging 21 points, 15.5 rebounds and 6 blocks.
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