LeBron James Questionable; Long Term Concerns Are Real
LeBron James is getting old(er). As we all are but coincidentally for James his 30th birthday coincided with sitting out last night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks due to a knee issue. He is questionable for tonight’s game once again:
Two things jump out from yesterday and today, related to this injury, that create concern for the Cavaliers and their fans:
Long Term
What is the future health of LeBron James? Has he put so many miles on his legs, back and joints that he is going to break down far more often and far more seriously? LeBron’s style has always been aggressive and physical. Whether it is locking players down on defense, running through all 5 defenders going to the hole or just his other worldly leaping ability, he has put a ton of pressure on his body.
While he is a unique physical specimen, and hasn’t had any major injuries in his career, it doesn’t mean he can fight it off for long. While the Cavs, and Cavalier fans, are happy to have James back in the fold, and likely for a long time, the version they got isn’t the same as the one that went away in 2010.
That is one of the reasons that building around Kyrie Irving, and his unique skill set, seems more important long term. While Irving has been injury prone, with his youth and talent the Cavs can expect to have him more consistently on the floor for the next 5 years than the aging James. LeBron is likely to miss quite a few games, whether because of severe injury or just these little ones, and a system built around his very unique skill set crumbles without him.
It also puts two unique pressures on GM David Griffin. He has very limited, but very powerful, resources he can use to upgrade the talent on the team for the long haul. First he can try to add a Roy Hibbert, Larry Sanders, Lance Stephenson type player via trade with the Brendan Haywood contract and the Memphis Grizzlies pick. Having that non-guaranteed deal is huge for the Cavs but has to be used with the LeBron injury concerns in sight.
The other big decision will be regarding Dion Waiters. Waiters is a ultra talented, aggressive young player that has struggled to fit as the 4th or 5th option on the Cavs. He would likely thrive in a system where he was the primary ball handler and second fiddle to a big. He and a Kevin Love type, or Anthony Davis, would be a very interesting core. Yet with James possibly having his best days behind him does Griffin keep the poor fit Waiters around because he can fill some of the talent role in James’ place. Finding talent like Waiters isn’t easy, even if the fit isn’t right.
Last Night
The second concern is a far more intriguing one: Where was James last night? Why was he in the locker room for the second half of the game? His example seems to have led Kevin Love to join him after hurting his back. So two of the Cavs top 3 players, while injured, watched the game from the locker room. They could have been receiving treatment but there is always time for that and you can only receive so much treatment.
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LeBron on the court has been frustrating this year but his off the court, non verbals (or in this case just behavior) has been even more confusing. His role is to play basketball to the best of his ability and help his team win. At times he seems far more interested in other things or just himself, leading to rumors about his relationship with David Blatt or his willingness to be coached at all.
Does LeBron James at this point believe he knows everything he needs to know and doesn’t need to be taught anything? Does he believe he could be player/coach as well as player/GM? Or is this all just part of growing pains of players and coaches trying to learn each other?
No matter what his long term health and his decision to be in ‘chill mode’ (my words not his this time) in the locker room last night bring up concerns.
What are you more worried about: James long term health or some of the decisions/non-verbals you have seen this year?