The Cleveland Cavaliers are in search for a quality 15th man to fill their roster, but unlike most think, I don’t think that any free agent would help much.
LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers went 7-8 in the month of January. This month was filled with turmoil and trials for Cleveland, and signing a free agent isn’t the answer. The answer is internal. The answer starts with LeBron.
Earlier yesterday before the Cavs took on the Timberwolves, they hosted a mega-workout consisting of mostly veterans at the Q. This workout definitely included players like Kirk Hinrich, Lance Stephenson, Mario Chalmers, and Jordan Farmar.
My thing is that I don’t think any of these players will influence a potential Warriors-Cavs trilogy. Therefore, it will be this team that must find its identity again. They have the worlds best player, and several other key superstars.
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One issue this team may face is the exhausting of LeBron James. Over his career, James has consistently been the go-to-guy; therefore, he is always on the court in crunch time. These numbers add up. James (playoffs and regular season included) just passed Michael Jordan in minutes played.
He is only 32. The man has played over 35 minutes every season, and he played four straight season over 40+ minutes. This is just too much.
LeBron and Kyrie are both in the top 50 in minutes this season. LeBron has played just over 1,650 and Kyrie has played 1,474. While they are clearly the best two players on the Cavaliers, this exhaustion could be starting to take its toll right now.
The anger and frustration in the Cavaliers play may have steamed from how much James has seen the court and how much losing Cleveland has done lately. So, with that said, the fix is simple- find a way to play LeBron less. While Lue may get criticized for losing some games, a rested LeBron will certainly come in handy come playoff time.
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The Cavaliers are starting to put it together, and a midseason collapse is nothing new to this team. Be patient, fans. The dream of this team repeating could come to fruition. Give it time.