After a dismal 3-4 start, the Cleveland Cavaliers held a team meeting, and it could foresee LeBron’s roughest season in Cleveland yet.
A disgruntled Cleveland Cavaliers’ team have lost three straight, but the team’s lack of success has not seemed to take from their off-the-court chemistry. Recently, before the Cavs’ team meeting, LeBron James hosted his annual Halloween party and dressed up as Pennywink from the movie “It.” That said, it seems this team is still clicking off the court. The next step is for them to click on the court. The party was to lighten the mood, and the meeting was to turn their attention back to basketball. These several days off might be exactly Cleveland needed to reset their focus.
The Cavaliers are in an interesting place. Currently 12th in the East and easily the East’s best team, LeBron James and co. will hope that reaffirming their strengths will help them get back to the winning culture they are used to.
According to Tyronn Lue (via ESPN), the Cavaliers must get back to having fun:
"“Off the court, we’ve got great chemistry, great bond,” said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. “Just, on the court, we just got to be better. Like, talking, communicating, enjoying the game together. Having fun. … Right now guys are not having fun.”"
In that story, many other Cavaliers shed light on their current situation, but it does little to alter the reality of it. This Cavaliers team might not be as good as we think. They are aging, they have less spacing, and they might be worse defensively than a year ago. This, in my opinion, is why having a meeting this early should be a bad thing. We know the issues at the heart of the Cavaliers problem, and it could only be a matter of time before they fail to fix them. Really only Jeff Green, Kyle Korver, and LeBron James have stood out so far, and a meeting won’t help JR Smith shoot better or Kevin Love be able to protector the rim at a top-tier rate.
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They do, however, have LeBron James, who has been to seven straight Finals and seems to acclerate his already impeccable game in the postseason. With Gordon Hayward out for the season, it’s not likely that any team can trump the Cavs through seven games, albeit the Cavs have shown their vulnerability.
LeBron James has been and could easily continue to be frustrated. If you remember last season, the Cavaliers management sat down with James to discuss some of his comments. This season could be more of the same. The pressure will be James to succeed with far less talent surrounding him.
A rough start is not something new to the King, but what is new is having to try to win a championship with a team so poor on the defensive end. LeBron James has three rings, and every team he has conquered the NBA with has had a top 10 defensive rating. The 2017-2018 Cavs? 22nd in defensive rating. At 32, LeBron James offensively can still carry a team to the Finals, but he must have help defensively. Internally, the Cavaliers need to start there.
Along with that, when James is not in the game, the Cavaliers must be better. The Cavaliers are -5.3 this season when James is off the court, and the Cavaliers, unlike last season, are relying on him entirely far too much.
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Even after this meeting, the personnel will still be the same and the same problems will most likely still arise. At what point will they start to think about departing with that Brooklyn Nets’ pick in order to bring in addition help for King James?
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