Every Cavs fan can remember where they were (I was at a drive-in) when LeBron James made the decision in 2010 on national television that he was going to join the Miami Heat. Cleveland was outraged. Fans burned jerseys and began to hate LeBron James. The chosen one, the first overall draft pick, the man who led Cleveland to an NBA Finals, no longer loved.
From then on, Cleveland was a disaster. In the four-year period from 2010-2014, the Cavs went 130-215. That’s a winning percentage of 38. The only good thing that came out of those dark four years was Kyrie Irving. Of course, LeBron came back to Cleveland, went to three straight finals and won a championship. LeBron’s contract with the Cavaliers is ending this summer, and there is speculation that he will not be returning to his hometown team. Here’s why.
Roster problems
Ever since Cleveland won the championship in 2016, the Cavs have never had a consistent team. The following season, the Cavs lost two important bench players: Matthew Dellavadova and Timofey Mozgov. They proceeded to add Mike Dunleavy, Chris Anderson, Kay Felder, Derron Williams and Derrick Williams. They didn’t last. Mike Dunleavy was traded along with Mo Williams and a first round pick for Kyle Korver. Chris Anderson tore his ACL, Felder wasn’t fitting in and the Cavs decided not to sign Derron and Derrick again.
Then the drama with Kyrie Irving began. The Cavs ended up with Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and Ante Zizic. In addition to them, the Cavs also picked up Jeff Green, Cedi Osman, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, and Jose Calderon. The day of the trade deadline, the Cavs decided to trade Isaiah Thomas, Iman Shumpert, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder, and Channing Frye for George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr.
All the trades and signings I just mentioned have happened over the past two seasons. Have you ever seen so many roster moves in such a short amount of time on any team at any sport? The Cavs and LeBron want to win immediately, and they think that changing the roster over and over again after it not working will fix that. They’re trying to recreate the team that beat the big bag Warriors back in 2016 but have had no luck thus far. The team hasn’t had the same 12-man roster longer than six months.
No supporting roles
The Cavs closed out the series with the Pacers on Sunday. It was hard to watch and frankly, hard to believe with how Cleveland played. LeBron has had very little help from any other player on the team in terms of scoring. Kevin Love, who is supposed to be the number two guy, has been inconsistent ever since he broke his hand this season and doesn’t average his usual double-double.
Every time the Cavs won against the Pacers, LeBron had to take over. He scored 46, 32, 44, and 45 in those games to beat Indiana. In those games, the Cavs won by no more than four points. If LeBron is scoring over 40 points, the Cavs should not be barely winning, at least in the first round of the playoffs. In three of those four wins, three or fewer players scored in double digits. LeBron redefined what it means to put the team on his back.
Coaching Struggles
Tyronn Lue took over as coach in the middle of the 2016 season after the Cavs fired David Blatt. He coached the team who won the championship and the team after who went to the finals the year after. Of course, this year he is looking to make it back. However, this past series makes me question if he can actually do it.
In a 7 game series, the Cavs had five different starting lineups. It took him to game 7 to start four of the five starters who started when the Cavs won the championship. What’s probably most frustrating is that he refused to play Tristian Thompson throughout most of the series. Thompson is one of the best forwards Cleveland has and only played 23 minutes in the first six games against the Pacers. The Cavs struggled in the paint with rebounding and rim protecting, and Thompson was nowhere to be found.
Even the first game against Toronto, Jonas Valanciunas, the starting center for Toronto, put up 21 points and 21 rebounds. Valanciunas grabbed five rebounds in the first six minutes before Tristian got in the game. I can go on and on about how the Cavs need a strong center/forward, but that’s a different topic. The point is, Ty Lue, time and time again, gets out coached.
Do I want to see LeBron leave Cleveland again? Absolutely not. It’s a gift to watch him play every night for my favorite team. There may never be another player like him while I am alive. But after all the frustrations the Cavs have had in two seasons, I will understand and respect his decision. He wants to be a winner, and he doesn’t want to have to carry the team every single game. It will take a miracle if he stays after this year. Winning a championship will definitely help.
