I’ve had a couple weeks since my last article to sit back and think about what to talk about this week. I usually watch the games, find something/someone that pops out, find a solution/argument and then back that solution/argument up with some statistics and things I see on the court.
A lot has happened with the Cleveland Cavaliers over this two-week span, however. Since my last post on the 17th, the Cavs are 4-4 (including that night, a blowout at home versus the Atlanta Hawks). Though the Cavs are an overall 18-13 on the season, it’s gotten harder this week to talk about the actual results on the court. Not because we can’t, but because it’s been so… underwhelming.
And now there’s another reason why it’s been hard to talk about on-court results. Since the season began, others and I have talked about LeBron’s leadership. LeBron’s always been very well spoken and usually says the right things. But he’s been a mess when he’s talked this year. This includes throwing his younger teammates under the bus at the beginning of the year as well as playing passively on the court to teach his teammates a lesson. Both of which are highlighted here.
When LeBron chose to come back to Cleveland in July, I don’t think there was any question that he would be the leader of this team. As expected, he’s taken it upon himself to try to right this ship: the same ship that’s been losing for four seasons since he departed in 2010. He talked about how his “patience will get tested.” As fans, I think a lot of us knew that we’d have to be somewhat patient. Even with all the talent accumulated this offseason, with only five holdovers from last season, it would take a while for the team to click.
As the season went on, LeBron was rightfully criticized for poor body language, this coming after a 17-point loss to the Toronto Raptors. LeBron said, “I’m just saying this is not the biggest adversity point that we’ll hit.” Little did we know some of the adversity the Cavs would be facing would be because of their leader.
The Cavs are two months into the season now. Things have gone from good, to sketchy, to murky. LeBron has done nothing to help that cause off the court. If anything, he’s hurt the perception of this Cavs team and hasn’t done anything to prevent the cloud forming over the organization. With the team not performing to many people’s perhaps unattainable expectations early in the season, the collective finger is starting to be pointed at rookie head coach David Blatt.
Before LeBron committed to Cleveland, there were rumblings that the hiring of David Blatt lessened the likelihood of a James reunion with the Cavs.
So even before they joined the same organization, there was the possibility that LeBron wouldn’t back Blatt. That’s not LeBron’s fault at all, but it’s a theory that’s existed and hasn’t been completely destroyed. The latter part is partly due to the way LeBron has acted on the floor and what he’s said to the media, which includes these nuggets from Monday:
He’s not slamming Blatt, but he’s also not exactly offering a ringing endorsement either. Which strikes me considering Blatt compliments LeBron at every turn – which makes sense since he’s the best basketball player in the NBA. Even still, there have been obvious plays and games where LeBron has looked disinterested. When given the opportunity to give some kind of criticism, Blatt has turned it down.
Again, there are so many things that are going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about. Maybe Blatt is a total nightmare in the locker room – I personally don’t get that sense.
It’s also hard to fully know how LeBron has been as a leader. Obviously even the most locked in media member can’t fully know what he does behind closed doors. But that’s only part of where leadership takes place. LeBron could be the best leader in the world when helping his teammates in the locker room. But that all falls apart when he’s slacking heavily on defense, going into “chill mode” during games, and arguing with refs instead of running the floor. That part isn’t speculation. This is stuff shown for the entire world to see and his leadership from an on-the-court standpoint has been extremely disappointing.
LeBron builds himself up as a leader, and that is very commendable, especially with a group that has mostly never played with each other before. But actual leaders lead by example, not just by their voice. And actual leaders let themselves be coached.
David Blatt has been profiled as a “genius” by multiple basketball personnel and players. At the beginning of the preseason, there was actual off-ball movement! This is something we rarely saw with Mike Brown. However, it seems like this part of the offense has progressively gotten worse and inconsistent from game-to-game and play-to-play. Overall, they’re still ranked fourth in the league in offensive rating. Even still, CBS’s Matt Moore expressed just how inconsistent the Cavs have been on offense.
There has also been heavy criticism of Blatt for his use of Kevin Love and not involving him in the offense as much as he should. In short, Blatt hasn’t exactly hit the ground running in his first couple months as a head coach. This could be a reason why LeBron has looked sluggish at times, a sign that he hasn’t bought into what Blatt is selling.
But even if Blatt’s plan doesn’t fly with LeBron, should it have that much of an effect on his effort? It’s entirely possible LeBron could be using “chill mode” to save himself for the playoffs. While LeBron not giving his all (which he’s refuted he’s been doing) is a tough pill to swallow, it’d be even worse if he was doing it to stick it to his coach because he didn’t agree with his principles.
LeBron’s been no stranger to experimenting this year, so the one thing I ask of him is that he give Blatt his full effort and focus. I feel weird saying that considering it was reported that LeBron had learned Blatt’s system unbelievably fast. But the amount of ill-fated isolation jumpers LeBron has taken, coupled with the streaks of lacking ball movement lead me to believe that what Blatt intended on teaching these guys hasn’t been fully accepted.
My fears slightly came to fruition as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein reported that there was dissention between Blatt and the players. This is what led to LeBron being asked about Blatt on Monday.
While we probably won’t know if any of this is true until the end of the season, it is a bit troubling, even if it was predictable. If it happens to be true that LeBron would rather have Cavs assistant Tyronn Lue (or someone else) as coach over Blatt and is leading over into LeBron’s performance and attitude, it’s obviously a disservice to anyone involved with the Cavs. Lue may turn out to be a good NBA head coach some day, maybe even for the Cavs, but the players owe it to Blatt to give him a fair shot. Not only because it’s just, but because we’ll never know how truly great Blatt can be unless the players fully buy in. Don’t get me wrong, the players buying in also falls on Blatt’s ability to sell it to them. But this is the third year in a row where we’re talking about a Cavs team that’s not connecting with its head coach. At some point the players have to put their trust in the coach.
This includes LeBron having an open and direct relationship with David Blatt. At some point when LeBron started to take over as the main distributor for the Cavs, he was asked if he consulted with Blatt to consume more of the point guard role. “No, I can do it on my own,” James said of his role change. “I’m past those days where I have to ask.”
(*Editor’s note: h/t to Fear The Sword for that quote. Apparently that part was scratched from ESPN’s original post since it’s not in there anymore.)
Since LeBron’s five finals appearances and two championships, it feels like he’s become too entitled. Of course when you accomplish all the things he has, you get to do and say some stuff other players don’t. That’s just the way things work. But even guys like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady work with their coaches on plays and strategies. I don’t think LeBron is completely ignoring Blatt, but when you create a role for yourself without telling the head man, that’s just not right. That right there tells me that LeBron hasn’t fully bought in yet.
Even if he does something for the betterment of the team, it’d probably be nice to tell the head coach so everyone’s on the same page. A true leader doesn’t block off his coach from his plans. All these players look up to LeBron. As we’ve seen, it’s been usually as LeBron goes, so do the Cavs. If LeBron starts off passive and disinterested, his teammates will follow. If LeBron comes out attacking and getting everyone involved, the Cavs will respond positively. It’s a big responsibility, but it’s one that LeBron has welcomed but hasn’t fully conquered yet.
A lot of negative stuff has come out this past week about the Cavs. It was only a matter of time with this team, a team that brought on all the hype, that outsiders started to rain on the parade and point fingers when they went through some adversity. And though I’ve been put off by what LeBron has done not related to his actual play, I’m still willing to be patient, as we all should with whatever problem we think is going on with the Cavs.
The end game here is where the Cavs are at in April. The wins and losses are nowhere near as important in year one as the chemistry and togetherness is. What makes these Cavs different than the Miami Heat of fours years ago is a Dwyane Wade to keep LeBron in check and a Pat Riley that LeBron fears. But over time I think guys like David Griffin and Blatt rub off on LeBron and they naturally build a good chemistry. This would more than likely trickle down to LeBron’s teammates and we can finally see the Cavs play basketball instead of worrying about who hates who.
Times are a bit rough right now, but I’m cautiously optimistic that I’ll have a better outlook on this dichotomy between player and coach. With likely four months left in the season, they both have a chance to make my thoughts here look silly and start to look like the team we all hoped they would.