Observing the hysteria emanating from both the local and national media surrounding the “diminishing skills” of LeBron James and the correspondent “collapse” of the Cleveland Cavaliers as title contenders has once again provided a sobering insight into the silliness and stupidity abounding in the diversionary world of sports in general and Cleveland sports in particular.
The conventional ignorance regarding James suggests that, at age 30, he is a shadow of his former self athletically and — even though he was at the absolute top of his game just six months ago in Miami — has little to look forward to aside from the inevitable downhill slide into mediocrity that awaits in the next few years.
Not only that, but a building consensus among media hacks indicates that James is intentionally undermining Cavs coach David Blatt and is actually plotting to leave Cleveland and return to the Miami Heat next season.
(Note: This particular flight of fancy – similar to when the Beatles “Revolution 9” was played backwards and “revealed” that Paul was dead — was gleaned from a garbled tape in which James, during a muffled court-side conversation with ex-teammate Dwyane Wade, purportedly vowed a return to South Beach.)
Then, apparently, the fact that, for a few games, James was not on the bench supporting his teammates and, instead, scurried down to Miami for part of his rehab apparently led the legion of addle-brained conspiracy-theorists and knee-jerk doomsayers — like WKNR’s insufferable Greg Brinda — to pronounce the Cavaliers hopes for success Dead on Arrival.
Of course, all of this is nonsense. LeBron’s skills have not deteriorated. He has been troubled with back stiffness and knee problems, which is why he took a couple weeks off for rest and rehab. Upon returning to the lineup, he will be as dominant as ever. And as far as bolting the Cavs, that won’t happen until he retires.
As the Cavaliers sit at the half-way point of the season, their roster consists of 11 players who were not with the team last year. Once the new starting lineup is set following last week’s trade additions, it likely will have only one player, Kyrie Irving, who was in the starting five last year.
For a team that is expected to contend for a championship, this magnitude of roster turnover is unprecedented. So in order for the Cavs to do the near-impossible and be in the title hunt during May and June, major adjustments needed to be made in order to compete with teams that have played together for a long time and made only minimal — though important — additions to their roster this season.
In other words, turning over two-thirds of your roster is not a prescription for winning a championship – even with the “Best Player on the Planet.” But this is exactly what the Cavs are now possibly poised to accomplish.
With the recent acquisitions of center Timofey Mosgov and swingman Iman Shumpert, the Cavaliers have filled their two biggest needs – a big man who can block shots and provide a defensive presence near the basket, and an athletic guard who can defend the super-quick perimeter players who have been dominating the Cavs’ porous defense thus far this season.
And by trading the inconsistent Dion Waiters, Cleveland not only performed a bit of addition by subtraction but were able to acquire former Sixth Man of the Year, J.R. Smith, a volatile streak shooter who can — ideally — supply as much instant offense as the erratic Waiters while providing steadier defense.
Having pressed the reset button on this season with these mid-year maneuvers, General Manager David Griffin has essentially acknowledged that the Cavs were not serious title contenders and desperately needed an infusion of defensive intensity.
With the second half of the season beginning this week and the Cavs floundering around the .500 mark, the prospects of Cleveland finishing in the top four teams in the Eastern Conference (and thus getting home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs) are growing less and less by the day.
But even if the Cavaliers finish outside the first four spots, they should — as long as they can improve and stay healthy — be able to win a seven-game series against any team in the East. Why? Well, as a friend of mine says, “The Cavs have the Hammer and nobody else does.”
And we all know who that is.
[Photo: Erik Drost (Flickr)]
Larry Durstin is an independent journalist who has covered politics and sports for a variety of publications and websites over the past 20 years. He was the founding editor of the Cleveland Tab and an associate editor at the Cleveland Free Times. Durstin has won 12 Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards, including six first places in six different writing categories. He is the author of the novel The Morning After John Lennon Was Shot. LarryDurstinATyahoo.com
3 Responses to “DURSTIN: Rumors of Demise of LeBron & Cavs are Greatly Exaggerated”
Charles Michener
This is sensible and well-said. However, what worries me is not so much that they’ve been losing as the way they’ve been losing. I don’t see a growing cohesiveness among the players, starters or the second unit (what second unit?). I don’t see Kyrie buying into a team effort on a consistent basis (I’ll let him play hero ball from time to time, but only when he’s hot). I see a mostly simplistic offense that’s too predictable. I don’t see Kevin and Kyrie working it out as a one-two punch. (KL still looks lost.) And of course, like everyone else, I don’t see much progress on consistent defense, especially when the other team is streaking (where are the re-sets from Blatt?). Something crucial is still missing – call it trust. There are too many question marks. Let’s see what LBJ has learned from watching, not playing. (Maybe he learned something from Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes last night). But let’s be patient – and supportive.
Most worrying of all, I don’t see any growing identity as a team. Something crucial is just not there yet – call it trust. All this will take time, especially with Blatt, who doesn’t show much fire, and with all the new guys. I think it’s easy to forget just how surprisingly good so many teams are right now in the East. Teams with balance, depth, and a burning will to win (Atlanta, Toronto, Washington, Milwaukee and now Detroit). Patience and support are called for – not hysteria. Let’s see what LeBron has learned from watching instead of playing. And let’s see if he and Blatt can really get on the same page. That’s key.
S.Brooks
Oh please…excuses. They are making so much money that “playing” doesn’t matter and neither do the fans. How about some more “religious-like” signage on even more buildings; there are still a lot of empty warehouses throughout the town, symbolic of the emptiness of this team!!!!
Larry Durstin
Great points, Charles. Kevin Love has been a major disappointment. Wiggins wold look great in a Cavs uniform