Entering this season, Lebron James had already played more minutes and more games than Michael Jordan. James has played in the last 7 NBA finals- the last 3 with Cleveland and the previous 4 with Miami. He also lead Cleveland to the 2007 NBA finals where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Since 2005, James has played in 217 playoff games which is the equivalent of more than 2.5 regular seasons. He will not be able to carry a team to the NBA finals much longer. He will probably not be able to carry this Cavaliers team to the finals this year. Additionally, James is a free agent after this season.
For one of the first times in his career, James' team is not a top 10 team in the NBA power rankings. The Cavaliers, without Kevin Love, do not seem poised for a title run. James and the Cavaliers appear to be in the middle of a transition.
Recently the Cleveland Cavaliers have been criticized for playing poor defense. The criticism reached it's crescendo when the defending Eastern Conference champions surrendered a whopping 148 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Actually, within the last three weeks the defensively challenged Cavs have given up a lot of points.
The Cavs need to return to basic defensive skills. They need to play help defense, stay in between their man and the basketball and get back more quickly on defense. They need to play better half court defense and better transition defense.
Playing defense involves pride and effort. Players should give maximum effort on the defensive end. Playing offense may be more exciting, but making a good play in defense is just as important as doing well on offense. Cleveland's coaches should emphasize the importance of defense during practices and film sessions. Cleveland's coaches should highlight players who make good defenseive plays. Additionally, the coaches should encourage James to set a good example by giving a good effort on defense.
Due to this year's struggles, the Cavaalier organization needs to consider it's long term plans. Barring a dramatic improvement in play, which seems unlikely, the Cavaliers will not make their fourth straight finals. James will not make his 8th straight finals appearance unless he is traded to a contending team. So, both James and the Cavaliers must consider their long term future.
Since bringing back his talents to Cleveland after spending four years with Miami, James has always had one foot in and one foot out with the Cavaliers. He wanted to win a championship with Cleveland, but he also wanted to make sure the organization was headed in the right direction. He also wanted to influence the direction of the organization, which is part of the problem. While James is one of the NBA's best players, he is not necessarily good at evaluating personnel.
The Cavaliers made moves that they thought James would be happy with. Nate Scott of Foxsports says "When James expressed concern about the team's depth early on, the Cavaliers went out and got J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov. It was all done to make the team better, yes, but it also was done to make the team's superstar happy." Scott also emphasizes that the signing of James Jones was influenced by James. Additionally, the Cavaliers' decision to give Tristan Thompson a lucrative contract came about in part because Thompson and James have the same agent.
Furthermore,signing Derrick Rose and Dwayne Wade were questionable decisions. Both decisions were made in part because of James' influence. So, personnel moves were influenced or ratified by James. At times, the organization showed deference to James. This created an imbalance within the organization. While James is a very good basketball player, he does not necessarily have the perspective of a general manager. He may also not understand the way that free agent signings effect a team's salary cap.
Scott emphasizes that by building around James with a "win now" attitude, the team has put off any kind of youth movement. Scott points out that their current approach has cost the team young assets and draft picks. The current approach has also put the Cavaliers over the salary cap. Building around James is good if the Cavaliers are a contender, but it is not a good approach if the Cavaliers cannot contend.
Not only are the Cavaliers poised to make a transition, but James must make one as well. At age 33, in the middle of his 15th NBA season, James will soon be a complementary superstar, rather than a superstar. Instead of being a player that teams can build around, he will soon be a player who can complement a superstar. He will be a player that a team can acquire to supplement another top notch player. It's essential that James recognizes where he is in his career. He cannot influence a team's decision of who to acquire. Instead, he must defer to an organization's general manager.
Transitions are always difficult in sports. They are difficult For individuals and teams. It's tough for individuals to realize that they are gradually declining athletically or will be soon. It's difficult for a player who has been a focal point to transition into a complementary role. However, such transitions are necessary.
Sometimes a player may be given a reduced workload. The player may play fewer minutes. In some cases, a basketball player may not be able to play on consecutive nights. Or a player may lose the quickness that is necessary to drive to the basket or create his own shot. At the end of a player's career he may have to take more jump shots if he lacks the quickness to go by the defensive players or create on the offensive end. Also, a player may have to refine his passing skills and his ability to facilitate for his teammates. In any event, James may have to adjust his game and expectations after 15 years and 217 playoff games.
Likewise, teams have to also go through transitions. Teams must evaluate themselves. They must know whether they are contenders or not. If a team knows that it needs to rebuild, then it needs to undergo a youth movement. For instance, the Philadelphia 76ers have tried to rebuild around Ben Simmons, Joel Embid, Dario Sarik and Markelle Fultz. They have tried to build around lottery draft picks. The 76ers got real bad before they could get good. They had a plan that involved building almost exclusively through young players and draft picks. They followed that plan, and now they are experiencing some improvement.
The Cavaliers are still one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. However, they are probably not a contender anymore. Soon they will need to transition to a rebuilding phase. Lebron James helped bring the Cavaliers an NBA championship and four Eastern Conference championships. His tenure in Cleveland has been successful. Soon it will be time for a new beginning for both James and the Cavaliers.
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