LeBron James

[Simmy]

I'm with Boozer. I'm honestly at the point that I'd rather LeBron just sit out another 10 and let these dudes fall flat on their asses.

I'd be totally on board with this if I wasn't flying from Australia to Cleveland in the hope to see a full-strength Cavs team take the court. Perhaps he can come back for the game on the 30th and then take the rest off ?

 

[Bandwagoner305]

No, i don't want him to sit out more games. I knew from the get-go that his style wouldn't fit in well with Kyrie's. I care more about the Cavs making sure that Love doesn't walk out than anything else. Kyrie is simply not a good fit next to them, he needs to have to ball in order to have any small significant impact, but the right combo is LeBron+Love in a right system with the right role players who can play off of them and do all the dirty work and a solid all-around third option who isn't too dependent on scoring is all they need to contend for a title. I hope he proves me wrong, but as long Kyrie is on the team, the LeBron+Love experiment will never be utilize at its full potential.

 

[bobcat22]

No, i don't want him to sit out more games. I knew from the get-go that his style wouldn't fit in well with Kyrie's. I care more about the Cavs making sure that Love doesn't walk out than anything else. Kyrie is simply not a good fit next to them, he needs to have to ball in order to have any small significant impact, but the right combo is LeBron+Love in a right system with the right role players who can play off of them and do all the dirty work and a solid all-around third option who isn't too dependent on scoring is all they need to contend for a title. I hope he proves me wrong, but as long Kyrie is on the team, the LeBron+Love experiment will never be utilize at its full potential.

You couldn't be more wrong man. Look at the team's offensive numbers before the Miami game(Kyrie's last with LeBron) and tell me he didn't fit well. Kyrie had the biggest On-Off differential of any player in the NBA when he was playing with LeBron. Kyrie has played fantastically well off the ball. His defense suffered after he hurt his knee, but I tend to believe he was still thinking about it. After all, it was pretty damn close to being a season ender. He's clearly over that now, but he hasn't been able to play with LeBron. He's a great shooter and always is guarded by 1 player when LeBron is out there because they load up on Bron. Kyrie has not been the problem when LeBron is out on the floor.

 

[priceFTW]

I can't believe we're down to, "Save the season, LeBron," but there you have it.

 

[Snarly]

I can't believe we're down to, "Save the season, LeBron," but there you have it.

Shumpert is a key piece and he almost has to be the defender he is said to be for us to even have any shot at going to the finals.

 

[The Red Viper]

Shumpert is a key piece and he almost has to be the defender he is said to be for us to even have any shot at going to the finals.

The team defending as a whole needs to be much better. Just LeBron and Shumpert addition won't make the team good defensively. Especially against someone like Bulls, Wizards and Hawks who could score in a variety of ways.

 

[Pioneer10]

The team defending as a whole needs to be much better. Just LeBron and Shumpert addition won't make the team good defensively. Especially against someone like Bulls, Wizards and Hawks who could score in a variety of ways.

Well Lebron, Shumpert, and Marion are out. When they come back combined with Mozgov you actually can run some very strong defensive lineups with guys who can defend multiple positions. If our injury bug reverses itself, we may could actually be a good defensive team.

 

[bobcat22]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – LeBron James could return to action Tuesday in the Cleveland Cavaliers' game against the Phoenix Suns, provided he has a strong practice on Monday, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Cavaliers coach David Blatt said he is hopeful James will practice Monday in Phoenix. Two other sources said James definitely will participate.

James has missed eight straight games with left knee and lower back strains, including Sunday's game against the Sacramento Kings. Blatt didn't rule out the possibility of James playing Tuesday.

"Right now we're in a stage where he is shooting and he is moving," Blatt said. "He's running through sets. He still hasn't done live work. [Monday] we will see if we can do that with him."

James took part a 25-minute shooting and dribbling workout that grew in intensity prior to the Kings game. The intensity of James' participation in practice on Monday will be based on how he feels as it progresses, a team official said. The Cavaliers announced Jan. 1 that the 11-year NBA veteran was expected to be out two weeks.

Blatt didn't rule out James playing Tuesday and added that it was "very possible" he will play on the team's current road trip that also includes games at the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers this week.

"We entered this process with the expressed idea of getting him back 100 percent," Blatt said. "When he's ready, that's when he will play."

James has been eager to return in large part because of the Cavaliers' other injury woes, sources said. But he's also adhering to the team's medical protocol. James must have at least one solid practice before returning to play, one source said. The Cavaliers have added center Timofey Mosgov and guards Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith in trades since James left the lineup with his injuries.

James, 30, is averaging 25.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season. The most consecutive games he previously missed in his career was five during the 2007-08 season because of a finger injury.

 

[Snarly]

Damn it this sucks because I like Blatt but whatever he is asking or trying to run is not looking like anything. Are his plays that complicated or our players to dumb to know where to be. Mozgov came on and had more of an idea than some of the guys who been here longer. This is not all on Blatt but it comes down to what Bron and the players want and that is not going to end well for Blatt.

 

[cavsfever]

You couldn't be more wrong man. Look at the team's offensive numbers before the Miami game(Kyrie's last with LeBron) and tell me he didn't fit well. Kyrie had the biggest On-Off differential of any player in the NBA when he was playing with LeBron. Kyrie has played fantastically well off the ball. His defense suffered after he hurt his knee, but I tend to believe he was still thinking about it. After all, it was pretty damn close to being a season ender. He's clearly over that now, but he hasn't been able to play with LeBron. He's a great shooter and always is guarded by 1 player when LeBron is out there because they load up on Bron. Kyrie has not been the problem when LeBron is out on the floor.

It's true that Kyrie showed flashes of being a tremendous offensive force playing next to Lebron. As a scoring off-guard next to Lebron distributing he looked very good. But I'm not sure a one-dimensional scoring 2-guard who can't defend and isn't a great passer or rebounder is worth a max contract. I also question whether Lebron's physical limitations will really let him play backcourt PG consistently in years to come.

 

[bobcat22]

It's true that Kyrie showed flashes of being a tremendous offensive force playing next to Lebron. As a scoring off-guard next to Lebron distributing he looked very good. But I'm not sure a one-dimensional scoring 2-guard who can't defend and isn't a great passer or rebounder is worth a max contract. I question whether Lebron's physical limitations will really let him play backcourt PG consistently in years to come.

That last part is the million dollar question. I will say, if LeBron somehow leads this team to a championship, he is without a doubt the GOAT. This team is so talented fully healthy, but they collectively have so many issues that it seems insurmountable.

 

[cavsfever]

That last part is the million dollar question. I will say, if LeBron somehow leads this team to a championship, he is without a doubt the GOAT. This team is so talented fully healthy, but they collectively have so many issues that it seems insurmountable.

It would have been fascinating to watch the Lebron of 2010 or 2011 try to lift this team to the championship, I think he could have done it. But I think today he is on the decline some physically. I doubt that will be reversed by taking two weeks off. Maybe he will have a resurgence next year combined with some extra depth being added to the team in the off season.

The other factor is that I think the NBA has maybe never been better in terms of the overall talent level. Really amazing the development over the past five years or so.

 

[bobcat22]

It would have been fascinating to watch the Lebron of 2010 or 2011 try to lift this team to the championship, I think he could have done it. But I think today he is on the decline some physically. I doubt that will be reversed by taking two weeks off. Maybe he will have a resurgence next year combined with some extra depth being added to the team in the off season.

The other factor is that I think the NBA has maybe never been better in terms of the overall talent level. Really amazing the development over the past five years or so.

The LeBron of 2010 and 2011(aka his last year in Cleveland and 1st year in Miami) was not a guy that could have led a team to a title. He had the talent, but he wasn't a leader by any stretch of the imagination. That LeBron would have given up on this team already. He needed that Dallas loss to really start blaming himself. Before, he could always blame his teammates in his mind for not giving him enough help. Once the loss to Dallas happened, he realized he was the problem and completely rededicated himself. His jumper was very shaky in Miami until last year. Now, he's got complete confidence in his game. He's the only guy in the league that could keep this ship from sinking. We'll see if he can.

 

[Pioneer10]

Well a nice 10-20 game winning streak right now would push Lebron back to #1 in the MVP rankings .
Lebron's planned this all along lol

 

[theSTEREO.]

Well a nice 10-20 game winning streak right now would push Lebron back to #1 in the MVP rankings .
Lebron's planned this all along lol

I know that was a joke, but if comes back and we get back onto an 18-11 pace with him again, how could he not be a serious MVP contender? It's, like, the very definition of the award.