gourimoko
Fighting the good fight!
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If anyone has any theories, (Gouri, anyone, I'd ove to hear someone explain what I'm seeing.
I think you pretty much nailed it..
In my opinion, I think Kyrie was just out of it yesterday. They really didn't take the game seriously; none of them did. That's why the starters played so poorly, they just weren't game ready.
By the time they were, Kyrie was ready to take over and did.
I don't think this is just a Kyrie problem though; it's really a team problem, a leadership, motivation, and spiritual problem for this team. We lack any identity or cohesiveness as a unit, and that starts with Lue and LeBron. More so LeBron than anyone else.
Our failures are, in my opinion, an emergent quality of his inability to lead a group of men due to his own hangups. This is what we saw in Miami in Year 1, a dysfunctional, disorganized, unmotivated collection of individuals - more interested in tweets and the beach and less interested in playing basketball.
If it weren't for Wade, they'd likely never have won the Finals.
In my opinion, and I know this won't be a popular one, but, the dream of the 5 years of contention with Kyrie and Love should probably end this season if we don't win a championship.
These two guys, I don't think, can really work together alongside LeBron James.
We really do need a veteran All-Star that LeBron respects in order to keep him in line. The relationships and the dynamic as it stands now is of an absentee parent more than it is of a team leader.
I don't think Kyrie or Love hate James, I think that's ridiculous. Instead, I just feel that they are both young men that need guidance and real leadership, while James feels that nothing is given to you - you have to have the initiative and demonstrate sacrifice to do it yourself.
If James isn't going to drag them into the gym everyday (the tweets) then they aren't coming. If James isn't going to drag them into practice on their off days, then they won't practice on their off-days (or they'll do it solo, like Love did the other day).
It's a systemic problem from the top-down, and there are issues about people worrying about their branding (Love, Kyrie) and folks worried about their legacy (James).. Lue doesn't seem to be able or willing to intervene to solve the problem; he was quite aggressive when he took over, but that seems to have diminished recently.
In my opinion, this offseason, if we do not win; one of Kyrie or Love needs to be traded. Lue and Griffin should be terminated for a veteran coach (/GM?) who can bring in his own team of coaches; someone James can/would respect (Doc Rivers comes to mind, and yes I know his faults, but - I think Kyrie and James would respect him regardless, which is the most important aspect of this).
I'd be inclined to overhaul this team if it continues on like this. We can't trade LeBron James, but we can create an atmosphere of accountability with a coach who commands authority, respect, and isn't afraid to use the media to chastise his players. (Again, I'd go with Doc Rivers if he gets fired).