LeBron James

LeBron worked out with his best friend on his off day. LeBron tweeted about who knows what. LeBron unfollowed the Cavs Twitter. LeBron stopped playing music in the locker room.

You guys (especially u Godfather) really need to chill. Step back and look at how ridiculous it is to always be freaking out about this stuff. These are all nonstories that you guys turn into stories by constantly talking about them. It really isnt that serious.

^When I see Lebron make lazy plays like that on D, I think his minutes should really be capped - 34 to 35 high octane minutes for Lebron at this point of his career are more effective than him playing 38 to 40 and coasting for a 4-5 minute stretch. It doesn't sound like much but over the course of the season those extra minutes add up and when he gets tired, the turnovers and ISO ball and lazy D starts so might as well sit him down.

The play him for entire quarters at a time stuff also doesn't make sense to me either.

LBJ will never go for it and the fact our team literally looks horrendous when he sits for the most part means Lue won't go for it either. But I really think we might have been better off putting Love and Kyrie in more sink or swim situations. Force these guys to step up and develop.

If they shit the bed so be it, Lebron hero ball is not going to beat GS or SA. The only way we beat those teams is if Kyrie and Love are both performing at their peak level so take away the Lebron save us option now and push these guys.

godfather said:

Love has to play as a stretch 4, when you have Tristan and Mozgov out there. I didn't always love the way we used him last year either. But he did play better. Something is clearly wrong with his shot. I don't blame the coaches for that.

But he's not a stretch 4 anyways! He had to play that way, because you need a big man to stretch the floor with LeBron and Kyrie out there. That has to happen.

With Frye, you can do that! While putting Kevin in his comfort zone. On the elbow, on the block. We could actually run an offense at times, with Kyrie and LeBron cutting back door to the hoop off screens. We can do a MILLION things now and make everyone's job easier. But this coach doesn't. Blatt didn't have that card last year. Lue does.

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this is a crucial question, and I'm sorry for excluding the rest of the post, but I wanted to focus on this. I'm certainly not a Lue apologist, but I question how much of this is on him. The simple fact that just last week guys were still forgetting sets, that they go over every day, and the fact that he vented that frustration to me says something about this team's focus level that is amplified by their play in games. They focus fine when the chips are on the line, but you'd better be bringing bullets any other time. I'm not sure we can assume this is one person's fault. It could be their mesh and it might be something that disappears when the game gets gritty in the second round, just like guys are close in boot camp, but they're family in that trench.

Benedict_Boozer said:

^When I see Lebron make lazy plays like that on D, I think his minutes should really be capped - 34 to 35 high octane minutes for Lebron at this point of his career are more effective than him playing 38 to 40 and coasting for a 4-5 minute stretch. It doesn't sound like much but over the course of the season those extra minutes add up and when he gets tired, the turnovers and ISO ball and lazy D starts so might as well sit him down.

The play him for entire quarters at a time stuff also doesn't make sense to me either.

LBJ will never go for it and the fact our team literally looks horrendous when he sits for the most part means Lue won't go for it either. But I really think we might have been better off putting Love and Kyrie in more sink or swim situations. Force these guys to step up and develop.

If they shit the bed so be it, Lebron hero ball is not going to beat GS or SA. The only way we beat those teams is if Kyrie and Love are both performing at their peak level so take away the Lebron save us option now and push these guys.

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I've been saying for awhile his minutes should be under 34. People disagree. But when he clearly has lazy plays, then they say well he's pacing himself.

So is it okay for him do things like that? I never understand that justification.

I'm also annoyed that he's shooting just 28 percent from three, but still averages nearly four three attempts per game.

He still takes some of these bad shots he'd take early in his career. Amazing in Miami he rarely ever took them, then comes back, and adopts all his old bad habits he had here. I think that annoys me the most about LeBron.

He's regressed back into bad habits himself.

Please, just scratch the three point game LeBron. It's never really been your game, and its really fallen off in the last two years.

Chris Parker said:

this is a crucial question, and I'm sorry for excluding the rest of the post, but I wanted to focus on this. I'm certainly not a Lue apologist, but I question how much of this is on him. The simple fact that just last week guys were still forgetting sets, that they go over every day, and the fact that he vented that frustration to me says something about this team's focus level that is amplified by their play in games. They focus fine when the chips are on the line, but you'd better be bringing bullets any other time. I'm not sure we can assume this is one person's fault. It could be their mesh and it might be something that disappears when the game gets gritty in the second round, just like guys are close in boot camp, but they're family in that trench.

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That's a fair point. This isn't all at one person's foot. I think everyone. I MEAN everyone is partly to blame. Not just LeBron. Not just Lue. Not just Kyrie. Not just Love.

I just don't get the people that are willing to excuse LB, just because he's LeBron. I don't blame him for Kyrie getting hurt, or Kyrie not being a good defender. Or Kevin not making shots. I don't think every thing that goes wrong is because of him.

I didn't think I was making it seem like that. I just want the guy to keep these guys from coming apart at the seams, and show some accountability on his own faults. That's the best way to get leadership and get others to respond to their own.

I ask the most from LB, because I have the highest expectations for him. But if we are just not good enough at the end of the day, of course that's not his fault.

But this constant dysfunction and turmoil going around this team. He could do a much better job in that regard. If this team is miserable, which I think they've been the entire year, it only makes sense that's going to translate greatly to the court almost all the time.

godfather said:

I've been saying for awhile his minutes should be under 34. People disagree. But when he clearly has lazy plays, then they say well he's pacing himself.

So is it okay for him do things like that? I never understand that justification.

I'm also annoyed that he's shooting just 28 percent from three, but still averages nearly four three attempts per game.

He still takes some of these bad shots he'd take early in his career. Amazing in Miami he rarely ever took them, then comes back, and adopts all his old bad habits he had here. I think that annoys me the most about LeBron.

He's regressed back into bad habits himself.

Please, just scratch the three point game LeBron. It's never really been your game, and its really fallen off in the last two years.

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Energized LeBron at 32 to 34 mins >>>>>> Tired LeBron 41 mins.

Gus Zing said:

Energized LeBron at 32 to 34 mins >>>>>> Tired LeBron 41 mins.

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Another reason I'd like Delly to start. I don't want LB to have to orchestrate the offense all the time. I think it takes a lot out of him.

We can utilize him in different ways, where he's not playing lazy basketball but can still rest in spurts on the floor too.

But obviously we can't do that with Kyrie given almost all of us agree he shouldn't orchestrate the offense anymore.

I am fine with Kyrie orchestrating the offense with the second unit though and no LB on the floor.

godfather said:

I'm also annoyed that he's shooting just 28 percent from three, but still averages nearly four three attempts per game.

He still takes some of these bad shots he'd take early in his career. Amazing in Miami he rarely ever took them, then comes back, and adopts all his old bad habits he had here. I think that annoys me the most about LeBron.

He's regressed back into bad habits himself.

Please, just scratch the three point game LeBron. It's never really been your game, and its really fallen off in the last two years.

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LeBron definitely shouldn't be averaging four 3pt attempts a game, but as long as small forward is his primary position it still needs to be part of his repertoire.

Hell, even if he just eliminates the "step back 3 early in the shot clock" thing he's fond of, I'd be satisfied.

Guys again, LeBron shooting closer to.400 since January.

Update the narrative

Just saying, but if this team was coached by Pop he would have moved Delly into the starting line up a month ago to send a message.

benfti said:

Just saying, but if this team was coached by Pop he would have moved Delly into the starting line up a month ago to send a message.

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if this team was coached by Stephen A Smith, the cavs would be trading for another backup guard for Kyrie. He is still dumbfounded Mo is not playing

Does anyone think Lue will rest LeBron during this back to back? I have a chance to go to the Nets game tomm but not sure if Bron will play...

Thunder said:

Does anyone think Lue will rest LeBron during this back to back? I have a chance to go to the Nets game tomm but not sure if Bron will play...

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With the way LeBron and this team is, figuring out which games he'll sit and the ones he'll play is a total crapshoot.

Initially the team wanted to give guys off immediately before or after 2 rest days so they'll have an extended break, but now they seem to be moving away from that. There's decent odds he could sit any of these final 12 games.

Jscc said:

So has anyone pointed out that LeBron usually shuts down all social media and enters serious business mode as the playoffs approach? Because he does it every year. His legacy is on the line. He knows what time it is.

With how inconsistent the team has been, he probably just needs earlier preparation for all the $#!+ he's gonna have to do to make up the differences between this and last year's team.

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Jscc said:

So has anyone pointed out that LeBron usually shuts down all social media and enters serious business mode as the playoffs approach? Because he does it every year. His legacy is on the line. He knows what time it is.

With how inconsistent the team has been, he probably just needs earlier preparation for all the $#!+ he's gonna have to do to make up the differences between this and last year's team.

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And... bingo. There it is:

Along with the Cavs account, James unfollowed nearly all media members throughout the day and night Monday, including writers from ESPN and Sports Illustrated and employees of Fox Sports Ohio. By early Tuesday morning, the only NBA-related media accounts James followed belonged to Hannah Storm, Michael Wilbon, Kristen Ledlow and Rachel Nichols.

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All above confirmed again:

LeBron James says he has indeed pre-emptively switched into so-called "playoff mode" with three weeks left in the regular season. The Cleveland Cavaliers star's recent social media activity is only an extension of that, a source familiar with James' thinking told ESPN.com.

"I have," James said when asked about whether he has consciously shifted his disposition. "A little bit sooner than normal, but you know I understand that [the postseason is] right around the corner and I want to start mentally preparing myself for the distance. So mentally I'm just being a little more sharper minded as of late, just gearing toward it. Understanding that it's right around the corner and it's going to be very, very challenging."

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http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/1...ers-curtails-social-media-shifts-playoff-mode

shoes22 said:

With the way LeBron and this team is, figuring out which games he'll sit and the ones he'll play is a total crapshoot.

Initially the team wanted to give guys off immediately before or after 2 rest days so they'll have an extended break, but now they seem to be moving away from that. There's decent odds he could sit any of these final 12 games.

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Damn it...I spent way too much money to get two tickets to the Knicks vs Cavs game at the Garden this Saturday. I totally forgot about the resting players thing.