LeBron James Rips Cavaliers Roster, Lack of Depth After Loss vs. Pelicans
Following a 124-122 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James was critical of his team's roster construction and preparedness to repeat as NBA champions.
According to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, James expressed his belief that the Cavs aren't better than last season's team and that they lack depth.
"It's great to have bodies," James said. "Obviously, in the playoffs, you go down to what, eight max? And if somebody gets in foul trouble, you go to nine. You're not playing back-to-backs. You have two days in between. You're able to lock in. ... It's like when you don't have bodies. It's tough. The f--king grind of the regular season. We're a top-heavy team. We have a top-heavy team. We top-heavy as s--t. It's me, [Kyrie Irving], [Kevin Love]. It's top-heavy."
Of the 122 points the Cavs scored Monday, the trio of James, Irving and Love accounted for 97. They also lost the bench-scoring battle to New Orleans, 40-13.
LeBron has talked often about adding another point guard in recent weeks, and he once again called for one Monday.
"We need a f--king playmaker," James said. "I'm not saying you can just go find one, like you can go outside and see trees. I didn't say that. ... I don't know what we got to offer. I just know me, personally? I don't got no time to waste. I'll be 33 in the winter, and I ain't got time to waste. That's what I'm talking about."
James clarified his comments on Twitter on Tuesday:
Cavaliers general manager David Griffin hasn't stood idly by this season, as he acquired sharpshooter Kyle Korver from the Atlanta Hawks earlier in the month.
Korver is averaging just 7.6 points per game with the Cavs, however, and scored only five points in 26 minutes against a Pels team that was without Anthony Davis.
James punctuated his point by suggesting the Cavs could go into a tailspin if one of their top players were to land on the shelf like Davis did for New Orleans.
"For the most part, all championship-contending teams has got guys that are ready to step in," James said. "Knock on wood, what if Ky goes down? For two weeks. Let's say two. What if I went down for three weeks?"
Cleveland has lost five of its past seven contests and holds a 2.5-game lead over the Toronto Raptors for first place in the Eastern Conference.
