Which Cleveland Cavaliers Star Has Most on the Line During 2014-15 Season?
The Cleveland Cavaliers should have no shortage of stars, or leadership, this season.
With LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving all teaming together, the Cavs possess three players who served as leaders of their own separate squads a season ago.
Irving was Cleveland's anointed leader since he joined the team at age 19. The Timberwolves relied heavily on Love, as he lead the team in win shares five of his six seasons in Minnesota, per Basketball-Reference. James, despite playing with two other superstars, ultimately carried the torch for the Miami Heat.
While the collective goal is obviously a championship, there's a lot on the line for these three on an individual level as well.
Every member of the Cavs' new Big Three will face pressure, but one player especially stands out above the rest.
Kyrie Irving
Believe it or not, the pressure on Irving may have actually decreased from a season ago.
Last year, many expected Irving to blossom into a leader while carrying the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Instead, the team mustered just 33 wins while Irving was barraged with trade rumors, per ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst, contract questions and even a public call-out by one of the team's most highly regarded beat writers.
Irving's stats took a hit, as did his confidence.
For the first time since he stepped foot in Cleveland, Irving showcased a great deal of humility and honesty rarely witnessed from a professional athlete. Irving opened up on his rocky season in January 2014 to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, admitting:
"I got away with so much my first two years. It wasn’t a breeze, but everything came easy. This is the first year where every single night it’s going to be a challenge. That’s one of the things I’m getting used to and I’ve accepted. ...
I just feel like what people fail to realize is I don’t have all the answers all the time. I’m still the third-youngest on this team. I’m a 21-year-old kid trying to figure this whole thing out. It’s a daily job and that’s probably why it’s been one of the toughest years for me. I’m learning every single day.
"
Now nine months later, so much has changed.
Irving silenced critics saying he wanted out of Cleveland by signing a five-year, $90 million max contract extension just hours into free agency.
He impressed many with his performance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, taking home MVP honors while leading the U.S. to a gold medal.
His job also became much easier with James and Love on board.
Irving's main challenges now will be sharing the ball, sacrificing his scoring numbers and continuing his superstar development, even in a reduced role.
While pressure will certainly still be there, Irving's job (and media scrutiny) should actually be reduced from last year.
Kevin Love
Irving and Love shared a lot in common prior to becoming teammates.
Like Irving, Love put up big numbers while watching his team pile up losing season after losing season. He also faced a multitude of questions about his contract and desire to stay put or skip town.
Unlike his point-guard teammate, Love made it very clear he was interested in switching zip codes. In six years, the Timberwolves failed to provide him with a better wing scorer then Kevin Martin. In the Western Conference, that simply won't cut it.
After his trade from Minnesota to Cleveland in a package deal for Andrew Wiggins, both parties should have laid low and been happy with the trade.
For Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, the opportunity to criticize his former franchise player was just too much to pass up. Taylor talked about Love, per 1500ESPN.com's Derek Wetmore, saying:
"I think he's around a couple guys [who] are awful good. Now I'm not saying that Kevin's not good, but I think where maybe he got away with some stuff, not playing defense on our team, I'm not sure how that's going to work in Cleveland. So I would guess they're going to ask him to play more defense. And he's foul-prone.
"
While Love's defensive deficiencies are well-documented, Taylor seemed to just be making stuff up towards the end of his rant. After all, Love was tied for 161st in the league with just 1.8 personal fouls a game in 2013-14. Even six other players on his own team had as many or more fouls per game as Love.
Now in Cleveland, the playoff drought must end.
The Chris Bosh test also begins.
Love must prove he can take a step back and sacrifice shot attempts playing next to James, as Bosh did successfully for four seasons.
"I'd be lying to myself and lying to everybody here if I was telling you I didn't have to sacrifice," Love told Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick. "I think it's going to have to be an effort throughout the entire team to do what's best for the Cleveland Cavaliers. And we don't know what that is really yet. But I'm going to do what’s best for this team to win, because at the end of the day that’s what we want, is to win."
Love goes from do-it-all offensive forward to floor spacer and rebounder. His 2013-14 stat line of 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists will surely see a significant drop playing with James and Irving.
Unlike Irving, Love is under pressure to perform for a new contract, as well.
Love can opt out of his current deal this summer, and will be seeking a new five-year contract likely between $120-$130 million, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowksi.. To secure such a lucrative amount of money, Love must first prove he can play the second-fiddle role next to James as well as, or better than, Bosh ever did.
Love has much more on the line than Irving this season, but still falls short of his new four-time MVP teammate.
LeBron James
The Cavaliers star with the most pressure on him is the same gentleman who put the entire NBA on hold this offseason.
James' Decision 2.0 was a surprising one, not just for its content, but also delivery. Instead of a highly scrutinized live television special, James and his agent Rich Paul elected for a carefully pieced-together essay with the help of Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins.
Gone were the words "decision" and "talents." Replacing them were "heart," "family" and "hometown."
On the surface, it appears James has matured. He better have, at least, because all eyes will be focused on him in Cleveland once again.
So why is James under more scrutiny than Love or Irving, who've yet to make the playoffs?
For precisely that reason.
We don't know if Love and Irving are true superstars yet, or if they'll ever be able to lead a team. Maybe, maybe not.
With James, we've seen what he's capable of, and anything less than a title will be viewed as a major disappointment.
In 11 years, James has amassed 10 all-star appearances, four MVP awards, and two NBA titles. We've seen him lead the Miami Heat to four straight championship appearances. Surely, James can do the same with the Cavs now, right?
Expectations for James have never been higher.
He's gone from America's golden boy, to most abhorred athlete and back to near-angelic status once again. Outside of South Florida, few seemed to resent James' decision this time around.
Now, it's up to James to prove he made the right one.
James is again back in the public's good graces, but for how long?
Any hint of his not giving 100 percent or the Cavs not reaching 55-60 wins will certainly stir up some criticism. The way James adjusts to his new teammates, his leadership style and his sacrifices for guys like Love and Irving will also be under the public microscope.
Throughout it all this preseason, James has kept a low profile. He also seems very cool and collected, undeterred about how some perceive him now.
"A lot of people criticize about what we do as athletes or criticize the person in the arena when they never step foot in it," James told Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
There's also the matter of legacy.
For those who care nothing about the Cavaliers and only the history of basketball, there are plenty of reasons to keep an eye on James.
James still has a chance to be the greatest player of all time. All of the physical attributes and stats are there. For those crying out that James will never reach Michael Jordan status—especially when it comes to rings—consider this: At age 31, Jordan had three championships to his name. James, still just 29, currently sits at two.
In terms of storylines, it doesn't get much better.
Jordan was born in New York and attended high school in North Carolina. He wasn't drafted by a hometown team, nor did he voluntarily choose to rejoin it.
The story of James is far from being over and is currently on a historic path.
For as long as he suits up in the NBA, the spotlight and pressure will predominantly fall on James.
Love and Irving should be just fine with that.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010. Connect with him on Twitter for more basketball news and conversation.
All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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