Early Takeaways from LeBron James' Performance with Cleveland Cavaliers
So...this isn't the start we all envisioned.
LeBron James was supposed to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, win every single game and have the city construct a 10-story statue in his honor while The Black Keys rocked out and Drew Carey performed stand-up.
After just a 1-3 start to the season, James' Cavs team may very well be the butt of Carey's jokes.
With many around Northeast Ohio beginning to panic, James doesn't seem to be too worried this early in the season:
Although his second stint in Cleveland is just four games deep, we've already learned quite a bit about James and the new Cavaliers.
Takeaway No. 1: His Essay Was Foreshadowing Perfection
Back in July, many were caught by surprise not just because of James' announcement to return to Cleveland, but the blatant honesty he used in the process.
Instead of coming out and promising multiple titles, parades and celebrations, James' Sports Illustrated essay was pretty grounded when discussing expectations:
"We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I’m going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head.
"
It appears that James was dead on.
While a championship in year one is still very much a possibility, James touched on the fact that it may take longer than that.
The way the Cavaliers have played thus far, possibly a lot longer.
After four games, Cleveland is just 19th in scoring (96.5 points), even with James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. They averaged 98.2 points last season with no James or Love, in a Mike Brown-led offense no less.
Defensively, the team has been even worse. Rim protection is very much an issue, just as many feared it would be. The Cavs' 3.3 blocks per game ranks dead last in the league, a stat that's contributing to their 23rd-ranked defense (101.5 points allowed).
The good news, unlike James' last season in Cleveland, is that they're not in must-win mode right away. That year, while winning was obviously the goal, there was also the fear of James leaving if things went south.
With James committing to the Cavaliers for presumably the remainder of his career, more patience can be exercised.
While winning now would be nice, it's not as important as building a strong core of principles among the team. James likened the process to building a car, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com:
"You enjoy it when you see the finished product. For me, it's like building a car from scratch. I've done that before. I hated the process, it got on my nerves, I sent it back to get repainted a hundred times, and it came back and it still wasn't done [right]. Once it was completely finished, you're excited about it. So that's what it feels like.
"
For this Cavaliers team, a lot of detailing appears to be needed.
Takeaway No. 2: LeBron Asks, LeBron Gets
Mike Miller, one of James' closest friends in the league, helped him win two championships while with the Miami Heat.
After James signed with the Cavaliers, Miller had a decision to make.
While the Cavs could offer two years and $5.5 million, the Denver Nuggets promised a much richer $12 million over three seasons.
Was the chance to play with James again worth $6.5 million? For Miller, apparently so.
We know that Miller made a financial sacrifice to come to Cleveland, but through three games, he was giving up significant playing time as well.
Although he's an elite three-point threat and veteran of the league, Miller appeared in just 29 total minutes in the Cavaliers' first three games, attempting two total shots.
This, naturally, did not sit well with James.
According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal:
"James said before the (Utah Jazz) game he’d like more minutes on the court with Miller to help get him adjusted.
'He creates space for me,' James said. 'Anytime he gets the ball, I tell him he has to shoot it. That’s a point of emphasis for me. That’s why we’ve got him here. Makes no sense to have a rocket launcher and not be able to let it go.'
"
One can guess what transpired next.
After James' public request for more Miller time, coach David Blatt quickly obliged.
Miller registered nearly 22 minutes of court time against the Jazz, just seven minutes fewer than his first three games combined. Unfortunately, much of his time was spent playing alongside Irving, who dominated the ball all game. Irving finished with zero assists and Miller just one shot attempt.
As anyone who even remotely follows the NBA can tell you, James carries a tremendous amount of power in essentially all aspects of the game. This extends to coaching, free agency and on-court play.
He's the reason Love was traded to Cleveland, even at the expense of superprospect Andrew Wiggins.
Shawn Marion, who's collected over $133 million in paychecks over his career, agreed to play with the Cavs for just a $1.4 million minimum salary.
When asked if Cleveland would have been an option for him in free agency without James in town, Marion said via Fox Sports, "No. To be honest, no."
Even in his 12th season, James continues to flex his muscles on and off the court.
Takeaway No. 3: James' Aggressiveness Has Direct Effect on Cavs' Success
While this may seem like an obvious point, James has admitted he's still trying to find the balance between aggressive scorer and playmaker, finding out what's best for the team.
Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, James said before a loss to the Jazz:
"It's a fine line. I've had two games where I've played a little passive and been more of a set-up guy and it's resulted in two losses. And I've had a game where I've been very aggressive and we won. Is winning the ultimate thing? Or us being the best (team) we can be (as a whole) or winning one game? It's something that's going on in my mind right now, I'm trying to figure out.
"
While the Cavaliers certainly welcome his willingness to share the ball, it's become clear they need his scoring as well.
In the two games where James has admitted to playing passively, the Cavaliers are 0-2 and were outscored by an average score of 98-86. In those losses, James averaged 14.0 points, 5.5 turnovers and shot 33.3 percent from the field.
His disappearance in the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers was especially alarming. James seemed very disinterested, even on the defensive end.
Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group pointed out James' rare lack of effort:
"To be sure, this was a lowlight for James' career in terms of scoring. It was his lowest regular-season point total since he scored 11 as a Cavalier back on Dec. 5, 2008. It was just the second time in 12 seasons he was shut out in the second half. He shot one free throw.
"
We have witnessed two inspired performances from James, however. This included a 114-108 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls and a 102-100 loss to the Utah Jazz thanks to a buzzer-beating shot by Gordon Hayward.
In those contests, James averaged 33.5 points, 3.5 turnovers and connected on 45.8 percent of his field-goal attempts, quite a difference from his self-titled passive games.
Heading into the season, we didn't know just how aggressive James would have to be on the offensive end with Love, Irving and Dion Waiters beside him.
As it appears, still very much so.
It will be up to James to help pick up the offensive pace, one that ranks 29th in the league. The Cavaliers don't need him to score 30 points every night, but rather find the aggressive balance between scorer and playmaker.
James acknowledged this challenge to Joe Vardon of the NEOMG following the team's last-second loss to the Jazz:
"We played well, and I was very aggressive. I got to the line a lot tonight. My body felt it good, it let me know I was in attack mode. I think it put us in a position to win. That's all you can ask for as a player is to put your team in a position to win at the end of the game. So we got a little bit of clarity, but me, personally, I've got to figure out a way to get my teammates involved, too, because it can't be just a one, two, or three-man show.
"
Even on a team loaded with talent, it's once again up to James to set the tone with his style of play.
With 10 new players and a collection of young gunners who are still learning to share the ball, James needs to be aggressive with both his play and leadership.
Until that happens, his statue will have to wait.
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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