LeBron James Challenging Himself as Leader After Proving On-Court Prowess
Down 19 points in the fourth quarter to the Celtics in Boston on Nov. 14, the Cleveland Cavaliers desperately needed a lift.
Cavs' All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving took it upon himself to lead the comeback, scoring 12 points in the first three minutes of the quarter.
As great as Irving's performance was, he needed help.
LeBron James was happy to oblige.
"Kyrie told me to be aggressive and stop being so passive," James said via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. "Early in the fourth quarter he got it going, so I kind of laid back and let him go and he said, 'Be aggressive and make some plays.' So I told him all he got to do is talk to me."
The Cavaliers went on to beat the Celtics 122-121, with James leading the way with 41 points.
His scoring, along with the communication with Irving, represented James' evolution as a leader on this new-era Cavs team.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, it wasn't always this way.
Growing Pains
On July 8, 2010, James sat nervously inside the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut awaiting the biggest decision of his life.
Although surrounded by a modest number of cameramen, area kids and his inner circle, over 13 million people were watching James' every twitch, tick and gesture from afar. He looked extremely uncomfortable, a far cry from the brave persona usually portrayed when performing on the court.
For seven years, James had grown up as a player and man in Cleveland with the Cavaliers. Despite a questionable roster at times, James' Cavs made the playoffs five straight years, including a 2007 trip to the NBA Finals.
His stats were phenomenal. James averaged 27.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 548 regular-season games.
Cleveland was blessed to be able to watch James play basketball night in and night out.
And then, they weren't.
As they watched James about to make his decision, the last memory Cavalier fans had was of him walking to the locker room following a playoff series loss to the Boston Celtics, jersey being ripped from his 6'8", 250-pound frame.
Now as he sat, answering questions about his free agency and nail-biting, one thing became painfully clear: For all of his personal accolades, James' leadership ability was severely lacking.
His decision to skip town, join a franchise already being carried by two superstars and leave Cleveland to once again rebuild certainly wasn't leadership material.
Fast forward four years and two championships later.
James is once again sporting the wine and gold with some added experience and a touch less hair.
This time around, James is undergoing the biggest challenge of his career by being patient, molding a young team and becoming the leader he never was before.
Personal Achievements
From an individual standpoint, there's not much more James can accomplish.
He's won Rookie of the Year, been named an All-Star 10 times, All-NBA First Team eight times, lead the league in scoring, collected four regular-season MVPs, two All-Star Game MVPs and two NBA Finals MVP awards. James is already 24th on the all-time scoring list, despite not yet having celebrated his 30th birthday.
Although entering the league as a guard, James has transitioned to small forward, and even power forward at times.
He's put so much work into becoming a viable low-post option that James would even teach the Miami Heat centers how to execute drop steps and spin moves.
While James put up gaudy numbers on the previous Cavs team out of necessity, in Miami, he did the same with efficiency. His shooting percentage has increased each of the past seven years, resulting in a 56.7 percent success rate last season.
Short of averaging a triple-double, there's not much James hasn't done statistically or personally accomplished.
The long-awaited championship finally arrived in 2012, with another one following in 2013.
James' greatest tests were complete, except the one he had failed while sitting at the Boys and Girls Club four years ago.
Now, he seeks to amend that flaw.
Creation of the Cavs
James may just be listed as a player in the NBA directory, but he's certainly made a case for general manager as well.
His arrival instantly transformed Cleveland from playoff hopeful to championship-or-bust.
To do this, sacrifices had to be made.
The first one was named Andrew Wiggins, the Cavs' top selection in June's draft. James made no mention of Wiggins in his announcement to return to Cleveland, although he specifically listed Irving, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao.
Anthony Bennett, the first overall pick in 2013, was also nowhere to be found. Not surprisingly, both were later traded in an August deal that netted the Cavaliers All-Star power forward Kevin Love.
While Wiggins could one day be a star even greater than Love, the Cavs weren't willing to sit around and find out.
Not long after James committed to Cleveland, he made a call to Minnesota.
"LeBron signed to come back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and a just few hours post he called me and I said, 'you know what, 'I'm in,' " Love said, via Kevin Spain of USA Today.
Although many pegged Love to join the Los Angeles Lakers once he likely hits free agency this summer, James' recruitment appears too much for Love to pass up.
"That is something that hasn't been talked about," Love said, via Spain. "But like I told Griff and Dan Gilbert as well that I"m committed to this team. I'm committed long term to the end goal and that's to win championships here in Ohio."
Along with Love came some other veteran help, specifically those with championship experience.
Mike Miller, James' teammate with the Miami Heat for three seasons, passed up more money with the Denver Nuggets to sign with the Cavaliers. James Jones, another one of James' Heat teammates, signed a veteran's minimum deal.
One player not expected to accept such a contract was 15-year vet Shawn Marion. He was also recruited by James this summer, this time via text message.
“It was quick and simple,” Marion told Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal and The News-Herald. “There was no need to try to sell me on anything.” “ ‘We need you here,’ ” James told Marion. “ ‘You’re going to be a big part of this.’ ”
At the time, Marion was considering the Indiana Pacers, who could also offer more money than the Cavs.
Again, the chance to play with James and a championship contender was too much to pass up.
In his first seven years, James was never much of a recruiter. Cleveland tried unsuccessfully to sign Michael Redd and Joe Johnson, only to be turned down again and again.
The biggest free-agent splashes James helped orchestrate were Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones. Now, he landed Love, Marion, Miller and Jones.
This roster, unlike any other James has ever played on, has his fingerprints all over it.
Even before training camp tipped off, James' leadership with the Cavaliers had already begun.
Leadership Transformation
Even with guys like Irving, Love, Marion and Miller, James left no doubt about who would be leading this Cavaliers squad.
"I will be the leader of the team," James said on the Cavs' media day, via Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. James continued:
"I believe I bring leadership qualities that a lot of guys either don't want or just don't know how to do it. And I can. I can lead by example, I can lead by voice, I can lead by command and I can lead by just my presence. That's the most important thing for me. That's what I'm more excited about than anything.
"
While James' announcement came as no surprise, it marked a change in attitude from his previous stint in Cleveland.
James took on a leadership-like role with his scoring and playmaking, but he wasn't considered a true vocal leader or one who commanded the team.
Age may have played a part in this, as James was just 18 when he was drafted by the Cavs. James' teammates during this time were certainly a factor. During his seven years, guys like Ricky Davis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Shaquille O'Neal and Antawn Jamison all took turns sharing the leadership role.
Now, it's James' turn.
His new teammates already appear to be buying in.
"He's been where I want to go and a guy like Kyrie wants to go and guys who haven't made it to the Finals or won a championship. He has an ability to teach us all, and we're all in a position to really learn from him," Love said, via Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Irving realizes all that James brings to the table and what it's going to take to win a title.
"We're playing with one of the greatest players to play this game, but there is going to be some sacrifices that we all have to make," Irving said, via Zillgitt. "And I'm completely fine with that. As long as we have one common goal, and that's to win a championship."
This is where James' vocal leadership comes into play. It took two years for the Heat to win a title, even with the amount of talent on the roster.
"The challenge is that every single day we have to understand we can't waste that day," James noted, via Zillgitt. "We have to prepare each and every day to get better, each and every day to each and every week to month. And if we don't choke up the process, we're going to give ourselves a good chance of contending at the end of the year."
Even in training camp, James' vocal leadership continued to be on display.
Before the team's first practice, James held a players-only meeting where he detailed his expectations for every player on the roster, even those who would fail to make the final cut.
"I was looking like, 'Wow.' That's crazy that he broke down every individual thing he wants guys to do," Waiters told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. "He wrote down every player from the guy in training camp who may be here or may not be here. …It was unbelievable. It was great."
This coming from a man who, just four years ago, ran out on his teammates without so much as a private goodbye.
The Cavaliers have never had a leader like James before, including the first time he was in town.
Now he stands before his own creation, the self-titled "old head," trying to lead Cleveland somewhere it hasn't been in 50 years.
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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