Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day 2015: Top Interviews, Photos, Video and Reaction

The Cleveland Cavaliers entered 2014-15 with championship aspirations. A slew of injuries and an all-time great Golden State Warriors team held them two games short of their overall goal. Healthy—well, more healthy—and equipped with by far the best roster in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland entered Monday's training camp media day a team dead set on realizing those championship dreams.

That said, the afternoon session was not without its share of controversy. Backup big man Tristan Thompson remains missing in action, as he and the Cavaliers attempt to work out a long-term contract extension. Thompson has until Thursday to sign a qualifying offer or sign an extension, though the two sides can mutually agree to extend the deadline, per ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.

Outside of the Thompson situation—which the Cavs did their best to downplay—it was all positive energy and championship focus on Monday. Here is a look at some of the biggest choice quotes from the afternoon's notable interviews and analysis on what the big parties had to say.

David Blatt

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

A conference championship can go a long way in making people forget you almost lost your job a year ago. That's the case for Blatt, who has gone from Cleveland's most reviled man to an entrenched head coach in the span of a few months. Gone are the accusations of a fractured relationship between Blatt and LeBron James, which were replaced with the words of at least an outwardly confident head coach.

"I had a lot to learn," Blatt said, per Windhorst. "I didn't always realize just how much I had to learn about the game here and the ways of the game here. I did go through that. I feel that I'm starting the season in a better place and certainly more confident in understanding the things I need to do and the situations I'm going to face. That's a good feeling."

Blatt also indicated that one way he'll look to help his superstar is by reducing James' minutes. James played a career-low 36.1 minutes per game last season, which may be reduced even further in 2015-16, as the Cavaliers try to lessen the workload on James' 30-year-old body.

"We do have the opportunity this year to bring his minutes to reasonable levels and keep him in the best possible physical and mental shape," Blatt said. "That's a big part of what we tried to do in the offseason, and hopefully it'll pay dividends."

 

LeBron James

As for what James had to say about his minutes limit, the four-time MVP indicated that he and Blatt would keep their plans private, per Marla Ridenour of Ohio.com:

"

I think that's a coach-Blatt-and-myself conversation, we haven't quite got there yet. I'm very hard-headed because I love to play so much. But I think what we have, I don't need to be as hard-headed. I'm going to be very smart with how many minutes I play per game and what I'm doing out there on the floor. I think we have enough pieces and I think Kevin Love will allow me to sit a lot this year just because of his abilities, what he's able to do, Kyrie (Irving) as well, so I won't have to worry about playing big minutes.

"

James famously played nearly 46 minutes per game during Cleveland's Finals loss to Golden State, averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists. He acted as the offensive fulcrum with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love out with injuries, putting on one of the best individual performances in a Finals loss in NBA history. Asked if he regretted the Finals run, James reiterated his stance from the summer. 

"That's a very valid question," James said, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. "I'd like to have those two months back. I could've been somewhere laying out, helping my body get better."

The run was Cleveland's second trip to the Finals, both coming on James' back. In the years since, James left for Miami and returned with two rings and four extra-deep June runs. He said his time with the Heat allowed him to understand the right mentality with which to return after a Finals loss. 

"One thing that we did that didn't even need to be talked about after we lost our first year in Miami when we came back, we was angry," James said, per Vardon. "We was very, very, very angry. And everybody that we went against knew it when we came back."

 

Kyrie Irving

One person buying into James' desire for more aggression in 2015-16 is Irving, who appeared to be chomping at the bit, despite being without a timetable for a return from his fractured kneecap.

"For me, it would be a lot more rage and a lot more emotion going out there," Irving said, per Ridenour. "There won't be too much smiling or anything like that from our team. We know the mentality we have to have."

Irving, 23, averaged 21.7 points and 5.2 assists per game last season. He suffered the knee injury after scoring 23 points in Game 1 of the Finals, missing the final five contests and leaving James without his two co-stars. Though still out of commission when it comes to basketball activities, Irving said he's been using the downtime to improve the mental part of his game:

"

The positive, especially for me from a mental aspect but more or less from a physical standpoint, is I don't play above the rim. I'm not a lot faster than anybody else, I don't blow anybody's mind in terms of my game speed. 

For me, it's just about fine tuning, utilizing a lot more outside shots that I can create, not only for myself, but for my teammates. Being more technical in terms of my footwork and limiting the amount of dribbles I have per possession in order for me to get shots off.

"

Irving indicated he is progressing well in recovery, but the team wants to take a cautious approach with his return. It'd be a major shock to see him on the floor opening night, so the Cavs will at least have to stay in contention without him for the time being.

 

Kevin Love

While his prognosis is better than Irving's, Love's status remains up in the air as he recovers from the shoulder injury that cost him most of the 2015 playoffs. No official timetable has been set for his return, and he admitted he'll likely be playing at less than 100 percent early in the season.

"The shoulder is great," Love said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. "I imagine I'll be limited at the start."

Love signed a five-year extension with the Cavaliers this summer despite incessant speculation about his unhappiness with his role last season. He averaged 16.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, both among his career-lows, as his game moved away from the post and toward a more stretch-4 style. In spite of the frustrations about his role, Love was quick to respond to those who doubted he'd be back.

"None of you guys believed me when I said I'd be back," Love said, per Scott Sargent of WFNY. "We are long-term committed to this team."

The Cavs should have their fingers crossed that Love is ready for opening night. Otherwise, the LeBron Show might have to make a regular-season appearance—something that will take a toll on the team and James once the playoff run kicks in.  

 

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