Biggest Early-Season Storylines for the Cleveland Cavaliers
CLEVELAND — Tristan Thompson has never seen any of the Rocky movies but is a big fan of Matilda. LeBron James refuses to pay for ad-free Pandora radio, and Iman Shumpert delivered his own baby at home in the bathroom.
As interesting, or potentially terrifying, as these storylines may be, none topped the list of the biggest team narratives of the early 2015-16 season.
The Cavaliers were already a team loaded with personality, expectations and an abundance of excitement both on and off the floor.
As the 2015 part slowly comes to a close, here are the other highlights and stories that have dominated the headlines thus far.
Relaxed and Confident
The summer of 2014 was about building something completely from scratch. After a 34-9 finish to the regular season and trip to the NBA Finals, this past summer focused on keeping everyone together.
James, Thompson, Shumpert, Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova all inked new deals to return to Cleveland and got to work on what was popularly dubbed "unfinished business."
With the chaos behind them, this group of 11 returning players has paved the way to a more relaxed and confident start. Despite a rash of injuries, Cleveland has almost exclusively led the surprisingly good Eastern Conference with its 18-7 record.
"The comfort level of knowing that with the depth and continuity that we have from last season makes this a much easier kind of flow for the team," head coach David Blatt previously told Bleacher Report.
Anderson Varejao, who's been with the organization from 2004, added, "It's another year for us together. Everyone knows what Coach wants to do on offense and defense. The concept is not new anymore. I just think that players are used to playing with each other and more used to the system."
Headlining this now-familiar group is Love, who's been deemed the focal point of the offense by both James and Kyrie Irving.
Love is one of only three Cavs to play every game this season, and he has boosted his averages to 17.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. His body language, both in the game and locker room, is noticeably improved over a tumultuous first season in Cleveland.
Beyond Love, Thompson and Dellavedova are enjoying improved years as well. Both are leading the reserve unit in different ways: Thompson with his defense and rebounding (9.8, 10th in NBA) and Delly with his three-point shooting (46.1 percent, fourth in NBA) and ability to take care of the ball (3.49 assist-to-turnover ratio, third).
Even Blatt, after suffering burn marks while on the hot seat all last year, appears much more in control. After a year of adjusting to the NBA game, Blatt has looked far more relaxed and confident in his own ability to lead this group.
Irving's Return and Next Man Up
Irving recently made his return to the team on Dec. 20 following five-plus months of rest and rehabilitation on his knee. His debut started off shaky but finished strong, as the 23-year-old collected 12 points and four assists during his 17 minutes in a 108-86 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
"It felt great just to finally get back out there," Irving said. "It’s been a long, long road. Finally getting out there with my teammates, it was a pleasure."
Was he nervous?
"Yeah, of course."
While the rest of Cleveland patiently waited for Irving's debut, he's been far from the only Cavalier to miss court time.
Shumpert has appeared in just three games while recovering from wrist surgery this offseason. Mo Williams (five games, thumb), Timofey Mozgov (three, knee) and James (one, "maintenance") have sat at times as well. All of this shuffling has led to a whopping nine different starting lineups in just 25 games. In total, 10 different players have started at least one contest.
"We've been putting this thing together on the fly for the entire season thus far," Blatt admitted. "It’s to their credit that we’re in this situation and leading the East. At the same time, we’re all anxious to get our full team on the court and playing together for a period of time to see the pieces fitting together and seeing everyone fall into their natural flow and natural role of the team."
Now, finally, the entire squad is nearly fully operational.
The return of Irving and Shumpert means both a huge offensive and defensive boost to the starting lineup while also bolstering the bench. Williams, Dellavedova and Smith will all be fighting for playing time after logging big minutes out of necessity earlier this year.
"It just got to a point where it didn’t matter for us. Next man was up," said James.
"Whoever was in the lineup, the guys were ready to go, and we’ve kept that mentality all year. Obviously, we want to be whole. We want to be healthy. It looks like it’s happening, but it’s never been a focus of ours. Guys have been ready to go even in the absence of big-name guys."
Cleveland's depth is one of the main reasons it stands on top of the East, and that depth can now be considered a luxury moving forward.
LeBron's Focus
For James, last year was about patience. Today is all about urgency.
James has displayed a newfound focus this season, likely the result of coming oh-so-close to his third NBA championship last June.
Father Time continues to tick, and James is set to turn 31 on Dec. 30. While he remains in excellent physical condition, the wear and tear of five straight Finals trips (and likely more) is bound to catch up.
Time is running out to catch his childhood hero, Michael Jordan, and his infamous six rings (LeBron has two). So, too, is James' patience.
Behind this urgency is the Cavaliers' chemistry that James tries so desperately to build. He organized the no-shave November movement and invited the entire team to his Halloween party. At James' advice, many of the Cavs have upped their wardrobe to reflect a more "businesslike" attire. Even the pregame introduction and handshakes have been scrapped in favor of extra huddle time with Blatt.
"It’s all about continuity; it’s about familiarity with having guys on the floor," James said. "Coach getting the lineup where guys have played enough minutes to know exactly where they’ll be on the floor."
The Cavaliers are very much LeBron-centered. He has the respect of every player, coach and fan affiliated with the organization, while his focus and determination are at a new level as he continues to represent Cleveland's best chance at a title in over 50 years.
Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @CavsGregBR.
All quotes originally obtained. Stats via Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise sourced and are current as of Dec. 22.
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