Pivot Points: Trouble May Be Brewing in LeBron's Kingdom

I bet Cleveland fans never saw this coming. In their wildest dreams, they never thought that they would start the NBA season 0-2. To be honest, you can count me among their numbers.

I never bought into the theory that Shaquille O'Neal was the part that was going to carry them to the promised land, but I didn't think they would be exposed this early either.

Seems like opponents took notes from Orlando's vanquishing of the Cavaliers, in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. It's actually the opposite of an old, much repeated proverb.

The saying goes, cut off the head and the body will die; but in Cleveland's case, you can give the head air, and the body will suffocate itself, because two things have become painfully obvious about Cleveland.

The first thing is that you have no chance of stopping LeBron, and truthfully, you don't have to stop James to defeat the Cavs, because his supporting cast isn't capable of doing much supporting.

Their inability to back James up on either side of the floor is going to become a theme for their season that constantly repeats itself, like a tune that you can't get out of your head.

That brings us to my second point. Why did Cleveland fans allow themselves to think that O'Neal was going to be their saving grace?

Shaq actually adds to the problem, because he is another Cleveland big man that can't defend outside of the paint.

In both of Cleveland's games they have been brutalized by post players who are able to play on the perimeter. In the first game it was Rasheed Wallace, and in the second game it was Andrea Bargnani.

Two different players that compounded the Cavaliers' woes with very similar results, and you can expect this to be an ongoing trend, because now the secret is out.

Play honest defense on James, and create mismatches with any of Cleveland's big men and you will at least give yourself a chance, and judging by the first two games, a good one at that.

Why Cleveland management didn't see the need for a versatile power forward that could guard on the perimeter, I will never understand, and there were players out there who could have made a difference.

Jamario Moon, although athletic, doesn't possess the defensive discipline to be a reliable alternative, and J.J. Hickson is a lot more comfortable in the post.

So you bank your hopes on a 37 year old center who is showing his age, and has never been able to guard the pick and roll?

How many people in Ohio really believe that LeBron won't be gone on the first thing smoking if Cleveland fails to win a championship?

There has been a lot of talk concerning LeBron's impending free-agency, and Cleveland fans tend to feel that he will stay, because Cleveland can offer him more money than any other team.

In our current financial conditions, that is a reasonable assumption, but there is fallacy in that logic.

For one, the endorsements do matter, and the companies that pay LeBron know that their product could be better represented in a larger market.

Cleveland is a metropolitan city, but it doesn't hold a candle to the larger markets, such as New York or Los Angeles, that could make Lebron the type of international figure that he wants to become.

Another thing that people seem to disregard is that our financial situation will eventually improve, and don't you believe that Lebron has the foresight to understand that?

The notion that LeBron doesn't need the money is not going to be much of a factor, because that doesn't matter. He is a superstar, and like all superstars he wants to maximize his worth.

People in everyday business want to make every dollar they feel they have earned, and in some cases they even want what they haven't earned. Why should LeBron be any different?

Loyalty is a dead issue, because it doesn't exist in sports anymore; besides, James the native Ohio resident, doesn't even like his home teams.

Which brings us full circle to these questions: Can the Cavaliers fix their problems enough to make a credible run at the Finals? Or are we living in the final days of LeBron's tenure in Cleveland?

The flaws that haunt the Cavaliers are fundamental flaws and not topical. They are embedded deep in the very core of the team.

It's still early in the season, and anything is still possible, but Cleveland fans might want to start preparing themselves for life without LeBron, because his kingdom may be crumbling.