Trust Matches Talent for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers

As the NBA season rolls on, handicappers abound. Power rankings have become an industry of their own, giving fans and sportswriters fodder for discussion: Who’s No. 1?

Before the season began, I suggested this was the Cleveland Cavaliers’ year. That opinion was based on the fact that they had a phenomenal regular season last year; rolled undefeated through two playoff series immediately after; and were left with the bitter taste of defeat in their mouths after losing to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals.

It was that bitter taste, I wrote , that would stay with them. Such disappointments have a way of motivating players.

Michael Jordan lost repeatedly to the Detroit Pistons—three years running, to be exact—before he and the Chicago Bulls broke through for six titles in the 1990s.

In the HBO documentary “Magic vs. Bird: A Courtship of Rivals”—currently airing, by the way, and well worth viewing—both players describe how disappointments at the hand of the other propelled them to greater personal achievements.

Defeat and disappointment can overtake you, or they can teach you.

In the Cavaliers’ case, they seem to have learned.

The acquisition of several new players in the offseason—Shaquille O’Neal chief among them—led to an adjustment period and a slow start last November. It was short-lived, however, and the Cavs eventually raced to the head of the field, punctuated by two nationally televised wins over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

They’ve overcome adversity. When Delonte West was faced with personal and legal issues that threatened to derail his season, if not his career, the Cavaliers handled the situation deftly. West has remained productive in the role Mike Brown created for him.

West and backcourt mate Mo Williams suffered, almost simultaneously, injuries that sidelined them for several weeks. Daniel Gibson stepped in. The Cavaliers kept winning.

Jamario Moon departed with a strained abdomen. Jawad Williams took his place as a key reserve. The Cavaliers kept winning.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas was traded, and almost immediately afterward O’Neal’s injured thumb required surgery that has him sidelined until the end of the season. Without a true center, the Cavaliers kept winning.

Last week, LeBron James, Anthony Parker, Mo Williams, and Antawn Jamison all nursed a variety of bumps and bruises. The Cavaliers played two times during the week, and won both games. Then they bounced Boston on Sunday.

To hear some observers explain it, they’re doing it without talent. The Lakers have better players. So do the Mavericks, Nuggets or Magic. Pretty soon, I’m sure someone will say the Bucks do, too.

One article, presenting a case for James to sign with New York, suggested the Knicks roster is stronger than the Cavaliers minus LeBron.

If all of those things are true (which seems unlikely), then there must be something else that keeps this team at the top of the standings.

In fact, there is.

Brown described it Monday. The Cavaliers had lost to Milwaukee two nights earlier as James rested a sore ankle. On Monday night, they had claimed a 97-95 win over San Antonio.

“You want to make sure that the guys keep trusting one another on both ends of the floor,” Brown said. “You don’t have anybody go solo and try to take the game over themselves.”

That was certainly the case, as the Cavs’ lineup at the end of the game included West, Mo Williams, Jawad Williams, Anderson Varejao, and J.J. Hickson.

Not exactly the stuff of fantasy rosters. But they got the job done, against a still-dangerous, veteran Spurs team.

“That trust factor was a big thing for me,” said Brown.

Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland wrote this week that over the past three to four years, the Cavaliers have transitioned from a young team that would sometimes find ways to lose, to a veteran team that knows how to win.

“This has happened because they have added veteran players but also because they have developed a bedrock with players like LeBron, Anderson Varejao and Delonte West to name a few,” Windhorst wrote. “The Cavs are usually cool under fire.”

The trust factor begins with James.

He often speaks of trusting his teammates. He said it during his high school years. He repeated it during his rookie season in 2003.

It was a theme as he carried the Cavaliers into the NBA Finals in 2007, when he and Ilgauskas were surrounded in the starting lineup by Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, and Eric Snow. “Trust” remains his mantra to this day, and it shows on the court.

In a recent game against New Jersey, Gibson and West were inactive. When Mo Williams got into foul trouble just minutes into the game, James took over at the point. He had eight assists in the first quarter as Cleveland raced to a 35-15 lead.

“That’s his M.O.,” said Devin Harris of the Nets. “He tries to get other people involved and gets a ton of assists in the first quarter, then looks to be more aggressive as the game goes on.”

When your best player—who happens to be the league’s leading scorer—thinks “pass first, shoot later,” it has a way of rubbing off on everyone else.

The simple fact is, this is a group of guys who enjoy playing with one another. Why else would Ilgauskas announce his intention to cool his heels for a month and return, when there were several top playoff contenders clamoring for his services?

The Cavaliers have a good thing going—not just on the court, as in victories, but in the locker room, as in camaraderie—and Ilgauskas knows it.

Jamison has raved about the atmosphere on this team. O’Neal calls it the most enjoyable place he’s ever played.

I was reminded of this once again these past couple of weeks, when stories emerged from Los Angeles about discontent in the Lakers’ camp.

Pau Gasol, asked if the Lakers offense was being bogged down by the number of shots Kobe Bryant takes, said “I don’t know,” before clarifying : Kobe is a great player, but the Lakers still need to develop their interior game.

Bryant said the Lakers were “upset” and “edgy.” Reports from L.A. indicated Bryant was unhappy with his teammates, and said so openly.

Perhaps that works for the Lakers. They have rings to show off, and the Cavaliers do not.

However, it’s hard to recall a time when James has publicly taken his teammates to task for their failings.

Even after last year’s loss to Orlando, when he left the court in obvious disappointment without shaking hands with the Magic players, James was diplomatic the next day.

“I feel great about this situation that’s going on,” he said . “You want to continue to get better, that’s all you can ask. We got better this season and I feel this team will be better next season.”

He was right. The Cavaliers are better, and they’ve fixed their eyes on the big prize, the one that comes only with a victory in the NBA Finals.

If they don’t have the talent to get there, as so many people seem to think, maybe their trust in one another will do the job.