lebronjames

Please no more Lebron

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I grew up on Sportscenter. Everyday before I would go wait for the bus, I had to get up early to watch at least a half an hour of sports highlights. If didn’t matter what sport or team was being highlighted I just enjoyed seeing what had happened in the world of sports. As I have become an adult I don’t have as much time in the morning to commit to sports highlights, I am lucky to catch a few minutes of Golic and Wingo before  heading to work.  But last night I got home after a long night of work and figured I would try and catch up on what had happened in college basketball or scores around the NBA, shoot even see how my local Blues had played.  I turned on ESPN and found out the harsh realty, the Sportscenter I had grown up on was no more.  Now we have the 24 hour Lebron James show.

For 25 minutes I watched stories about Lebron James.  It started with the highlights of the Cavaliers beating the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Then it went to a panel talking about how Lebron James is better with his new teammates, next it was Brian Windhorst telling us why Lebron is better with his new teammates, then it was statistics of Lebron James with his new teammates, finally I though it was over.  Sadly I was mistaken, Lebron was now giving his post game interview talking about him and his new teammates.

On this night the Nashville Predators made a historic comeback in the 3rd period vs the Blues, the #1 college basketball team in the country played an in conference rival, Missouri and Texas A&M played a game that came down to the last second, Kansas and Texas Tech were battling for Big12 supremacy, of course pitchers and catchers reported for spring training.   After 25 minutes of not being able to see anything about these events I was forced to go on line to find out the results of these contests.

It is not Lebron James’s fault that we live in a world that is caught up in superstars, but  the continued struggles of the once great titan of the sports industry has to be due to the content that the provide.  Lebron James should be celebrated but please do it within reason.  Understand that there is more to sports then just him.

This is the Cavs

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The Cleveland Cavaliers took a loss to the shorthanded San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night dropping their 6th game of the last 7. Cavaliers Coach Tyronn Lue announced after the game that there will be lineup changes coming for the Cavaliers.  While Lue can change the lineup he cannot change the culture that’s been created.

Miami Heat Lebron James was hungry for a title, he was able to take his team to the level they needed to be on a nightly basis. James was able to bring veterans like Shane Battier and Mike Miller, guys that shared his hunger to win while keeping their mouth shut. They were “team” guys, accepting their minutes and playing their hardest when they got their chance.  The Cavaliers have brought in big personalities that can’t look past their personal goals.  Jeff Green, Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas are dynamic talents that will never work with Lebron James.  They are not the guys that can accept the reserve role, they are ball oriented players that care more about stat lines then team accomplishments.

The Cavaliers compounded their problems by not moving roles players like Tristan Thompson and to a degree Dwayne Wade back into the starting lineup.  These are players that thrive off of the little things.  Hustle plays like setting screens, making the extra pass and taking charges is what can make a difference for a team loaded with talent. Right now the Cavaliers spend more time pointing fingers then playing defense, they talk more about former teams then current.

The Cavaliers players are showing the same panic as management.  There is a desperation in every game, they know that Lebron can take his talents where he chooses at the end of the season.  The pressure to win now is so prevalent that anything less is unacceptable.  The Cavaliers will get by because they have the best player in the world on their roster, but when playoff time hits they have to figure out some type of chemistry.  For now though they are a dysfunctional family, everyone thinks its someone else’s fault. This is the Cavs in 2018.