TripleThreat wrote:

knicks1248 wrote: Imagine playing with a pg that didn't pass..

Kyrie will get traded before all is said and done, and he will never win a ring until he's a role player

I've said it before in the offseason, LeBron James the player is much better than LeBron Jame the de facto GM of the Cavs. Who are we kidding, if LBJ wants a guy on the roster and the Cavs can get him, LBJ gets him.

The poor match of LBJ, Bosh and Wade is their own fault. They wanted to play together but their combined efforts couldn't overcome a poor roster construction. All three were basically elite small forwards ( Wade doesn't have a long range shot and doesn't move very well off the ball, he has a freakish wingspan and his build/weight isn't conducive to playing the 2 slot, even though the line between SF and SG blurs so much. ) What helped the Heat was that Bosh was versatile enough to be a small ball center and be a strong bail out option as a shooter and LBJ was so talented, he could slide to PF but be their best perimeter defender and run their offense.

Even before LBJ showed up, the Cavs had a really poorly fit roster. Waiters and Irving both need to be ball dominant to be effective. Add in LBJ and that neutralizes both, only adding to the mess. Love and Irving have injury history. Love is a true PF, he can't slide over to center, he can't defend the rim, he can however be a knock down/lights out shooter when LBJ creates open looks for him. He's also deadly in transition. Given Cleveland gutted a lot of assets in the Deng and Hawes trade, to get Love and to clear space for LBJ, and given Varejao's injury history, I can't see any other option for this team other to trade Irving or Waiters for help in the pivot, or that LBJ will eventually have to start playing center. ( Magic did it for the Lakers in a pinch, LBJ might have no other choice with likely injuries and roster construction)

LBJ shifted from one team with poor fits to another but with more young talent and assets.

Crazy as it sounds, LBJ would have been better off going to the Hawks if he wanted multiple runs at a ring. That entire team can shoot and simply fits LBJ much better.

I'd say that 4 finals appareance coupled with 2 titles is more than enough overcoming. The fact that Lebron is a diva and made a huge PR turd with the decision shouldn't diminish what they did. I didn't like them, but they did manage to win.

gunsnewing wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:Lebron lost 30 lbs and is playing like a fraction of the player he used to be...

There are whispers of a back issue, though I notice people are quick to imply steroids (especially since Miami had one of the chief PED places). Personally I don't think he looks like he's lost that much weight, I think it's probably just taking him a while to get acclimatised, and also maybe a back issue- he seems to be only going at half speed.

I think he was trying to be a playmaker and not stepping on toes but after a few bad loses he took matters into his own hands last night. It's about finding the right balance. It took miami a few months to start steamrolling teams

It did indeed, and I think the Cavs will get it together, but I'd say that Heat team of 4 years ago was better, had better veteran players, better stars (Wade is a winner) a better coach and a better leader in Riley than the Cavs