NBA Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James’ Injury Might Be Blessing in Disguise for Cleveland Cavaliers

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By @DSchultz89

Kyrie Irving Kevin Love

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt an unexpected blow when it was announced yesterday that LeBron James will be out at least two weeks with knee and back injuries.

It would not be surprising at all to find out that James has been playing with these injuries for some time, given he has not looked as explosive and aggressive as he did last year when he was a member of the Miami Heat. In fact, during a game last week against the Orlando Magic, Tobias Harris reportedly angered James by calling him a “flopper,” to which James said after he heard that his “chill mode” was “deactivated.”

For a player as gifted as James to admit to having a “chill mode” is rather surprising, especially when he is perhaps the most unique talent to ever play the game of basketball. Maybe this is part of the reason why James has not been as impressive lately, evidenced by his lower shooting percentages and higher turnover rate (3.8 per game). I believe these minor injuries might be a blessing in disguise for his teammates so that they can expand their games and learn to not rely on him so much.

Personally, I believe people have been ridiculously hard on new head coach David Blatt, an accomplished European coach who came into a very difficult situation. It is never easy for a rookie head coach to come in and instill a new system right from the get-go, especially with a mostly brand new roster which seems content to dish it out to James and let him work his magic in isolation situations.

James is definitely the toughest matchup in the game, and there is no reason whatsoever to go away from him if he has a favorable advantage over a smaller defender. But to rely on this too much, which is what the Heat did especially in the 2014 NBA Finals, can only get your team so far.

Now with James out, Blatt might actually be able to get through to his players. Make no mistake, this injury certainly puts a lot of pressure on not just him, but the Cavaliers’ organization in general. However, if the Cavaliers are truly up to the championship aspirations they had at the beginning of the season, this is where they have to come together.

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are both phenomenal talents and two of the best players at their respective positions. With James out and more of the scoring and defensive load being on Irving and Love, this is where they must find their level of comfort with their team they so desperately seek, and maximize it. Irving has to become the primary distributor, while Love has to work on getting back in the post and work on drawing double-teams so that he can use his gifted passing to find open teammates on the perimeter.

This does not mean that the rest of the Cavaliers should rely totally on Irving and Love, though.

Tristan Thompson must develop his shot-blocking ability now that Anderson Varejao will be out the rest of the season with a torn Achilles. Dion Waiters has to grow up and do his best to become an Oklahoma City Thunder James Harden-version sixth man given his speed and ball-dominant playing style. As a team, the Cavaliers should not only listen to their coach more and trust in his playbook, but also become a more intense unit on the defensive side where team defense and defending the paint is their top priority.

I believe all of this can happen, and I think that not having James in the lineup will make the Cavaliers a better team. At 18-14, this is not the start they envisioned, but it’s a new year, and the Cavaliers must use these next two weeks to learn how to live without James and become more confident in their teammates and coach.

Dan Schultz is an NBA sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.

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