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Is there any team in the NBA more frustrating than the Cleveland Cavaliers?
Once again, right as momentum appeared to be building, the Cavs put forth an absolute dud of a loss. This time, it came to a previously 19-win Brooklyn Nets team with a roster fit for the D-League. Cleveland was outscored 24-12 in the fourth, and nobody outside of LeBron James – who essentially carried the team – looked like they could be bothered to care.
This includes the other members of the Cavs’ supposed Big Three. Kyrie Irving went 6-of-22 from the field, while also once again showing off his patented turnstile defense and getting worked over by Shane Larkin. Kevin Love seemed as though he was only there for show, going 5-of-14 shooting and missing all five three-pointers he took.
What’s frustrating about all of this isn’t that nights like these happen, but how frequently they’re happening. This was supposed to be an all-world lineup, championed by three All-Stars. The Cavs have three max players on their team, but more often than not you could barely tell this was the case.
With 10 games left before the postseason, Cleveland has a major problem on its hands. The three men who are supposed to lead the team to a championship can’t seem to consistently play well together. The Cavs seem to only have a Big Three on paper, and they’re running out of time to change this perception.
It certainly seemed as though things would be different this season. After a rocky first year together, Love, James and Irving spent the offseason figuring out how to coexist. Love approached James over the summer to patch things up before he re-signed with the team. All three joined the rest of the roster for voluntary workouts, and everyone appeared aligned as the new season approached.
Through the first month or so, Love looked rejuvenated, finally starting to consistently play like the All-Star the team traded for. It was safe to assume, then, that when Irving returned in December, everything would be fine.
Instead, it’s been a hot mess. Love has been a disaster from long range for the past couple months. Irving treats the concepts of defense and passing like a child treats broccoli. James is too busy stirring up needless drama via Twitter.
It’s the kind of stuff you would expect from three players who are just getting used to being in the same locker room instead of on the verge of completing their second full season as teammates.
What’s worse is the fact that, despite the combined talent between Love, James and Irving, they can’t seem to play well when on the floor together.
Love’s stats significantly decline when he’s sharing the court with Irving. He drifts away from the low post where he can be effective and goes back to hang around the three-point line. Meanwhile, in the three games Love has missed this month, the Cavs outscored their opponents by an average of 23.3 points.
While James has been on a tear this week, he certainly isn’t avoiding blame either. Outside of his social media nonsense is the fact that he, too, has had more than a few nights where he’s merely phoning it in. At halftime of last Saturday’s slaughter at the hands of the Miami Heat, James decided his time was better spent hanging out with Dwyane Wade than warming up with his team.
Again, this would be expected if it were all taking place during the first month or two of the players’ first season together. As we all know, it did. However, it’s been almost two full years and nothing has changed.
Love still vanishes from games way too often. Irving still becomes too dribble-happy while also being an absolute pylon on defense. James expresses his leadership through vague tweets and talks about how neat it would be to play with his friends around the league someday.
This is your Big Three, Cleveland fans. And with 10 games left before the playoffs, this is who you’re supposed to rely on to end a city’s championship drought.
If Love, James and Irving can’t get their act together and fix their collective issues, it sure looks like Cavs fans are in for another disappointing summer.
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