James and Thomas learning the ropes

One of the reasons for James’ sinking stats is that he’s been trying to incorporate guard Isaiah Thomas into Cleveland’s offence. The All-star has played seven games since returning from a hip injury that sidelined him since May, and he and James are still learning to work together.

Thomas is most comfortable initiating offensive sets with the ball, and James has been sacrificing early touches in the 24-second shot clock to accommodate his teammate.

James knows the Cavs need to get Thomas - and Derrick Rose, back from an ankle injury - up to speed. It’s taking time, and it’s going to require patience - and maybe some pain.

“It’s a challenge that I’m willing to make and willing to do,” James said. “It’s definitely a fine line for me personally, but I’m willing to see if it works well for us or if it doesn’t work well for us.”

James and his teammates practiced the past two days while searching for answers following a horrific performance on Saturday against Oklahoma City. With Paul George, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony combining for 88 points, the Thunder put up 148 against the Cavaliers, whose defensive ineptitude has raised questions about their title legitimacy.

Coach Tyronn Lue didn’t show his team film from the game, but James watched it to try to decipher what went wrong.

“A lot of bad things,” he said. “We had some good things offensively. We almost scored 130 ourselves. But defensively we had a lot of breakdowns and a lot of things we gotta clean up.”

There’s a pile of alarming issues right now, but James isn’t overreacting.

“I’m not a red-flag guy. I’m not a concerned guy,” he said. “I’m a guy that thinks it’s going to get better. That’s just who I am.”