Cavs weakness
Prior to the start of the 2016-2017 campaign, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue talked about the need to regulate the minutes of resident top dog LeBron James. It was a perfectly reasonable idea, what with the latter slated to turn an old 32 at the end of the year, and what with the defending champions confident of their playoff chances in the East regardless of seeding. And so he went about crafting a plan with trainer Mark Mancias, one in which the 13-time All- Star would burn rubber more at the start, taper off heading into the end of the regular season, and then go full steam the rest of the way.
Unfortunately, things have not gone the way Lue envisioned. In part, it’s because he has been compelled by circumstance to give his principal charge an even bigger burden in order to keep the Cavaliers humming; given the offseason departure of playmaker Matthew Dellavedova and the subsequent injury suffered by starter J.R. Smith, he has been left with no choice but to rely on James as often as possible. In larger measure, it’s because the fourtime National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player has resisted the very notion of sitting for long stretches. “I’m fine. Coach is going to do a good job of looking at my numbers and trying to get me rest throughout the game, but I don’t see me having slowed down.”
James is right; he hasn’t lost a step. In fact, his stat lines have been better overall year-on-year with increased exposure. The problem, of course, isn’t what he puts up; it’s how long he can put up what he puts up before breaking down. And with fellow AllStar Kevin Love just having gone through arthroscopic surgery and expected to sit for the next six weeks (spanning 32 games), he figures to add even more to his league-leading minutes norm. “I’ll rest when I retire,” he argued.
The good news is that Lue wants to stick to his plan. “We can’t run LeBron into the ground because Kevin is out. Guys got to step up and be ready to play,” he contended. How he will translate intent to practice, however, remains to be seen. True, Smith seems ready to return earlier than projected next month. And, true, new acquisition Derrick Williams has been a welcome surprise. Then again, there can be no glossing over the Cavaliers’ invariable propensity to show their Hyde side whenever James gets breathers.
In any case, the imperative is clear. Lue must lay down the law, and fast. After all, the quest for the hardware requires a marathon and not a sprint. And if James knows what’s good for him, he would do well to
accept that pacing is crucial to sustained success.
COURTSIDE ANTHONY L. CUAYCONG In any case, the imperative is clear. Lue must lay down the law, and fast. After all, the quest for the hardware requires a marathon and not a sprint. And if James knows what’s good for him, he would do well to accept that pacing is crucial to sustained success.