Cleveland Sports Forum

anything more than about 3 paragraphs is too long for me to read, about sports that is. I am capable of reading whole books about subjects that are worth my time.

But many articles and even books about minor league baseball are much longer than that. But you don't read them??

Some VERY telling quotes here about the changeover.

How Tyronn Lue's communication skills have put the Cleveland Cavaliers back on track

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The power of effective communication is an integral part of how new head coach Tyronn Lue has boosted the morale in the Cleveland Cavaliers' locker room.

Lue is an honest, candid straight shooter, and his players respect that. He has eliminated uncertainty to the best of his ability. His approach is if players are informed of their roles ahead of time, they might not agree with how they're being used, but they appreciate not being caught off guard.

For a player who has been out of the rotation for well over a month, that straightforward dialogue is essential.

"I really appreciate that, and it's very important because you're not playing, so obviously it's a different focus, a different emotional level," Cavs guard Mo Williams explained to cleveland.com. "If I know I'm not going to play, I emotionally try to stay out of the game and just focus on helping my teammates, because the more emotions I get, the more sensitive feelings I get. So I take my emotions out so therefore, it's a different focus when you know you're going to play."

Williams has handled this period with professionalism and class, but he admitted it's the most difficult challenge of his professional career. Lue's considerate handling of the situation has helped eased the pain.

"A lot of coaches just don't know how to communicate, so therefore they don't and it causes different problems," Williams said. "The better you communicate with your players, it goes with years in the league. The younger guys, you just go out and do your job and do what [the coach] says. It's almost like a parent-child [relationship]. The older you get, the more years you get, the more experience you have, it's more of a partnership."

Lue gets it.

"I know everyone wants to play, but I'm not able to play everyone," Lue said. "We had that talk and discussion and they were fine with it. So on a game-to-game basis, if I know I'm going to need those guys, I'll try to give them a warning before the game to let them know so they can prepare themselves in a different way than they probably usually do."

Lue's job includes the tasks of challenging, motivating and sometimes criticizing his star players. Player accountability can't just be for players five through 15. That can cause rifts internally and if it continues to grow, the corrosion builds to the point of ruining chemistry on the court.

That's why in practices, film sessions and one-on-one meetings, players have been getting an earful.

"He told me that he was going to stay on me about pace and about being a better point guard," Kyrie Irving told cleveland.com. "Just facilitating, knowing our plays, knowing when people need to be at the right spot offensively and defensively. He's been on me.

"Before, it felt like Coach [David] Blatt was the leader and now he comes into it and doesn't hold back, which is what we need and he's a player's coach.

"So, that right there speaks for itself. He knows the connection that we need in order to be successful. His honesty is going to stay where it is. Even when he was the associate head coach, he still said things, but it was in bits and pieces. But now as a head coach, he can say whatever the [expletive] he wants."

Power forward Kevin Love has been playing exceptionally as of late, but most of his season has been filled with inconsistent play and inconsistent effort. Since Lue has taken over, he has put Love in favorable offensive positions, but he also got on Love to bring it himself.

"He basically said that I need to go back to being more in the post, a power player, more demonstrative down there," Love told cleveland.com. "He just said I need to be aggressive every game and play hard. He said I'm only going to get the best out of myself if I play hard every night."

With telling it like it is, no one is offended. These are accomplished million-dollar athletes who probably haven't been talked to in this way since college. But for some reason they understand that it's nothing but love. And it appears it's easier for these players to digest knowing Lue played 11 seasons in the league and captured two championships while a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

"I think it's because T-Lue played this game at all different positions," Cavs big man Tristan Thompson told cleveland.com. "He was a sixth-man, playing heavy minutes, being a veteran guy that played rotational minutes. I think he understands the psyche of a player and for myself, at the end of the day, I'm going to be ready for when my number is called whether that's starting or coming off the bench, but he's going to be upfront with me on my role. That's huge."

Most players in Williams' shoes would request a trade behind the scenes. He left a lot of money on the table to return to Cleveland to chase down a ring.

"Nah, man. I've moved my family around enough," he said. I'm sticking this thing out."

Lue is only 6 feet tall, but when he sits on the bench, he sticks out over his assistants and players.

He sits on a pad to elevate him. He explained to cleveland.com that he does that because the chairs the team sits on are below the court. So their feet rest on the court in an awkward incline position. Because he had three surgeries on his knees during his playing days, the pad allows him to stretch out his legs. He can't keep his knees bent for long periods of time.

Phil Jackson, Lue's former coach with the Lakers, was also known to stick out over his staff and players on the bench. Jackson sat in a high chair due to having hip-replacement surgery. Players called it "The Throne." I was curious if Lue was inventing his own throne.

"Ah, hell nah. I'm not at that status yet," Lue said with a laugh.

Cleveland is riding a four-game winning streak, the offense is moving at an accelerated pace, players are motivated, but most importantly Lue's guys are all on the same page.

The power of effective communication and no surprises go a long way. They have a ways to go before they're where they want to be, but this has been immediate progress for Lue and his team.

"He's a guy that's been through what we've been through so he's going to keep it honest and keep it real with us and I think that's a great quality to have as a coach," Thompson said. "What he'll say when you're not around, he'll tell it to your face. I think his method has worked for us right now and guys have been receptive to it. It's all good."

Joe Vardon, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Want to know how LeBron James really feels about Tyronn Lue, and David Blatt, and why the Cavaliers probably needed to make the move they did last week?

James told you everything you needed to know Saturday night, after the Cavs pulled off their best win this season, a 117-103 romp over San Antonio.

To get the full picture, you're going to need some patience. You're going to have to read through James' answers to some questions.

But, you'll understand when it's over. It's all there...

LeBron, on the Cavs using a quicker pace to their advantage against a slower Spurs team:

"It's just the conscious effort of doing what coach Lue and the coaching staff want us to do. They want some tempo."

LeBron, on whether Cleveland played its best game against the Spurs:

"We pushed the tempo offensively and we executed everything the coaching staff wanted us to do."

LeBron, on Kevin Love arguably playing his best basketball since joining the Cavs:

"I think coach Lue has done a great job clearing the air what he expect out of all of us, including Kev, and he's a big focal point of our team."

LeBron, on whether the Cavs' quicker offensive pace leads to better shots, not just more shots:

"You know, coach gets on us in film sessions about timing and scoring time, (we) want fast shots. We want to score, get good offense, if we don't have something early in our transition game."

LeBron, on the importance of beating the Spurs after starting the year 0-5 against them, Golden State, and Chicago:

"Tonight was what, our fourth game, fifth game maybe with our new coach? And we want to continue to emphasize what he wants us to do and we want to continue to hammer home some of the things and the keys for us to get better."

LeBron, on if the Cavs' defense changed last week:

"Well, Coach Lue, he wants us to defend but he's not the voice of our defense. Coach Longo (Mike Longabardi), he's our defensive coordinator. He gives us the game plan. Coach Lue definitely makes his inputs throughout the course of the game, if he wants to change on a game-to-game basis or throughout the game."

LeBron, on if, you guessed it, Lue has indeed reached the Cavs in one week as coach:

"For us, Coach Lue is the captain. He's the captain of the ship. We got to do whatever it takes, do whatever he barks out. And to see it coming to fruition out on the court definitely helps for sure, but it all starts with us. He can only put us in position but we got to go out and execute and it's great to have a leader like Coach and we go out and execute it offensively and defensively."

Ok, so...

James was asked 11 questions by reporters Saturday night. Two of them were about James wearing the wrong shorts. Throw those questions out.

One question was specifically about Longabardi, who joined Lue's staff last week.

The other eight questions ... James managed to work Lue into his answer every time (there was an eighth reference to Lue in an answer about Tristan Thompson not shared above).

Has to be some sort of record.

If I were going to play the role of rhetorical expert here, I'd say James' message is he and the players are listening and responding to Lue, who's laying down some laws. (Read what James said about Love, again)

What's implied, then, is the same things weren't happening with Blatt as coach.

Last week was an emotional one for the Cavs and for James. He took quite a bit of heat for Blatt's firing (he was let go Jan. 22), standing accused of undermining a coach who went 83-40 and reached the NBA Finals in his only full season.

Perhaps, then, James is stressing the players' obedience to Lue as a means of combating that narrative label.

And while there are occasional examples through their 18 months together where James did defend or speak well of Blatt, there's nothing in the file like this.

Let's set aside the debate over whether James was justified in never trusting Blatt or if Blatt got a fair shake in Cleveland, and accept that there is a clear difference in attitude toward the Cavs' head coach from then to now.

Lue is in his honeymoon phase with five games under his belt – but he's won four of them, and the latest victory was a doozy. We'll see how James reacts when Lue makes a mistake, or the Cavs lose a couple in a row.

It's going to happen.

But James never, ever spoke of Blatt the way he talked about Lue Saturday night.

And if what he was saying is true – that one of the deepest, most talented, and expensive rosters in the league with very clear championship expectations is listening to and embracing the direction of its new coach – then the Cavs probably had to fire Blatt.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nbavide ... vi-BBoW6pL

It's so true. All you have to do is watch the games and conversations on the sideline. Much more player/Lue interaction than there ever was with Blatt.

I've come to the conclusion that right or wrong, good or bad, the players did not connect to Blatt. You only have watch the games, and read the quotes.

They respect former players, especially ones on championship teams. Multiple championship teams, coached by Phil Jackson. Then coached with Doc Rivers on that championship team. Learned from Doc over a long period of time.

That = buy in. Again, right or wrong, good or bad, NBA players respect those kinds of things.

To make it worse, Blatt was not humble about his lack of NBA experience, pointing out all the international wins, etc. Not liking being called a rookie.

Whatever, it didn't work.

Found out Delly teamed up with Cleveland Coffee Company and started his own blend. Had to give it a try. You can order on the companies web site, and all profit goes to charity.

After sampling several combinations of single-origin beans, Dellavedova chose what eventually became G'Day Mate -- a custom-made, small-batch-roasted blend of specialty-grade Peruvian and Sumatra coffee beans. "The Indonesian islands are the closest coffee-growing region to Australia," Walton said.

"It's a medium dark roast that can be enjoyed all day, as a morning blend or after dinner, because it has a mild acidity with a nice snap to it. People enjoy its full-bodied, velvety texture, so they don't even need cream," he said. The package depicts Dellavedova running toward the basket in a nonspecific home uniform, and says, "Making Way for a Positive Day."

Dellavedova uses a French press at home and takes his coffee black, he added. "He said it tastes great." Delly said his mother would especially appreciate the coffee, because he is "trying to get her off the Nescafe."

Ten percent of the proceeds from G'Day Mate will go to All Faiths Pantry, a Cleveland-based nonprofit that delivers groceries from the Cleveland Food Bank to homebound residents and others with limited mobility.

G'Day Mate went on sale starting on Australia Day on Monday, Jan, 25. At about $9.99 for a 12-ounce bag of whole beans, it will be available only through June 30 at about 40 area retailers [or at the website https://www.clevelandcoffeecompany.com/]

The day I learned about the coffee I had received a Tweet about it going on sale, and it said from now until a certain date all proceeds were going to, I thought it was the Cleveland Food Bank but maybe it was that pantry thing. And that you could only order the coffee online for a limited time too. Until June something. So I made a point to go ahead and order.

I guess that has passed now though and only 10% is going to charity Still, that's 10% more than they have to so pretty cool.

Painful one last night. Blown late, very late...

Celtics 104, Cavs 103; Jason Lloyd's 30 thoughts on bad decisions, bad bounces and bad losses
By Jason Lloyd Published: February 6, 2016

CLEVELAND: Thirty thoughts for 30 points from LeBron James in Friday’s stunning 104-103 loss to the Boston Celtics…

1. LeBron James finally entered the locker room nearly an hour after the Cavs managed to fumble this one away, still in workout clothes and sweat dripping from his body. He was so aggravated with the loss that he put in a rare postgame workout in an attempt to burn off the frustration, but there is no outrunning the problems facing the Cavs right now.

2. James has been the one insistent all season that it’s not about wins and losses; it’s about the process. The process right now is turbulent and progress is nil.

MORE: Cavaliers notebook: J.R. Smith goes quiet after he's again left out of All-Star weekend's 3-point shootout

3. The third quarter was again an issue Friday, the Cavs were miserable from the free-throw line (21 of 35) and they allowed 39 points in the fourth (their third consecutive game giving up at least 30 in a quarter). Meanwhile, the rotation isn’t any longer than it was under David Blatt and James’ minutes are on the rise – he has played at least 38 in the last three games and the Cavs have lost two of them.

4. “It’s about how we lost. It hurts,” James said. “It’s been a while since I felt like this.”

MORE: Cavs-Celtics box score

5. So many things had to go wrong for the Cavs to blow this game in the final 18 seconds and yet they all did. The obvious were J.R. Smith’s foul on Evan Turner’s drive and Timo Mozgov’s inability to corral the rebound off a missed free throw.

6. The less evident factors, but equally important, were the offensive rebound Jared Sullinger retrieved with the Cavs ahead 101-96 and hope for the Celtics fading fast. Sullinger kicked to a wide-open Jae Crowder in the corner because James was caught in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t exactly crash the boards and he didn’t stick to Crowder, who was playing on a bad ankle. That 3-pointer was his first basket of the night and it cut the Celtics’ deficit to two. Suddenly, they had life.

7. The Cavs appeared to stop playing after Kyrie Irving’s free throws put them ahead 101-96 with 18 seconds left; James even had to concede as much. “I got to look at the film,” he said. “But it would seem that way.”

8. After watching the way he carried this franchise through the postseason only a few months ago, it’s difficult to come down too hard on James. He’s always tremendous when it matters most. But right now he’s part of the problem.

9. His 3-point attempt with 25 seconds left after he dribbled the shot clock all the way down was poor use of a possession, particularly since he has now missed his last 18 3-point attempts. He was bailed out when Smith grabbed the offensive rebound.

10. He shot just 12-of-17 from the free-throw line and committed six turnovers. And there was his role in Crowder’s big corner 3 when he allowed himself to get out of position to do much of anything.

11. History indicates James will be terrific again when it matters most. But it was curious how he was critical of the Cavs’ defense on Bradley’s game-winning 3-pointer. Asked if he thought they covered it properly, James said “no.”

12. “It’s not over until the horn sounds,” he said. “We relaxed just a little bit. He shouldn’t have been that open to get a shot off like that. Not up two. If we give up a layup, that’s OK, we go into overtime. But not a 3.”

13. Iman Shumpert seemed to lose Bradley momentarily on a defensive switch. Bradley even bobbled the pass from Isaiah Thomas and still had enough time to recover before Shumpert closed. Shumpert didn’t really contest for fear of being called for a foul.

14. “They drove, kicked it out and he made a shot,” Shumpert said. “I didn’t want to foul. We just got called for like the last five possessions, got called for fouls. So I didn’t want to foul on a 3.”

15. Actually Smith’s crucial foul in the final seconds was their first in the previous 1:41. Players privately felt it was a terrible call on Smith, but wouldn’t say so on the record. It was questionable at best, but Smith did seem to at least bump Turner on the drive. Crew chief Bill Spooner was standing directly in front of Smith when he made the call.

16. “The call could’ve gone either way at the end,” Irving said. “A few times in my career that’s probably a no-call.”

17. Smith was terrific until then. He scored 20 points, made five 3-pointers and grabbed the key offensive rebound off James’ miss that seemed to clinch victory. But he also committed four fouls in the game’s final 4:27.

18. “Everyone tries to pick on JR sometimes, but he played well,” Irving said. “He played extremely well for us.”

19. Smith left the locker room without talking to reporters.

20. “JR played great. He played a great basketball game,” James said. “I thought that was a tough call. He had nothing to hang his head on. Nothing, nothing at all.”

21. James’ 3-point shot has betrayed him and isn’t showing signs of improving. He hasn’t made a 3-pointer since Jan. 25, and along with missing his last 18, he’s 3-of-32 in a slump that began with the Christmas Day loss at the Warriors.

22. His 3-point percentage is down to .264, easily a career low and the worst 3-point percentage in the NBA among all players with enough attempts to qualify. Kobe Bryant is second-worst at .276. He entered the season a career 34-percent shooter from 3 and he was 35 percent from deep last season. But James was almost defiant when asked about his shooting struggles.

23. “I could care less about what I shoot from the 3. It’s not my game. Like I tell you guys at the end of my career they’re not going to say, ‘LeBron was a great 3-point shooter.’ I’m going to continue to take them. I work on them. If they go in, fine, if not I’ll live in the paint. So I’m not a 3-point shooter, I never will be a 3-point shooter. If I shoot it well, cool, but that doesn’t define my game.”

24. Of course, James is the Cavs’ career leader in 3-pointers made. And if he doesn’t believe he’s a 3-point shooter, it’s curious that he keeps taking them in key situations. Eventually there has to be a course correction coming, right? Right?

25. Kevin Love left late in the third quarter with a bruised left thigh and didn’t return. He didn’t believe it was serious and is hopeful he’ll be able to play Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans, although he’ll likely be a game-time decision at best. He iced the thigh and left the arena with a stim pack for therapy overnight. The Celtics return to Cleveland on March 5. After the shoulder and now the thigh, maybe that's a good day for Love to stay home and work on his taxes.

26. “Probably for 10 minutes there it was a dead leg,” Love said. “I don’t know what it will feel like tomorrow, but I’m optimistic it’s just a thigh bruise, nothing else.”

27. The Cavs privately believed things could get worse before they improved under Tyronn Lue, and he clearly seems to be going through some of the same battles as most rookie coaches. He has struggled to deepen the rotation and he’s having a hard time getting the Cavs to break their isolation habits. “It was a perfect storm,” he said. “Things just went well for them down the stretch.”

28. This should’ve been a victory, but the players stopped playing about 20 seconds too soon. A collection of errors and bad bounces cost them, along with plays like Marcus Smart, a guard who gives up about nine inches and at least 55 pounds to Mozgov, driving the center off his position. It’s why he couldn’t control the rebound on Turner’s missed free throw in the closing seconds.

29. “We gave up a three-point play. We gave up a 3,” James said. “We didn’t get the offensive rebound or the defensive rebound. You can’t hang this one on the refs. You can’t hang it on the coaching staff, they put us in position to win. That’s on us, we’ve got to win that game.”

30. Cavs fans are emotional right now. I received plenty of e-mails and tweets agreeing with the coaching change after they pounded the Spurs. Now after losing a pair of games, including this one at the buzzer, “Blatt” was trending on Twitter in Cleveland in the early hours of Saturday morning. Such is life as a fan. The Cavs lead over the Raptors atop the East is down to 1 1/2 games and the New Orleans Pelicans are coming to town in a few hours for a rare home-and-home, back-to-back. Talk to you Saturday from the Q.

I watched the first few quarters then wife came home and wanted to watch a movie. Glad I missed the terrible ending.

It was pretty terrible.

Funny thing was, they actually fell down 7 for awhile in the 4th and I thought that was it. They made their way back and should have won - then lost.

Crazy.

From Clevelandscene.com, on last night's win vs. Pels. Chris Parker does a nice job of summing up this team so far, and their season.

Cavs Ground Pelicans, Stay Focused on Process
Posted By Chris Parker chris.parker@clevescene.com> on Sun, Feb 7, 2016 at 6:01 AM

Life is not a movie, and last night’s 99-84 Cavaliers victory over the New Orleans Pelicans is proof. (And not because it wasn’t pretty, though it wasn’t.)

Movies build toward something in a rising action, while the NBA season's more like the slow grind of life. It may or may not be moving towards something, it’s often hard to tell, and most days you’re just happy to make it through to the next.

That’s the kind of game it was for the Cavaliers the first three quarters before the Wine and Gold turned up the defense, holding the Pelicans to 14 fourth-quarter points.

Prior to that it’d been a grudge match, not dissimilar from any recent Adam Sandler movie. The Cavs would build a double-digit lead and the Pelicans would eat it away at it. By the end of the third quarter, the Pelicans had pulled to within four, their closest point since the first quarter.
The Cavaliers were the better team all night, but in a muddling, jump shot-laden, unattractive basketball kind of way. A night after losing to the Celtics, the home squad looked a step slow and discontinuous on offense. It still had more ball movement than the night before, thankfully, as on the below play freeing J.R. Smith for a three.

Fortunately the Pelicans aren’t a very good team with a clear talent deficit compared to the Cavs even without the injured players Kevin Love and Matthew Dellavedova. New Orleans also owns a 5-20 road record. That was enough to compensate for many sins.

So despite taking an awful lot of threes (41, 16 alone by Smith), managing just 21 assists (on 39 buckets), committing 14 turnovers while only forcing 8, and taking just two free throws through the first three quarters, the Cavaliers were able to put together enough offense to win.

James went 2-5 from three after missing his previous 18 in a row. James finished with 27 on 11-20 shooting, 3 rebounds and 8 assists. Kyrie Irving also found his three-stroke going 3-9 and 11-21 overall, scoring 29, adding 3 assists and 2 turnovers.

The Pelicans loaded up the lane, dropping defenders into the paint to stop penetration, leaving the Cavs with lots of jumpers. They had just 18 shots at the rim out of 90 shots. But they hit just 39% of their uncontested shots, continuing an intermittent habit of missing lots of open shots.

“Tired legs could have something to do with it,” said Coach Tyronn Lue after the game. “They did a good job of packing the paint and making us kick it out for threes. I thought we did a good job of finding open guys but I don’t think we’re in great shape and we can’t really flow.”

Ain’t A Thing If It Ain’t Wild

It’s hard to take much comfort in the game. The Cavs won without Kevin Love, and the ball movement was better than the night before, but it was far from an actual offense. They won the boards, but still allowed 11 offensive rebounds, and had 6 more turnovers than they created.

The best thing to come out of the game was the return of the Wild Thing, and like the previous Clevelander to wear the moniker, he’s all about winning. He’s been giving the team a spark any time he came in, but has had a hard time getting court time. He’s only played in 6 of 20 games since the New Year, and just 3 of the 9 games Tyronn Lue’s coached.

With Love’s leg bruise, and the elevation to Mozgov to the starting lineup, Varejao was pretty much guaranteed some burn. But nobody necessarily expected 28 minutes like he gave. It’s easy for people to forget that before his Achilles injury, Varejao was the starting center and had showcased strong chemistry with both James and Irving. In that sense he’s sort of the missing link.

He bring an infectious energy not unlike Matthew Dellavedova every time he’s on the floor, which perhaps isn’t news to longtime Cavs fans, but maybe wasn’t front of mind for Tyronn Lue before last night.

In 28 minutes Varejao had 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 3 assists and two points. The latter is the purest expression of how much Andy can bring to a team without having to score, making him (like Tristan Thompson) a good companion for LeBron James.

Perhaps the best thing about Varejao’s presence is his ability to move away from the ball and his high understanding of where to be. There have been stretches where he’s looked too slow to guard quicker 4s, but we’re not sure how much of that is lost physical skill and how much is rust/lack of playing time.

We’ll get a chance to see, since Lue admitted he’d have to find rotation time for Andy after that performance. It’s hard for a guy used to starting to find himself not even getting onto the court.

“It’s not easy but with our team I know we are a very deep team. We have a lot of talent here. We have a lot of players that can play and I was just trying to stay ready and wait for my chance,” Varejao said, smiling after being informed of Lue’s comments about playing time.

“I am happy to her that,” he said. “I want to play of course, but I understand it’s his job to figure out who’s going to play every night and figure out what’s best for us. I’m just here trying to help this team.”

“He came in and gave us great energy,” said Lue. “I thought he did a great job on Anthony Davis. Just being a pest bothering him a lot, rebounding the basketball. He was just great for us tonight.”

Other guys caught some extra minutes as well. Mo Williams followed up last night’s six minutes performance with a 16 minute night, scoring 7, making 1 assist and committing two turnovers while posting the team’s only negative plus/minus at -3.

Shumpert’s shaky jumper reappeared (2-7, 1-6 from 3, 4 boards, 2 blocks) while Timofey Mozgov made decent use of his return to the starting lineup with 6 points, 6 boards, 2 blocks and only one turnover in 22 minutes. With Varejao getting extended run, Richard Jefferson played just under ten minutes after nearly twenty the night before.

Overall, the bench showed some continuity even without Delly to lead it which is a good sign. On the flipside, it’s hard not to be discouraged by MoGotti’s continued net-minus while on the floor.

Most Encouraging Cavaliers Sign

It’s easy to get the feeling that this job is a bit big on Tyronn Lue for the moment. We ask anyone to consider their first two weeks on the job, even if they were groomed for the position. Lue seems like an even-tempered, good-natured fellow.

That’s almost required now in the player-friendly NBA, though we wonder why it is in the NFL it’s the hardasses that seem most often to excel. We’re reminded of Machiavelli’s famous leadership edict that it’s better to be feared than loved. Given the circumstances of his ascendance, that could’ve been a strike against him.

Instead he’s proven uncommonly forthright in his own peculiar manner. We were struck by this yesterday, as he expressed a level of befuddlement about his team that was as refreshing as it was – at a lower, deeper level – disturbing.

In the pregame we pressed him about the three-pointers we talked about in yesterday’s column. We knew that we bad shots, and in that sense journalism is often another form of trolling, but in his response to this and several other questions during the day, Lue revealed himself to be in some sense a lot more forthright than Blatt, whose responses were often shrouded in more mystery than the identity of Who’s So Vain?

“We definitely want to take better 3s but Kyrie has shown in those situations he can make those shots so you don’t want to take that away from him but just showing them film and recognizing situations of time and score,” Lue said, before turning to the four separate bad James 3s I noted, including switches that had him on Sullinger and Jerebko but ended with 3s.

“I think LeBron in that fourth quarter was attacking a lot so he may have been tired and not wanting to go to the basket,” Lue said. “But in the fourth quarter he did put his head down and get to the basket a lot and draw a lot of contact and hitting guys for open shots so he could’ve been worn down. But overall we do want to get better shots when we can.”

After the game he returned to this theme of getting his team to play right, first by noting how badly they’d played defense the past two weeks. Since taking over, the Cavs are allowing the highest FG% in the NBA from 0’-5’ and 15’-19’ (at least it was true prior to last night’s game).
cavs_shooting_stats_8_games_in.png

“We need a lot of time to work on what we need to work on, like defensively,” said Lue, naming the elephant in the room, We’re Not Particularly Close. “I thought we slipped a few games. We were really bad. And because we were trying to push the tempo I’m not sure if it’s because we’re not in shape, and so we’re not able to do it on both ends.

“It’s going to be a process and we just got to be patient with it we got to understand it,” he continued.

This was sandwiched in-between two postgame comments that must have sounded to tuned-in fans like Preparation H applied directly to that smelly, no offense-running offense. Yup, Lue’s been watching the same thing as us.

It began by Lue admitting his team couldn’t run his playcalls. No shit?

“I tried to call ‘slice’ a few times tonight and we couldn’t run it right. Tried to call ‘punch’, we couldn’t run it right, ” Lue said. “What’s happening after makes is we’re kind of drifting into random and we’re just playing random basketball.”

We’re not exactly sure what “random basketball” but it if looks like it sounds, he really nailed the whole directionless, dribble-heavy, pick-and-roll-forever morass.

“When we hold the ball and the ball sticks, it’s because we’re in random and we don’t know what we want to run, because we don’t have anything to flow into,” Lue explained.

The idea clearly is to push the ball, and if not getting into transition, then getting into the offense. James gets it, though as we pointed out a few days ago, understanding is about emotional as well as intellectual acceptance.

“It’s an ongoing process, he wants us to play with tempo but when we don’t have it he wants us to execute and get to our secondary and our thirdary and get side-to-side,” James said. “If we don’t have anything, just get it moving and try to execute on the other side as well.”

Lue tied it all together in his final, telling comments on the subject.

“I talked to the guys about it after the game tonight, just telling them we had to get better and get flowing into different things and pick up our offense,” Lue said, noting how hamstrung he’s been by the lack practices (2) since taking over. “It’s not good, our offensive flow. We get into random, so we just need to continue to harp on flowing into our offensive set and then running stuff out of that.”

Of course, we know that was something former coach David Blatt was preaching right up until they took his whistle away.

Final Analysis

It wasn’t a great win, though the Cavs did a fine job in the fourth quarter of finally turning up the defense and playing hard. That they can get away with playing hard one quarter a night is a blessing and a curse in the truest sense.

James went so far as to acknowledge the issue, noting the need to “be playing with more of a sense of urgency for 48 minutes as much as possible.” As a team, they also need to bridge the presently wide gap between “the talk” and “the walk.”

After the game, Kyrie sounded like he wants to be receptive (sorta how Fox Moulder wants to believe). Not that we’re super excited to hear how much Lue wants Irving to turn loose his offensive demon. (We’re loathe to clean up all that pea soup.)

“There is a mental block some times where I want to play in-between where I come off pick-and-rolls and he wants me to attack every single time,” Irving said. “I’m coming off just trying to make plays and I think I find that in-between game and find that rhythm between us two as PG and coach we’re still getting there and we’re still developing.

“I try to come to the sideline as much as possible,” he continues. “Ask what he wants from me and he keeps telling me ‘be aggressive, be aggressive,’ and if I want to get off the ball there are certain plays I can run for other guys.”

Now if we could just be sure that option B doesn’t get lost in the rush for Option A.

Overall, it’s about what it was yesterday and the day before that. Indeed, some are shocked to discover that this team isn’t very significantly different than it was under its last coach.

The Cavs are an exceptionally gifted team, featuring several players that perhaps don’t fully appreciate the sacrifices required to win on the biggest stage, or perhaps aren’t mature enough to make them consistently.

The entire team suffers from concentration lapses ranging from poor shot selection to not getting back in transition. The talent’s there but the everyday execution, discipline and focus are yet to arrive. But no one should forget when they needed to get there in the playoffs they did.

For teams to whom the Conference’s top seed is practically a birthright, the regular season is as much a formality as dinner with Brett Michaels, and arguably even less important.

So if they’re not going to sweat it, why should we? Just inhale: “It’s a Process. It’s a Process. It’s a Process.” Focus on that deserted space on the trophy shelf.

The Cavaliers take on the Sacramento Kings on Monday at the Q. We’ll be there posting video, analysis and bon mots. Follow along on Twitter @CRS_1ne.

21. James’ 3-point shot has betrayed him and isn’t showing signs of improving. He hasn’t made a 3-pointer since Jan. 25, and along with missing his last 18, he’s 3-of-32 in a slump that began with the Christmas Day loss at the Warriors.

22. His 3-point percentage is down to .264, easily a career low and the worst 3-point percentage in the NBA among all players with enough attempts to qualify. Kobe Bryant is second-worst at .276. He entered the season a career 34-percent shooter from 3 and he was 35 percent from deep last season. But James was almost defiant when asked about his shooting struggles.

23. “I could care less about what I shoot from the 3. It’s not my game. Like I tell you guys at the end of my career they’re not going to say, ‘LeBron was a great 3-point shooter.’ I’m going to continue to take them. I work on them. If they go in, fine, if not I’ll live in the paint. So I’m not a 3-point shooter, I never will be a 3-point shooter. If I shoot it well, cool, but that doesn’t define my game.”

24. Of course, James is the Cavs’ career leader in 3-pointers made. And if he doesn’t believe he’s a 3-point shooter, it’s curious that he keeps taking them in key situations. Eventually there has to be a course correction coming, right? Right?

The above statements are all you need to know about LeBron James. So called "high basketball IQ" player that is as phony as the rest of his persona. Could not be anymore selfish player who is only concerned with his own stats. Forget about what is best for the team. Only time he really won anything is when Pat Riley and D Wade had to tell him to get his little girl sissy ass closer to the basket ! If he does not get his way he quits. Just like he did against Boston. Just like he did in December and January last year in an attempt to get rid of Blatt until Griffin told the media that Blatt had his support. Otherwise LeBron stop pouting and play because the coach is staying.

NBA announces pivotal call on J.R. Smith was incorrect

By Justin Rowan

@Cavsanada on Feb 6, 2016, 3:42p 3
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

It's too late to help the Cavs




Despite the majority of Twitter delighting in J.R. Smith making a mistake in the closing moments of a game, the NBA has announced that the pivotal call that made the Celtics five point possession possible was one that was incorrectly made. The judgment was first reported by ESPN's Brian Windhorst:

While the call was incorrectly made and cost the Cleveland Cavaliers a win Friday night, it was the team's play that enabled them to be in a situation where they could get burned by a bad call or a buzzer beating shot. The regular season doesn't mean much, especially for a Cavs team who's path to the NBA Finals seems clear. The loss gives the team an opportunity to look at what they've done wrong and what they need to work on, while escaping with a win could give them a sense that they can "turn it on" whenever they want.

Maybe that's me just looking for a silver lining. But of course there is some frustration over a blown call deciding a game. It's a thing that happens in the league unfortunately, but on the bright-side we can now read Celtics think-pieces on how they are contenders. So that's fun.

Excited about the new Lue era Cavs!

Cavs 120, Kings 100; Jason Lloyd's 22 thoughts on Kyrie Irving's legs, J.R. Smith's defense and Kobe
By Jason Lloyd Published: February 9, 2016

CLEVELAND: Twenty-two thoughts for 22 points from J.R. Smith in Monday’s 120-100 win over the Sacramento Kings…

1. Over his last seven games, Kyrie Irving has scored 28, 21, 25, 26, 19, 29 and now 32 points. His five 3-pointers Monday were a season high and his 13 baskets were one shy of a season high. Better yet, he’s shooting 54 percent over that stretch, which dates back to Jan. 29.

2. Bottom line: Irving is coming along. The last part of his game to return following his knee surgery seems to be his 3-point shooting, which makes sense in a way. Tyronn Lue reiterated after this one he just needs to regain more strength in his legs, which the team believes is why he entered Monday shooting under 26 percent from deep. That’s why his 5-of-8 performance Monday was encouraging.

MORE: Cavaliers notebook: Matthew Dellavedova remains sidelined with hamstring injury, likely won't return until after All-Star break

3. “Last few games just felt really good,” Irving said. His hot streak seems to coincide with Lue’s instructions for him to attack, attack, attack. It feels odd to say that to a point guard, but Lue’s only focus is to get Irving back to being Kyrie Irving.

4. Irving conceded the other night he’s sometimes struggling to find the line of when to attack and when to set up teammates, but he matched a career high with 12 assists Monday.

MORE: Cavs-Kings box score

5. Now it’s important to point out all of these numbers came against the Kings, who surrender season and career scoring highs nightly right now. Tyler Zeller (season high), Joe Johnson (season high), E’Twaun Moore (career high) and now Irving have all erupted against the Kings, who are a wreck internally and on the court.

6. George Karl will be fired any day now, Rajon Rondo said the Kings held an optional shootaround in the morning and only “three or four” guys showed up. DeMarcus Cousins played hard about every other possession for a stretch early in the game and the Kings’ defense is atrocious. That makes any sort of progress difficult to gauge.

7. Still, Lue said prior to the game he thought the players had a good shootaround Monday and are starting to pick up what he wants offensively. Instead of dividing the team bigs and smalls, as usual, and working on jump hooks (bigs) and pick and rolls (smalls), Lue has changed things up. He has split up the players starters and reserves. One group works with Lue on “slice” packages while the others work with Larry Drew and Jim Boylan on elbow sets. Then they switch.

8. “(Monday) I think was a good day for us,” Lue said. “Guys started to really pick it up.”

9. It was another excellent day for J.R. Smith, who remained red-hot from 3-point range. Smith has made six 3-pointers in consecutive games and has totaled 17 3-pointers in his last three games. He has played so well he earned praise from George Karl despite the two parting ways on rocky terms in Denver. They still don’t speak.

10. “Wow, is he playing great,” Karl said. “I think he’s done a good job of taking out the bad. It seems like LeBron has calmed him down and brought solid and simple to his game.”

11. Despite all the offense, Lue said he has been most pleased with Smith’s ability to defend. They have been assigning the opponent’s top wing to Smith in an effort to rest LeBron a bit defensively. Smith has embraced the challenge.

12. “He’s giving you the effort every single night on the defensive end,” Lue said. “That’s why I’m more pleased than anything. We all know he can score the ball and shoot the ball. Just defensively, his intensity, a little bit better body position at times, but overall the effort is great. That’s what we want to see every night.”

13. With the Cavs celebrating the Chinese New Year during Monday’s game, Lue joked he has a great Asian following, “because they think I’m part Asian because my last name is Lue, so I love it. I love it a lot.”

14. Irving, meanwhile, clearly has studied up on Chinese New Year. “I am a monkey in the Chinese zodiac … I know I’m a monkey and it’s the year of the monkey. I’m a water monkey to be specific. Yeah, I did research on it.” Irving indicated he is planning a trip to China this summer with Nike.

15. All attention now shifts to Kobe Bryant’s final game in Cleveland on Wednesday. Hard to believe that in 13 years sharing the NBA, James and Bryant never met in a Finals. James is on record blaming himself for that because the Cavs lost to the Orlando Magic in the conference finals in 2009 when a victory would’ve set up a clash with Bryant and the Lakers.

16. James recalled Monday his fondest memory was when Bryant gave him a pair of his shoes when James was in high school in 2002. James was playing in a tournament in Teaneck, N.J. and Bryant was in Philadelphia for All-Star weekend.

17. “I had an opportunity to go meet him and he gave me a pair of his shoes and I actually wore them in a game against Oak Hill,” James said. “Against Melo, actually. So six degrees of separation right there.”

18. Bryant was with adidas at the time, so they would’ve been non-Nike shoes. Conveniently, James says he doesn’t have them anymore.

19. “I don’t have any of those shoes,” James said. “I don’t even know what shoes I had on.”

20. When Bryant was struggling miserably earlier this season, James defended him to the Beacon Journal. Now that he’s playing better of late, James is thrilled for him.

21. “Anytime I even watch his games, even when I’m not playing him, it’s always very emotional just knowing it’s his last hurrah,” James said. “He’s done so much, not only for the Lakers organization but for me as a kid growing up watching Kobe and also competing against him. It’s going to be really cool to see him on Wednesday for sure and hopefully, I know our fans, they’re going to give him a great reception – well deserved.”

22. Talk to you Wednesday from the Q following Kobepalooza.