Do the Cleveland Cavaliers have too many individuals in locker room? Chris Haynes
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Cavaliers are a talented group, the true dominant force in the Eastern Conference.
But they're a collection of individuals trying to walk the fine line of balancing their own off-the-court ventures against unifying to cultivate a championship culture.
There are too many individual brands on this team. Head coach
Tyronn Lue stated thatwhen he took over, but it's not just about LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. You'd have to throw J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert in the mix as well.
Smith has clothing apparel called "Team Swish," which has its own customized logo. Shumpert has a rap career that he takes extremely seriously and a clothing line called "Post 90" that features a silhouette of his head with "90" in the middle for the year he was born.
Both sport their personalized attire. You can order from their respective websites a sweater, T-shirt, hat or coffee mug. They're not shy about promoting their brands.
But a case can be made that players are abusing the national platform given the rock star Cavaliers to further enhance personal businesses over team success.
This is what one league executive speculated during the All-Star Weekend in Toronto.
"There's too much off-the-court stuff going on in that locker room," a general manager told cleveland.com on the condition of anonymity. "Too many players trying to be seen and heard for the wrong reasons."
Out west, you don't see San Antonio or Golden State players going out of their way to self-promote. They're unified and zoned in on obtaining that Larry O'Brien Trophy. Nothing else matters.
James is a corporation. His basketball resume has allowed him to maximize his earning potential, but he doesn't allow those endeavors to take him away from clocking in countless hours on the hardwood. His work ethic is unmatched. Others? Not so much.
The Cavaliers are listening to all trade propositions, cleveland.com is told. The trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m.
With the exception of James and Irving, no player is off the table. Cleveland's conference-leading 38-14 record is a bit misleading. They're not of championship mettle right now. It's going to take more than just time together to catch up with the Warriors or Spurs.
Winning the East isn't good enough. Expectations have been elevated. Dan Gilbert isn't forking out nearly $170 million to come in second place.
Maybe a roster tweaking is needed. But if not, a renewed commitment to a team-first attitude is in order. All the nationally televised games, exposure and time sharing James' spotlight have their benefits. But it also can present challenges that some players haven't yet managed appropriately.
In another year, the Cavaliers might still be the title favorites just as they were before the season began. But nobody expected the Warriors to take such a gigantic leap. It's going to take more than just a collection of talented individuals to dethrone the defending champs.
It requires a total team effort.
I actually feel they would be better with Anderson than Love offensive...which probably overshadow the defensive mishaps
