http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2417207-lebron-james-reportedly-calling-plays-for-cavaliers?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=programming-national
You know how people say there is a grain of truth in every joke? Well, it appears there's a little more than a grain when it comes to the long-running jokes about LeBron James acting as the Cleveland Cavaliers' player/coach/general manager/czar.
Appearing on Bill Simmons' B.S. Report podcast Tuesday, ESPN writer Brian Windhorst passed along the following details about Cleveland's play-calling (via Tom Ley of Deadspin):
Head coach David Blatt addressed the report following Wednesday's practice, not denying that James is calling the shots occasionally, per Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group:
Windhorst's comments are only a snippet of an interview that lasted nearly an hour. Commenting on the wild ups and downs of the Cavaliers' season, he discussed the distrust that was palpable between Blatt and James throughout the team's early struggles. At one point, Windhorst indicates James was "pouting" around the time of his two-week break in late December and early January.
Things have obviously turned around since Cleveland's 19-20 nadir, as the additions of Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert sparked a run that has the Cavs looking like the Eastern Conference's most likely representative in the NBA Finals. Windhorst also goes on to indicate James and Blatt have a far better relationship now than early on—albeit one that's based quite a bit on the whims of the player.
James also spoke with the media Wednesday about his play-calling duties.
"If I see something, I have the right to call plays. Kyrie [Irving] as well," he told reporters, per Haynes. "We kind of do the play-calling. Coach Blatt does the play-calling obviously throughout the game and timeouts, but it's great to be able to have some type of freedom out there with Kyrie to be able to call sets that we feel best suit our team."
None of this should be much of a surprise to anyone who has watched the Cavaliers play this season. Their run to the East's No. 2 seed has coincided with a de-Miamification of LeBron's game; he's less the post brute and facilitator now than he is a pseudo point guard. Cleveland's offense can at times turn heavy in favor of pick-and-rolls and isolations for James and Kyrie Irving, but it's a major improvement from the bogged-down mess that threatened to derail LeBron's homecoming in the season's early going.
All of this may also bring back memories of James' first run with the Cavaliers—specifically during Mike Brown's tenure. Brown, a solid defensive technician without much offensive acumen, essentially allowed James to act as the offensive coordinator. Those offenses often looked brilliant in the regular season before coming up short in the playoffs, where even the most talented teams need to implement a variety of wrinkles over a seven-game series to avoid going stale.
It bears watching whether what "fixed" Cleveland's regular season will ultimately be its undoing in May and June. Either way, it's more evident than ever who's calling the shots at times.
You know how people say there is a grain of truth in every joke? Well, it appears there's a little more than a grain when it comes to the long-running jokes about LeBron James acting as the Cleveland Cavaliers' player/coach/general manager/czar.
Appearing on Bill Simmons' B.S. Report podcast Tuesday, ESPN writer Brian Windhorst passed along the following details about Cleveland's play-calling (via Tom Ley of Deadspin):
Head coach David Blatt addressed the report following Wednesday's practice, not denying that James is calling the shots occasionally, per Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group:
Windhorst's comments are only a snippet of an interview that lasted nearly an hour. Commenting on the wild ups and downs of the Cavaliers' season, he discussed the distrust that was palpable between Blatt and James throughout the team's early struggles. At one point, Windhorst indicates James was "pouting" around the time of his two-week break in late December and early January.
Things have obviously turned around since Cleveland's 19-20 nadir, as the additions of Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert sparked a run that has the Cavs looking like the Eastern Conference's most likely representative in the NBA Finals. Windhorst also goes on to indicate James and Blatt have a far better relationship now than early on—albeit one that's based quite a bit on the whims of the player.
James also spoke with the media Wednesday about his play-calling duties.
"If I see something, I have the right to call plays. Kyrie [Irving] as well," he told reporters, per Haynes. "We kind of do the play-calling. Coach Blatt does the play-calling obviously throughout the game and timeouts, but it's great to be able to have some type of freedom out there with Kyrie to be able to call sets that we feel best suit our team."
None of this should be much of a surprise to anyone who has watched the Cavaliers play this season. Their run to the East's No. 2 seed has coincided with a de-Miamification of LeBron's game; he's less the post brute and facilitator now than he is a pseudo point guard. Cleveland's offense can at times turn heavy in favor of pick-and-rolls and isolations for James and Kyrie Irving, but it's a major improvement from the bogged-down mess that threatened to derail LeBron's homecoming in the season's early going.
All of this may also bring back memories of James' first run with the Cavaliers—specifically during Mike Brown's tenure. Brown, a solid defensive technician without much offensive acumen, essentially allowed James to act as the offensive coordinator. Those offenses often looked brilliant in the regular season before coming up short in the playoffs, where even the most talented teams need to implement a variety of wrinkles over a seven-game series to avoid going stale.
It bears watching whether what "fixed" Cleveland's regular season will ultimately be its undoing in May and June. Either way, it's more evident than ever who's calling the shots at times.
