LeBron James stated that playing without Kevin Love has been challenging for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have lost three of their last four games.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost three of their last four and LeBron James maybe feeling the wear-and-tear. Although James is averaging 27 points, 9.0 assists and 8.6 rebounds per contest, it hasn’t been enough for the struggling, new-look Cavaliers. But according to James, the real struggle is not having Kevin Love in the lineup. Love has been out of commission since fracturing his left hand against the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 30. Even with trades to make the Cavaliers younger, James told ESPN he is witnessing the ripple effects of being the primary option.
"“It’s been a long time since I haven’t played with another All-Star on my team,” James said. “So, having Kev out has been very challenging for all of us. Kev has a big usage rate on our team. He’ll get the ball when things get tight, chaotic, we can throw it to him in the low post and get some things going.”"
As ESPN stated in the article, James technically played without an All-Star during the Cavs championship season in 2016. Irving was out nursing a knee injury for the first part of the season, while the coaching staff couldn’t figure out Love’s role. But it was the 2009-10 season that James actually didn’t play with an All-Star. The Cavaliers had aging Shaquille O’Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Antawn Jamison as former All-Stars, but not for that season. Point guard Mo Williams was elected as an All-Star the previous season as an All-Star replacement.
Next: 2018 NCAA tournament Bracket after thursday
But, it’s appearing that the James highway could be reflecting the team’s current state. Gone are Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving: players who preferred a more team-friendly approach. So while the absence of Love is telling, it could be seen as collateral damage of the James-centered approach.