LeBron James is not happy with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ performance.
It doesn’t matter that they own the Eastern Conference’s best record despite a banged-up roster. And it most certainly doesn’t matter that their outlook only seems brighter when you factor in the eventual return of All-Star Kyrie Irving, who has yet to play this season.
LeBron wants his team to try harder, to be more focused.
That was the prevailing message he sent during Cleveland’s players-only meeting following a 103-99 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, according to ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin. But his work goes beyond one meeting, and well beyond the Cavaliers’ recent hardship, which has been punctuated by a 3-3 record after beginning the year 8-1.
Ever since LeBron arrived in Cleveland, he’s attempted to reform the culture. And that doesn’t just come down to closed-door meetings and fiery approaches to every game. Nor does it just come down to mid-game effort. LeBron, per McMenamin, has the Cavaliers trying to assume an unshakable mindset before tip-off:
The Cavs players, at James’ urging, recently eschewed running out for player introductions, instead using that time for their pregame huddle and then immediately taking the court before their opponents could get to the center circle. James explained it was simply the Cavs “getting ready for the main thing,” and the motivation was explained by other players to be a “businesslike approach” in hopes of getting off to faster starts. On Wednesday, all the routine did was lead to an awkward scene with the Cavs’ starters standing amid a sea of Raptors dancers before tipoff, and it did little, if anything to prepare them mentally.
The merits of such an approach are up for debate. But ditching pregame parades is a good way to at least show you mean business. It won’t culminate in infallible displays every night, but it’s symbiotic change.
Maybe, though, it’s not the answer.
It’s also not the last thing LeBron will try.
If we’ve learned anything about him since his first go-round in Cleveland, it’s that he’ll stop it at nothing to build what, at the very least, is an appearance of a unified and engaged front. So while the Cavaliers aren’t yet a fully finished product, even with an Eastern Conference-leading record, you can bet they inevitably will be.
LeBron will make sure of it.
