LeBron James isn’t fazed by the Cleveland Cavaliers’ slow start.
Not even after they’ve dropped three straight to the Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks.
From ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin:
“I’m fine,” James said after finishing with 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds while filling in at point guard again as Derrick Rose continues to be sidelined with a sprained left ankle. “I’m fine, and we’re fine. It’s a long season. It’s way too [early to judge].”
…
“We’re out two starting point guards,” James said of Rose and Isaiah Thomas. “So I’m not overlooking what’s going on. I wasn’t overlooking if we had success. I’m not going to overlook if we had a couple games off. I’m not getting too high and getting too low. I’m an even-keel guy. I understand this is a long process. We played some different [lineups]. Like I told you guys, we played some crazy lineups that we haven’t even played in practice. So we’ll continue to get better. There’s going to be some games where we don’t look as good unfortunately, but that’s all part of the process, and we just have to be patient with it until we can become full-strength.”
Expressing calm isn’t uncharacteristic of James. This is his 15th season. He’s seen everything, done everything, survived through everything. He won’t get bent out of shape by a 3-4 record, particularly when it comes with injuries to Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas, a few new faces in the rotation and a musical chairs starting lineup.
James may have expressed discontent in years past, but he’s smarter than that this season. It helps that he likes his head coach, in Tyronn Lue, and has best friend Dwyane Wade on the roster. But he’s also entering free agency next summer, and the Cavaliers are trying to move on without Kyrie Irving. Saying anything remotely incendiary now would be fodder for the masses and create an unnecessary sense of unrest.
Plus, you know, the Cavaliers are seven games into their schedule. It’s way too early to worry about a 3-4 record and 27th-ranked defense.
