Explaining LeBrons decline.

[TonyMontana]

The reasons.

1. the unavoidable aging proess.

2. He spent the entire offseason trying to hype up his brand "The King is coming back!". Does anyone think he put as much effort on his actual craft as he has done in the past? At this point it's 100% about his brand and milking money from the sheep.

3. He no longer has future hall of fame coach Erik Spoelstra holding his hand, giving him optimal offensive spacing and elite team defensive schemes.

4. going to emphasize on spacing and specifically on how Love is a worse fit than Bosh. It doesn't help that a lot of Clevelands other "contributers" cant shoot for shit. This thompson dude,waiters who absolutely sucks.
Kevin Love is better, but the biggest drawback is that you need to combine a rim protecting defensive behemoth with him at center. Those guys arn't too easy to find.

Bosh can do a much better job at half assing that role which lets him fit in at center and doesn't sacrifice as much defense, while still giving the offense elite spacing on the other end of the floor.

We are seeing time and time again that when LeBron doesn't get the spacing he ain't shit. You can't put Love at the 5 though without geting raped on defense.

[c5terror]

The reasons.

1. the unavoidable aging proess.

2. He spent the entire offseason trying to hype up his brand "The King is coming back!". Does anyone think he put as much effort on his actual craft as he has done in the past? At this point it's 100% about his brand and milking money from the sheep.

3. He no longer has future hall of fame coach Erik Spoelstra holding his hand, giving him optimal offensive spacing and elite team defensive schemes.

your forget the 4th one, No PEDS

[J Shuttlesworth]

your forget the 4th one, No PEDS

Fitting that he only contributed to the first 3 reasons, and then skipped the 4th

[TonyMontana]

your forget the 4th one, No PEDS

if these guys want to get on PEDs they have the trainers/doctors with the knowledge to pass these tests.

I know for a fact nearly every guy in the NFL barring kickers/QBs is on something, not necessarily for building muscle, but for keeping it during a grueling season.

[JohnMax]

If Love continues to play this sub par too its going to give alot of credence to people bringing up the point about him marginalizing good- to great players games.

[TonyMontana]

If Love continues to play this sub par too its going to give alot of credence to people bringing up the point about him marginalizing good- to great players games.

I' posted this in another thread, but I will add it here as a 4th reason since it is significant. (on Love vs Bosh))

Kevin Love is better, but the biggest drawback is that you need to combine a rim protecting defensive behemoth with him at center. Those guys arn't too easy to find.

Bosh can do a much better job at half assing that role which lets him fit in at center and doesn't sacrifice as much defense, while still giving the offense elite spacing on the other end of the floor.

We are seeing time and time again that when LeBron doesn't get the spacing he ain't shit. You can't put Love at the 5 though without geting raped on defense.

[Milbuck]

I'm not gonna get into your second and third points, but your first point is reasonable, and your fourth point pretty much sums up why I think they'll be good enough to make it through the East, but will get murked into the ground by whichever team makes it out of the West.

San Antonio, Dallas, healthy OKC, possibly even Golden State, in-form LAC, Portland..these teams will absolutely massacre that Cleveland defense. Especially seeing what San Antonio did to Miami in the last finals, and how Dallas' offense looks now so early in the season..it would be a slaughter.

People keep likening this Cleveland situation to the early Big 3 Heat...it's not even remotely close. Those early Heat squads were still playing sound defense..it wasn't as refined as it'd get later on when they won the chips, but the roster was there, the system was developing, and the consistent effort was there to defend at a good to high level.

This Cavs team is fundamentally flawed top to bottom defensively. Love is abysmal defensively, it's pretty much a layup line for the opposition if you don't have an elite defensive anchor there..which they don't have. Varejao is solid, but solid doesn't compensate for Love, and it sure as hell isn't enough to develop a championship level defense. Lebron himself has slipped defensively, whether it's declining athleticism, disinterest, fatigue, etc. Thompson, Waiters, Irving, Miller, etc..just a recipe for disaster defensively.

[K Xerxes]

I still refuse to believe that we are witnessing such a steep decline at the age of 29. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure he'll pick it up soon, even if we never see the consistency of 09-14 James again. The best part of his game right now is the 3 ball unbelievably.

What's really staggering is the effort he's putting at getting back on fastbreaks. I don't know if he's just trying to leak out so he can get one himself in case of a turnover, or he doesn't care, or he's too gassed to run back... but the Cavs are playing 4 on 5 a lot of the time. It has to start with him giving full effort. He is playing a lot of minutes to be fair, but I wonder if his fitness isn't where it should be.

If we are witnessing the 'decline', then I don't know what to say. I guess it was a privilege seeing what he can do in his peak and prime, but this early...?

[poido123]

The dude has an over inflated ego and has been told how great he is since high school. With expectations placed on him, he has sort out shortcuts to alleviate the lack of heart and guts needed to reach the expectations of greatness placed on him.

This would also explain HGH use. Another shortcut to deal with the growing expectations.

It's highly coincidental that his game and explosiveness has declined in line with this year's HGH testing.

This is a dude Who gets a bigger headband to cover up a hairline and team hops into super teams. Everything he does reflects a highly insecure character and a guy who will take shortcuts to protect his rep.

[Magic 32]

The reasons.

1. the unavoidable aging proess.

[TheMan]

If Love continues to play this sub par too its going to give alot of credence to people bringing up the point about him marginalizing good- to great players games.

This

Time to finally blow up that whole "LeBron makes his teammates better" thing the LeStan mythologists love promoting. It is no coincidence that when Magic played, his teammates production went up, when he didn't, it went down. The opposite happens with LeBron, Wade and Bosh saw their stats go down when they played with him and now that's happening to Love and Irving...

[TaLvsCuaL]

[Indian guy]

I don't know how he could lose so much athleticism within 6 months. Last season was his most athletic since 2010. As an offensive player, I don't know if he had ever been better. Fast forward 6 months later and he's completely devoid of explosiveness on the basketball court. Can't drive past anyone, can't jump and no stamina either.

Looks like the beginning of the end of his days as an elite basketball player.

[Blue&Orange]

If Love continues to play this sub par too its going to give alot of credence to people bringing up the point about him marginalizing good- to great players games.

not a point, a fact, during some cavs games, ESPN trying to prop up LEbon showed a graph where the Heat team where 4x time more depended of LEbron than Jordan Bull's of Jordan, you know the not 4, not 5 team, the it's going to be easy team. That's the "right way to play" according to idiots, make everyone else a pawn on your stat padding crusade.


LEbron didn't lose a step he is just sabotaging his team, so that everyone falls in place, teammates and coach, and he can get back to stat padding.

[KBaller33]

Also LeBrons defense has been the worst its been since his younger days when he played no defense. This Cavs team doesn't play any defense either. With the Heat from 2010-2013 they were an elite defensive team because they were the most athletic team on the court at all times. This Celveland team is no where near that.