Really? Kobe complained about a team with Smush and Kwame in a stacked West. Lebron complains about a team with Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, JR Smith, Kyle Korver, in the LEastern Conference. And Kobe didn't complain until after 2 first round exits to the Suns while carrying an awful team in his absolute prime.
well, it's kevin love and kyrie irving. nobody else is impressive on their own, and those two might be be a bit overrated in terms of impact. anyway, he was complaining about being forced to play unproven rookies instead of vets--this is something i could easily see kobe saying (maybe he even did at times). lebron is correct that the roster is top heavy and that you can't win championships playing inexperienced players in key roles. now, he certainly needs to stop whining in the press, and he certainly has the tools to win (moreso than many), but that point, in abstraction, is legitimate.
Other than Mozgov and Delladova, it's pretty much the same team as last year. This team is nothing short of a lack of talent or skill compared to teams around the league. Not even close. The problem with the Cavs now is motivation. Do you really expect JR Smith to put the same hat on he did last year? Kevin Love put in the effort of banging around the paint like he did last year considering that he's injury prone? The only person on the Cavs that actually gives a damn is Kyrie, the real MVP of that team.
well, motivation, and no jr smith, dellavedova, or mozgov. i think lebron is telling management that player development is not part of why he signed there. he doesn't want to play for the finals with liggins or felder getting serious reps at pg. i get it. it's d***ish on several levels, but it's a concern that someone in his position is justified in having. and yes, had kobe said this while pau was on the team, he would have been tortured in the press. my point is that many of us would have defended him/his logic.
So Enes Kanter fractured his forearm punching a chair in frustration in the Thunder's game against the Mavs, which the Thunder won. I'm sorry, but if you're paid millions to play a sport, and your hurt yourself by punching furniture, you're a complete dumba**. It's one game, control yourself, yell or something, don't take your anger out on your own body. Moron.
of course, but it's more of a case for lebron of...again? There's one thing to complain about a team when your starters are Smush, Luke, and Kwame. It's another when you do it when you had Wade/Bosh/Allen, ditch that and do the same with Kyrie/Love. His all around ability is probably second to none of what we've seen around the league. But the guy has had two franchise players on his championship teams, at some point, he's got to be the player that pushes past his limit to become better. I think he's actually declining and that's why he's unable to do so. Did we do the same with Kobe? Sure. But Kobe didn't go out and whine on Twitter that his team was garbage. He just played through it until he couldn't no more. Separation between a legend and an entitled brat.
not to derail, but lebron's a legend. he'll go down as one of, if not the GOAT. and deservedly so. i don't particularly like him, but his prowess is absolutely undeniable at this point. keep in mind this is coming from someone who still thinks dudes like wade and harden are CRAZY overrated. i think lebron's miami trip and subsequent return to cleveland indeed tarnish his image as a true competitor, but i'd be hard pressed to say i've seen a better all-around basketball player. magic, kobe, mj, bird included (i'm too young for some others). should he stfu and play? yes. same could be said about kobe's trade demanding a** in 2007. these guys want to win, and sometimes it gets the best of them in public statements. but we can't admire it in one instance and admonish it in another. i will now clean myself.
A lineup ( which is the 3rd most used but only appeared in 10 games) of Kyrie , Lebron , Love , TT ... and the "scrub" Liggins who Lebron doesn't want has a positive net rating of almost 30 and a defensive rating of 94.5 ! The different lineups numbers just confirm the Cavs are way more offense oriented than last season and aren't too much interested in playing D ( well some players can't but Liggins compensate very well the loss of Delly). It has very little to do with the roster. http://stats.nba.com/team/#!/1610612739/lineups-advanced/?Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular Season By the way I'd take Liggins + fillers for Lou in a heartbeat
