LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are a bit of a mess right now. Even if you’re of the opinion that the NBA’s opening months don’t much matter, there’s little that’s happened in October that can be spun as a positive for the Cavs.
They’ve suffered injuries, lost more than they’ve won and LeBron James’ 15th season hasn’t gotten off to the start he’d hoped for. Injuries in the offseason and preseason certainly haven’t helped, but it’s also hard to find excuses for what was expected to be the top team in the Eastern Conference stumbling out of the gate. The defense has been a disaster and Cleveland finds itself 3-5.
After losses to the Nets, Pelicans, and Knicks, James insisted it was too early to press the panic button on the Cavs, asking reporters “What month is it? October,” noting they’d be fine and it’s early. However, it’s November now, and the Cavs still are dealing with the same problems despite the calendar turning over.
Speaking to the media after another loss on Wednesday to the Pacers, LeBron was frustrated by how his team started the “new month.”
“We have an opportunity to be very good and then you see some of the lulls that we have and it’s just very difficult on our team right now,” James told ESPN. “We’re just trying to figure it out on the fly. … So, our team is kind of depleted as well, both on and off the floor.”
There’s a lot of room for improvement for the Cavs for sure, but the injuries won’t help. Tristan Thompson getting hurt on Wednesday was yet another loss the Cavs roster simply can’t absorb, and the team seems intent to take its time with Isaiah Thomas and his hip. The good news is that it indeed is a “new month” for the Cavs. The problem is that it’s already looking like the old one.
