The Cavs lost on Drake Night in Toronto Wednesday, and again called a players-only meeting. It was their second one of the season, after they got together right at the start of the season. The topic was again the same: the right mindset.
LeBron says he’s got it, and made it seem like an either/or situation, like the right mindset is genetic, or a byproduct of your environment growing up.
“It’s all mindset,” James told ESPN after the game. “It comes from within. I’ve always had it; my upbringing had me like that. It’s either you got it or you don’t.”
Multiple sources told ESPN about the meeting after the Cavs lost to the Raptors left them just a half game up on “We The North.” And it’s almost like LeBron and coach David Blatt are playing good cop bad cop.
When asked about his team’s effort after the game, Blatt cited the four players out with injuries — Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert, Matthew Dellevedova, and Timofey Mozgov — as part and parcel of the problem. They’re short-handed, and so other players had to play more.
“I thought that we got tired for obvious reasons. Very short-handed. Thought our guys played hard and I thought we ran out of gas,” Blatt said. “I thought fatigue played a big part of that, I really did.”
Except LeBron strongly disagreed.
When asked whether fatigue was a factor, James said, “No. It’s not an excuse.” When another reporter asked whether injuries were to blame, James repeated, “It’s not an excuse.”
Players-only meetings are becoming quite popular this season. The Rockets called one the night before Kevin McHale was dismissed as head coach, and took the opportunity to call out their leader, James Harden, for his aloof attitude and ball-dominance on the court.
But two before December? That seems a bit much, and it continues LeBron’s season-long annoyance with his team. Mid-way through November, he said they’re “not a great team right now,” despite the top record in the Conference. Then he goaded them further when he said the Warriors — who defeated them in last season’s Finals — “look more hungry” than the Cavs do.
LeBron even got the players to abstain from their usual tomfoolery as part of player introductions. While LeBron’s increasingly severe demeanor marks a change from his light-hearted leadership style from earlier in his career, at least none of the Cavs brandished a stool during the meeting.
(ESPN)
