LeBron James plays with a certain set of players…veterans, stars and his friends!
Since leaving Cleveland for Miami, LeBron’s teams have been tailor-made for his talents along with superstars and veterans who could be counted on in crunch time.
In Miami, not only did LeBron James have superstar players like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh who knew the game well enough to adjust to playing off the ball, but there were players like Mike Miller, Ray Allen and Shane Battier who James trusted when times were tough.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had a young core of the consensus number one pick, Andrew Wiggins of 2014, Anthony Bennett, the number one pick the year before and Kyrie Irving.
At the time, the Cavaliers were a dumpster fire with no veteran leadership. When LeBron James came back to Cleveland, the first order of business was to get Kevin Love.
Kevin Love was forcing his way out of Minnesota at the time and was the most coveted power forward in the NBA at the time (Sounds familiar…most coveted power forward!).
The Cleveland Cavaliers traded out their two previous number one picks that the Cavs were building their future on to appease James.
After that, the Cavaliers signed Kevin Love to a max deal that at times they regretted as they tried to unload that contract at times over the next three years. Think about it...he was rumored to be traded for…Ryan Anderson!!!!
Cleveland remains very active. Cavs in talks with Pelicans about Ryan Anderson. A 3-team deal that includes Kevin Love still in play.
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) February 17, 2016
There was always Boston and New York! Guess who they wanted off the Knicks roster at the time…
I could go into the Kyrie Irving situation that LeBron James was rumored to be involved in to get him traded out of Cleveland to Phoenix for a potential teaming with Paul George and Eric Bledsoe. But the recent “apology” from Irving to LeBron shows that the situation is dead so let’s move on. They have.
When LeBron James came to Cleveland the second time around, the Cavaliers were loaded with young talent. By the time LeBron James left the second time around, the roster was loaded with overpriced veterans so old they could have been collecting social security.