In case you’re completely cut off from the world of media(in which case I’m not sure how you’re reading this), you’ve probably been hearing a lot about Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James saying that he would take a pay cut to team up with his good friends Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul.
The Cavaliers, understandably, weren’t too pleased when they heard that the face of their franchise was talking to reporters about leaving the team. Cavs General Manager David Griffin and Head Coach Tyronn Lue reportedly sat down with James, and talked to with him about his behavior. From Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com:
Lue spoke with James after Saturday’s 122-101 loss in Miami, during which at halftime James was noticeably chatting it up with his friend, Heat star Dwyane Wade, instead of warming up with the Cavs trailing by 21.
Griffin replaced former coach David Blatt with Lue in part to demand more accountability from James — which the player covets — and their chat was an example.
Griffin’s talk with James on Wednesday afternoon was a little more general, but was sparked by James’ comments to The Bleacher Report that he wanted to play with Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul on the same team for a “year or two.”
Lue said James apologized to him for his behavior at halftime Saturday night, and Griffin’s discussion with James was positive and productive, with James echoing recent public statements about an upward trend for the Cavs heading into the playoffs.
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“I just told him we can’t have that, being down like we were and him being the leader,” Lue told cleveland.com. “Just me being a competitor, I didn’t like it. We had a long talk about it. It was good. He understood, he apologized, and he’s been great.”
Whether it’s the players or the management, Cleveland is a team that has seemed to be on different pages for much of the season. This club is going to need near perfect chemistry if they want a chance at competing with dominant teams like the Spurs or Warriors for a championship.
