LeBron laments Cavs' challenges in playing without Love
The Cleveland Cavaliers looked to be turning their disappointing season around after a frenzy of deadline-day trades overhauled half their roster. They won their first three games after the deadline in convincing fashion, looking physically and spiritually rejuvenated and appearing to have patched up some defensive deficiencies.
But then the All-Star break hit, and since then, the Cavs have reverted to their shambolic pre-deadline selves. Since the break, they're 5-7, including 1-6 against teams with winning records, and while their defense is slightly improved (allowing 1.8 fewer points per 100 possessions), their offense has taken a corresponding dip. They've also been dealing with a boatload of injuries, most notably to All-Star power forward Kevin Love, and LeBron James says he and his teammates have been feeling Love's absence profoundly of late.
"It's been a long time since I haven't played with another All-Star on my team," James told reporters after Thursday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "So, having Kev out has been very challenging for all of us. Kev has a big usage rate on our team. He'll get the ball when things get tight, chaotic, we can throw it to him in the low post and get some things going."
Love has been sidelined for the past 19 games with a left hand fracture, and is aiming to return March 23 against the Phoenix Suns. By most measures, this season had been his most effective as a Cavalier (22.7 PER, 61.3 true shooting, 23 points per 36 minutes) before he got injured.
Love alone likely won't fix Cleveland's issues - particularly at the defensive end - but he'll take some pressure off James on the offensive end. And getting Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance, Rodney Hood, and Cedi Osman back to full health should help, too. Until then, James is trying to stay patient.
"It's not just Kev," he said. "We're missing Double T as well. Rodney went back out again. So, obviously, you want to win every game, but my approach doesn't change."