Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reported after Cleveland’s blowout 133-99 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday that Cavs players have been unhappy that LeBron James is supposedly slowing down the team’s ball movement.
Per Vardon:
Players have grumbled that James has slowed the ball movement, holding onto the ball until he sees an “assist” pass, rather than moving it quickly.
Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue also made a comment after Thursday’s loss that the team had to lose whatever personal agendas they may have.
Ty Lue just dropped a “if guys have agendas, we have to get rid of them and play the right way.”
When asked if anyone has “an agenda,” he said “I don’t know.”
— Scott @ WFNY (@WFNYScott) January 12, 2018
Ball movement is usually somewhat of a strong suit for James-led teams, even dating back to his days with the Miami Heat. But the Cavs have a significant number of ball-dominant players this year, particularly with Isaiah Thomas back in action. For James, who will always be the fulcrum of the Cleveland offense, it sounds like he could do a better job of keeping everybody involved (even if he apparently has his own gripes to air out with his teammates).
H/T NBA Reddit
