When LeBron James said there were going to be growing pains for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he wasn’t joking.
The Cavs are 1-3 to start the season and LeBron has found himself putting in less-than-full effort in order to prove to his teammates that they have to start sharing the ball.
After the Cavs lost to the Blazers 101-82 Tuesday — a game in which LeBron did not score in the second half — the former MVP had words with Kyrie Irving, ESPN reports.
The exchange between Kyrie and LeBron led Irving to leave without speaking to the media after the game.
Though Irving is averaging 22.5 points per game, he’s only dished 3.8 assists per game and has not had an assist in the last six quarters. James is used to playing team ball where many players share the rock and pass to the open man. He’s trying to show his new teammates the value of sharing the ball and passing, which is different from the style of play they were used to playing prior to his arrival.
It’s almost comical that LeBron talking with his teammates about adjusting their style of play is a headline since that is typical of many teams. But any team LeBron plays on is a championship contender, which makes his team’s daily adjustments newsworthy.
