LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have had so much roster turnover over the years that James has needed to resort to off-the-beaten-path methods of getting up to speed with how he and new teammates will mesh.
James has become somewhat famous for playing the NBA 2K video game series, and has actually used it in the past to play with the Cavaliers and see how games turn out. It appears now with four new players in and six players out from Thursday’s trade, James will go back to that method, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
It should be noted that Isaiah Thomas is now on the Los Angeles Lakers after the Cavaliers traded him just 15 games into his season with his new team. He was apparently so bad for the Cavaliers that he had to go.
That does not mean James playing with Thomas-centered lineups on 2K went poorly. It just means that maybe the video game did not anticipate other aspects of Thomas’ game. Or maybe it did and James knew all along that it wouldn’t work with Thomas. It’s impossible to know.
But that was just one player. James will have to 2K with four new players who are all expected to contribute and play meaningful minutes with the Cavaliers for the rest of the season. With six players traded away, that is going to change the other complexion of the team, even on the video game.
James doing this also points to how he thinks of his own role on the Cavaliers. Many joke that he is really the general manager of the Cavaliers and he is the puppet master. Doesn’t this whole 2K thing just strengthen that narrative?
Something to think about.