When Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin hammered out the decision of firing then-head coach David Blatt, one of the concerns that he raised was the team’s inability to handle prosperity.
He saw how the team reacted to victories, winning streak, and whatnot, and Griffin did not found the confidence in their dynamics so he tried to shake things up.
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Cleveland has seen itself transform into a different unit since head coach Tyronn Lue took over. But the recent stretch showed another Cavalier team altogether. One that makes its fans cringe at the bad habits being displayed in their two consecutive losses to the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.
Adversity has struck the team once again.
In his recent article, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin shared comments made by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving on the current rut that the Cavs are in right now. This was after their hard fought win against an Indiana Pacers team that is also in a funk. James appeared to be unfazed by the skid.
“I think the fact that we can handle a little adversity, if you want to call it that, and be able to respond like we did tonight, it’s a good sign. We shouldn’t have to get to that point sometimes, but hey, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. It’s not a book that you can read and say, ‘Hey, this is exactly what is going to happen.’ You have to be able to adjust no matter what type of game or situation that will be going on. And we’re a team that, we put ourselves in dark spots and we have to build our way out of them.”
While Irving realizes that tougher challenges still await the team.
“I mean, we go on a two-game losing streak, we lose three out of our last four, you know things get a little tough, our backs are against the wall, but it’s really not. We go down [three] points [late] against the Indiana Pacers, it’s not even adversity yet. We haven’t even hit anything that’s going to be a test for us yet. Going forward, we just have to have that mental attitude that the only thing that matters is that everyone in this locker room knows what’s going on here.”
While it’s never good for anyone on the Wine and Gold side to witness a team as deep as the Cavaliers, who were also hailed as the preseason title favorites, underperform this badly. One can still take comfort in the idea that these issues are surfacing this early in order to be addressed in time for the playoffs.
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But in case of failure, LeBron James has an idea on how to handle the situation himself.
“I mean, it shouldn’t be much pressure, I don’t think. I’m going to get the blame anyways.”