LeBron James' MVP case grows each game he misses

IllmaticDelta

IllmaticDelta

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Here are five observations:

LeBron's MVP case - The best argument for James winning his fifth MVP can be made when he doesn't play.

In games with James, the Cavaliers are 129-43, which is a winning percentage of .750. Without him, they are 0-3 this season and 4-18 since he returned to Cleveland. That's a winning percentage of .182 -- worse than the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks this year.


Of the 18 losses, 10 have been by double digits.

"I'm pretty sure it's going to be the blame on me and Kev and how we can't win without Bron," Kyrie Irving said following the game. "It's the same sentence that goes on no matter what."

Well, duh. Who else is the "blame" going to fall on? DeAndre Liggins? Tristan Thompson? Iman Shumpert?

The attention goes to the other All-Stars, the two max players. I mean, it's the highest payroll in NBA history and yet the team can't seem to function without James. It's only a minor issue, but baffling nonetheless.

"We still have enough talent to win, that goes without saying," Love said. "But take the best player in the world off your team, he just means so much to us. His usage is so high in what we do with both units that whether it's the starting unit or the second unit, you take him away from our team and we lose a lot, naturally."

Following each loss with James resting, the Cavs -- and Irving -- seem to brush it off. That makes sense. There's no reason to envision life without James long term. And if something were to happen, there would be no way for the Cavs to make up for that loss anyway. They would collapse quickly and be out of title contention in a blink.

"We expect to have LeBron (in the postseason)," Love said.

But he's going to rest more as the season progresses to stay fresh for the playoffs, which means the Cavs will likely lose more games because of it. They could even possibly fall out of the Eastern Conference's top spot. But, as frustrating as it can be, does it truly matter? They are great with him, having just four losses.

That's the true definition of value, the key word that voters should focus on when determining the award recipient.

Offense struggles - The offense is often predicated on James drawing the defense's attention and creating opportunities for teammates.

Channing Frye is what Lue terms a "specialist", a great catch-and-shoot big man. Smith, when healthy, needs guys to create shot attempts for him. The same goes for every other player on the roster except James, Irving and Love, who looks for his own offense on post-ups.

But the threat of those outside shooters opens the floor for Cleveland's Big Three, which is the real beauty of the roster Griffin has assembled.

Still, without one of those primary creators, the offense crumbles -- just as it did against Detroit.

The fourth-highest scoring team in the NBA scored 90 points, its second-lowest total this season. In the three games James hasn't played the Cavs are averaging 89.3.
Click to expand...

LeBron James' MVP case grows each game he misses and Kay Felder's homecoming: Fedor's five observations


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King Jove

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Kyrie one of my favorite players in the league, but like I said in the warriors vs. cavs thread, he's an extremely talented player but not a superstar.

People get wow'd by his talent but overlook a lot of his deficiencies that get masked by playing with Lebron. You even see how poor the cavs are when Lebron goes to the bench.

There is a reason Kyrie (and Love) couldn't even lead their teams to the playoffs before Lebron came to the Cavs.

Kyrie is still inconsistent offensively, at times a ball stopper, and not good enough when it comes to setting up teammates. He doesn't make that big of an impact on the game besides clutch situations where he excels.

Lebron is simply the motor that runs the Cavs and what turns them from a average team to a contender. :yeshrug:
 
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CHICAGO

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Originalman said:
Truth. Only dude in the league you can put on any team and they become contenders.
Click to expand...


YOU DUDES KILL ME WITH THIS shyt.

CLEVELAND WAS GOING NO WHERE FAST WHEN BRON CAME BACK...

YOU REMEMBER DION WAITERS?

THEY WERE GIFTED JR, SHUMP AND MOZ...
THEN THEY TOOK OFF.

KYRIE AND TRISTIAN
WERE THE ONLY ONES ON THE ROSTER
FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR
BY THE TIME THE PLAYOFFS STARTED.

STOP ACTING LIKE THAT nikka
DONT HAVE TO REVAMP ROSTERS
TO FIT HIS STYLE.

YOU CANT JUST PUT HIM ON ANY TEAM
AND MAKE THEM CONTENDERS...

EVEN MIA HAD TO RAMP UP THE ROSTER AFTER SEASON 1.
:devil:
:evil:

​
 
Draje

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King Jove said:
Kyrie one of my favorite players in the league, but like I said in the warriors vs. cavs thread, he's an extremely talented player but not a superstar.

People get wow'd by his talent but overlook a lot of his deficiencies that get masked by playing with Lebron. You even see how poor the cavs are when Lebron goes to the bench.

There is a reason Kyrie (and Love) couldn't even lead their teams to the playoffs before Lebron came to the Cavs.

Kyrie is still inconsistent offensively, at times a ball stopper, and not good enough when it comes to setting up teammates. He doesn't make that big of an impact on the game besides clutch situations where he excels.

Lebron is simply the motor that runs the Cavs and what turns them from a average team to a contender. :yeshrug:
Click to expand...

One of the most understated aspects of stardom is composure. True superstars can keep their composure and the right the ship when the unexpected happens.

Kyrie is best suited as an assassin, not the superstar.
 
The Fire

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CHICAGO said:

YOU DUDES KILL ME WITH THIS shyt.

CLEVELAND WAS GOING NO WHERE FAST WHEN BRON CAME BACK...

YOU REMEMBER DION WAITERS?

THEY WERE GIFTED JR, SHUMP AND MOZ...
THEN THEY TOOK OFF.

KYRIE AND TRISTIAN
WERE THE ONLY ONES ON THE ROSTER
FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR
BY THE TIME THE PLAYOFFS STARTED.

STOP ACTING LIKE THAT nikka
DONT HAVE TO REVAMP ROSTERS
TO FIT HIS STYLE.

YOU CANT JUST PUT HIM ON ANY TEAM
AND MAKE THEM CONTENDERS...

EVEN MIA HAD TO RAMP UP THE ROSTER AFTER SEASON 1.
:devil:
:evil:

​
Click to expand...
Made the finals both of those years, clown
 
dh86

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CHICAGO said:

YOU DUDES KILL ME WITH THIS shyt.

CLEVELAND WAS GOING NO WHERE FAST WHEN BRON CAME BACK...

YOU REMEMBER DION WAITERS?

THEY WERE GIFTED JR, SHUMP AND MOZ...
THEN THEY TOOK OFF.

KYRIE AND TRISTIAN
WERE THE ONLY ONES ON THE ROSTER
FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR
BY THE TIME THE PLAYOFFS STARTED.

STOP ACTING LIKE THAT nikka
DONT HAVE TO REVAMP ROSTERS
TO FIT HIS STYLE.

YOU CANT JUST PUT HIM ON ANY TEAM
AND MAKE THEM CONTENDERS...

EVEN MIA HAD TO RAMP UP THE ROSTER AFTER SEASON 1.
:devil:
:evil:

​
Click to expand...

What was going on with JR and Shumpert at the time in New York? Knicks traded both for a draft pick last I checked
 
the kid

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To have success, Bron needs shooters around him, so GMs do not add unnecessary ball handlers and play makers to surround him. This is the reason his teams go to crap when he leaves. I am not saying he is not a first ballot hall of fame player, but his value to a team is amplified when his GMs decide to sacrifice ball handling and play making ability for shooting when surrounding him with talent. Similar to the Steve Nash effect, where the value is multiplied due to the way teams are built around him.
 
dh86

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the kid said:
To have success, Bron needs shooters around him, so GMs do not add unnecessary ball handlers and play makers to surround him. This is the reason his teams go to crap when he leaves. I am not saying he is not a first ballot hall of fame player, but his value to a team is amplified when his GMs decide to sacrifice ball handling and play making ability for shooting when surrounding him with talent. Similar to the Steve Nash effect, where the value is multiplied due to the way teams are built around him.
Click to expand...

Thats why Lebron signed to a team with Dwyane Wade. Kyrie Irving. What?
 
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