The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t been able to live up to the lofty expectations placed on them through the first couple of weeks this season. But at 3-3, there is still very little reason for concern. The Cavaliers have a roster that is loaded with talent and led by the league’s biggest superstar. There’s plenty of time to pull things together ahead of a potential championship run.
Here are the three biggest reasons why Cleveland and its fans shouldn’t panic.
1. LeBron James
When LeBron took his talents to South Beach it absolutely ripped the hearts out of Cavaliers fans. They burned his jersey, slandered his name, and cheered for his failure. Then came the talk of a potential return and suddenly all of that hate and spite went away and they welcomed him back with open arms not just because he might want to come home but because he could help bring them something they had never had: a championship.
Now that LeBron is back there should be a level of calm, even if he hasn’t been dominant out of the gates. Everybody knows what LeBron can bring to the table as and, as long as he is healthy, there is no reason to panic.
2. Chemistry Takes Time
Remember when LeBron went to South Beach and it took some time to develop chemistry with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh? Well, after a pair of NBA titles and four straight trips to the NBA Finals it’s clear that things worked out for him there so why overreact to a slow start this season?
LeBron, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the team will need time to develop their chemistry and learn how to play a certain way in order to maximize the talent that each individual player brings to the table. The level of talent that the Cavaliers added had led to increased expectations and that can sometimes have a negative effect on a team’s play early on as they try to force the issue too much rather than allowing things to come together. The Cleveland roster is arguably the most talented in the East and the level of play will gradually improve as they develop their chemistry as a team.
3. Playing In The East
The urgency Cleveland is dealing with in the Eastern Conference isn’t nearly what it would be in the Western Conference where the talent is much deeper and home advantage means a lot more. The Cavaliers still want to finish first and clinch home advantage for the postseason and they have plenty of time to do it but it’s not like they would be at a major disadvantage if they opened a series in Toronto, Chicago, or Miami.
It won’t be long before LeBron and company turn things around and put together a major run and in the Eastern Conference an extended win streak should be enough to make up the ground between them and the top teams.
