CLEVELAND — Twice since the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, LeBron James has openly questioned whether it’s all worth it. The months of training, the hours of treatment and the punishment his body endures every year, only to make it to the end and fall short.
James has reached the Finals each of the last five seasons and has the Cavaliers positioned to make it six straight this year. He already has the longest streak of Finals appearances since Bill Russell’s Celtics dynasty in the 1960s, but Russell won eight straight titles. James’ Finals record is 2-4.
“Every year that you lose in the Finals, it gets worse and worse to get over,” James said. “Like I asked myself last year during the postseason, would I rather not even make the playoffs or would I rather lose in the Finals? This is a very valid question to myself.
“I’d like to have those two months back. I could have been somewhere laying out helping my body get better. It gets worse and worse every time.”
At least this time, James should have more help around him. The Cavs enter the season as overwhelming favorites to capture the East again and even win their first championship in team history.
Owner Dan Gilbert wrote checks this offseason totaling more than $290 million in guaranteed money to retain the Cavs’ seven core free agents and supplement the roster with key additions like Richard Jefferson and Mo Williams that will make this one of the league’s deepest teams when everyone is healthy.
“That was one of the designs of the summer and one of the hopes,” coach David Blatt said. “We’d be able to get to the point where we could stretch our rotation and not lose anything. I think we’ve done that. The only problem is we don’t have all the players healthy.”
Indeed, the Cavs haven’t completely recovered from all of their postseason injuries and will begin the season with their starting backcourt injured.
Kyrie Irving has yet to participate in team activities following surgery to repair a fractured knee suffered in the Finals. The team refuses to put a timeline on his return, but at this point it seems likely he won’t be playing in games until the snow is flying.
Iman Shumpert injured his wrist on the eve of training camp and will miss at least the first month following surgery. But Kevin Love is healthy following shoulder surgery, richer following a $110 million contract extension and in perhaps the best shape of his career.
Love relinquished most of his skill set last season and reduced himself to little more than a 3-point specialist during his first year in Cleveland. But James has received at least two injections in his back in the last 10 months and keeps referencing Father Time. James mentioned Love early in training camp as someone who can shoulder more of the scoring load this season. Love appeared in only two preseason games because of the shoulder, but was more aggressive in putting the ball on the floor and getting inside than he was at most points last season. Now the question is if that can continue when he has to share the floor with James and Irving?
“I intend on being in the paint and getting those offensive rebounds like I used to,” Love said. “Just putting myself in position to be aggressive.”
Following the most expensive summer in NBA history, the Cavs have a group of 20-somethings under contract through their prime years: Shumpert (25) is under team control through 2018, Love (27) and Irving (23) through 2019 and Tristan Thompson (24) through 2020, although Thompson’s extension came after a bitter contract dispute that cost him the entire preseason.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert joked with season ticket holders recently that he gave general manager David Griffin an unlimited budget and the Cavs managed to exceed it. Part of what lured James back to Cleveland was Gilbert’s assurance he would spend whatever it takes to win. He has proven that with the second-highest payroll in league history. Between salaries and taxes, the Cavs will spend more than $170 million this season. Should they use their $10.5 million trade exception prior to February’s trade deadline, they will become the first $200 million team in NBA history.
“Our owner is committed to winning and it’s a sign that he’ll do anything to help us go out there and perform,” James said before referencing his beloved New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys. “They don’t win it every year but that’s what they believe in. They believe in going out there and getting the best talent that can play. They believe if they put the most talent out there they give themselves a great chance. I’m not comparing us to them because we’re not, we haven’t won anything, but when you have an ownership group (like that), then money is not an object.”
The Cavs’ stiffest competition will again likely come from the Chicago Bulls. New coach Fred Hoiberg inherits essentially the same team that lost to the Cavs in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, making Chicago 0-4 against James teams in the playoffs.
Derrick Rose suffered yet another injury when he fractured his left orbital bone in September, but he played in the Bulls’ final preseason game with a mask and seems to be enjoying Hoiberg’s new wide-open offense. Rose may play in Tuesday’s opener against the Cavs, and if not, he should be ready soon after.
“I love the way Coach designed everything,” Rose said. “He has me running downhill and catching the ball with a live dribble. There are a lot of lanes and so many opportunities to drive. It’s open. I love it.”
The Miami Heat could make a fascinating postseason opponent for James’ Cavs. Chris Bosh is healthy after suffering blood clots on his lung last season, giving the Heat All-Stars at four positions and some depth with Amar’e Stoudemire and rookie Justise Winslow.
The Atlanta Hawks picked up Tiago Splitter, but lost DeMarre Carroll while setting out to prove last season’s 60-win team wasn’t a fluke. The Milwaukee Bucks added Greg Monroe to a team that surprised everyone with a .500 record in Jason Kidd’s first year and the Raptors added Carroll after winning their division for the second straight year.
At the top, however, remains the NBA’s king. He may question after each Finals loss whether it’s all worth it, but ultimately he always comes up with the same answer.
“I will take all the pain that comes with competing for a championship at the end of the day. I’ll take all the bumps and bruises that I’m going to get when I’m done playing,” he said. “Because I know I left it all out on the floor.”