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LeBron James after fourth Finals loss: "It would hurt a lot easier if I just didn't make the playoffs"

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/...ncart_big-photo

From the article:

A folk hero in Cleveland for some earlier playoff successes that crept into the early part of the Finals, Dellavedova was eviscerated by Curry in games 5 and 6. Curry outscored him 62-6.

Those were the kinds of deficiencies for which James felt he had to cover. He said the Cavs "ran out of talent."

"Whatever it takes throughout the competition, I'm fine with," he said. "I don't enjoy being as non-efficient as I was. I don't enjoy that. I don't enjoy dribbling the ball for countless seconds on the shot clock and the team looking at me to make a play.

"We had 14 assists tonight, I had nine of them. I did not enjoy that. That's not winning basketball."


P.S. Wow!

That's frustration talk.

People expect him to say the company line, but nothing he's saying is false. Lebron is all we had. TT and Mosgov could only do so much. At the end of the day, 2 out of our 5 starters didn't show up offensively. DELLY did just one game. JR off the bench was nothing. JJ was nothing.

We wasn't gonna win.

The "I don't enjoy dribbling the ball for countless seconds on the shot clock and the team looking at me to make a play" quote is a telling quote. Perhaps he wasn't as gassed as we thought, knew he needed more help from his teammates and purposely left a little off the gas, so someone would hopefully step up? I'm thinkin' yes.

We did run out of talent. That became pretty clear. I'm not overly upset as unfortunately this is what I expected.

We need to clean out the Mike Millers, Marion and etc and get younger players in there. People who can contribute.

Yeppers, it was pretty much what I expected also (sighs).

That press conference is about as close as I can get to feeling sorry for a multimillionaire.

This mindset is what will prevent you from going down as the greatest of all time.

Lebron saying the Cavs "ran out of talent" is pretty harsh, but true.

Note: Mozgov played well again.

Who, of the greats, crossed the finish line with nondescript scrubs hanging off their backs? And of those, who relished in the task?

It wasn't a nice comment to say about your teammates, but it's the truth. He couldn't do it all by himself.

I wish our football team was this good, or even near it.

It was a bush league comment that served no purpose.

Sometimes LeBron really does come off as a spoiled kid brought up in the AAU world.

He promised win or lose they'd leave it all out on the floor. They did. Praise your teammates for giving it their all and leave it at that.

You did run out of talent but it was no ones fault. Just some really bad luck. I'm not sure what his motivation is to point it out.

Someone tell Shumpret to work on making layups aND etc.

Everytime it seemed he would attack, he'd either get stripped easily or miss horribly.

You have players like MJ with the killer instinct. The greats relish in playing hero ball, and being THE GUY who gets their team over the hump.

The guy just put up a 36/13/8 average in the Finals. I'd say he's got the hero ball thing down.

He may have been gassed, but he didn't "turn it on" when it we needed it the most. I probably just expect too much out of him :-\

Perhaps we've been spoiled by his play over the years, as this was one of the greatest Finals performances I've ever seen in my life. It just happened to come from a guy playing in a 7 man rotation that included James Jones. I don't think you can ask for more than LeBron gave.

Why does he need a "motivation" to point it out? We have become so cynical with celebrities and politicians that we think every word out of their mouths is calculated with some deeper meaning, part of some master plan. He's a human being, he's frustrated because he knows that with help from Kyrie/Love or both that this series is completely different... In the end our role players did what our role players are supposed to do, but that's fill a need, not be a 38 minute a game guy.... they all played hard but in the end, healthy talent beat less talented effort.

And I disagree with the MVP selection. Iguodala played very well, don't get me wrong.. but Curry was the most VALUABLE player. He made the most valuable plays at the most valuable times.

His run at the end of the loss in game 3 might have been the deciding factor. The Warriors were down, they were beaten, their body language was terrible.. then Curry got hot and even in a loss, he had them walking out of the arena feeling much better than they had at the end of the 3rd quarter of that game. then the shots he made in games 4, 5, and 6 were daggers, each and every one of them. Cavs would get behind, start on a bit of a run, then Curry would end that run with a 3. Sure, Iguodala made some shots but his were usually wide open spot up 3s created by the attention given to Curry.

The MVP award should have gone to Curry.. co-MVP should have gone to Kelly Olynyk.

I think Iguodala deserved it completely.

He certainly made a case for it. He hurt us more ways than one.

I see how Steph or Iggy could've got it.

Steph couldn't shut down LeBron, but he made ridiculous circus three pointers. I don't know how he nails those shots time after time. It's insane.

Iggy stopped our number one threat, and the tide turned. I could see that being the reason why he got the MVP.

Let's not forget that Shumpert was playing through a shoulder injury. I think that hurt his shooting and ball handling a great deal. They just had no one left to go to. In game 5, they went to Miller and Jones for a combined 32 minutes, and got 6 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists, 1 steal, and 0 blocks. Ugh. However, Blatt had to try the smaller lineup.

I nthink that the Cavaliers did all they could to win this series, they just did not have the talent without Kevin, Kyrie, and Andy.

Brian Windbag stirring the pot again .....

Has he got a story right since Lebron came back to Cleveland?

Report: Cavaliers want LeBron James' input in free agency - CBSSports.com
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-bask...-in-free-agency

The Cleveland Cavaliers have an interesting summer ahead of them, as LeBron James, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova will likely all hit free agency. The front office reportedly wants James to share his opinions about what should be done. From ESPN's Brian Windhorst:

The Cavs prefer he give a lot of input. In past similar situations, James has skewed toward passive-aggressiveness from the shadows. Taking such a position now would only add to the anxiety the franchise is sure to feel.

…

Ideally for the Cavs, James would come into his exit meeting with strong opinions: Sign this guy at any cost; don't worry about this guy; try to keep this guy, but don't break the bank.

No, this is not how things are supposed to be done in a classic NBA hierarchy. But the reality is the Cavs prefer James to be invested in their decisions so that everyone is on the same page. It's better than operating in a gray area, where they're uncertain of James' investment in working with a player going forward.

This is especially important in regard to Love. James very much pushed for the Cavs to trade for Love last summer, to the point where he was comfortable with No. 1 draft pick Andrew Wiggins being included. However, James and Love didn't particularly mesh well, on or off the court.

James is expected to opt out, become a free agent and sign a two-year contract with a player option on the second year, just like he did last summer. He has made it clear he wants Cleveland to keep Thompson. Smith is also expected to opt out, and you'd think that James would him back based on his public comments about him during the postseason. The gunner did have an extremely poor performance in the NBA Finals, however.

As long as the prices aren't prohibitive, it makes sense for the Cavs to retain Shumpert, a restricted free agent, Dellavedova, an unrestricted one. As for Love, things are a little more complicated. Cleveland general manager David Griffin has said repeatedly that he wants to bring him back, and Love has said he wants and expects to stay. The fit in his first year with the Cavs wasn't perfect, though, and there have long been rumors that he will explore his options.

ESPN noted that signing everybody means Cleveland could end up with a $110 payroll and more than $75 million in luxury tax payments next season, and that's probably the most prudent way to go forward despite the resulting lack of flexibility. If the Cavs do that, though, you can understand them wanting to know James is 100 percent behind the plan. It is unclear whether or not the superstar will be willing to be that involved.

My biggest fear with LeBron having input into FA, which I think he will, is his loyalty. I don't think it's that he doesn't want to win, I think that he believes he can win with his buddies instead of getting the best players that he either doesn't know or isn't fond of... Watching this roster, if Miller and Jones aren't draining 3s the second they come off the bench, they are of no value... that's about all they are good for.

That's my fear as well.

On a different note ... After listening to people (Laker fans) talk about how "great" players can win championships regardless of those piddly other players that happen to be on the team, I looked up some info:

If you take out the first two rookie years of a player and also subtract out years where the player played with an All-NBA Team teammate here's the records:

Lebron: 6 seasons
- Finals loss (*technically Kyrie was All-NBA, but he didn't really play)
- 2nd Round loss
- 3rd Round loss
- 2nd Round loss
- Finals loss
- 2nd Round loss

Kobe: 6 seasons
- No Playoffs (finished injured)
- No Playoffs (finished injured)
- Finals loss (*With Gasol after trade)
- 1st Round loss
- 1st Round loss
- No Playoffs


Jordan:
- No Playoffs (Old Wizards version)
- No Playoffs (Old Wizards version)
- Won Finals (*With Pippen, won several All-NBA teams after)
- 3rd Round loss
- 3rd Round loss
- 2nd Round loss
- 1st Round loss

So, if you throw out the years where the other two one with guys that would later win multiple All-NBA Team nods and add in this year where Lebron really didn't have Love or Irving, despite Irving getting a 3rd-Team mention ...

Lebron has 2 Finals losses and made it past the first round each time.

Kobe never got past the first round and didn't even make the playoffs three years.

Jordan couldn't get to the Finals either.

James Jones played very well in the playoffs and was a much better defender than I expected.

I agree about the loyalty thing though.

I think this Finals will teach him that loyalty isn't the way to go. Stock the team with guys that can score.

Some guy was on the radio whining about how people were 'taking away' from GS win because they were opining that if love or Irving were playing it would've been a different series and this guy went on to say that if the cavs were in the west they wouldn't even have made the post season.

Well, we took the team with the best record in the NBA all the way to game 6 in the finals with one superstar, maybe some elites maybe just legitimate starters AND A BUNCH OF ROLE PLAYERS!

Our future looks very bright indeed.

I agree with you

All things considered, it's kind of amazing that we won two games.

The Warriors are faster, deeper, more efficient and have better shooters.

I don't blame LeBron one bit for being as frustrated as he is.

I hope Kyrie and Love come back healthy next year, and I also hope the Cavs can add a little youth and explosion to that bench of theirs. Losing in the finals does hurt, but it was also kind of a forgone conclusion. It was a long shot heading into the series that Cleveland was going to win. Heart and effort can sometimes out shine talent on a good night, but eventually talent wins out, and in this case, it did.

Are we most likely facing a Thompson or Love situation? I was reading that if we brought everyone back we'd be looking at paying some $75 million in luxury tax. Any capologists out there?

I am also shocked we won the 2 games, but GS was shooting terrible in those 2 games.

I totally agree with Lebron's comment. Should he have come out and said it? Absolutely not, but the rest of the team was useless.

Being honest though, I don't know if we beat GS even fully healthy. And you would have a hard time convincing me that we'll be winning it all next year with Kyrie and Love back. Who's going to stop GS from winning next year too?

I thought Kelly Olynyk deserved some consideration.

Motivation doesn't imply he stayed up all night Monday and decided he was going to insult his teammates if they lost. Motivation can be manufactured on the fly. You don't think LeBron thinks about what he says before he says it during the second or two between question and answer in an interview? He's one of the most measured athletes when it comes to what comes out of his mouth - especially after The Decision.

It was a pointless comment that has the potential to do more harm than good. That's not good leadership. The guys know they let him down. Why add salt to the wound? These guys that got "out-talented" have a place on this team when the rest of the guys are healthy. They are good players. As one of those players, that comment wouldn't sit right with me even if deep down I knew it was true.

So what was his motivation? Maybe it was he just didn't give a damn. But I think it demonstrated poor leadership at the time. I think LeBron is a great leader, in general. I think that comment was not in line with that.

I'd let JR Smith walk and try to get Gerald Green.

I think he was just being vulnerably honest in a moment of defeat. I can't say it was the right choice of words, but I won't criticize him for it. I'd rather hear earnest reflection than "both teams played hard".

JR is fine.

JR had to revert to the old ways of "it's only Carmelo and me" creating anything.

we just need a healthy squad. man i remember kyrie and smith on the floor together this season. talk about a slaughter fest.

If you can't upgrade, then let's try not to panic and stick with what we have. If we had 3 average players picking up minutes in the series and giving other guys rest, we might of been able to beat them anyway. Let alone Love, Irving and Varejao.

Cavs are early favorites in Vegas to win it all next year.

JR is a great 3rd option on offense, where the defense cannot concentrate on him ..... but he is an awful 2nd option.

Fortunately, on a team with Lebron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love, he'll only be a 3rd/4th option, and the defense won't be able to concentrate on him.

As far as Tristan, I think that he did a great job in the playoffs, but he is not Kevin Love. Love can do most of what Tristan did, and also can hit shots from outside. Hopefully we use Love more as we used Thompson in the playoffs,allowing him to play under the hoop more, getting rebounds and doing the things he does so well. (scoring down low, passing, and seeing the court) I would love to keep Thompson, but I suspect that he is going to be way too expensive for us to handle. He is not a max player. Not without a better offensive game. His defense is OK, but he is not a lock down defender. He is a very useful player, and one that I would love to keep on the team, but I don't know how that happens with our other salary commitments.

I think that Delly is back, and in his proper role he can be very useful. A healthy Shumpert is also a very nice piece of the puzzle. I think that Smith will be back, as long as he doesn't ask for the moon. He is a very good 3rd/4th offensive option.

I think that James, Irving, and Love are no-brainers. (especially if Love wants a 1 year deal with an option) Obviously Mozgov will be back as well. Miller has a player option, and has said he's coming back. Andy just signed a new deal, and will be here as well. I think that the team likes Harris' potential, and that he will probably return as well.

Haywood will not be here come opening day. We will either use his $10 million non guaranteed deal in a trade, or cut him.

Perkins will not be here. Marion has said that he is going to retire. I don't think that Jones wants to play another year. If he did, I would consider bringing him back. In the right role, he can be very effective.

So, back, almost for sure are:

Lebron
Kyrie
Kevin
Andy
Moz
Shumpert
Harris
Miller
and, I think, Delly.

I think that JR has a solid chance of returning, and Jones is probably a 50/50 guy.

Tristan is a huge question mark.

Haywood, Perkins, and Marion will not be back.

So, we will have between 3-6 spots to fill this coming off-season. It will be interesting to see what we do with the assets we have. Will we keep Miller, or trade him for value? Will we be able to trade Haywood's deal for a useful piece?

Should be interesting to watch.