Four-time MVP LeBron James is concerned with the Cavaliers’ offseason moves, or lack thereof, a source tells Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. According to Zillgitt, the team’s decision to part with its top two front office executives right before free agency left James “frustrated and concerned” about the Cavs’ ability to build a roster capable of beating the Warriors.
While the Cavaliers were linked to big-name trade targets such as Paul George and Jimmy Butler, those players ultimately ended up being sent elsewhere. Instead, Cleveland has made modest moves to attempt to fortify its bench. Jose Calderon and Jeff Green were signed to minimum salary contracts, and part of the taxpayer MLE was used on Cedi Osman, though the 22-year-old is unlikely to have a major impact in Cleveland this season.
While James is realistic about the Cavaliers’ cap- and tax-related limitations, he wonders why the club entered the offseason “without veteran front-office execs in place to execute complicated moves,” writes Zillgitt.
According to Zillgitt, the Cavs appeared to be getting close to a deal for Butler before owner Dan Gilbert decided to part ways with GM David Griffin and VP of basketball operations Trent Redden. Having been unable to secure top GM candidate Chauncey Billups, Gilbert continues to evaluate the club’s front office structure, with assistant GM Koby Altman running the show for now.
There’s still time this offseason for the Cavs to make roster additions, and it’s possible the team’s minor moves to date will turn out better than expected. However, team ownership and management will certainly need to take LeBron’s concerns seriously, since he’s eligible for free agency in 2018, and a return to Cleveland isn’t considered a lock.
this front office is ridiculous
The owner is ridiculous…Griffen did his job…owner does not value the GM role. LBJ miffed about losing Griffen…he leaves next year…Kyrie goes next…Cavs return to annual dumpster fire.
Lebron is ridiculous. Don’t see him giving up any money from his pay roll to enable team to make moves.
yeahh, part of me realizes that lebron is a billionaire and he should take a huge paycut in order to get the right pieces around him at this stage of his career. but in the same token thats not realistic
Even if lebron took a pay cut they are still over cap. And let’s not make out what Durant did as noble he saved the owner tax money is all.
Banana Boat
Come to Charlotte pls
Yea not a great look to not have a front office in place. Warriors are still heavy favorites but Calderon/Jeff Green/Cedi might be an upgrade on Deron Williams/Dahntay Jones/James Jones/Derrick Williams
Lol each of those groups is terrible when you compare them to Livingston, Swaggy P, Omri Casspi, D West, Iguodala and not to mention Bell, who appears to be another Draymond like steal. Cavs have less of a chance than last year
If he is talking about the pure transactions then Lebron has no one to blame but himself. He held the franchise hostage since 2015 and forced them to make moves that hurt them now. Crying for more “playmakers”. Trading Wiggins for Love. Signing shumpert and JR to ridiculous contracts. Look in the mirror lebron
The moves lebron “cried” for led them to a championship against the greatest regular season team of all time.
Haters gonna hate though
No he actually cried for more playmakers AFTER the championship which is even worse. All after the awful JR contract that lebron forced them to make
I love how when somebody says they need something these days they are winning and crying for it. The biggest difference in the NBA finals this year was the warriors had 5-6 guys that could handle the ball and play make while the cavs had 2. Lebron saw that coming and said they needed another playmaker and he was 100% right. So he was completely right but because he said it to the media he is crying about it. That’s just idiotic logic.
If you believe anything but the Durant was the difference in the NBA finals you are delousional. Lebron has 2 other superstars and a solid bench. Mabey they shouldn’t have traded Wiggins, he is a good “playmaker”
1. Your right about Durant, but if you take Durant off the Warriors you still have a championship roster. What made the Warriors pre-Durant so good? Ball movement. Curry, Klay, and Draymond can all run the offense (and with the exception of Draymond, carry the offense) while Livingston and Iguodala are good playmakers (better than any non Kyrie/LeBron Cavs’ “playmaker”).
2. You trade Wiggins, you don’t have Love (unless you suggest the Cavs should’ve traded Kyrie for him). Plus, Love is not capable of running an offense or having the offense run through him. He needs a playmaker. The offense only went through him in Minnesota because the next best option was Ricky Rubio. Also, Wiggins is not a playmaker either. He’s a solid two-way player but he’s not a playmaker. He’s no longer the first, or even second, best option on his team with Butler’s arrival and KAT’s continued growth.
3. The bench was solid, but is filled with one-way players or guys who disappeared in the playoffs. Shump can’t shoot and is an overrated defender, Deron Williams and Kyle Korver disappeared, Channing Frye is mismatched against KD/Green, and RJ is too old to run around with Curry/Klay/KD.
If you think Kevin love is a super star you are delusional. Kyrie has super star offensive ability but barely a barrage defense capability. Also if the cavs hadn’t fall on their face in the last 2 minutes of game three that would have been a 2-2 series going into game 5. Lebron and kyrie dribbled the ball more in game 5 that the entire warriors team combined dribbled the ball the entire game. Ball movement and play makers is what won the warriors this championship. Durant is a big part but if the cavs don’t fall apart in game 3 with Durant the warriors would have been 3-3 vs the games in the playoffs and regular season.
Wiggins was the worst defender in the NBA last year, not sure why he would give them any better of a chance against the warriors.
How quickly we forget the first time Lebron was in Cleveland and didn’t hold the franchise responsible. They second best player they would bring in to play with him was Mo Williams. Lebron back packed the worst group of talent in NBA finals history to the finals as a 22 year old. So now that he is making sure he has talent to play with and the team is going to contend he is holding them hostage. At this point we judge Lebron on rings and milestone accomplishments. So because he makes sure he is able to chase both of those every year by making his team pay players he is the villain.
The Shumpert, T Thompson, and JR deals were bad business. Complete overpays and that’s undeniable. I’m not even a fan of the new Korver deal and Channing Frye just was chilling the entire playoffs it seemed. The Cavs roster is a mess and will be in huge trouble if LeBron leaves
And people wonder why Gilbert didn’t bring back griffin
He should be concerned. If the Cavs was in the West this coming season they wouldn’t be in the top 3
If the cavs played baseball they wouldn’t be in the top 32
Go to LA Bron
LeGm just mad he messed up cavs so bad he will have leave. Tristian Thompson and love aren’t Max players, playing jr smith what they are paying for a one dimensional offensive first guard is ridiculous. Handicapped for the next decade, something Gilbert deserves.
That’s why I don’t want him to play for the Lakers. STAY!! You’re getting long in the tooth anyway!
Ahaha Durant messed up his own and lebrons legacy and is going to make Steph one of the greats.
Trade for Melo please.
Lebron was the real gm so it’s on him. Why don’t he sacrifice salary like KD
He strongly dislikes the owner of the Cavs so after bringing a chip to cle, he has very little reason to sacrifice salary because his sacrifice wouldn’t allow cle to pursue a high level free agent anyway. He’s pissed because Gilbert is signing front office execs who can obtain players with cle current salary situation. KD sacrificed salary because gsw’s front office is elite and he loves the team
KD sacrificed salary so the team could retain one of their own free agents (who they had Bird Rights). LeBron sacrificing salary wouldn’t do much unless they needed the money to resign one of their guys. They can’t just take “x” amount of salary away from LeBron and give it to a free agent because they won’t be able to sign them.
WOW it’s amazing the GM of the cavs is still pulling some stupid s*** after winning a championship……………..smh if they don’t get melo it’s over he leaving
Highly unlikely LeBron stays in cle. He dislikes the owner, the front office is now dysfunctional, and Cleveland is not a place people want to live
Even though they need JR Smith and Shumpert right now, Thompson, Frye, and those guys were the guys they needed to find a way to move this offseason in money for money type of deals, and they obviously couldn’t or wouldn’t do it. But pretty much, those 4 deals are currently hurting them in their ability to make changes/get better
They brought over Cedi Osman. I’ve heard and seen some good things about him defensively, so let’s see how that translates. They really need that. That being said, their only assets were his rights and their 2021 1st round pick. My guess is that the bold/creative stuff that was pretty much their only option for making changes and getting better was too risky for them, or they just couldn’t get a trade together involving that much money going out and coming back….and that’s where you see them sign guys like Calderon and Jeff Green. I just don’t understand why they haven’t tried to get better defensively. Green should help on offense, but there’s 2 sides of.the ball, and nobody plays defense on that team, besides Lebron, Shumpert, and I guess JR Smith sometimes
Maybe because of all the rumors that he’s leaving? Won’t matter though the warriors got KD! HaHa
“Whay, Whay, Whay” – cry us a river Mr. James. You started this concept of “super teams” and now it is biting you where you sit.
What happened to teams with tradition of keeping a core of players and augmenting them with draft choices? Sure they wore tighter shorts, but they were a lot more fun to follow.
It’s hard to fault ownership or prior or current management when, at LeBron’s insistence, they’ve been making win-now, damn the luxury tax, moves since he came back. It worked to get them to 3 straight finals, but it’s also left them with bad contracts (e.g., LeBron pushed them to re-sign Thompson and JR to untradable contracts) and few remaining trade assets, all while suffering from restrictions placed on repeat taxpayers and losing money. Forgeting the last part, the one trade asset (beyond KI) they have is Love. He can still bring back something that might change the dynamic. Thompson, JR or Shumpert have negative value.
Cry me a river Lebron.