Report: LeBron James concerned gap hasn’t closed with Warriors
According to a report, LeBron James is concerned with how the Cleveland Cavaliers have their attempt to compete with the Golden State Warriors.
When two teams have met in the NBA Finals for three straight years, they make moves to compete against each other and not necessarily the rest of the league. In this case, the Golden State Warriors are making moves to stay on top for a long time, while the Cavaliers are trying to even things up.
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Both teams are paying a ridiculous amount of payroll and there’s a very real chance that they end up meeting in the NBA Finals for a fourth straight year. However, each has gone in a different direction this offseason in terms of news. This has LeBron James concerned, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
“Expecting an aggressive offseason approach that would close the gap on the champion Golden State Warriors, James soon found his anticipation and optimism diminished after Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert dismantled the front office.” Zillgit noted.
The Cavaliers ousted David Griffin and are working on putting together a front office. Their free agency has also been a little lackluster, save for Warriors legend Jose Calderon joining the fold and Kyle Korver returning. The Warriors meanwhile have kept the core together and added two dynamite shooters with Omri Casspi and Nick Young jumping on board. Oh, and they drafted a potential future stud in Jordan Bell.
It’s definitely easy to understand James’ disappointment with the Cavaliers. Griffin was believed to have been working on several huge deals that could have landed a Jimmy Butler or Paul George in Cleveland. If that had happened, people would be talking about the Cavaliers’ offseason in a much different light.
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Instead, everyone is wondering what exactly Gilbert is doing and whether or not this is going to push James out the door in free agency next season. The Warriors have pretty much turned the league upside down and it makes you wonder if James feels the Cavaliers can compete as currently constructed.
For these two teams, it’s not about making the NBA Finals. That’s been a guarantee for the respective franchises. It’s about being better than the other and right now Cleveland hasn’t done anything to help do that.