When a 2-time champion and 4-time MVP joins your team, the natural line of thinking would be that he is the centerpiece of your team. However, that may not be the case for the Cleveland Cavaliers as LeBron James and Kevin Love join Kyrie Irving to form one of the most talented teams in the league.
According to James, the ball will not just be in his hands for the majority of plays. Irving will have the spotlight on him just as much.
"I'll probably handle the ball a little bit, but this is Kyrie's show," James said following a team practice Saturday. "He's our point guard. He's our floor general, and we need him to put us in position to succeed offensively. He has to demand that and command that from us with him handling the ball."
James, who is considered by many to be a "point forward" because of his excellent court vision and passing abilities, split ball handling duties with Dwyane Wade during his fours year with the Miami Heat. Another chance to play with a talented ball handler in Irving seemed to me a motivating factor for James' return to Cleveland.
"Coming back, my letter kind of spoke for it, what this city and Northeast Ohio, what I mean to it. That had a lot to do with it, probably 95 percent of it. And the fact that Kyrie was here as well. That's a huge part," James said. "I've never played with a point guard like Kyrie Irving, a guy that can kind of take over a game for himself. We need it. So, that was a huge thing and that was way before we even got Love and signed Mike Miller and Trix (Shawn Marion) and the rest of the guys. That was very intriguing."
While James has announced his plan to delegate significant responsibility to Irving, the point guard knows he must also concede control back to James.
"I'll be ready to shoot every single time," Irving said with a laugh when asked about James playing point guard. "If I'm off the ball, I'm ready to shoot. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to win. Obviously he's the greatest player playing the game right now, so if he's on the ball, like I said, I'll be ready to shoot. But if I'm on the ball, my job is to get everybody involved and make plays."
The Cavaliers will kick off the season Oct. 30 against the New York Knicks.
