The Cavs have stumbled out of the gate this new year, and are looking at their lead in the Eastern Conference disappear fast. They certainly don't look like a team worthy of a repeat, and with all the pieces they have, it's sad to say. They've lost to many teams they should roll through and many thought that the recent acquisition of sharpshooter Kyle Korver would be the piece they need. Well, according to LeBron James, they need more than just that.

Its been a long month

The month of January has been a bad month for the Cavs, and that's being generous.

To put in this in perspective, the Philadelphia 76ers have a better record in the month of January than the defending champs. The Sixers have a record of 7-3 in the month of January, while the Cavs are a dismal 5-6. That is below .500, which is really surprising from a defending champion. This month they have lost to the Jazz, Trailblazers, and the Pelicans. They seem out of sorts, trying to make sure everyone gets the touches they need, trying to incorporate Kyle Korver, and much more.

The Warriors, who are in the better conference, are rolling through opponents. The Cavs' defense has dropped off considerably, as they are giving up 108.5 PPG in January. That's not the usual Cavaliers defense we all are used to.

In January their offensive efficiency is 103.5 ranking 26th in the league. That's a drop-off from where it was from October through December of 2016 when it was 111.3, ranking 4th in the league.

LeBron is sick of it

With January being a hard month for the Cavs, LeBron James made sure he let his frustrations be known about the team after the team's loss to the Pelicans, LeBron said "We got to figure it out.

It's been a (expletive) 2017 so far." (ESPN). LeBron isn't lying, though, as they have been tough to watch this new year. LeBron has gone on the record saying that the Cavs need a playmaker to take their team to the next level, and he made sure he got his point across again, saying: "We need a (expletive) playmaker" (ESPN), that was more aggressive than the previous time he said it. He also explained that this Cavs team is "top-heavy."

In a sense he is right, because if you look at their roster, besides James, Love, and Irving, they really don't have another option for quick buckets. LeBron has a history of "complaining" when his teams are on a slide but this seems very genuine. LeBron noted that he is getting older, explaining that he doesn't have time to play games, as he will be 33 this December.

James holds himself and his team to a high standard, and they aren't meeting it -- himself included.

With his frustrations being known, will the Cavs front office try to find the playmaker he has been asking for? They have come through in the past, when they brought in players like J.R Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Timofey Mozgov, when they needed pieces. Until they do, LeBron needs to try to finish out January strong, as they have four more games this month. The Cavs must figure it out before they end up losing the lead in the east, and possibly get another coach fired like they did David Blatt.
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