Cleveland Cavaliers just can't get it going this season and they are currently in the 13th spot in the East. Yes, you read that right. The reigning Eastern Conference champions have dealt with numerous problems in the opening month of the season, but it appears that their troubles won't end anytime soon. The Cavs opened November with a loss at home against the Indiana Pacers. Once again, the Cavaliers did not just lose, they got blown out.
Despite a poor start of the season, LeBron James has tried to stay optimistic. However, something has to be changed before it's too late.
Even though Cleveland has only played eight games in the season, it is obvious that something is wrong, but they need to figure out what. After the last game, James shared his thoughts about the Cavaliers, saying they cannot bring out a consistent effort.
LeBron James wants consistency
The Cavaliers had a team meeting one day before their game against the Pacers, but it seems that it had no effect. LeBron said he felt positive and he was definitely optimistic about his team. However, things may have changed after Cleveland dropped another game. To make things worse, this was their fourth straight loss.
"We can't sustain effort for 48 minutes," James said reporters after the loss. The Cavaliers were down by one point at the halftime, but they collapsed in the second half, allowing the Pacers to outscore them by 16 points and win the game.
The fourth quarter was especially bad as Cleveland was outscored 32 to 22.
"I don't know," LeBron James said when he was asked how his team can improve. "Get in better shape, be more mindful of what's going on. There's a lot of things you can do." The Cavaliers forward also mentioned injury problems the team is dealing with, saying it's very hard on the Cavaliers.
Tristan Thompson is out
Tristan Thompson suffered a calf strain and will be sidelined for a month. Considering that the Cavaliers do not have a reliable backup to replace Thompson, Kevin Love will most likely be moved to a center position once again. This plan hasn't worked for Cleveland so far in the season, so it's questionable if they can win games with Love at the five.
Head coach Tyronn Lue will have to figure out another plan, but it better be fast. This is the worst start of a season in LeBron James' career and coach Lue is on the hot seat. Being two games under .500 is already an underachievement, and if the Cavaliers don't get on a win streak soon, he may get fired.
