The disoriented, discombobulated Cleveland Cavaliers are no longer in existence. Since pulling off a few major trades during the trade deadline, the Cavs have been a completely different team. They put together pieces that fit the puzzle, and the frowns have suddenly turned upside down.
However, it wasn’t really the players the Cavaliers brought in to play with LeBron James.
Rather, it was the players who left Cleveland that has changed and inspired this team to play better. In fact, after the trades were completed, reports surfaced that Dwyane Wade was causing the entire ruckus in the locker room, essentially destroying team chemistry.
Wade caused more problems than you know
On Friday morning, more reports surfaced about Wade’s negative influence on the Cavaliers. Apparently, it was Wade who attacked Kevin Love for leaving a January 20 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with an illness after the Cavs were thumped by 24 points. Initially, it was reported that Isaiah Thomas was the one who called out Love.
“Yes, Thomas was upset that Kevin Love went home with an illness…but sources said, it was Wade who first made an issue of it on Monday, challenging Lue to disclose where Love had been,” Joe Varden of Cleveland Plain Dealer writes in his report.
Wade came over to Cleveland after receiving a buyout from the Chicago Bulls last summer. He was excited to rejoin his Heat teammate LeBron James, but this time around, things did not work out for the best.
The Cavaliers traded Wade back to Miami for a 2020 second-round pick, allowing him to reunite with his old team and eventually retire in a Heat uniform. When Wade was traded, reports suggested that he wanted to go back to Miami, and the Cavaliers granted his wish.
Life since the trade deadline
It seems like the dark cloud that was over the head of Cleveland has gone away now. The group they have now is enjoying playing alongside each other, and most importantly, they are winning games. The Cavaliers have since defeated the Boston Celtics on the road by 22 points, the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road by eight, and the Atlanta Hawks on the road by 16, even though the traded players weren’t playing in that game.
LeBron James has been all smiles since the trade, even though his Banana Boat buddy Wade is gone. The Cavaliers are currently riding a four-game winning streak heading into the All-Star break and are once again the favorites in the East.