What's Up With Lebron James?
NBA fans all over the world are losing their mind over how average (being humble here) the Cleveland Cavaliers are this season. They score an average of 109.8 points per game while giving away 112.5 points to their opponents per game.
The result?
The Cavs (7-7) have a record worse than the New York Knicks (7-6) - the team that was 12th in the weak Eastern Conference last season.
When Kyrie Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics in the offseason, it was understandable that the Cavs offense will suffer a bit but will eventually recover with Mr. 4th Quarter - Isaiah Thomas once he recovers from his hip injury. Having said that, nobody imagined the Cavaliers to be this bad without Irving and Thomas.
NBA superstar Lebron James is playing his 15th season in the league and is believed to be still in his prime. James is on the court for 38.1 minutes (career: 38.9 mins) and is averaging 28.1 points (career: 27.1 pts) while other Cavs starters like Kevin Love and JR Smith are averaging 17.6 and 7.9 points respectively.
Bringing in Miami teammate/buddy Dwyane Wade and former MVP Derrick Rose onboard hasn't been as fruitful as the Cavs front office would have wanted it to be.
Under the given circumstances, it is fathomable that Lebron James is bound to lose his temper every now and then. Take the case of this scuffle between James and the Houston Rockets F-G Trevor Ariza which led to the monstrous jam by the King.
A few days later, Lebron James got it going with the New York Knicks center Enes Kanter.
Despite the fact that the Cavs are going through a tough time, it is highly unlikely for James to get in a trash-talk competition. This could only mean either of the two possibilities:
a ) Lebron James is tired of losing to below average teams and is taking out his frustrations whenever he sees an opening.
b) James is trying to bring a feeling of aggression in his teammates by doing all the dirty work himself.
Getting into a bit of a jersey-pulling to motivate your teammates isn't that rare in the NBA. Current Los Angeles Clipper's Point Guard Patrick Beverly and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is known for getting into such incidents with the opponents to get their teams going in the process.
We can't be absolutely certain as to what is going on in Lebron James' head but all we know is that James is an excellent leader and is willing to do whatever it takes for his team to win, be it trash talking to somebody or riding the New York subway during office hours.