Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James Learning The Cruel Reality Of Starting Over

Things were supposed to be different for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. Instead, he’s learning the cruel reality of starting over

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When LeBron James decided to take his talents back to join the Cleveland Cavaliers and team up with Kyrie Irving — and later Kevin Love — it seemed like the right idea.

At the time, I’m not sure many would’ve argued that he was making a bad decision. After all, Dwyane Wade wasn’t getting younger and was showing true signs of diminishing. Meanwhile, both Irving and Love were budding superstars in the NBA. On paper, it was a win-win for LeBron James.

He won his championships in Miami, and was going to be able to return home and possibly continue his championship window with younger players — at least that’s what it seemed like at the time.

Fast forward nearly 10 months later, and that outlook has drastically changed. While it’s easy to look at things in retrospect, the struggles that LeBron James is currently battling in the second round of the NBA playoffs should’ve been predicted.

Only we didn’t. Mostly, because we got caught up in the narrative — and that letter that LeBron wrote in Sports Illustrated.

LeBron currently sits in a 2-1 series hole at the hands of the Chicago Bulls. Kevin Love is out for the remainder of the playoffs and his sidekick is coming off a game in which he shot 3-13 and finished with zero assists.

ZERO.

In a somewhat similar fashion — much like his first go around with the Cleveland Cavaliers — it’s becoming more and more apparent that the Cavs are only going to go as far as LeBron James can carry them. Which is “exactly” why he left Miami in the first place, right?

He left because of what happened against the Spurs in last year’s Finals, when get got little to no help from Wade or Bosh.

It was supposed to be different next to Irving and Love.

It’s not.

And it’s probably worse, considering that LeBron is having one of his worst statistically inefficient runs in quite some time.

A few regular season stats, via Real GM:

In the regular season, LeBron James shot below 50 percent from the field for the first time since 2009. He shot 57 percent last season in Miami; he’s only shooting 49 percent this year.
He’s shooting 71 percent from the free throw line this season, his worst mark since 2008.
LeBron finished this year with a total shot percentage of 58 percent, his worst mark since 2008.
His effective field goal percentage was 54 percent, his worst mark since 2009.
His usage percentage was 32.50, the highest since the last time he was in Cleveland.
Lastly, LeBron’s PER was 25.91, the third lowest of his career.

And now the playoff stats, via the Wall Street Journal’s Chris Herring:

LeBron is shooting 19 percent from 10 feet out or further in the series against the Chicago Bulls.
He’s shooting 24 percent on open jumpers.
And shooting only 35 percent when he holds the ball for six seconds or more. In other words, iso situations.

A nice note from Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick: LeBron has 72 field goals in postseason. Only 15 are assisted.

Perhaps the ultimate true mark around the premise that LeBron is having to do everything himself in the playoffs. That was not the case in Miami.

To follow: last season 319 of LeBron's 767 field goals were assisted (41.6%). This season, just 215 of 624 (34%). Coaching or teammates?
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) May 9, 2015

Maybe LeBron James did make the right decision of leaving Miami for Cleveland, but there’s no way to prove that right now. To argue that now would be premature and without any legs to stand on. Once again, as was the case during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron is struggling when the entire team’s onus falls on his shoulders.

And that’s nothing to criticize him over.

With so many parallels, it’s extremely difficult not to try to compare LeBron’s stint with the Miami Heat to his new stint with the Cavs. And this postseason is shaping up exactly like the Heat’s 2012 playoff run — where Chris Bosh was lost early in the second round of the playoffs.

The Indiana Pacers took a 2-1 series lead over the Heat after a Game 3 victory, too. Although, in the next three games, Dwyane Wade became the sidekick that LeBron James needed to get over the hump. In Game 4, Wade went for 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists; 28 points, three rebounds and three assists in Game 5; and 41 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in Game 6.

The Heat would go on to win three straight games to close out the Pacers in six games. What will Kryie do when LeBron needs him most?

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have their work cut out for them. Perhaps though, more than anything, he’s finally realizing what starting over feels like again.

In the playoffs, it could become a rude awakening. Despite how trying the regular season was or wasn’t. Things in Cleveland are beginning to feel eerily similar to LeBron’s first stint with the Cavs. Which was not the idea heading into this season. Even if we should’ve saw this coming from a mile away.

Next: Pau Gasol's injury could doom the Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland