Cleveland Cavaliers: The Inner Turmoil in Cleveland Grows

It’s been a rough two weeks for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  With the season wrapping up in a month, we break down the recent turmoil in “The Land”

Earlier last week, rumors emerged that Kyrie Irving was unhappy with the situation in Cleveland and was looking for a way out.

In the exact words of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who first reported the surprising news, Irving: “…under ideal circumstances he would prefer to be someplace other than Cleveland.”

Predictably, when asked about the report, Irving denied that he had such feelings.

Days later, a few cryptic tweets from LeBron James were punctuated by a video released of him working out in Miami with friend and, most interesting, former teammate Dwyane Wade.

Now, all of this has fans in Cleveland, and beyond, buzzing. What is going on with the Cleveland Cavaliers?

So far, the Cavs remain in first place in the Eastern Conference with just over a month of games left to play. Not a bad place to be.

Unfortunately, they are only two games ahead of the second seeded Toronto Raptors.

More pressingly, they have lost three of their last six games: one loss was to the Pistons and then back-to-back losses to the Raptors and Wizards. They have a huge matchup with the Boston Celtics Saturday.

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Then, there’s big man Anderson Varejao, who has been with the Cavaliers since James’ first stint with the team, being traded to the Portland Trailblazers only to be waived immediately after.

The Brazilian center has since joined the Golden State Warriors where undoubtedly they plan to use his inside knowledge of the Cavs should they face them in the Finals, as is expected.

The timing of these events has many fans jumping to the conclusion that the King of “The Land” might be taking his talents back to South Beach.

Now, is there reason to worry?

This season, no.

Regardless of any rumblings, the Cavaliers have their best chance to win a title this season. They are the best team team in the East and are practically 100 percent healthy. With the franchise’s first championship within their grasp, you simply can not count out a possibility of the Cavaliers putting aside what they need to in order to overcome the team coming out of the West.

The long-term future is another story.

The Miami Heat of 2015 are very different already from the one that lost James in 2014. Wade, who saw a subtle yet visible decline during James’ tenure in Miami, has seemingly found new legs as the unquestioned leader of the Heat again.

The squad is also bolstered by new acquisitions in Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic.

There is nothing wrong with LeBron being friends with D-Wade. In fact, I find it endearing.

However, I do think it illustrates an issue if in his spare time James is working out with Wade rather than finding a way to make things work with Irving and Kevin Love. After all, they are the ones who will suit up with him in Oakland should they reach the Finals again.

Now, could LeBron James leave the Cavs and put the team in shambles again? The easy answer is no.  How could he? The blow that his image would take from leaving his hometown – again – would be unimaginable. It’s the kind of thing that could easily change his lifetime contract with Nike.

That said, winning changes everything. If LeBron truly believes that a title is closer in Miami than with Cleveland, then it is his career to do as he chooses.

At the end of the day, it was just a short video on social media. But if there truly wasn’t a reason to worry for Cavliers fans, it wouldn’t turn into sports talk fodder like this:

If it were any other team it wouldn’t matter. But, when the best team in the East is being turned into a running joke on national television, order has to be restored if they are to be taken seriously as a contender.

Next: 5 Reasons Why The Cleveland Cavaliers Will Still Win The NBA Championship

LeBron James – and the Cleveland Cavaliers – need to put aside their differences, if there is indeed any, and just do what he does best. Play basketball.