Cavaliers' record without LeBron takes another hit with loss to Bulls
When you remove a player the caliber of LeBron James from any lineup, it's going to have a negative impact no matter how talented the guys around him are.
You can refer to him as the heart and soul of the Cleveland Cavaliers, their backbone, conscience, or any other description of that nature, and all of it would be true. James is irreplaceable, and without him in uniform, the drop-off is more than noticeable.
For just the fourth time this season, the four-time league Most Valuable Player wasn't available for Cleveland. Head coach Tyronn Lue told James to stay home for being sick ahead of their matchup against the visiting Chicago Bulls on Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
And once again, the Cavaliers failed to put a win on the board sans their fearless leader, falling by 18 points in a 117-99 loss to the Bulls.
Cleveland wasn't exactly playing with a full deck of cards here, as not only were they without the services of their King, but regulars Kevin Love and J.R. Smith were also sidelined due to injury. This put a great deal of pressure on the shoulders of Kyrie Irving, who nearly notched his first triple-double of the campaign (34 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in 35 minutes). It's never a good sign when seldom-used James Jones is your second-leading scorer (14 points off the bench), which was the case on this occasion.
In the three seasons James has been with the Cavaliers since his return to the franchise back in 2014, the team has compiled an unfavorable record of 4-19 when he's out, including 0-4 in 2016-17. When it comes to hard numbers, Cleveland is 9.6 points better offensively per 100 possessions this season when he's on the floor, while giving up 2.9 more points per 100 possessions on defense when he sits.
Cleveland Cavaliers Without LeBron James
| Season | Record |
|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 3-10 |
| 2015-16 | 1-5 |
| 2016-17 | 0-4 |
(courtesy: Basketball-Reference.com)
If you dig deeper into the record, you'll discover instances where James wasn't the only big name in Cleveland's rotation that didn't play, whether that be Irving, Love, a combination of the three, or all of them at once. It's not an excuse for all 19 losses, it could definitely account for some.
Nonetheless, a 4-19 mark can't be ignored. The Cavaliers rely heavily on James' contributions, which explains why he's still near the top of the Association in minutes per game (37.5), despite having the mileage on his body that he does. His usage rate is the lowest of his career since being a rookie at 29.4, but it's still high enough to rank 14th overall.
By all accounts, the 32-year-old will be back in the lineup soon enough, as it was brought up during Saturday's telecast that he may have strep throat. Well, the sooner the better, because as history has shown us, the Cavaliers are extremely vulnerable without their royal highness sitting on his throne.