Report: LeBron unfollowed Cavs as prep for distraction-free playoffs

LeBron James' Twitter account has been perhaps the single most scrutinized entity in the NBA this season.

Whether he's seemingly subtweeting his teammates, using misdirection by tweeting in (Da Vinci) code, sharing his "beautiful mind," or demanding that unreleased Kendrick Lamar tracks see the light of day, James has been steadily whipping up a tornado of media attention, 140 characters at a time.

So naturally, when he unfollowed his own team's official account, it didn't go unnoticed. There was up-in-arms confusion, a call for answers (which James himself declined to provide), and concern about what it meant, specifically for James' future with the Cavaliers.

The fact that James has given himself one-year out clauses in successive contracts since returning to Cleveland two summers ago has cast a shroud of uncertainty and anxiety over every single thing he does, says, or tweets. These things get read into and picked apart; any hint he might bolt again in the offseason is latched onto and blown up.

That's reportedly not what's going on here. A source close to James told Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon on Monday night that James simply unfollowed the team as part of his annual process of eliminating unnecessary media-related distractions leading up to and during the playoffs:

James' unfollowing of the Cavs was sort of a preamble, the source said. He's starting to pare down some of the "noise" without shutting off his account entirely.

"There's too much nonsense out there," James said last spring, explaining why he cuts himself off from technology and social media this time of year. "I lock in right now. And I don't need nothing creeping into my mind for no reason that don't need to be there. I save all my energy and effort towards this team. That's all that matters."

According to Vardon, James calls this process "Zero Dark 23." Between that, "Da Vinci Code," and "Beautiful Mind," you get the sense he might be coming up with this stuff after Sunday night viewing parties.

Vardon notes that James has unfollowed multiple accounts in recent days, including those of prominent NBA media members and Cavaliers beat writers. But as long as the specter of another free-agency summer looms over James, Cleveland fans will likely struggle to draw an easy breath.