Lebron James. Photo by Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock It was February 8, 2018. Cleveland Cavaliers were in a slump. LeBron James – the best basketball player in the world – was allowing his team to get swiped by the likes of Orlando Magic. No offense to Magic fans, but no one takes this team seriously anymore. People started panicking. The Cavs returns for Kyrie Irving in form of Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder were just shadows of former themselves, while newcomers like Derrick Rose never managed to fit in. There was trouble written all over this team. Perhaps only Nick Wright continued to believe that James could win the Eastern Conference with such squad. The guy managed to give the Warriors a tough time even with Matthew Dellavedova as his point guard. Why wouldn't he be able to go through the Toronto Raptors or Boston Celtics by himself?The Cavs general manager Koby Altman, however, didn't want to test the capabilities of his star player to this limit. He started flipping players and draft picks, determined to clear the air in the locker room and also give James something to work with. Thomas, Crowder, Rose, Dwyane Wade, Channing Frye, and Iman Shumpert were all out of the door. Their replacements in Rodney Hood, George Hill, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. looked just the opposite. Taller, more athletic and most importantly; younger.Now, after watching two games of the new Cavs, it is likely that they will book another appearance in the NBA Finals, and it might not even be close. The rest of the Eastern Conference had a shot to make some problems to James before this overhaul. Now, they will have to wait for James to retire or to go to Western Conference (San Antonio Spurs preferably) for NBA Finals appearance to be realistic.In those two games, it looked like the Cavaliers game had more flow although the new players only had half of a practice together. Then, Cavs looked dangerous in all aspects of the game including fast breaks, scoring in the paint, and behind the 3pt arc. Also, the team looked happy playing together. There was no Isaiah Thomas frowning because James has a ball in his hands, or Crowder's game sinking into the oblivion with each passing minute. These new players are willing to accept lesser roles, knowing that LeBron James is the boss and best player on every basketball court he steps on. Finally, and most importantly, LeBron James looked engaged once again. He was cheering his teammates, tossing fist bumps here and there, and was genuinely looking to get these guys incorporated into the team. James just got some fresh blood to accompany him on this crusade, and that's the last thing his opponents wanted.Now, does this Cavaliers team have a chance against the Golden State Warriors? It might not be so far-fetched. But let's not jump to conclusion.
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