Skip to main content

LeBron James a mentor to young Cavaliers

MIAMI â€"

LeBron James remains a villain in Cleveland. But to two of the city's brightest young sports figures, he's a mentor.

As high school stars, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson met James at his invitation-only camp. Ever since then, the two Cleveland Cavaliers rookies have kept in contact with James, looking at him as a source of advice.

It doesn't matter that James broke Cleveland's heart, leaving the Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat. James' relationship with Irving and Thompson remains the same.

"I think besides what I do individually, I think that's just what I was born to do, and that's just try to give back," James said.

Celebrities: See who is courtside at the Finals

"I try to give back my knowledge of the game, give back what I've learned over the years to these younger guys coming into the league. I always have like an open phone invite. I've seen it all, everything. I don't have to break it down, I've seen it all."

That experience could be especially useful for Irving.

Like James in the 2003 NBA Draft, Cleveland chose Irving with the No. 1 pick in 2011. Also, much like James did, Irving has gotten his NBA career off to a fast start, averaging 17.4 points and 4.9 assists per game entering Tuesday's contest.

"He's not a rookie, really," James said. "His game is not a rookie-type game. He's always in control and he plays at his own tempo. It's great to see what he has been able to do just in his first year. But like I said, he doesn't carry himself or play like a rookie would play."

But there is at least one difference between James' rookie year and Irving's.

"He has no pressure," James said. "They're in kind of a rebuilding stage right now, as far as their team, and I don't think he has any pressure."

James-Cavs different this season

Last season, every time James went up against the Cavaliers, it was a big game. This year, it has a different feel.

"It's just another game," James said.

After facing Cleveland four times in his first season with the Heat, the excitement surrounding the matchup has died down. The only players left on the Cavaliers from James' time in Cleveland are Daniel Gibson, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker and Anderson Varejao.

"I'm sure it probably means something to [James]," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "But we played them multiple times last year, and I really only noticed it that first trip to Cleveland. It was very emotional and it was an awesome environment to play in."

Wade still out

Dwyane Wade is making progress, but not enough to return to the court yet.

The Heat guard did not play against the Cavaliers on Tuesday because of a sprained right ankle. It marked the fifth consecutive game Wade has missed and the eighth of the season.

But Wade will travel with the team to Detroit for Wednesday's contest. Still, his status for that game is unknown.

"Everything is the same as last game," Spoelstra said. "He's day-to-day. He has been doing work, and we'll let you know as soon as he has taken the next step."

Wade did participate in parts of Tuesday morning's shootaround, which is something he had not been able to do since spraining his ankle.

The Heat entered Tuesday's matchup against the Cavaliers with a 6-1 record without Wade this season.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NBA Monday Morning Shootaround: LeBron James, The Hunger Games, and More - Bleacher Report

Welcome to the "Monday Morning Shootaround," Bleacher Report's recap of the weekend that was in the NBA. Along with getting you caught up on the weekend’s playoff action, we’ll give you a sneak preview of what could potentially be the greatest basketball book of all time, show you the best 70-year-old playground superstar ever, and tell you about a young star that just might choose religion over the fame and fortune of the NBA. The Opening Tip * ABC cameras caught LeBron James reading The Hunger Games before the Miami Heat played the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Shortly thereafter, the Miami Heat small forward proceeded to go into full Katniss Everdeen mode to the tune of 40 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists as the Heat pulled out a hard-fought 101-93 victory. After a slow start, Heat guard Dwyane Wade finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists of his own. But Sunday afternoon was all about James and his gaudy numbers, virtually all of which we...
Post a Comment
Read more

Breaking Down the Differences Between LeBron James and Kevin Durant - Bleacher Report

LeBron James and Kevin Durant are being coined as "the future of the NBA 's next generation." That is certainly true, but they aren't exactly on the same level. LeBron and Durant are two different players, who bring varying skills to different facets of the game. Instead of just comparing them in a "who's the best" fashion, let's take a minute and break down which player excels in each and every facet of the game of basketball. Ahead is a breakdown of the differences that exist between LeBron and Durant.  Scoring Ronald Martinez/Getty Images LeBron 2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 27.1 points, 53.1 FG%, 36.3 3P%, 77.1 FT% Durant 2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 28.0 points, 49.6 FG%, 38.7 3P%, 86.0 FT% Scoring is what Kevin Durant does. It's not only his specialty, it's also what makes him such a dangerous and elite player. With that being said, LeBron isn't exactly a slouch on the offensive side of the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Luka Dončić joins LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Jerry West as only Lakers to post 30 points and 15 assists in a game

LeBron James joined a club of one on Tuesday , while Luka Dončić joined a club of four. With 30 points and a Lakers career-high 15 assists, Luka Dončić became only the fourth player in Lakers history to post those totals in a single game in a 136-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The other three: James, Magic Johnson and Jerry West. We'll call that a solid group. That performance included a stretch of three straight 3-pointers to set the tone in the first quarter. It was once again the LeBron and Dončić (LeBrončić?) show, as Dončić's co-star posted 34 points on 10-of-18 shooting, eight rebounds and six assists. Center Jaxson Hayes also had one of the best games of his Lakers career, scoring 19 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting plus 10 rebounds. Dončić was two points away from tying his Lakers career high in points as well, and likely would have gotten it had L.A. not taken its foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. After a back-and-forth first half in which the P...
Post a Comment
Read more