The Cleveland Cavaliers are not hitting the panic the button as the team gets off to a rather slow start. LeBron James was held scoreless for the entire second half of the loss to the Portland Trailblazers while defense appears to be the team's top issue outside of some poor shots being taken. While no one is worried at the moment, if the struggles continue could the Cavaliers make another trade to help out?
James believes in order for the Cavaliers to be successful trust needs to be their top priority. James took a backseat in the loss to Portland while others like Kyrie Irvings and Dion Waiters struggled and hogged the ball. That type of play will not fly with Cleveland this season and more than anything James believes they need to trust one another to get the ball and share the court.
"We have to do multiple things in order to win," James said via the Akron Beacon Journal. "We have to share the ball, we have to play defense, we have to sacrifice in order to ultimately win." "There has been a lot of losing basketball around here for a few years," James added. "A lot of guys who are going to help us win ultimately haven't played a lot of meaningful basketball games in our league. When we get to that point where every possession matters, no possessions off, we have to share the ball, move the ball and be a team and be unselfish, we'll be a better team."
The Cavaliers are not worried right now which there will be no roster moves in the near future unless desperation starts to hit. The one position Cleveland has that could be a weakness is the spot at center. Anderson Varejao has seen success and was recently locked down to a new three-year deal, but is he enough. With Tristan Thompson at the ready to be traded, could the Cavaliers go after a big name to help out?
Thompson did not have his contract extended before the deadline and while Cleveland intends to keep the young power forward around, if issues arise they could package him in a trade. According to USA Today Sports, the Cavaliers have already inquired once about the availability of Roy Hibbert and Timofey Mozgov. Could they take aim at Brook Lopez or Greg Monroe?
According to the New York Post, Lopez could be available at the right price. The center's injury history and contract status make him a trade target for Brooklyn who have Mason Plumlee at the ready. Monroe is working off a one-year contract that could be dealt. Again, the Cavaliers will not make any moves unless these type of losses continue. They have only played a handful of games with everyone on the court together so everything at this point is just speculation.
