Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: 10 Early Season Trends To Watch

By Maxwell Ogden

Nov 3, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 3, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 31, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Cleveland won 114-108 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Cleveland won 114-108 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

Playing LeBron Off-Ball

Through four games, LeBron James has put on two of the worst performances of his 11-year career. He was 5-of-15 from the field against the New York Knicks and converted just 4-of-12 shots at the Portland Trail Blazers.

So far, the off-ball experiment has been unsuccessful.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are just 1-3 after four games. Blame has been placed on just about everyone, but it’s not a player who’s at fault for this slow start—it’s the stylistic approach.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, James attempted to speak with point guard Kyrie Irving about the biggest flaw of all: an absence of ball movement.

"LeBron James and Kyrie Irving exchanged words in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ locker room following the team’s 19-point loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, and it led to Irving leaving quickly without speaking to the media, multiple sources told ESPN.com. The discussion was seen as healthy, sources said, with the veteran James voicing concerns about the direction of the Cavs’ offense."

It only got worse against the Utah Jazz.

Not only did Cleveland fall 102-100 to the underdog Jazz, but it dished out just six assists. One night after James attempted to talk to Irving about his need to become more of a facilitator, the 22-year-old took 23 shots with zero dimes of his own.

As a team, Cleveland had six assists.

No team has won a game with six or fewer dimes since April 28, 1999.

Thus far, the tactic of playing James off-ball is a flawed one.

The two questions that need to be answered are as follows: can Irving actually run the show as the lead facilitator? Or will James take over in that role?

Only time will tell.

Next: Life without LeBron