INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- As the clock continues to tick toward Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline and with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the center of the chatter -- linked to New Orleans three-point specialist Ryan Anderson and Orlando's Channing Frye, among others -- LeBron James' focus is elsewhere.
"For me, control what you can control and that's not something none of us can control what happens," James said following the first practice since the All-Star break. "The trade deadline happens every year and there's teams that make moves, teams that don't make moves. We're all here to find out what happens and if there's nothing we'll be ready to go. But I'm in the mindset that I'm ready to get these guys for tomorrow and the Bulls game."
The Cavaliers made two separate transformative deals a little more than a year ago, acquiring Timofey Mozgov as well as J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert. It helped push them two wins from an NBA championship. This year could be just as busy, as the Cavs search for another piece to help them close the gap on the top team in the league, the 48-win Golden State Warriors.
Mozgov and Shumpert are two names that have been floated as potential trade chips. Rumblings have also included Kevin Love and even Anderson Varejao, whose minutes have been sporadic for most of the season.
"I'm not involved," Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said Wednesday when asked about his role. "Whoever we have, that's who I have to coach. I stay out of that."
Despite early injuries and a coaching change, the Cavaliers will begin the post-All-Star portion of the schedule as the East's clear-cut favorite. They're sitting atop the conference, holding a three-game edge on the surprising Toronto Raptors.
The Cavs have been active, but could just as easily choose to stand pat, play it out with their pricey and currently healthy roster.
"It still doesn't guarantee," James said. "We got everyone here. Our only concern is being injury free. It's all we can worry about. Guys came here today and they worked as if nothing was going on or any speculation was going on. That's the case of true professionals. We had a great, hell of a practice today."
When the team reassembled, Lue didn't feel it necessary to address the importance of ignoring the noise.
"The guys came in and responded well. That wasn't a problem at all," Lue said. "It's the nature of the business. It's unfortunate, but it happens."
Lue, however, attempted to convey a different message.
"We just have to keep pushing forward," he said. "We don't have a lot of time -- 30 games left. We just have to continue to get better. We have to continue to try to get home-court advantage in the East."
There's plenty of work before the Cavs get to that point and with the schedule so tight (30 games in 56 days), the limited practice time becomes even more important.
"It's all about the mental side for our team," James said. "The physical is going to take care of itself, but mentally if we engage, we can be very, very good and when we're not engaged, we can lose a lot of ballgames."
The Cavs finished the first half with three wins and James was disappointed at the timing of the break. He believed the team was starting to play really well, with the consistency he's demanded since the beginning of the season.
The defensive end of the floor, however, will continue to be a point of emphasis. The Cavs have allowed eight of 11 teams to reach at least 100 points since Lue took over on Jan. 23, falling from second in average points allowed to fourth.
"Getting back to having a defensive foundation, being better defensively," Lue said. "I think now we're starting to push the ball. We're starting to score the ball a lot more, continue to move the ball, not get stagnant when things get hard or things get tough for us. It's the same thing we've been preaching from Day One.
"If we continue to do that, continue to get better, we'll get better and better going into the playoffs."
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- As the clock continues to tick toward Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline and with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the center of the chatter -- linked to New Orleans three-point specialist Ryan Anderson and Orlando's Channing Frye, among others -- LeBron James' focus is elsewhere.
"For me, control what you can control and that's not something none of us can control what happens," James said following the first practice since the All-Star break. "The trade deadline happens every year and there's teams that make moves, teams that don't make moves. We're all here to find out what happens and if there's nothing we'll be ready to go. But I'm in the mindset that I'm ready to get these guys for tomorrow and the Bulls game."
The Cavaliers made two separate transformative deals a little more than a year ago, acquiring Timofey Mozgov as well as J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert. It helped push them two wins from an NBA championship. This year could be just as busy, as the Cavs search for another piece to help them close the gap on the top team in the league, the 48-win Golden State Warriors.
Mozgov and Shumpert are two names that have been floated as potential trade chips. Rumblings have also included Kevin Love and even Anderson Varejao, whose minutes have been sporadic for most of the season.
"I'm not involved," Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said Wednesday when asked about his role. "Whoever we have, that's who I have to coach. I stay out of that."
Despite early injuries and a coaching change, the Cavaliers will begin the post-All-Star portion of the schedule as the East's clear-cut favorite. They're sitting atop the conference, holding a three-game edge on the surprising Toronto Raptors.
The Cavs have been active, but could just as easily choose to stand pat, play it out with their pricey and currently healthy roster.
"It still doesn't guarantee," James said. "We got everyone here. Our only concern is being injury free. It's all we can worry about. Guys came here today and they worked as if nothing was going on or any speculation was going on. That's the case of true professionals. We had a great, hell of a practice today."
When the team reassembled, Lue didn't feel it necessary to address the importance of ignoring the noise.
"The guys came in and responded well. That wasn't a problem at all," Lue said. "It's the nature of the business. It's unfortunate, but it happens."
Lue, however, attempted to convey a different message.
"We just have to keep pushing forward," he said. "We don't have a lot of time -- 30 games left. We just have to continue to get better. We have to continue to try to get home-court advantage in the East."
There's plenty of work before the Cavs get to that point and with the schedule so tight (30 games in 56 days), the limited practice time becomes even more important.
"It's all about the mental side for our team," James said. "The physical is going to take care of itself, but mentally if we engage, we can be very, very good and when we're not engaged, we can lose a lot of ballgames."
The Cavs finished the first half with three wins and James was disappointed at the timing of the break. He believed the team was starting to play really well, with the consistency he's demanded since the beginning of the season.
The defensive end of the floor, however, will continue to be a point of emphasis. The Cavs have allowed eight of 11 teams to reach at least 100 points since Lue took over on Jan. 23, falling from second in average points allowed to fourth.
"Getting back to having a defensive foundation, being better defensively," Lue said. "I think now we're starting to push the ball. We're starting to score the ball a lot more, continue to move the ball, not get stagnant when things get hard or things get tough for us. It's the same thing we've been preaching from Day One.
"If we continue to do that, continue to get better, we'll get better and better going into the playoffs."
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