NBA Rumors: LeBron James, Cavs Owner Butting Heads Over Payroll Spending
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to dominate the NBA news cycle for all the wrong reasons.
The Cavs might still be the Eastern Conference’s top team, but Cleveland can’t get out of its own way at the moment, marred in a three-game losing streak and having lost six of its last 10.
Cleveland’s slide prompted James to call out management after a recent loss, pleading for more help. James eventually tweeted some clarification, but as Carmelo Anthony rumors continue to surface, it seems like the Cavs whispers aren’t going anywhere.
It also sounds like there’s some mounting tension within the Cavs organization that goes all the way to the top. ESPN.com reported Thursday, citing sources, that James and owner Dan Gilbert disagree about how the team should allocate resources.
“James and team owner Dan Gilbert have different viewpoints on the issue (payroll spending) and it has been straining the relationship, sources said,” ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst wrote.
Windhorst also noted that part of the reconciliation between James and the Cavs when he rejoined the team in 2014 centered around whether Gilbert was willing to spend. James wanted assurance the Cavs would spend money for high-end talent, even if it meant going beyond the NBA’s luxury tax.
Gilbert obviously agreed, but maybe he’s starting to go back on that promise.
Regardless, there’s plenty of tension for a team that’s won nearly 70 percent of its games this season.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
