LeBron James on Kyrie Irving: "He's Our Floor Manager"
Now back where he started, LeBron James has come to fully accept his role as the Cleveland Cavaliers' new leader. Said he in a report by ESPN: "I take full responsibility of being the leader of the team. Obviously we have guys that lead as well with their own facets, in their own ways, but I don't mind taking full responsibility of the leadership role on this team. That's what I'm here for."
Exercising that responsibility, James told ESPN he already addressed the team during the Cavs' first day of training camp. He said, "I spoke to them today before the practice. We just got to build our habits. We got to build character and we always got to protect each other no matter what is going on -- through the best of times and through the worst of times as well."
As a leader, James clearly knows how to effectively delegate responsibility. Publicly, he ceded ball handling duties to Kyrie Irving. Said he, "I'll probably handle the ball a little bit, but this is Kyrie [Irving's] show... He's our point guard. He's our floor general, and we need him to put us in position to succeed offensively. He has to demand that and command that from us with him handling the ball."
James has a lot of respect for the 22-year-old Irving. He told reporters, "I've never played with a point guard like Kyrie Irving, a guy that can kind of take over a game for himself. We need it. So, that was a huge thing..."
Asked for his reaction on James' statement, the 6-foot-3 Irving, a two-time NBA All-Star, the 2014 All-Star NBA Game MVP, and the 2014 FIBA World Cup MVP, said: "Obviously he's the greatest player playing the game right now, so if he's on the ball, like I said, I'll be ready to shoot. But if I'm on the ball, my job is to get everybody involved and make plays."
