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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles in my Cleveland Cavaliers notebook:
1. When Cavs general manager Koby Altman made his huge deals at the trade deadline, it was about addition and subtraction. He was adding younger, fast players. He was subtracting mostly older players -- some who didn't want to be with the Cavs.
2. But Altman had something else in mind. It's something we've yet to see. He believes the true version of the new Cavs won't be seen until Kevin Love (broken hand) is healthy and plays several games.
3. That's why Cavs fans shouldn't panic. It's worth remembering the Cavs were 24-7 in the previous two seasons when LeBron James and Kevin Love played -- but Kyrie Irving was injured. Love tends to thrive -- and the Cavs play well -- when he is the obvious second scoring option behind James.
4. One more stat: The Cavs were 23-13 this season in games where Love and James played -- but without Isaiah Thomas. In those games, Love was the second scorer.
5. The Cavs biggest problem is defense. And you can add defensive rebounding, which is a big part of defense. No one will accuse the 6-foot-10 Love of being an intimidating shot-blocker or defender at the rim. But the man is one of the best defensive rebounders in the NBA.
6. The Cavs picture Love cleaning the defensive boards and triggering the fast break with some of his long outlet passes. The addition of Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and even 31-year-old George Hill raised the team's speed. But to fast break, you need defensive rebounds. Steals also help. But rebounding is the key.
7. Love ranks No. 8 in the NBA with 7.4 defensive rebounds per game. James is at 7.3. Then comes Nance (5.8) and Tristan Thompson (4.2). Thompson can be an elite offensive rebounder when healthy and motivated. He has never been especially strong on the defensive glass.
8. Love broke his hand on January 30. He was already an All-Star, averaging 18 points and 9.4 rebounds. He was shooting .463 from the field, .403 on 3-pointers. He was the natural second scorer to James.
9. That has been the problem since Love's injury. The Cavs were 29-20 when Love was hurt. They are 10-8 since.
10. Since the trades, James has been the team's leading scorer. Then comes Clarkson (12.5), Nance (12.3), Hill (10.3) and Hood (10.2). A team is not going to win a lot of games with one player having to carry such a huge scoring load -- even if the player is James, who is having an MVP caliber season.
11. The Cavs have been hit hard with injuries. Love is the biggest. But Tristan Thompson (ankle) also is out for a few weeks. This has been a miserable season for Thompson in terms of health and production. But he would help right now.
12. The hustling Cedi Osman may be out for a few weeks with a hip injury. Hood recently strained his back. The 33-year-old James and 36-year-old Kyle Korver are the only Cavs players to appear in every game this season.
13. Here's the point: Maybe the trades won't work. Maybe this is a season that's destined to be a clunker for the Cavs. But until Love is back on the court (hopefully in a few weeks), I still think there is no reason to panic.
PHOENIX -- After a 28-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist performance secured LeBron James his 14th triple-double of the season -- setting a career high in that category after he notched 13 triple-doubles in 2016-17 -- the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar said it's a credit to his ability, not to the evolving state of NBA basketball.
"You can just say I'm like fine wine; I get better with age. That's what it says," the 33-year-old James said after a 129-107 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
When it was suggested that teams around the league playing at a faster pace could have something to do with it -- because more possessions mean more chances to rack up statistics -- James shot down that premise.
Editor's Picks Lue says JR 'pretty good' off bench vs. Suns Although JR Smith was surprised at his demotion to the second unit, Cavs coach Ty Lue said he thought Smith played "pretty good" off the bench Tuesday night against the Suns.
"More possessions my ass. What are you talking about?" James said. "I'm getting better with age. That's what it's saying."
James' Cavs averaged 94.6 possessions per game in his rookie season in 2003-04, according to TeamRankings.com. The league leader in possessions per game in 2003-04 was the Dallas Mavericks with 96.7. This season, Cleveland averages 101 possessions per game, and the league leader, New Orleans, averages 105.1.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the league average for possessions per game this season is 99.54. In 2003-04, the league average was 92.69.
Still, Tuesday was James' 69th career triple-double, ranking him No. 6 on the all-time list behind Oscar Robertson (181), Magic Johnson (138), Jason Kidd (107), Russell Westbrook (100) and Wilt Chamberlain (78).
"I think I was just playing in all three facets and more," James said of Tuesday's game. "I was able to get a charge as well, pick up a couple blocks, couple steals. It's just being around the court and being reliable to my teammates. For me to be able to clean glass and get my guys good looks where they were able to just catch and shoot or catch and lay it up, it made it a lot easier for me, for sure. With the scoring, I just tried to be aggressive and got to the free throw line tonight and was able to knock those down too."
James' 15 free throw attempts were a season high.
In 10 games in February, James averaged 27 points on 54.6 percent shooting, 10.5 rebounds and 10.5 assists, representing the first time in his 15-year career that he averaged a triple-double for an entire month.
He has kept it up in March, averaging 28.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists in seven games thus far.
