LeBron James has left the Cleveland Cavaliers twice, but he still holds his hometown franchise near and dear to his heart.
He made that abundantly clear after torching the Cavs for 46 points, in Cleveland, as a member of the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Afterward, James admitted he still follows the Cavs fairly closely, offering praise for young guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, as well as the magnificent job being done by coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
“I always pay close attention to what’s going on,” James said when asked about the Cavs. “I think J.B. has done a hell of a job and they’ve been drafting well and made a couple trades. You can tell that team is improving.”
The Cavs are 8-9 entering Wednesday’s home game vs. the Detroit Pistons. Given their injury situation — which bordered on historic early this season — the Cavs have played well above what most expected.
In fact, a lot of people wouldn’t have pegged the Cavs to be near .500 even if they had been entirely healthy. James, 36, seems to admire what Cleveland general manager Koby Altman is putting together, both in terms of individual talent and how that talent fits into the team concept.
“They got some young guards that are very dynamic in Collin and Darius and the rest of them they can build around,” James said. “They got some young pieces they can put their futures behind. We’ll see what happens.”
The Lakers (14-4) are 10-o on the road and have some biggies coming up, beginning with Wednesday’s visit to the Philadelphia 76ers.
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