The 2007 Cleveland Cavaliers squad is better than they’re given credit for

The Loss of Larry Hughes

While LeBron James fumbled in the NBA Finals, we’d be remiss to say that some of his struggles weren’t entirely his own. Despite being clowned, needlessly, by modern fans, there was one name that made James better throughout the 2007 season; Larry Hughes.

Throughout the playoffs, Hughes played well (enough). He averaged 16.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3 assists per game through the first two series, all on splits of .364/.350 /.770. he would end up suffering a torn plantar fascia, an injury that would ultimately hinder his career.

Had Hughes been healthy for the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals, then the Cavaliers likely would’ve had an easier time against the Pistons, and a chance against the Spurs. After all, James relied heavily on Hughes.

In the first two series, James took just 1.5 times more shots than Hughes, the player with the second-most attempts on the team. Then, after Hughes got injured during the Pistons series, James leaped to taking 1.9 more shots than the next closest player; Ilguaskas.

By the NBA Finals, James was taking well over two times as many shots as anyone else on the roster. Either James didn’t feel comfortable with anyone else stepping up, or he just wanted the glory for himself. Regardless, he stopped passing as much as did earlier in the playoffs and started forcin’ more terrible shots.

That thinking made the offense one-dimensional. Instead of a unit that played as one, James made his teammates, including good shooters like Gibson, nothing more than a statue. Was that because of his hubris or his concerns about replacing Hughes? It’s beyond fair to assume that James’ approach to attacking the Spurs’ defense was him playing hero ball more than anything, something the current crop of Cavs’ players should be taking heed of.

To say this was a bad team around James is just not true. While losing Hughes didn’t help things, obviously, this was a supporting cast that got the Cavs to the NBA Finals. They were certainly good enough or they wouldn’t have been there. When they got there, however,  James and head coach Mike Brown completely abandoned the idea of playing within an offensive scheme and just had James play hero ball. Something that backfired.

Maybe Hughes being healthy makes a difference but it’s important to note that had James just trusted his teammates more, maybe the Cavs win a game, if not significantly more than that.