Cavaliers' struggles strike a familiar chord with former Heat members

LeBron James and Mike Miller are familiar with the circus. (Getty)

DENVER-- The best player on the planet takes his talents to a new team, and the emotions are high as he begins the quest/journey/saga/expedition/whatever towards a title. Despite what seems like a nearly unprecedented collection of talent, his team struggles out of the gate as media criticism hounds every loss, every performance, ever turnover.

If this sounds awfully familiar when it comes to LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavalier's struggles this season, you're not alone. As the Cavs headed into Friday night's game vs. a similarly struggling Denver team, there's a sense from some that this is the same situation the befell the Miami Heat in 2010. And one Cavalier who knows how that season went for Miami believes this struggle out of the gate is 'no different.'

'We went through this in Miami, same thing,' forward Mike Miller said after shootaround Friday. 'It feels the same way. It takes time. Everybody wants stuff to happen right away, including us players. We're not happy with the way things are going. You're asking people to do different things than you're accustomed to, talking about Kyrie (Irving) and ( Kevin Love) and LeBron, again. He's got to get a feel for those guys, and they have to get on the same page. It takes time.'

The time has not been great so far. After a disappointing drubbing by the Knicks in LeBron's emotional home opener 10 days ago, the Cavs have slipped to 1-3, including losses to Portland and Utah. Everything from Irving and James' relationship, to David Blatt's offense, to the defensive shortcomings of Love have come under fire. But for Miller, James and James Jones, the scrutiny is nothing new.

'We understand expectations, we have the same ones on ourselves. There's no reason to get worked up about it yet. There's a concern there, but we'll address it,' Miller said.

James took to Twitter Thursday, simply sending the message, 'Relax.' On Friday, James explained that the tweet was in part about that same message: it takes time.

'(The tweet was) just how I was feeling at the time. Just a message for everyone to understand how important the process is. Everyone wants overnight success. It just doesn't happen in team sports, when teams first come together.'

So how similar are these Cavs to the 2010-2011 Heat?

The 2010-2011 Heat started with the opposite record, going 3-1 in their first four games. They were plus-16.9 points per 100 possessions in those first four games, while the Cavs, 1-4, are minus-9.2 per 100 possessions. The Heat were 22.9 points better defensively than Cleveland through four games.

But then, things did get tougher for the Heat, as everyone remembers. By November 27th, they were just 9-8, though they remained plus-7.4 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents. That was when people were asking everything about how the team fit together, to the bench, to coach Erik Spoelstra. The Heat would go on to win 17 of their next 18, finishing 26-9 with a plus-11.3 per 100 possessions on January 1st. They would go on to win their conference, losing to the Mavericks in six games in the Finals.

James was adamant not only in his letter announcing his return home, but in subsequent interviews, that the Cavaliers are a long way away from a title, that it's going to take time not only to gel, but to teach young players how to win and as he has said to 'break bad habits.'

The Cavaliers have time. It won't honestly be time to truly panic until Christmas, and the Cavs would have to be in pretty bad shape, significantly under .500 to even justify that. A win vs. Denver gets them back to 2-3 and sets them up well. But while the feeling may be similar for James and Miller, the issues have gone further than expected. Defense was going to be an issue, it often is for new teams, and young teams, and the Cavs in some areas are both.

'(Communication on defense is an area of emphasis,' Miller said. 'That's the part where systematically we have to get used to it, but at the same time, your defense should always be ahead of your offense. That's a concern, but we'll address it.'

And the offense is no wonderful unit either, coming in 18th in offensive efficiency. There's reason to believe the team is struggling to learn and adapt coach David Blatt's system, as they are 14th in the number of passes they've made this season according to NBA.com's tracking data, but are dead last in assist opportunities. In short, they're moving the ball. They're just not moving it towards any quality shots.

Yet James said Friday it's not time for frustration, and while Irving preached urgency, and 'being the hunter instead of the hunted,' Miller maintained they'll address the issues and get things right. After all, this team's potential was what lead Miller to sign with the Cavs in the first place.

'For me it's about giving myself the best chance to win a championship and I still believe that. You look how we started in Miami that first year, it's no different,' he said again.

James knows about the pressure, the media stories (even if most of them are about how there's no concern yet), the criticism, the microscope, the spotlight, all of it. He's been down this road before and says that he and the Cavs are prepared for it.

'I know all about it. For our team to be as good as we want to be, we can't worry about what's going on on the outside. We have to control our own destiny and play hard and get a win. We're in a win league. We understand that. We can't shortcut the process along the way. It's going to be challenging for us.'

It's been challenging for them, truthfully, more so than it was in Miami. But relying on the belief that this feels just as it did that first year in Miami may provide some perspective. Different teams, different schedules, different personnel, different system, different perspectives.

Same life with LeBron, and the circus never ends.

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