National Basketball Association

The Cleveland Cavaliers are fed up with LeBron James' behavior

Published Mar. 24, 2016 11:36 a.m. ET

foxsports

Despite posting video-game numbers and continuing to look like one of the best basketball players in the universe, LeBron James has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past few weeks.

His inability to utilize social media in a logical way has turned otherwise forgettable tweets into a semi-legitimate distraction, and an odd trip to Miami for a workout session with friend and ex-teammate Dwyane Wade probably didn't need to happen.

On Wednesday, Bleacher Report's Howard Beck published an article that quoted James saying he'd "take a pay cut" to team up with Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Wade.

Apparently, the Cavaliers are fed up with all of it. Head coach Tyronn Lue and general manager David Griffin recently held separate conversations with their franchise star to address a few issues and clear the air (via Cleveland.com):

Two members of the team's top brass – coach Tyronn Lue and general manager David Griffin – have had conversations with James over the past few days regarding separate items. Lue spoke with James after Saturday's 122-101 loss in Miami, during which at halftime James was noticeably chatting it up with his friend, Heat star Dwyane Wade, instead of warming up with the Cavs trailing by 21. Griffin replaced former coach David Blatt with Lue in part to demand more accountability from James -- which the player covets -- and their chat was an example. Griffin's talk with James on Wednesday afternoon was a little more general, but was sparked by James' comments to The Bleacher Report that he wanted to play with Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul on the same team for a "year or two."

This makes sense. Heading into the season, LeBron had been the best player in the world for nearly a decade, and held extra leverage over the Cavaliers organization in the form of his contract (a two-year deal with a player option in year two).

But the franchise is finally standing up for itself, letting James know he can't behave the way he's behaving (on the court and off it) and still consider himself a leader. It's unprofessional and, frankly, uncharacteristic of how he normally responds to adversity.

But what adversity is there to even respond to? The Cavs are 51-20 and the best team in the Eastern Conference. They have the fourth-best offense in the league and fourth-highest net rating. James is still dominant, averaging 24.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game since the All-Star break, shooting over 50 percent from the floor.

Everything should be fine heading into the playoffs, but for whatever reason James is acting out.

This is a good move by Lue and Griffin to let LeBron know he needs to cut it out, or Cleveland's shot at winning its first championship will go up in flames before it starts.