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There's only one thing that could be worse for the Cleveland Cavaliers this year than how long it is taking for the new players to adapt. That thing may have happened last night. This team has performed decently this year for a team so stricken with injuries to key players, a major mid-season trade, and the dominance of rivals in Boston and Detroit. But with a scary back injury for Lebron James in last night's hard to endure loss to Chicago, this team has come to a fork in the road.

Lebron said after the game that he did not think he would be able to play in Saturday's game versus the Orlando Magic. Although Cleveland's standing at 4th place in the playoff race appears pretty safe, the real nail biter is that there are only 6 games left of the regular season and this team is still not playing on the same page... at all. Defensively, last night exposed a Cavaliers team that is nowhere near as sound as last year's Eastern Conference winning model. Offensively... well, everyone knows this- everything falls apart offensively when Lebron is not dominating. A TERRIBLE indictment as the Cavs end the season with Lebron's status for the next few games uncertain. Even when he returns, you have to wonder if there is really enough time for this team to develope timely cohesion and win 4 out of 7 games against the likes of the Washington Wizards. Yeah, the Cavs had Washington's number last April, but only half of this current team were Cavaliers at that time.

With all of this said: Lebron James is perhaps the most dominant player in the NBA since Michael Jordan. I know, I know; he can't do it all on his own... but look at how much he has achieved this season with so little help! Can I put it past Lebron to lead this disheveled team past the first round by flashing his greatness on a level we have not yet seen from him? No. I honestly am not really surprised by much of anything James does any more. But the realist in me realizes that the odds are beginning to stack pretty heavily against the Cavs as this season quickly winds down. It may be that the chaos of this season's seemingly non-stop injuries and "the trade" have created obstacles that simply cannot be hurdled in one season. We may have to wait until next year to see this team really gel and become the cohesive unit we've been hoping to see since the trade. It may take a tough playoff exit, a training camp, and a full season together for this team to be able to accentuate Lebron's individual greatness... but then again, I do believe in miracles.