CLEVELAND, Ohio - It was LeBron James' idea for the Cavaliers to quit participating in the traditional, pregame routine of lineup introductions.

And now that Tyronn Lue's their coach, the Cavs are apparently going to resume allowing their fans to cheer for each starter as he runs through a tunnel of teammates when his name is called.

It was Lue's idea. Coach trumped star player. In Cleveland. Read all about it.

"With the crowd, you could see it was different," Lue said, talking about the Cavs rejoining the 21st century via player intros before last night's 96-83 loss to the Chicago Bulls. "When you get introduced at home, they want to see them run out. They want to cheer for them. You got a guy over here, a guy over here and everybody's just kind of separated. At home, you can do what you want on the road because we don't care about the fans on the road, but at least at home, give our fans what they came to see. When they call your name, run out, be introduced and I think the crowd, they was all for it."

And James' reaction?

"Um, my reaction was that's what we're doing," he said. "That's what the coach wants, that's what we do. There's no fighting. No ifs ands or buts."

It really is a new day in Cleveland.

David Blatt is gone and Lue is apparently really running the show. Lue lost his first game as coach, on a night when James led the Cavs with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists, but nevermind that.

This is a story about something that transcends any single win or loss, especially during the regular season. It's about James being treated by the Cavs coach as simply a player - maybe a great, great player, but a great player with, at least, fewer double standards over teammates.

Kicking a fired coach when he's down is easy, and there was no shortage of that going on amidst the echoes of the Cavs' practice gym and the bowels of The Q since Blatt was dismissed Friday.

Blatt's not here to defend himself, so we'll let many of the charges against him lie. But anyone with an anecdote of Blatt putting James in his place when it was deserved, please step forward.

Thought so.

One of the reasons Blatt was fired was his apparent incapability to challenge James, and the resentment that sowed in the locker room, according to sources. James was, and still is, the unquestioned leader on the Cavs, but it hurt him that Blatt wouldn't criticize James when the situation demanded it.

Two examples. The first is from a lifetime ago, or in this case, November 2014.

James was playing so bad, and acting so poorly during a four-game losing streak that he declared "I stink."

Blatt responded: "Every day I wake up and I say thank goodness I get a chance to coach that guy. And I say to myself every day that I got a do a better job coaching that guy and help him to be everything that he is."

Fast forward now to Dec. 29, a 93-87 win for the Cavs in Denver. James scored 34 points that night, but didn't make it past halfcourt to get back on defense on nine occasions.

The night before, in Phoenix, Cleveland beat the Suns 101-97, but James had reverted back to early season form from last season with the shrugged shoulders and dour mood.

The behavior was addressed, but the addressing was done by general manager David Griffin, not Blatt.

Contrary to popular opinion, Blatt's troubles on the Cavs were not with James alone. And James made up for some of Blatt's shortcomings on the court and off it. James sought and demanded a certain level of professionalism and focus from teammates he felt Blatt did not demand.

Perhaps the roles of leading scorer, best player, team spokesman, playcaller and disciplinarian (among others) spun out of control a little bit for James, which is how we came to him canceling the pregame intros.

The point is, Lue appears primed to relieve him of one or two of those duties, and James will welcome it.

James and Lue are friends. Both said so on Saturday. But Lue also said he would hold James accountable when the situation called for it.

After the loss to the Bulls, Lue surprised the media by declaring the Cavs weren't in good enough shape to run an up-tempo offense. Guess who he pinned first?

"I think we got tired. LeBron came out early, Ky (Irving) wanted to come out early, Kevin (Love) wanted to come out early," Lue said. "I just don't think we're in good enough shape right now to play in the style that we want to play."

A new world order, indeed.

"There will be some adjustment period but I don't think it will be that long," James said. "I think Coach Lue is definitely going to put his imprint on what he wants the team to do and we'll be ready for it."