CLEVELAND, Ohio -- We've heard this before.

I'm talking about Tyronn Lue wanting the Cavaliers to play at a faster pace.

It was one of the first things Lue said when taking over as head coach in the middle of the 2015-16 season.

Lue said, "We need to get in better shape."

Under former coach David Blatt, the Cavs tended to walk the ball up the court. Some of that was Blatt's preference, a lot of it was how LeBron James preferred to play.

With James now with the Los Angeles Lakers, Lue can implement his hyper-speed system.

At least, that sounds like the plan.

"I want the pace to be faster," Lue told the media after his opening practice this season.

The coach stressed he wants "everything at full speed...game speed."

The initial practice was 2-1/2 hours with far more running than standing around.

"We need to get in good shape to play the kind of basketball we want to play," said Lue.



HOW THEY RANKED

I was wondering about the pace, at least in terms of how the Cavs have played the last few years:

Here's where they've ranked, according to ESPN:



2017-18: 12th.



2016-17: 16th.



2015-16: 28th.



2014-15: 25th.

So the Cavs did indeed play faster under Lue.

It's why he used to call Kyrie Irving, "an attack guard."

He wanted Irving to feel free to bolt down the court, not worrying about James or anyone else. If Irving played faster, others would follow.

Even with Irving gone, the Cavs ran more last season compared to the three years with Irving. Some of it was James, who is nearly unstoppable when roaring down the court at full speed.

The younger players coming to the Cavs in February also helped: Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson and Rodney Hood. Lue also gave more minutes to rookie Cedi Osman later in the season.



THE YOUNG BULL

The quest for speed is why Lue is absolutely enamored with rookie Collin Sexton.

"I just want him to be who he is," said Lue. "The toughness. The tenacity. The pace...some of the things we didn't have in the past."

Sexton could be Lue's next "attack guard."

But let's not go very far with the Irving comparisons, even if Sexton is wearing Irving's old No. 2. That has been Sexton's number since long before he reached the NBA.

Irving is one of the most gifted offensive players ever to come into the NBA when you combine his brilliant ball handling, his ability to make driving shots with either hand and his superb outside shooting.

But Sexton has the Cavs excited for good reason, especially after averaging 19.6 points in the Las Vegas Summer League.

"I love his mentality," Kevin Love told the media. "He plays at only one speed. They call him 'Young Bull' for a reason."



SOMETHING DIFFERENT



For the Cavs, this is an exciting time of the year.

Lue knows his ticket to the NBA Finals left when James signed with the L.A. Lakers.

But he also knows the door is wide open for him to shape his own team -- and play at his preferred speed.

Who knows if it will work?

The top five teams in terms of pace last season were New Orleans, Phoenix, the Lakers, Philadelphia and Golden State, in that order. Phoenix and the Lakers were awful. The Warriors won the title. New Orleans and Philadelphia reached the second round of the playoffs.

In 2016-17, here were the five fastest teams: Brooklyn, Phoenix, Houston, Golden State and Philadelphia. Only the Warriors and Rockets made the playoffs.

I'm intrigued by how this will work without James.

Former Cavs General Manager David Griffin has told me for years how Lue can be an elite coach. He once called Lue "a basketball savant."

Well, the Cavs are now his laboratory. He can experiment. He is free of the great expectations of James.

But he also is a bit on the spot because James was a guarantee, basketball's greatest safety net.

In many ways, this is Lue's team in terms of freedom to coach as he likes. Let's see what he does with it.