On July 8, 2010, LeBron James told the nation, on national television mind you, that he would be taking his “talents” to South Beach. The rest is history: LeBron went on to reach the NBA Finals three straight years, winning both of the last two seasons, and has a strong chance of three-peating this season. Cleveland went into depression; the Cavs tied the longest losing streak in professional sports (26 games, the longest in NBA history), and Cavs owner Dan Gilbert went crazy ex-girlfriend on us, publicly scorning LeBron for leaving a city that he has no actual connection to (LeBron is from Akron, not Cleveland… something many forget through all this).
Whether or not you agree with his decision, or the way he went about announcing it, one thing we all can agree on is it’s now solidly in the past.
Flash-forward to June 27, 2013. Cleveland has won the lottery for the second time in three seasons. They choose Anthony Bennett, who stood with a look of real surprise on his face. Not the “Wow, I’m the No. 1 pick in the draft” look. No, this was the “Wait… they just called my name? I’m the first pick??” look.
His career started out as only a Clevelander’s could: Bennett struggled coming into the season after offseason shoulder surgery, started the season 0-for-15 from the field, and didn’t score in double-figures until January 28, 2014. Today Bennett turns 21, and after some improved play, his career doesn’t seem as dim as it once did. Since his first double-figures scoring game, Bennett is averaging 7.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG–definitely not first-pick-in-the-draft numbers, but not quite Darko-esque either. I’m probably in the minority here, but I still have faith in the Big Fella.
Outsiders might ask, how bad is it to actually be a Cleveland fan? A friend of mine, Mark, a diehard Cavs fan, described his fandom simply as “We are forever cursed”. This is the mindset of a 21-year-old man whose whole life is in front of him. Where is the youthful optimism? Has Dan Gilbert sucked it out of him? Is he storing it and using it to fuel his Quicken Loans offices during the harsh winter?
I could write a 10,000-word thesis on the Cavs mistakes but instead have picked the very worst. In honor of Bennett’s birthday, I recap Cleveland’s five biggest blunders made since LeBron left.
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5. Letting Danny Ferry Go
Want to know how bad LeBron’s departure really was? GM Danny Ferry resigned from his position. Nobody wanted to stay. Yes, Ferry made some mistakes as GM of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but look how quickly he turned things around in just a season and a half in Atlanta. Ferry was able to get rid of the toxic contract of Joe Johnson (somehow managing to receive picks for Joe Johnson) and refused to overpay Josh Smith.
In his second year as GM of the Hawks, Ferry has wiped the payroll clean of any sticky long-term contracts: only Horford, point guard Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver and the two recent first-round picks are under contract in 2015-2016. Ferry never made the “big move” while he was at the helm in Cleveland, instead trading for mostly role-playing veterans to tool around LeBron. Mo Williams made an All-Star appearance while playing in Cleveland, but every other player he traded for was past their prime (Shaq, Jamison, Hughes, etc.). The question is, did he actually learn from his time in Cleveland, or was he following someone else’s orders? We may never know.
His replacement, former GM Chris Grant, wasn’t all bad (he was able to swing the deal that landed the Cavaliers the pick that turned into Kyrie Irving by taking on Baron Davis‘ expanding waistline for a half a season), but the team didn’t have a plan. Were they rebuilding, or were they pushing for the playoffs? Were they buyers or sellers at the deadline? It changed every year.
No matter how you look at it, Atlanta looks to be the big winner, as Ferry has installed a Spurs-East approach in the ATL (keep only good contracts, develop your players, and most of all have flexibility and continuity).
Keep reading to take a look at their draft mistakes…
4. Drafting Mistakes
Wait, didn’t they draft Kyrie Irving? Yes. But even that was an almost blunder. (There were legitimate sources saying some within the Cavaliers organization were enamored with the athletic Derrick Williams over Irving.) Yet every pick since Irving has failed to see the Cavaliers take the best player on the board. I like Tristan Thompson long-term (2011, No. 4 pick), who averages 10.8 PPG and 8.6 RPG for his career, but they passed on the likes of Jonas Valanciunas, Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard.
The bext year they selected Dion Waiters, who didn’t start at Syracuse mind you, over the likes of Andre Drummond and Damian Lillard! I know Lillard plays the same position as Irving, so that pick may have been questioned (although I think at least offensively that backcourt would be impressive), but Andre Drummond may very well be the best center in the NBA for the next decade! Irving and Drummond would have formed an elite pick-and-roll combination, and Drummond is a monster on the boards and protecting the rim… A.K.A exactly what the Cavaliers don’t right have now.
Next they traded for the rights to Tyler Zeller (whose biggest storyline since entering the league was his Krispy Kreme diet), Dallas’s 17th pick, selecting him over rotation players like Terrence Jones, Andrew Nicholson and Jared Sullinger.
Finally, last year they selected Anthony Bennett (who may or may never be a formidable starter) with the No. 1 pick. This draft was considered one of the worst in recent history, so I understand the logic of swinging for the fences. But if you’re going that route, why don’t you select the wildcard Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo? Michael Carter-Williams is 6-6–he isn’t big enough to guard two guards defensively? What is the reasoning behind not selecting Oladipo? Looking back at the selections now, do you realize the Cleveland Cavaliers could have featured Kyrie Irving, Michael-Carter Williams, Kawhi Leonard and Andre Drummond in their lineup! Clevelanders, try not to cry.
3. Poor Roster Management
Sticking with the theme of “Are we rebuilding or contending?”, the Cavaliers have made a number of peculiar roster moves since LeBron left, and it’s all connected to their identity problem. The biggest issue I have is with the handling of Anderson Varejao. Varejao is a capable semi-starter, a player probably better suited as an energy guy off the bench. He’s improved his overall game (his jump shot in particular) since being drafted out of Brazil. But in recent years he has failed to stay healthy–in fact he’s only played in 129 games since 2010-2011.
Varejao is one of the few Cavaliers players capable of bringing back value in a trade. Finally healthy this season, the Cavs brass chose to keep him when any number of teams were looking for big man help. (Eric Gordon for Andy and a second perhaps? Ship him for a pick from Portland, a team pushing for a deep playoff run, or the Suns even! ANYONE WOULD TAKE HIM). My opinion as to why these kinds of deals never happen? Instead of accepting the rebuild and getting something for a talented veteran, someone (*cough, cough* Gilbert) ordered a playoff run. They then make a hasty trade for a talented veteran forward (Luol Deng) in the last year of his deal, a player they attempted to trade two months after getting him… Am I the only one who doesn’t see the sense in that?
Cleveland is still clinging to the small hope of a Bron-Bron return. Seriously, we are like a devastated ex asking what we did wrong. Cleveland needs closure. Instead of saving cap space in hopes he signs this offseason, only to see him choose against a return, with the money being reallocated to overpaying non-stars (a la Jarrett Jack), someone needs to take over who will accept that LeBron has moved on. It’s time they did too. Unless he wants to return, that is…
Keep reading to see why they should’ve never brought back Mike Brown…
2. Scathing LeBron Forever
I have to admit that at first, as an Ohioan, I too hated Miami LeBron. How could you leave the place you were born, the team the drafted you, and the city that loved you because times were hard? Especially with a primetime special. But then you think about it more: LeBron dedicated nearly a decade of his career to Cleveland, taking all responsibility for every game, every missed shot, every loss, and every mistake. Who was the best player he called his teammate? A 37-year-old Shaquille O’Neal? One year of Carlos Boozer and his chest hair? The immortal Ricky Davis? Larry Hughes? Delonte West and the soap opera he may or may not have caused? Big Z?
Cleveland was never able to give LeBron the kind of teammates he has now in Miami. What’s worse is the way it ended: owner Dan Gilbert took LeBron’s departure personally, responding with a letter declaring that the Cavs would win a championship before LeBron, amongst other mumbo-jumbo. But that’s not even the worst of it all. Now that time has passed, we’re seeing the possible fallout of said outburst with Kyrie Irving’s situation. Would you want to spend your career on a bad team… especially one with Dan Gilbert at the helm? Exactly. More so, would you want to come to an already dreary Cleveland?
In my very humble opinion, to succeed as a small-market team, you need to first and foremost show you have a plan. Not just say you have one (WE WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS I GUARANTEE IT ON MY SON’S LIFE! is not good enough). An owner, GM and coach all need to work together to show stability within the organization. Would Carmelo opt to come play in Cleveland, even though they could/should have the cap space to sign him? I don’t think so. But add enough talent, get a high quality coach in there, and show that you are for real, and then mayyyyybeeee he’s forced to at least entertain the idea.
My favorite part of all this is that if (and that is a major if) LeBron did come back to Cleveland to finish his career, the city would gladly take him back with open arms. But what is Gilbert going to do, pretend nothing happened the last four seasons? Say he overreacted? This letter will always hang over his and the organization’s head.
1. Bringing Back Mike Brown
A little Brown backstory before we get into things: Brown took over in Cleveland in 2005 as the second-youngest coach at the time. He did turn Cleveland around, turning Cleveland into a strong defensive team. Cleveland went on to reach the Finals (swept by the Spurs in 2007). Over the next two years, Brown went on to lead the Cavs to franchise best 61 and 66 wins, and was named Coach of the Year in 2009.
However, after failing to reach the NBA Finals again, and with rumored complaints that Mike Brown essentially asked LeBron to play hero ball on offense for four quarters, Brown was let go in 2010. He then took over for Phil Jackson in Los Angeles, never an easy task, and became head coach of the Lakers. After a solid first year, the Lakers went all out and brought in Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to form the first super-quadruple (I don’t have a catchy name to call their foursome), which floundered in his Princeton offense. He was let go after a 1-4 start to the year.
After a five-year hiatus from coaching in which Brown rethought his offensive… wait a second, he got hired again? Before the start of this season, owner Dan Gilbert, who had already fired Brown once, decided the best possible candidate is the one you already had. Brown was once more coach of the Cavs. Nothing against Brown, who has a proven track record of winning; NBA.com says “He has a career head coaching record of 314-167 (.652) which is the 6th highest winning percentage in NBA history among coaches with at least 400 games coached.” Perhaps it fails to mention he had the benefit of a once-in-a-lifetime level superstar in his first go around, but hey close enough right? Without LeBron, Brown is just 66-69.
If you want to say Brown’s defensive acumen warrants him a head-coaching job, fine I’ll accept that. But at least bring in a strong offensive minded assistant to run the offense!! The Cavs are one of the youngest NBA teams (by average player age), a team with plenty of athleticism and ability. Yet Brown’s slowdown grind is threatening to stunt any player development. New face of the franchise Kyrie Irving has actually regressed statistically under Brown. (First year: 22.5 PPG, 5.9 APG and 3.7 RPG, with 45.2/39.1 shooting percent averages. Second year: 21.5 PPG, 6.3 APG, 3.5 RPG, with 42.8/36 percent shooting.) You know the facial expression you make when someone tries to explain something to you and you are utterly clueless? That’s Mike Brown’s face every game!!! THIS IS MIKE BROWN IN A NUTSHELL.
He really looks like he doesn’t comprehend the situations transgressing right before his eyes; it’s no wonder Irving often ends up at the top of the wing playing one-on-one with his opponent. Brown’s sets don’t work.
Now, speaking as a biased-Ohioan, we are stuck. Brown’s coaching merits, at the minimum, consideration of termination, but will Gilbert come out and say, “I was wrong?” We all know the answer to that.
What do you think?
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