This Time Cavaliers Resurrection Has Nothing To Do With LeBron James


For most of the past two decades, the Cleveland Cavaliers could be defined by two things: LeBron James or indifference.

A hometown hero, James breathed new life into the city after being drafted in 2003, making the Cavaliers a must-see. Then he devastated his fan base by traveling to Miami in 2010 before returning like Odysseus in 2014 and conceding one of the most-watched championships in NBA history in 2016. .

“Everybody felt a little strange After that year,” said Cedi Osman. fifth year guard for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers were starting from scratch and staring into the abyss. They had veterans and no track record of attracting the best free agents. But something funny happened. Fast forward with some quality draft picks, a knowledgeable trade-off, and the unexpected resurgence of a key player, and there’s a basketball renaissance in Cleveland.

Four seasons after James’ debut with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Cavaliers have mixed expectations of being one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. One of the best defenses in the NBA For the first time since James left in 2018, the Cavaliers will be represented at this weekend’s All-Star Game in Cleveland. Veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, who was traded from the Lakers to Cleveland last month, said the Cavaliers are “chance to do something special

Their status as a contender solidified last week when they recruited 27-year-old swingman and Ohio’s Caris LeVert from the Indiana Pacers. LeVert told reporters that the team seemed to have “such positive energy everywhere.”

Positive energy has been scarce in recent years. The Cavaliers in the last three seasons 60-159 gone. The rebuilding process, led by post-James Managing Director Koby Altman, has been bumpy.

Cleveland is his fourth coach in four years. One of them, John Beilein, apologized to his mostly Black team in 2020. calling them “thugs” in a movie session. He resigned mid-season that year. with a dismal 14-40 record.

Also, a trade-in for Andre Drummond, a slow and expensive center who recovered well but didn’t fit in with the team’s fast perimeter guards, and Larry Nance Jr., another center who never fully met a contract. extension has been made. More than $40 million worth.

“We took some time and had to be really patient during some tough times to get to where we are,” coach JB Bickerstaff, who replaced Beilein, said at a news conference last week. “And when you talk about legacy, I think those are discussions after the season or, you know, two years from now, where you can look back at all the work and see what you’ve really done.”

The essence of the Cavaliers’ resurgence came from the sketch. The fifth overall pick in 2019, quarterback Darius Garland, was a highly publicized but risky pick given that he played in just five games for Vanderbilt. due to knee injury. The Cavaliers had drafted quarterback Collin Sexton just a year ago, which caused some eyebrows to be raised on Garland’s selection.

The team instead launched Garland and Sexton as one of the more dynamic backcourts in the NBA. Now, in just his third year, Garland, 22, is a veteran field general, averaging 20.1 points and 8 assists per game and winning an All. -Star bed. (Sexton suffered a season-ending knee injury in early November.)

With his passing skills and ability to create space for himself in the paint, Garland beat at least two other players. prepared before that (RJ Barrett and De’Andre Hunter), the #1 pick of this draft, Zion Williamson, has not been on the court this season due to a foot injury.

Brandon Knight, who was briefly Garland’s teammate during his rookie year at Cleveland, described him as “super, super, super selfless.”

“He scores a lot of goals, but he also gets a lot of guys involved,” said Knight, 30. “When you include the men and make the men feel good and feel good about touching basketball, I think things go downhill.”

Making high-draft picks is crucial when a team has traditionally been unattractive to free agents. Cleveland drafted Isaac Okoro fifth in 2020. became a reliable defender and open floor finisher. The soldier with the highest ceiling could be Evan Mobley from the old movies. selected at number 3 in last year’s draft. Mobley, 20, averages 14.7 points and 8 rebounds per game and is a contender for the Rookie of the Year Award.

One of Cleveland’s best moves was the Jarrett Allen trade. last seasonis part of a four-team deal that made James Harden with Allen’s former team the Nets. Allen, 23, – a strong rebounder and rim-around finisher – is now one of the top centers in the NBA and was named to replace Harden’s injury in this year’s All-Star Game. The Nets have a worse record than the Cavaliers and Traded Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers last week. They looked a lot like a team that could use Allen.

But Cleveland’s success this year isn’t just due to young players. Kevin Love, a five-time All-Star and the only survivor from the James era after Osman, has struggled with injuries throughout most of Cleveland’s rebuilding. Love, a power forward, signed a four-year, $120 million contract. extension will stay in Cleveland James is entering the 2018-19 season after leaving for the second time. This seemed like a mistake for Altman prior to the season. When Love played, her body language was sour. Open multiple clearly demonstrated on occasions dissatisfaction with teammates.

Played by Deng Adel 19 games for the Cavaliers The year after James left for the Lakers, the early stages of the remake were “somewhat difficult” for Love, he said.

“For the most part, he was definitely still a good teammate,” said Adel, who now plays for the Boston Celtics’ G League member. He added: “It’s getting a little frustrating, especially for where he is in his career. You know, you could say he just wanted to win some.”

After the Allen trade and Mobley drafted, it seemed like there would be no room for Love. But in the summer, his manager stop chatting That your love will try to negotiate a purchase. Instead, Love returned to education and told reporters, “positive forceNow, this year is among the best of his eight seasons at Cleveland. Outside the bench, he averages 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, shooting 39.2 percent from 3. preached publicly to do.

“He’s a great mentor for us – for the young players and especially the way he’s played this year,” Osman said. “I mean, we’re really looking at him. Aggressively. Defensively. He’s cunning. He’s trying to help us. You know, everybody’s doing something.”

Mentoring has come from other sources as well. Veteran quarterback Ricky Rubio came to Cleveland in an off-season trade from Minnesota, helping the team get off to a fast start with his steady hand as he prepared the offense. However, he closed the season with a knee injury in December and was traded to LeVert. Rondo filled the role of Rubio.

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise if the Cavaliers make a deep run at the end of this season. They have dynamic scorers (Garland, Allen), quality veterans with championship experience (Love, Rondo) and supplemental shooter creators (Okoro, Osman). The Cavaliers have a real shot at making it to the NBA finals, especially this year with no clear favorites for the championship. And they seem to enjoy playing with each other.

“You can’t guess that kind of thing most of the time, man,” Knight said. “So the ingredients work, and there really isn’t an answer for that.”

“All that stuff, I think, just works when you meet a bunch of guys who aren’t selfish and don’t care which guy gets the points.”

Of course, the Cavaliers still have a lot of work to do. The Eastern Conference is tight-lipped, and a losing streak could mean being driven into the play-in tournament—and perhaps the playoffs. This year, however, has been an undeniable step forward. If nothing else, Cleveland is pursuing something bigger to be defined by more than a past partnership with LeBron James.

“We are trying to build something,” Osman said. “Right now it’s all about these Cavs.”





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