by
Chapter Eleven
“The MVP”
The Cavaliers were on a mission to make up for their early exit in the 2008 playoffs, with a dominant 2008 – 2009 season. They had the makings of a great team as the players they traded for midseason were starting to jell nicely with the established players towards the end of the playoff run. Many people felt that if they had more time to play together that they could have even upset the Celtics. The task for Danny Ferry was clear, he needed to find one more piece and then put it all together for another serious run at the title. (55)
The offseason started off by picking JJ Hickson out of North Carolina State University with their first pick. He was the 19th pick overall and came with mild expectations. He could play power forward and center, and was expected to soak up minutes when called upon off the bench. He did have potential and would be given the time to develop behind the veterans and improve. (56)
The big move came on August 13, 2008 when the Cavaliers took part in a three team trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks that saw Damon Jones and Joe Smith leave town, but in return they received sharp shooting point guard Mo Williams from the Bucks. Williams was a quality point guard as he knew how to generate points with a variety of passes and smart shots. He was quick off the dribble and could create his own shot when needed. He was the perfect complement to Delonte West in the backcourt. (57)
James suddenly had numerous weapons as the starting lineup was loaded. In the backcourt they had Mo Williams running the point with Delonte West playing shooting guard. They had the twin towers of Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas down low crashing the boards nightly. It was a lineup that was also stacked off the bench with Anderson Varejao, Sasha Pavlovic, Daniel Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak. The Cavaliers were picked by many to contend with Boston all season for the best record in the Eastern Conference. (58)
They would be tested right away as opening night was back in Boston at the TD Garden to face the defending NBA champions. The Celtics picked up where they left off, and despite a great effort by Cleveland; they managed to put away the Cavaliers 90 – 85. It was clear that the Celtics would remain the team to beat. (59)
The Cavaliers split their next two games with a win at home against Charlotte and a loss on the road in New Orleans against the Hornets. It was after the loss to the Hornets that the Cavaliers caught fire and remained that way all season. They rolled of an eight game win streak, highlighted by wins over the Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggetts and Utah Jazz. They had a quick stumbling block with a loss to the Pistons in Detroit, but then quickly bounced back with an eleven game winning streak that pushed their record to 20 – 3. They lost on the road to the Atlanta Hawks before winning six more in a row. They were dominating teams and by the time of the turn of the calendar year into 2009, they held a 26 – 5 record. They also held a perfect home record that stood until the Lakers beat them on Feb 8, 2009. Even with the loss, they held an impressive 39 – 10 record and were well on their way to locking up the first overall seed. (60)
They remained red hot down the stretch with numerous winning streaks, including an impressive 13 game winning streak into late march. Perhaps most impressive was an April 12, 2009 win against the Boston Celtics, in which they pounded the Celtics and won 107 – 76. The 31 point win was a clear statement that the Cavaliers had emerged as the absolute best team in the NBA. They finished with a franchise best record of 66 – 16. It was also the best record of any team in the NBA. It locked up home field advantage throughout the playoffs and gave Cleveland an enormous amount of momentum heading into the playoffs. (61)
LeBron James had a season that was so good, it earned him his first league MVP award. He was voted the very best player in the NBA and took home the very prestigious award. He averaged 28.4 points a game combined with 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists. He was the best player on the court every night and the main reason the Cavaliers enjoyed so much success. It was nice to see the national media finally put aside their negative bias against Cleveland and grant LeBron the well deserved award. (62)
The supporting cast for LeBron also stepped up huge and played a major role in the incredible regular season run. Mo Williams averaged 17.8 points a night and finally provided that solid number two scorer behind James that the Cavaliers needed for years. Zydrunas Ilgauskas continued to also improve every season he remained healthy, and he chipped in with 12.9 points a night with 7.5 rebounds. Delonte West also continued to bring his high energy defense and killer instinct to the court every night, he averaged 11.7 points a night with 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals. The Cavaliers were a serious threat to win the title as they headed into the 2009 NBA playoffs.
They opened up the playoffs against long time playoff rival, the Detroit Pistons. Things were vastly different then just two short years earlier. The Pistons had aged and were no longer the powerhouse they once were. They were the 8th seed and seen as a heavy underdog against the highly favored Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers jumped out to a quick two game lead in the series by winning the first two games at home. They pounded the Pistons and won the games 102 – 84 and 94 – 82. The series headed to the Palace of Auburn Hills and the Pistons hopes of coming back were on life support. The Cavaliers continued to roll and polished off the Pistons in Detroit by taking both games, 79 – 68 and 99 – 78. The games were such blowouts that by the time game four rolled around, Detroit fans didn’t even bother to show up, and more than half the crowd in Detroit consisted of Cleveland fans. It was such a magical season that Cleveland fans had no problems driving two and half hours to the palace to support their team!
LeBron James continued to look amazing in the playoffs with efforts of 38, 29, 25 and 36 points. Despite the wide difference in win totals, James knew better than to take Detroit lightly, and made sure to bring his very best to the court each and every night. They were red hot and ready to take on their second round opponent, the Atlanta Hawks.
With stars such as Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby, the Atlanta Hawks were seen as a very formidable opponent coming into the second round series. Many broadcasters considered them good enough to push the Cavaliers to at least six if not seven games. Despite the talent and hype behind them, the Cavaliers didn’t fear them and went right out and swept them in four games with relative ease. The Hawks couldn’t compete with the high powered Cavalier attack. The Cavaliers average amount of victory was 16 points per game. The Cavaliers had won eight straight playoff games and were looking simply unstoppable.
Heading into the conference semifinals everyone around the league expected a Cleveland versus Boston rematch. The Orlando Magic had a different idea and upset the Celtics in the conference semi finals. The Magic were young and talented, but few thought they would have what it took to hang with the Cavaliers. Little did anyone know that we were headed for a classic series.
Game one was in Cleveland and the Cavaliers jumped out to a huge lead. They were beating the Magic 63 – 48 at halftime. Everything looked in control until the Orlando Magic came out in the third quarter and couldn’t miss a shot. The Magic were suddenly red hot and outscored the Cavaliers 30 – 19 in the third quarter. The Magic continued to remain hot and took a 107 – 106 lead with only a few seconds to go. A last second desperation shot by Mo Williams rattled in and out, and just like that, they Cavaliers had lost their first playoff game and were suddenly down in the series.
The Cavaliers had wasted a 49 point masterpiece by LeBron James. The problem was that despite James incredible scoring display, their bench only provided five points. That was simply not acceptable and would be a major obstacle to overcome if continued.
Game two followed almost the exact same script as game one. The Cavaliers once again jumped out to a big lead and led 30 – 16 after the first quarter. Sadly, just like in game one, the Magic came roaring back and held a 95 – 93 lead with only one second to go. Hedo Turkoglu had just hit a clutch two point shot to give the Magic the lead and take the wind out of the Cleveland crowd. Coach Mike Brown drew up one last play to try and either tie the game or go for the win in the regulation. The next second in time will forever live in the great memories and moments in Cleveland sports history as Mo Williams inbounded the ball into the waiting of hand of LeBron James as he stood twenty five feet away from the basketball. Lebron caught the ball, turned and put up a shot that would go down easy, and send the fans of Cleveland into a frenzy of excitement! It was at the time, the most defining moment in the young man’s career. It also summed up why he was voted league MVP.
The Cavaliers dropped game three in Orlando by a score of 99 – 89. The refereeing was horrible all night, and the Cavaliers could not stay out of foul trouble because of it. The Magic suddenly had a stranglehold on the series. They continued to get clutch shots and not allow anyone but LeBron James to score on them. Mo Williams was having a very disappointing series and wasn’t providing the needed help for the Cavaliers to compete. If Williams didn’t improve in a hurry, and the Cleveland bench didn’t wake up out of their slumber, then the Cavaliers were in serious trouble! (63)
Game four from Orlando was another classic that came right down to the wire. Dwight Howard continued to dominate down low causing the Cavaliers to force a double team on him and allow Orlando to hit open three pointers. It was a double edged sword, and Cleveland getting sliced by it every time. Rafer Alston was able to cash in on the open looks caused by the Howard double team and scored 26 points to go along with Howard’s 27.
The Cavaliers hung tough all night and with less than a minute to go, the outcome was still in doubt. The Cavaliers led 98 – 97 with only six seconds left in the game. LeBron James had just hit two clutch foul shots to give them the lead, now they just needed one defensive stop and the series would be tied at two. Coming out of the twenty second timeout, most everyone thought that only down one, the Magic would be sure to get it down low to Howard and let him try to drive for the win. Instead, it was Hedo Turkoglu driving the lane before kicking out to a well covered Rashard Lewis who hit a three pointer with a hand in his face to give Orlando the 100 – 98 lead with only 4.1 seconds to go. It was that kind of series for Orlando, everything they did seemed to go right. Lewis was well covered and still hit the go ahead shot. It was back breaking for the Cavaliers as they played so well all night.
With 4.1 seconds left, the game was far from over and the Cavaliers had one last chance left to try and tie or win. They got the ball into LeBron, who drove the lane and got fouled putting up the shot. He missed it, but because of the fall he would have a chance to make two foul shots with only .5 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. LeBron proved he was cold blooded, and calmly nailed both foul shots to send them game into overtime. It was a big pressure moment, handled brilliantly by the games best player.
Orlando jumped out to a quick six point lead in overtime. Two dunks by Howard down low, combined with a Mickael Pietrus three pointer had the Cavaliers in deep whole. LeBron James kept the Cavaliers in the game by making another clutch three pointer and also timely foul shooting. Orlando again used their dominant big man Howard down low and built a four point lead with only six seconds to go. LeBron James nailed a three pointer to cut the lead down to one point with three seconds to go, but after a couple of Rashard Lewis fouls shots, the Magic came ahead with the win, 116 – 114 and took a commanding 3 – 1 lead in the series.
James again played amazing in the loss. James scored 44 points with 12 rebounds and 7 assists. It was a familiar trend for him to play incredible but lack the needed support for the win. Zydrunas Ilgauskas continued to have all kinds of problems with stopping Howard, and couldn’t play him physical enough to stop the run- away train. The weak play of Ilgauskas was absolutely killing the Cavaliers chances of winning. James had been playing the best basketball of his career, and the Cavaliers were still down 3 – 1 in the series. Things were not looking good as they returned home for game five.
Game five proved to be every bit as wild and intense as the first four. The Cavaliers again jumped out to a huge lead in the first quarter. After one frame of play they led 35 – 18. Just like the prior games, the Cavaliers once again blew the lead and let Orlando outscore them 37 – 21 in the second quarter. The teams played each other close to even in the third which set up another dramatic fourth quarter finish.
The game was nip and tuck throughout the fourth quarter until the Cavaliers finally pulled away in the end with a 112 – 102 victory. James was again magnificent as he poured in 37 more points with 14 rebounds and 12 assists. It was another playoff triple double for the reigning MVP. Mo Williams was able to contribute as well as he chipped in with 24 points. The bench again was a cause for concern as they only scored 15 points.
Game six in Orlando turned out to be a nightmare for the Cavaliers as Orlando jumped out to a big lead and never looked back. The one constant was Dwight Howard flexing his muscle for big games every night, the problem for the Cavaliers was that each game it was a different player stepping up big to help Howard carry the load. If they focused on Lewis, then Alston would beat them, or whomever the special player was that evening. The Cavaliers simply couldn’t catch a break, and that was evident as they were trailing at halftime 58 – 40.
They never got much closer in the second half and Orlando won game six, 103 – 90, clinching the series. It was a heartbreaking way for a great season to end. They had the best record in the league and possessed the leagues best player. It came as a shock to numerous pundits around the league as well. Nike was running a puppet commercial that all but directly indicated that the NBA finals would be the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant versus the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. No one expected Orlando with their big man Howard and sudden group of red hot shooters to knock off the highly touted Cavaliers.
What made things even more painful for the Cavaliers was that LeBron James had a truly epic series. He played out of his mind all six games, and almost single handily beat the Orlando Magic. He averaged an unheard of 38.5 points a game to go with 8.3 rebounds and 8 assists. It was a shame that such an incredible effort would be wasted on a loss.
The Orlando Magic went on to lose in only five games to the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. It was a lackluster series that had fans and media members left wondering what they could have seen with a classic Kobe versus LeBron matchup instead.
Mary Schmitt Boyer gives her take on why the Cavs came up short, “Everyone got hot at the right time for Orlando. It was a bad matchup as the double teams on Howard led to countless open three’s by guys like Rashard Lewis who was playing out of his mind in that series.”
Austin Carr gives his input as to why the Cavaliers came up empty once again, “It was a bad matchup, that’s just all it was, and we couldn’t overcome it. That was heartbreaking.”
The Cavaliers would enter desperation mode as the offseason began. The upcoming season was the last on LeBron James contract, and the talk was fast and furious that he would be leaving town at the end of the season. If that was the case, the Cavaliers only had one more chance to win the NBA title with James. No one knew what James would do, but it wasn’t worth hoping, so Danny Ferry went out and traded for long time veteran, Shaquille O’Neal. “Shaq”, was a four time NBA champion while playing for the Lakers and Heat, and many saw this as the one final piece that the Cavaliers needed to achieve their championship dreams. In order to obtain O’Neal from the Phoenix Suns, they had to trade Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic.
To go along with the addition of O’Neal, Ferry also signed free agent guards Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. They were loading up once again for one final push at the title while LeBron was still on the roster. The pressure was intense to get it done now before it was too late. They were coming off of a season in which they held the best record, so they knew they were capable of doing it again they just needed to push further into the playoffs.
The bid to repeat as the league’s best team got off to a horrible start with losses at home against the Boston Celtics, and on the road to the Toronto Raptors. They rebounded from the rough start to win three in a row and then eight of their next ten. They stayed hot with two more winning streaks of seven and thirteen games. By the all star break they held a league best record of 43 – 11. They were clicking on all cylinders again and looked to be a serious contender to return to the NBA finals if things remained the same.
Things would not remain the same however, as Danny Ferry felt the Cavaliers needed one more key piece added to the starting lineup in time for the final playoff push. On February 17, 2010, the Cavaliers made one more trade. As part of a 3-team trade, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Emir Preldzic and a 2010 1st round draft pick (Lazar Hayward was later selected) to the Washington Wizards; the Los Angeles Clippers traded Sebastian Telfair to the Cleveland Cavaliers; the Los Angeles Clippers traded Al Thornton to the Washington Wizards; the Washington Wizards traded Antawn Jamison to the Cleveland Cavaliers; and the Washington Wizards traded Drew Gooden to the Los Angeles Clippers. For the Cavs, the trade simply meant Zydrunas Ilgauskas for Antawn Jamison. The trade of “Z” was not as shocking as it seemed, because it was well known that the Wizards would instantly cut him for salary cap issues and within 30 days, he would be a free agent with full intent to once again sign with the Cavaliers. They did exactly that, on March 23, 2010. So they essentially received Antwan Jamison for nothing.
They stayed hot after the trade for Jamison and the re acquisition of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and finished with a record of 61 – 21, it was the best overall record in the Eastern Conference once again. They were on a separate side of the bracket as Orlando, so many believed there would be a rematch of the prior year’s classic series. The problem was that the Boston Celtics were on the same side of the bracket with Cleveland, so it forecasted a possible showdown with their arch nemesis in the second round.
LeBron James was once again awarded the NBA MVP. He had another stellar season as he averaged 29.7 points a game with 8.6 assists and 7.3 rebounds. If this was indeed going to be his last season, James was going out with a bang! He was now a two time back to back MVP award winner, and the All Star game MVP as well, the last opening spot on his resume was for NBA Finals MVP, he was bound and determined that his final season as a Cavalier would fill that void.
It seemed as though everything was going according to plan as they took care of the eighth seeded Chicago Bulls. Chicago was actually a lot better than their record. They would continue to improve with future league MVP Derrick Rose leading the way. However, this season and series belonged to the Cavaliers as they disposed of the Bulls in five games. One special point of interest in the series was that LeBron James hurt his elbow, it was something that would rear its ugly head in the next series against the Boston Celtics.
Boston still had their big three and wore a formidable opponent for the Cavaliers in the second round. Memories were still fresh in everyone’s minds of the epic seven game series from just two years earlier. Cavalier fans hoped and prayed that this series would have a different outcome. The Cavaliers had the home field advantage but failed to capitalize on it as they allowed Boston to split the first two games before heading to Boston for games three and four.
Game three in Boston turned into the LeBron James spectacular from the opening tip off. James put on a basketball clinic en route to a 38 point masterpiece. James could have had well over 50 points but only played 39 minutes because the Cavaliers were blowing out the Celtics all night long. Antwan Jamison helped out with 20 points and the game was never close. Cleveland took game three by a score of 124 – 95. Little did anyone know, but that would be the last win LeBron James would ever celebrate in a Cavs uniform. Things were about to change, and we were all about to play witness to it!
Chapter Twelve
“The Decision”
On paper, LeBron James had every right to leave Cleveland in free agency when his contract expired in the summer of 2010. On paper, it simply stated that he was drafted by the Cavaliers; he never actually chose to play here. On paper, he didn’t owe Cleveland anything more than his best effort in which he fully gave. However, as we all know, life is based on so much more than what is on paper. (64)
LeBron began to feel the pressure of the expiring contract well before game four in the Boston series. He had heard it from the fans and media for the prior three years, everyone wanted to know if he would stay in Cleveland when the contract was up. The bigger question, would he bring Cleveland their long awaited championship before it came decision time to stay or go? So much pressure and so many questions were on the line as the Boston series intensified. Up until this point, the organization and James had done a great job of ignoring the questions and the pressure about James possible departure. The focal point always remained the same, to win a championship. All that would change heading into game five of the series. (65)
The Cavaliers had dropped game four of the series a few days earlier, which brought the series back to Cleveland tied at two games apiece. There was a slight chance that if they failed to win, that it may be the last time James ever played in Cleveland as a member of the Cavaliers. Many people dismissed the chance of that actually happening, but for the first time ever it seemed that immense pressure finally got to James. (66)
Things started off okay as the Cavaliers led at the end of the first quarter 23 – 20. It was in the second quarter that things started to go horribly wrong. Boston outscored the Cavaliers 30 – 21 and never looked back from there as the Cavaliers self destructed. All five starters from Boston scored in double digits, including Glen Davis coming off the bench to score 15 himself. The Cavaliers defensive effort was terrible, and they seemed to sleep walk through the final three quarters of the game. By the time it was over, they were on the losing end of a 120 – 88 blowout. (67)
It would long forever be remembered by Cleveland fans as the, “Game five Debacle”. Also, in not so flattering terms, “the night LeBron choked”. James, who was one of the best playoff players for several years, had his worst game in his playoff career. He seemed slow and uncaring the entire night. He wasn’t his normally aggressive self and passed off many shots instead of driving to the whole. He finished with 15 points, but only made three of fourteen shots. It was his worst shooting night as a pro, and also a low in attempts. He simply didn’t seem to care and left the task of winning without his best effort up to his teammates. Shaquille O’Neal did his best to help out with 21 points but it wasn’t nearly enough. (68)
With the misery of game five still fresh in everyone’s minds, the Cavaliers headed back to Boston for game six, clinging to hope that LeBron would wake up from his sleep walk and force a gave seven. James answered his heavy critics from game five and responded with a great effort. He scored 27 points with 19 rebounds and 10 assists. It was another incredible playoff triple double performance from James. But it was too little too late, and the red hot Celtics were not too be stopped. They ended Cleveland’s playoff run by a score of 94 – 85.
For the second straight year, the Cavaliers had the best record in the East. For the second straight year, they had the league’s MVP LeBron James. And sadly, for the second straight year, they failed to reach the finals. It was clear that the specter of James possible departure from the team made for too much a distraction. In the end, it may have been their biggest downfall. Not only did they fail to reach the finals, but now they had to anguish through the rest of the postseason at home and then the early part of the offseason, wondering and waiting to see if James would resign.
LeBron James did not take the normal route of free agency which see’s the player meet with several teams on the low key and eventually make a decision. Most times a tweet is sent out by the agent or team calling a press conference and then an announcement is made. Instead of taking the normal, low key humble way of doing things, James was talked into having a media circus. There were several big name free agents who were available in free agency that offseason, and James called a summit of all of them to talk things over. Such a move was unheard of, that numerous players would get together and discuss what their plans were for free agency. It reeked of collusion and was about to get worse. (69)
The 2010 free agency class was loaded with big names such as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amar’e Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki , Carlos Boozer and Joe Johnson to name a few. Where everyone decided to go would greatly reshape the entire NBA for a long time to come.
While the free agent madness was underway, the Cavaliers front office was in a state of great transition. On June 4, 2010, Danny Ferry left the Cavaliers on his own accord. He had one month left on his contract. The Cavaliers went 272-138 during his reign as general manager. Head coach Mike Brown had also been fired a few weeks prior on May24, 2010. (70)
The Cavaliers were attempting to clean house in hopes that LeBron would stay if they brought in a high profile coach and general manager. They ended up having Chris Grant take over as general manager. He was a former Vice President of the Atlanta Hawks, and had served under Ferry since coming to Cleveland in 2005.
The search for head coach took a little longer than expected as they failed in an attempt to acquire legendary college head coach Tom Izzo. They had hoped to lure him away from Michigan St., but their attempts came up empty. Izzo would remain in the college ranks and the search for a coach would go on elsewhere.
On July 2, 2010, Byron Scott was named head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had an extremely successful career while playing in Los Angles as a member of the Showtime Lakers. He was a starter alongside Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and A. C. Green. He played for the Lakers for 10 consecutive seasons 1983–1993. During that time he was on three NBA championship teams 1985, 1987, 1988. He had a championship pedigree.
When his playing career ended he took over the coaching reigns for the New Jersey Nets in 2000 – 2001. They struggled the first season but then caught fire and won 52 games the following season. They reached the NBA Finals before losing to Scott’s former team the Los Angeles Lakers. He led the Nets right back to the championship round the following season as well, this time losing to the San Antonio Spurs. Despite the back to back finals losses, it was still seen as a huge turnaround in a very short amount of time. Scott was seen as one of the best coaches in the NBA, that is why it came as shock to everyone the following season when he was fired after a 22-20 start. It was a bizarre move by the New Jersey Nets upper management that sent shock waves around the NBA.
Scott would catch on as head coach of the New Orleans Hornets the following year in an attempt to reclaim his championship ways. Things did not go well at the start as the team missed the playoffs his first three seasons there. Entering the 2007 – 2008 season, the Hornets finally turned it around with star point guard Chris Paul and finished first in the NBA Western Conference Southwest Division. They made it to the conference semi finals before losing to the San Antonio Spurs. They were having the best seasons since coming to New Orleans, and that is why it came as another shock when nine games into 2009 – 2010 season, Scott was fired again. (71)
The Cavaliers liked what Scott had shown he could do with star players and young superstars in the past, and hoped the he would be the perfect coach to convince LeBron James to remain in town. One by one the other free agents were making their decision. Dirk Nowitzki decided to stay in Dallas and resign with the Mavericks. Chris Bosh left Toronto to play for the Miami Heat where Dwayne Wade had also just resigned. Carlos Boozer neglected to come back to Cleveland, instead signing with the Chicago Bulls. Amar’e Stoudemire elected to leave Phoenix for the New York Knicks. Everything was taking shape as LeBron was the last big name not to sign with anyone. (72)
All that would change on July 10, 2010 when LeBron James put on one of the biggest media spectacles ever seen. Instead of signing a contract and making an announcement with his agent, he decided it would be best to go on national television with infamous sportscaster Jim Gray. The broadcast was from the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut; the show raised $2.5 million for the charity. The show raised an additional $3.5 million from advertisement revenue which was donated to other various charities. ESPN was in charge of airing the media circus and scheduled it for primetime. The program started at 9:00 pm, but it wasn’t until 28 minutes into the show that James finally announced his decision to join fellow All Stars Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade and play for the Miami Heat. His exact words are as follows,
“In this fall…this is very tough…in this fall I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat. I feel like it’s going to give me the best opportunity to win and to win for multiple years, and not only just to win in the regular season or just to win five games in a row or three games in a row, I want to be able to win championships. And I feel like I can compete down there.”
Per sources close to the issue, the television program drew high ratings, with Nielsen announcing that an average of 9.948 million people watched the show in the United States, with 13.1 million watching at the time of James’ announcement. Not surprising but Cleveland topped all markets with a 26.0 Nielsen rating and 39 share. The show’s Nielsen ratings were 6.1 in households, and 4.1 in 18-49, making it the most watched cable show of the night.
One comment that grew instant criticism was his remark of taking his talents down to South Beach. Instead of being humble and mentioning the city and team by name, he used a sentence with “my talents” and referred to Miami as South Beach. That one remark showed his immaturity and selfishness. He didn’t need to stay in Cleveland and had every right to leave, but it was how he went about it that upset everyone watching. You do not go on national television and embarrass your hometown the way he did. It was this kind of horrendous act that set Cleveland fans ablaze in anger and also made James one of the most hated men in sports.
Cleveland fans instantly revolted against James and could be seen burning replica LeBron James jerseys in the streets. James was later quoted as saying that the whole ordeal may have been a mistake on his part, but he stood by his decision. On September 29, 2010, asked by Soledad O’Brien of CNN if race was a factor in the fallout from The Decision, James said, “I think so, at times. There’s always – you know a race factor.” It was mind blowing too many that James would pull the race card in a way to make up for how mad fans were mad at him. Color had nothing to do with it; the only color the Cavaliers fans saw was red in anger.
His move to join two fellow All Stars in Miami was also criticized by former greats of the NBA. It had never been done before and it had everyone in an uproar. Michael Jordan stated that he would not have contacted his rivals from other teams like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to play on one team together. Jordan stated, “I wanted to defeat those guys.” Jordan added that, “things are different now. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today.”
LeBron James nor his agents had the courtesy of contacting anyone at the Cleveland Cavaliers organization to notify them of their decision. Owner Dan Gilbert did not hesitate to vent his frustration at the situation along with an effort to comfort the fans with a solid vote of confidence. Gilbert penned the following letter and it was out on social media in a matter of minutes following the decision.
” Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;
As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.
This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his “decision” unlike anything ever “witnessed” in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.
Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.
The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.
There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.
You simply don’t deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.
You have given so much and deserve so much more.
In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:
“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE”
You can take it to the bank.
If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our “motivation” to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.
Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.
Sorry, but that’s simply not how it works.
This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown “chosen one” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And “who” we would want them to grow-up to become.
But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called “curse” on Cleveland, Ohio.
The self-declared former “King” will be taking the “curse” with him down south. And until he does “right” by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.
Just watch.
Sleep well, Cleveland.
Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day….
I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:
DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue….
Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers
It was comforting to Cleveland fans that the owner of the team would show such confidence in the team and city. He showed that he was willing to stick up for Cleveland and it’s die-hard fans. The city was in pain and with an arrogant local sports talk host constantly putting the city down and laughing at Cleveland, it was nice to see a man with the power of Gilbert fight on behalf of the city. And that is more than just a mile high statement.
Mary Schmitt Boyer gives her opinion on how the entire spectacle was handled, “He had the right to do what he did, but they way he handled it was incorrect. I think if he had it to do over again I don’t think he would have handled it the way he did. He was young and I don’t know if he got bad or advice or what his reasoning was. It could have been handled in a much better way. He could have said that he had given Cleveland what I could for seven years and it was time, but he didn’t. I just think there was a way to exit with far less fanfare. Part of me thinks that he had never been away from home, as opposed to kids who go away for college and I think at that age that maybe he felt it was time to try something else. I don’t think he had animosity towards the city of Cleveland, I just think he thought it was time to try something else. He had given Cleveland seven marvelous years and lit the city up like Vegas much like he promised he would. I know there are still people who will never forgive him for what he did. He could have done it in a different way.”
Suddenly a team without their best player, the Cavaliers needed to do everything possible to recover from such an epic loss. The problem was that the free agency season was pretty much over, as LeBron was the last big name to sign. They traded away Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Ryan Hollins and Ramon Sessions. West had a rough prior season both on and off the court. They also signed back-up point guard Manny Harris before the season began as well.
On Wed, Oct 27, 2010 the Cavaliers took the court for the first time in seven years without having their star player on the roster. It was a feeling of great uncertainty and anxiety, most felt they were still a good team without James. It was opening night and they were also without All Star point guard Mo Williams as he was out with injury for the first week of the season. It looked like it may be a long night as the defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics were in town to the open the season.
Not only were they missing James with his departure to Miami in free agency and Mo Williams who was injured, they were also without their center from the prior year. Shaquille O’Neal had also left in free agency and became a member of the visiting Boston Celtics. Fan favorite Zydrunas Ilgauskas followed James to Miami in free agency. With West, James, Williams, Ilgauskas, and O’neal all missing from the prior years starting lineup, the Cavaliers were forced to field a much different starting five. The backcourt featured Anthony Parker and Ramon Sessions, while the front court boasted Anderson Varejao, JJ Hickson and Jamario Moon.
It was a giant mismatch on paper but Cleveland stood a fighting chance in front of a home sellout crowd of 20,562 rabid fans. They were hurt, and they needed an instant uplift to give them hope that the season may not be that bad after all. Playing in their favor was the fact that the Boston Celtics had an emotional night themselves the prior evening as they were fresh off an opening night win against LeBron James and the Miami Heat. The chance that Boston may have a letdown against the Cavaliers was strong.
Cleveland played them hard through the first three quarters and only trailed 73 – 68 heading into the decisive quarter. The Cavaliers used the strength of the loud fans and rebounded from a hostile offseason, to have a courageous fourth quarter comeback. They played inspired defense and held the Celtics to only 14 fourth quarter points. The furious rally by Cleveland saw them score 27 points of their own, and walk out of Quicken Loans Arena with an opening night 95 – 87 win. The defense was so impressive that they held Paul Pierce to only 13 point and Kevin Garnett to only 9.
Cleveland received a surprising explosive opening night effort out of second year sensation JJ Hickson, who led all scorers with 21 points. Also chipping in with 16 off the bench was Daniel Gibson. Ramon Sessions made the most out of his first game with the Cavaliers and helped out with 14 points of his own. It was a great first night that proved that life would go on without the chosen one.
The Cavaliers stumbled a bit after the opening night win, but did finish November with a 7 – 10 overall record. It wasn’t great by any stretch, but it was far better than anyone thought possible. It was at that point however that things started going downhill quickly. They got wrapped up in a ten game losing streak that was only snapped with a nail biting overtime win against the New York Knicks at home. It was after the win against the Knocks that things completely started to spiral out of control as they went on a NBA record 26 game losing streak. From December 18, 2010 through Feb 9, 2011 they did not win a single game. It was mortifying to go through such a horrendous stretch.
Five days after the epic losing streak came to an end, the highly powered Los Angeles Lakers rolled into town. They had won the NBA Championship in the prior two seasons, and were looking great again this season. The Cavaliers came into the contest with a record of 9 – 46, and few people if any gave them a chance. Cleveland once again flourished in the underdog role and jumped out to an early lead against the Lakers. They managed to hold onto the lead all night and swipe the 104 – 99 upset win. It was the perfect way to head into the All Star Break.
A few weeks after the All Star break, the Cavaliers made a trade that would change the course of team history for a very long time to come. On February 24, 2011 they traded Jamario Moon and Mo Williams to the Los Angeles Clippers for Baron Davis and a 2011 1st round draft pick. Davis did not do too much during his short time in Cleveland, however the draft pick would come up large only a few short months later.
They were struggling with all the changes, and held a paltry 14 – 58 record as LeBron James and the high powered Miami Heat came to town on March 29, 2011. After a dead even first quarter, the Cavaliers exploded in the second quarter and held a surprising nine point lead heading into halftime. The crowd was loud all game and hoped that they could get the last laugh against LeBron with an upset win.
James brought his very best once again and finished with a triple double. James finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. He also had help from his starters, but not from the bench as they only scored six total points. The Cavaliers never stopped believing they could pull off the upset and they did exactly that. When the last second ran off the clock the Cavaliers had pulled off the 102 – 90 upset win. It was a major statement and feel good moment for a city and franchise that had to live with so much pain over the prior 10 months.
The Cavaliers only won four more games after that fateful night against Miami, including their last two of the season to finish with a 19- 63 record. It was the big wins that they did pull off against the likes of the Knicks, Celtics, Lakers, Clippers and Heat, that showed just how much fighting spirit the city and team still had left in them despite the “King’s” departure. Despite the rough season, their luck was about to change drastically, as they were about to send a young man with his bow tie to play the lottery.
