There is no secret that the Cleveland Cavaliers have not had an especially glittering history. That is, until the day they picked LeBron James with the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft. They had never been to the NBA Finals, and had only reached the Eastern Conference finals twice, losing to the Celtics in 1975-76 and to the Bulls in the early nineties. The franchise had more losing seasons than playoff years, and never had a singular great player. All that changed when LeBron James put on the wine and gold.
Last night, James became the franchise’s all time leading scorer, passing Brad Daugherty for the record with a layup in the first quarter of the Cavs’ 90-83 win over the Toronto Raptors. The Chosen One did it in just five seasons, 170 some games less that the former North Carolina great. James passed the #3 all time scorer, Austin Carr, just a couple of weeks ago. It is ironic that all three were the first pick in the NBA draft. Both Daugherty and Carr were hampered by injuries during their time in Cleveland, or #23 would still be short of their totals.
Carr was the first pick in the draft after the team’s inaugural season in 1971. The Notre Dame product still holds the NCAA record for the most points in one game in the NCAA Tournament with 61 against Ohio. He was an incredible scorer, but almost instantly after being drafted by the Cavs, he started having injury problems. He missed the start of the season with a broken foot, and then missed more time later in the season with more problems with his foot. In his second year, however, he averaged almost 22 points per game, and appeared to be destined for greatness. Early in the 1974-75 season, Carr had pushed his scoring to over 24 points per night when he suffered a knee injury and missed most of the rest of the season. He returned in 1975-76, but was used as a reserve, albeit a key one, by Bill Fitch. We never saw how great Carr would have been without the knee problems.
Daugherty was made the #1 pick after the Cavs traded for the selection with Philadelphia by dealing Roy Hinson. Unfortunately, the big man was criticized by the fans for what he wasn’t (a shot blocking, defensive presence), than he was praised for what he was, which was a five time All Star. He was a key component of a team that was one of the league’s best until the ownership forced the trade of Ron Harper to the Clippers. Even so, the Cavs were the chief challengers to the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bull teams, at least in the Eastern Conference. The current NASCAR commentator averaged 19 points and 9.5 rebounds in a career that ended prematurely due to back problems at the age of 29. It’s interesting to think the big man could have been playing with the Cavs until the turn of the century without the injury.
Carr probably would have been a superstar had he not wrecked his knee, but Daugherty was not the poster boy for a franchise. In fact, more Cavs’ fans probably think more fondly of Mark Price and perhaps Larry Nance from those Cleveland teams, that they do the 7 foot center, who was a solid, fundamentally sound player. However, the current Cavs not only have that superstar, they have likely the best player in the sport in James. The NBA writers will probably vote the MVP award to Kobe Bryant, more as a "lifetime achievement award" than for this season. But think about this, it took a trade for Pau Gasol to lift the Lakers into one of the best teams in the West. Before the deal, they would have made the playoffs, but were destined for probably no better than a 5th seed.
Simply put, LeBron James is the best player in the league, and make no mistake, no one in the Eastern Conference wants to play the Cavaliers in the playoffs because the King could win the entire series by himself. Do not think for one minute that the Celtics or the Pistons would like to avoid #23 for as long as they can. LeBron’s combination of scoring, power, and unselfishness is unmatched in the sport, and he is still just 24 years old. The national guys can talk about Kobe Bryant all they want, and convince themselves Bryant is better, but they are fooling themselves. James isn’t just the best player in Cavs’ history, he’s the very best in the world.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 