Are you a fan that is depressed about the terrible state of the Cleveland Browns? Are you still upset about the way the Indians’ season turned into a mess? There is a remedy for the Cleveland sports fan, and they will start playing in less than two weeks. There is a championship caliber team in this city, and they are the Cleveland Cavaliers!
They even have an owner that gets it (and is trying to bring a casino to the North Coast) in Dan Gilbert. He understands that having star players and a great team puts people in the seats, and not vice-versa. The Cavs front office is unafraid to take risks. For example, they needed a post presence on offense and defense, so they went out and got Shaquille O’Neal, a future Hall of Famer.
It’s reminiscent of the Indians of the late ‘90’s when John Hart would identify a weakness and owner Dick Jacobs would sign the check.
Can you imagine the Indians or the Browns making such a move now?
This team is poised to win a title. They have the reigning league MVP in LeBron James and the aforementioned O’Neal, who has hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy four times in his illustrious career. They have another starter who made the all-star team in Mo Williams, and their backup center has been an all-star three times (Zydrunas Ilgauskas).
After adding O’Neal, Anthony Parker, and Jamario Moon over the summer, this is a team with few weaknesses. And they are deep. In fact, they can put out a second unit of Ilgauskas, second year man J.J. Hickson, Moon, West, and Daniel Gibson and beat a lot of team’s front line players.
The wine and gold needed to improve their mid range shooting, so GM Danny Ferry signed Parker as a free agent. They needed a perimeter defender to help stop the Rashard Lewis’ of the NBA, so they ink Moon as a free agent.
Couple that with the improvement that Hickson has shown thus far in camp, and this is a very much-improved team from last season. Remember, the Cavaliers went 66-16 last season.
Don’t be fooled by the final record either. It would be very difficult to top those 66 victories, but that doesn’t mean the team isn’t better. The Cavaliers under Mike Brown were always a tougher matchup in the playoffs than they were in the regular season. Last year was the exception. The moves made by Ferry makes the roster better for the playoffs.
Many experts are saying that the Celtics and Magic are still the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference. Let them say whatever they want. Boston’s key players are aging. Yes, Rajon Rondo is an improving player, but he’s not the type of player who can carry a team as of yet. Orlando lost a key player from last season in Hedo Turkoglu and a promising young player in Courtney Lee. Their acquisition of Brandon Bass concerns me more than getting me-first Vince Carter.
People forget that James will be just 25 years of age this December. He’s still improving as a player, which has to be a frightening thought for other NBA coaches. And you know O’Neal wants to get a complete set of rings for his hand before his former teammate Kobe Bryant.
Will they bring home Cleveland first title since 1964? That’s uncertain, but what is for sure is that this edition of the Cavaliers is the best bet since those Indians teams of 1995-97 to get the job done.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 