Cleveland Cavaliers: To Have Future Success, The Cavs Can't Quit on the Season

I’ve seen a lot of articles lately that talk about how the Cavaliers’ recent losing streaks and abysmal play in general is a good thing because it’ll increase the possibility that the Cavaliers will get the No.1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. I never thought I’d see the day on which people would place such little value on pride and effort, but I guess it’s here.

Don’t get me wrong—having a talented team is a great thing. However, creating a culture of effort, achievement, and hustle is also a great thing, and this culture can take less-than-elite talent and help shape them into a cohesive team that is able to knock off the teams who think that a mere assemblage of talent automatically translates into wins and championship rings.

First, anyone who ascribes to this line of reasoning should merely look across the plaza to Progressive Field. Sure, the Indians have had a rough stretch ever since their last playoff season in 2007. However, there were many signs for hope towards the end of last season.

Did the fans return to the field to see Justin Masterson begin to develop into the pitcher that he was billed to be when he came in the Victor Martinez trade or Chris Perez mature into a solid closer? Nope. Why not? Many losing seasons, combined with perceived front-office ineptitude, have killed Cleveland’s hopes about the future of the Indians and driven away many of the same fans who followed the team ardently during the success of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

A decline in attendance has had a ripple effect—fewer fans coming to downtown Cleveland mean fewer concession sales and fewer patrons at local bars and restaurants before and after the game.

Miraculously, attendance has not fallen off significantly after LeBron James’ departure from Cleveland. However, I can guarantee you that a few seasons with the worst record in the NBA will make Quicken Loans Arena look like it did in the pre-LeBron era, when I could go downtown and grab 14^th row tickets from a scalper for $10 right before the game.

Secondly, I have two words for you: Michael Olowokandi. Want two more? Greg Oden. Both of those guys are first round picks who, for one reason or another, had next to no impact on the teams on which they played. Undrafted players such as Ben Wallace, Brad Miller, and John Starks had much more impact in one season than those guys did during their entire careers.

Sure, Oden’s been hurt a lot, but it goes to show that being the first round pick isn’t a guaranteed one-way ticket to the Hall of Fame. Besides, even if the Cavaliers finish with the worst record in the NBA, there’s no guarantee that the ping pong ball will bounce the Cavaliers’ way this June. They will only have a 25% chance of earning the top pick. Would you be willing to bet money on something that only has a 25% chance of happening? I wouldn't either.The Cavaliers could easily still wind up with a lower selection in the draft lottery.

Lastly, even if a dominant college player emerges throughout the course of the season, there’s also no guarantee that he’ll make it through the end of the season without serious injury. Who remembers Kenyon Martin? Sure, he’s had a decent NBA career, but nothing compared to what people had lined up for him when he left Cincinnati.

Thirdly, the Cavaliers had trouble attracting free agents even when LeBron was on the team. I have no idea whether that was due to LeBron’s uncertain contract situation, the lie that Cleveland is a boring town with nothing to do, or some combination of the above. Now that LeBron’s gone, the Cavaliers will have even more trouble, as was seen when Matt Barnes accepted less money to go to a better team.

Imagine how much more trouble the Cavaliers will have if the team posts horrible records for a few more years? Sure, we’ll get high draft picks, but as I just discussed, high draft picks are far from a sure thing. Most free agents want to go to a team where they have the opportunity to win championships, and although money is an important thing, it’s often not the only thing.

Fourthly, a prolonged losing culture has a domino-effect of nothing but negative outcomes. Existing players will want to leave so they can play for a winner. Those on the team begin to believe that last-second shots won’t bounce their way and that no amount of effort or hard work will change the team’s future.

A lack of confidence keeps a team from playing hard and often leads to crises in close games because the team believes deep down that they won’t win the game. Sure, the Cavaliers will get some high draft picks along with their losing seasons, but as Michael Jordan showed the world, confidence and killer instinct go a long way towards creating dynasties, and if talented players don’t have the confidence to believe that they’ll win the close games, the team won’t ever rise from mediocrity.

In contrast, if the existing players on the team learn to work hard as a team, improve aspects of their own individual games, and help each other be the best players they can be, they’ll develop cohesion and camaraderie that will foster a positive team culture and create a healthy environment for the nurturing and development of the talented draft picks we’ll be receiving in the near future.

The last thing we need to do is bring young, talented players into a downhearted, divided, and depressed locker room.

I was a fan of the Cavaliers long before LeBron came on the scene down the road at St. Vincent-St. Mary, and I’m still a fan of the Cavaliers. I want the team to play hard every night, do their best, and work hard to improve. Furthermore, I want the men who put on the wine and gold every night to be proud to be Cleveland Cavaliers.

Going out there and giving less than 100% makes a man ashamed of himself as a basketball player and as a person and nobody should ever be expected, much less praised, for going out there and giving less than 100% every night. This city is filled with hard-working people who bust their butt every day, and fans who give their hard-earned money deserve nothing less than total effort.

Hard work and effort are the keys to success in any profession, and with a bit of hard work, continued effort at improvement on the defensive end, and belief that things will get better, the team will be able to finish out the season on a positive note and have optimism for a successful 2011-12 season.