Cleveland Cavaliers: The Road to Revival Begins June 23rd
Many things can change in one year. Some things positive and others negative. This certainly applies to the Cleveland Cavaliers organization. It was only eleven short months ago when the Miami assembled three superstar players. The names Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James certainly looked impressive, on paper. It was eleven months ago when LeBron James left Cleveland at the alter to chase multiple championships in Miami. Eleven months ago Cleveland would experience more heartbreak, something Cleveland has felt far too often. A city which has not won a professional championship in any major sport in nearly 50 years. A city who felt it didn't deserve to be betrayed in the manner which LeBron James left. The city of Cleveland got knocked down, but not out.
The Miami Heat finished the 2010-11 season in an impressive fashion. They finished with a 58-24 record, good enough for the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn't wait for their season to end. It looked like Cleveland would experience even more pain with the Heat coasting to the NBA Finals. It looked like LeBron James would be able to justify leaving Cleveland and also be rewarded for his "cowardly betrayal." It looked like Cleveland would be slapped in the face yet again, but something happened. Fate happened. The Miami Heat managed to lose three straight games and their season came to a bitter end. The Dallas Mavericks had won the NBA Championship and sent the Miami Heat fishing. It was surprising that Dallas won, but even more surprising was HOW Miami lost. LeBron will have to wait another year to get his ring.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade crumbled under the pressure of being down 3-2 in the series. All of the gloating and showboating came back to haunt the Heat. The Heat lost to a team full of thirty somethings that the national media felt were past their prime and had inferior talent. The Cleveland Cavaliers did not win the NBA title, but it sure felt that way. The happiness of another LeBron failure gave Cleveland something to celebrate. Now fans can focus on the team that LeBron left for dead. A team that finished the 2010-11 campaign with a 19-63 record.
Prior to the Miami collapse, the Cavaliers were participants in the NBA Draft. They were projected to own the 2nd and 8th picks in the first round. The Cavs ended up getting extremely lucky and the ping pong balls bounced Cleveland's way. The Cavs pick acquired from the Baron Davis trade ended up becoming the 1st pick in the draft. Cleveland's own pick ended up being the 4th pick. The Cavs wound up with 2 top 5 picks and things started looking up. The 1st and 4th pick will surely create some buzz for a team that has been through much adversity. The two draft picks will surely create more interest in the team and accelerate the "rebuilding process." Things seem to be coming together for a team that many felt might never recover.
The Cavs still have a lot of work left, especially in regards to the draft. With LeBron hurting from another playoff exit and the Cavs sitting pretty with draft picks, one thing is for certain. The 2010-11 NBA Draft will be the most important night in the Cavalier's history. Cleveland’s road to revival starts on June 23rd, but this time they will be making the decision(s).
