Double Feature: Podcast and Reflection
2015-05-211. Podcast:
https://soundcloud.com/dayton-radio/tom-pestak-5-21-15
I got to celebrate the Cavs’ glorious Game One victory in Mark Neal’s studio this afternoon. We talked all things Cavs, the Conference Finals, the trade for J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, the draft, and even got into some discussions about the one-year-of-college requirement. Give it a listen, and tune in each Thursday between 5 and 6 EST. I’d love to have some of our regulars call in with a question, put a voice to a name.
2. Season in Review:
(The following is a guest post by Cavs:TheBlog Insider Scout Eli Kim)
As the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of the Eastern Conference Finals, it is extremely easy to forget how far the organization has come within a short amount of time (maybe the only rival to this statement is Atlanta, the irony). With the NBA draft lottery on May 19, 2015, I was reminded how quickly the stars aligned for my beloved team, The Cleveland Cavaliers.
Flashback to last season, when the Cavs had pushed hard for a playoff run, evident in the signing of Andrew Bynum, Jarrett Jack, and Earl Clark. In addition, the team had promising young players in Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, Tyler Zeller, Anthony Bennett, and Sergey Karasev.
The season started with a huge win against the Brooklyn Nets, lead by Coach Jason Kidd and players Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, and Joe Johnson. Andrew Bynum even contributed in the first game! After three long years of “rebuilding”, fans had the bar set high for the season, and the ownership/Front Office was expecting a playoff birth.
As quickly as the excitement and joy of a new season came, the mood in Cleveland rapidly disintegrated. Rumors of locker room fights, players sleeping with a coach’s wife/girlfriend, and trade demands plagued the first half of the season as the team’s record went south. Chris Grant, the expert of “winning” trades found a way to win one last trade, trading a suspended Andrew Bynum with a heavily-protected first round pick to Chicago for savvy veteran Luol Deng. However, this deep into the season, the two-time All-Star could not stop the bleeding.
In a last ditch effort to “shake things up” within the organization, the decision was made to fire Chris Grant, the architect of the rebuild. David Griffin was promoted to interim general manager. Griffin, who grew up with the Phoenix Suns, conjured a trade for 7′-stretch-big Spencer Hawes from the tanking Philadelphia 76ers in an attempt to open up the floor for dribble-drive-heavy guards Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters.
Although Spencer Hawes played well, it was still not enough as the Cavs failed to climb out of the hole they had dug. Four straight years without LeBron James resulted in four straight years outside the playoffs, two different head coaches, two different general managers, and a revolving door of players being brought in on cheap contracts in the hopes that something might stick (Mychal Thompson, Luke Harangody, Alonzo Gee, Jon Leuer, and the list goes on…)
The Cleveland Cavaliers were in a dark place, bad enough to miss the playoffs but good enough to be saddled with poor odds of drafting a franchise cornerstone in the “greatest draft since 2003”. Fans researched mock draft upon mock draft, convincing each other and themselves that a player like Rodney Hood could be the missing piece for the following year’s playoff run.
On May 12, 2014, the Cavaliers had announced that Mike Brown 2.0 would be fired after one season. David Griffin would remain with the team as the full-time general manager. Even with his news going into the draft lottery, the Cavs were seemingly hopeless. Lacking chemistry, durability, and top-heavy talent, they were destined for another year of mediocre basketball.
May 20, 2014 will go down as the day that the Cleveland Cavaliers, having just a 1.7% chance of winning the number one overall pick, hit the jackpot. The had their pick of the litter, with Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Joel Embiid all flashing superstar potential. No one expected the Cavs to win the lottery for a third time in four years. The whispers started to grow; maybe LeBron would consider the Cavs in the offseason.
June 15, 2014 also served to be an important date in Cavaliers history, as LeBron James’s Heat team crumbled to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. Even with the collapse of the Heat, many could not see LeBron returning home. In the Buckeye State, however, the rumors only continued to grow louder and louder.
June 20, 2014 was the day that David Blatt, a well-respected and accomplished Euroleague coach from Israel became the “rookie” head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With the coach and general manager in place, a plan was hatched. LeBron James rumors became as loud as a rock concert. Fans checked on Dan Gilbert’s private jet’s whereabouts. People lined up at LeBron’s residence in Bath, Ohio. Pictures of his cars being loaded into moving vans surfaced. Friends of friends of friends “knew” he was coming back. And then….
July 11, 2014 was the day LeBron James committed to coming back home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6S1JoCSVNU
The details of every moment since May 20, 2014 seem like a blur to me as the Cavaliers also did the following:
-Drafted Andrew Wiggins and Joe Harris
-Signed Kyrie Irving to a five year, $90 Million Extension
-Traded Jarrett Jack and Tyler Zeller for cap space
-Signed LeBron James officially
-Traded Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love
-Signed Anderson Varejao to an extension
-Started the season 19-20
-Traded Dion Waiters and a pick for Iman Shumpert, JR Smith, and Timofey Mozgov
-Established an identity and defeated the Clippers, Warriors, Rockets, Blazers (without LeBron) and (in a riveting Overtime Victory) the Spurs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXxt8hJbelo
-Finished the season second in the East with a 34-9 record after their 19-20 start
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTo7ushzoDM
-Swept the Boston Celtics
-Lost Kevin Love to a shoulder injury
-Beat the Bulls in six games without Kevin Love and with a severely-limited Kyrie Irving
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdKCUpQg-sU
With only four guaranteed games of the season left, it will be hard to swallow the fact that this chapter of Cavalier Basketball is coming to an end. However, as evident by the crazy year the organization has been through, I can’t wait to see where the journey takes me in the future, through all of its ups and downs.
People tell me all the time that I am wasting my time being so dedicated to the Cavaliers. I spend my hard earned money for season tickets, driving to as many games as I can from Columbus, Ohio. However, if there is one thing I can learn from this Cavaliers season, it is this: whether we win or lose the Larry O’Brien trophy, at the end of the day, the joys in life are the memories you make from the situations you are in. You can bet that I will cheer for the Cavs today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I hope we can win that championship as much as the next Cavs fan. But at the same time home is where the heart is.
Like the King himself tells us before every game on the humogotron.
There’s no place like HOME.
Preview/Live Thread is up…
@ChrisBHaynes: #Cavs G Kyrie Irving (knee) has just arrived at the arena with teammates and he’s walking pretty good. Will have update shortly.
@SportsInsights: #NBA #Hawks – DeMarre Carroll, Knee – is out Friday (5/22) vs. Cleveland
Depth.
Schump and JR have to step up with Kyrie out. What happens if both have hot hands in the same game?
It is possible tonight turns into a long range shoot out.
Rebound, defend, find the open man.
Today is David Blatt’s birthday… I’m pretty sure I can guess what he’d like as a present…
A kiss from me?
Lol… maybe not you, but certainly Windhorst…
I think he actually said he wanted
1) world peace
2) ?
3) a win tonight
I remember now
2) a solution to the high pick n roll on defense
FiveEightThirty just released the best NBA teams all time
Here’s how the CAVS stack up:
– 2008-09 CAVS are 13th on the list
– 2009-10 CAVS are ranked 37th
– 1988-89 CAVS are ranked 135th
– This years CAVS are ranked 155th
– This years Warriors are ranked 4th best team of all time
I didn’t realize Cleveland had a different basketball team. The 1946-47 Cleveland Rebels weren’t a very good team.
The 2008-09 Cavs are the highest team in that ranking not to win the championship — other than Golden State, which is still alive.
According to a Vegas Insider Kyrie is out tonight.
@KeithBritton86: Our caller “Vegas Insider” tells @BullandFox Kyrie is OUT for tonight’s Game 2. Let’s see if he makes it 2 for 2 on this. #Cavs
He didn’t have any info on Carroll.
Here’s the thing to consider as we contemplate the prospect of going the rest of the post-season without Kyrie… As everybody’s been hinting at, the fact of the matter is that this season is ALREADY a massive success, even if we don’t get past the Hawks (which I think we will). Management transformed an ineffective lineup into a superbly-balanced team. The players and coaching staff turned around a 19-20 start into the 2nd seed despite all the media nonsense. And perhaps most important of all, they discovered their heart and grit — and genuinely seem bonded as a team that… Read more »
Yes. But. We are not guaranteed opportunities like this again. The east may and likely will toughen up slightly next year. The west teams we might have faced this year will mostly be better teams next year. There is no “well we made it this far” mentality that will satisfy the players at this point. Being close to a title one year guarantees nothing going forward, as Lebron found out the year we got swept in the finals. We need to do everything in our power to maximize this shot.
All true, but it would really be expecting a lot for this team, even if 100% healthy to win the championship. Considering they were only together as a team for 50 or so games. How many hundreds and hundreds of games did the Spurs have together in order to win it all multiple times? Ah, but next year. I have to believe KL, JR, IS, MD and TT are all back. Not to mention AV. Perkins , Marion and Haywood are gone. Can’t wait to see what free agent veterans will want to join this club next year. With the… Read more »
Varejao isn’t going anyhwere; he signed an extension earlier this season.
Yeah, it’s unfortunate. We should’ve traded him years ago and now we are stuck. At least we get 30 games next year!! Whoooo!
That’s really the only mistake Griffin made this year, was that contract to a guy who can’t stay healthy for more than 30 games. I’m so sick of seeing Andy in a Cavs uniform. Retire!!!!
Or maybe LeBron doesn’t come back if Andy’s not here.
Yeah, that’s really the only reason. He’s washed up. I don’t mind keeping around veterans if they keep LeBron heppy. That’s a pretty important thing to do.
Miller will be back, he’s got a player option. Smith and Love are HUGE question marks.
Andy is by no means washed up. He is late in his career, and more injury prone than Kyrie. The Cavs would be 10 – 0 for the playoffs after tonight if Andy was healthy.
Cols continues to astound the me (and most of the CtB crew) with an inability to recognize the importance of role players. He sounds like a loud mouthed creationist at a biology conference.
How could you be sick of Andy in a Cavs uniform? He’s top 5 all time favorite Cav for me. Besides the injuries, (which, how can you fault a guy for?) he has literally been nothing but good people
Yes, I know. I meant back from injury. What about James Jones? Do they offer him another year contract or not?
Definitely. I think they bring back the whole team next year.
LeBron
Love
Kyrie
Moz
Smith
Shump
TT
JFJ
Delly
Andy
Miller will be back, he’s got a player option. Love and JR are big question marks.
Losing is not for the best. But yes, I do think they will be back the 4-5 years with a chance to win it all every year.
I agree with all of this, but at the same time I’m afraid that the same thing that happened this year can happen every year. Lose a key player or two and boom, another championship opportunity missed. A 5 year championship window seems great until they slip away year after year to injury or circumstance.
So – no time like the present!
The key thing you say here is “or two.” If we lose Love but not KI or vice-versa, I honestly still think we have at least 1-1 odds of winning the championship. And next year, you can be sure we’ll have a deeper bench. After seeing what this team is capable of, we’re going to attract a lot better than the likes of Marion and Miller. And really, you guys are gonna hate on Andy? The dude is the most loyal Cavalier since Z, played his heart out on teams where most guys were just mailing it in…. and has… Read more »
I love Andy, and I’m thrilled he’s a Cav for life. Love isn’t on the bench because he’s rehabbing in Cleveland and not supposed to travel yet. Easy there, kiiller.
So he’ll be on the bench for Games 3 and 4? Would love that.
Agree with the sentiment that it’s been a wild year. The things people were upset with (including me) is and was pretty funny. No one misses Dion or Karasev now. If Love resigns, and you have to think he will now, the Wiggins trade fanatics will fade away.
It’s hard to fathom all that has happened in the past year and a half in the Cavs organization. Seriously what were the chances of so many twists and turns in such a short amount of time? A lot of it feels like divine intervention, considering where things stood at the end of the regular season last year. To win the lottery again, unbelievable. For the Spurs to thoroughly dismantle the Heat, so necessary. All of the crazy drama in the weeks leading up to “The Return.” I listened to WKNR’s The Really Big Show religioiusly for a couple of… Read more »
Haha. Yeah, it’s been a fun ride.
I think and hope that having LeBron here will continue to cause good players to magically join the Cavs! Double P comes out of retirement next year at the deadline!
:(
Ugh. But to you this is the same as missing a Sefolsha.
Troll harder.
Just shut him down for a couple of weeks. Or at least for road games. If they win tonight without Kyrie then keep him rested until they lose.
I’d rather see Joe Harris over Mike Miller.
Yeah but everything I have heard reported suggests that days or even a couple of weeks of rest isn’t going to heal him up. He just won’t be the same for the remainder of the playoffs, rest or not.
The finals start on June 4th, which would give Kyrie 2 weeks off. Maybe he justs needs an extra week? I wouldn’t play him unless it was dire until then. He can’t guard a chair right now.
Tendinitis takes a month or more to fully recover, depending on the severity. Tennis players with tendinitis often take as much as 10 weeks off to recover. There is no scenario where he regains his healthy by the finals.
Well he will probably not be fully healthy until next season. I think they can get past the Hawks without Irving. He’s a liability defensively. Maybe two weeks will magically do wonders. It definitely won’t make it worse. Start Shump and Smith in the backcourt. Bring Delly, Matrix, Jones off the bench.
I’m with Arch. Kyrie can’t move well enough to be a net positive now. And if he keeps trying to play, he keeps aggravating the knee.
So rest him. Two weeks isn’t enough time for a full recovery, but it might be enough time to allow him to be a contributor against Golden State.
I wonder if Carroll will play? That’s a big blow for Atlanta if he can’t play.
I had the plan on Wednesday of KI warming up before the game, but not starting. See how things go without him, let the Hawks worry that he might come in at some point. My plan was to start Delly and Iman; then at some key point, bring in KI and JR together. (I am aware that most of my bright ideas are actually goofy, and there is a reason why I am not the coach!). But I am for no or little time for KI on the floor. If he goes in, maybe use the plan the Celtics did… Read more »
I’m so glad we weren’t spending this month going over scouting reports and praying to get a high pick in the lotter. Thanks LeBron! Thanks Griffin! Thanks Gilbert. Thanks Blatt.
Thanks Cols, our leading optimist!
Thanks Doc! Have to say though, that is an older pic. The team has improved if you know what I mean.
Tom, thanks for posting this. Really appreciate it!
Crazy to see how the year has already flown by. Nice to see the face of the Blog’s “scout” (scouting tail in the picture obviously). Pretty curious to see what the rest of the crew looks like as well…
Hoping for a big win tomorrow night!
Go Cavs!