History of the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers began in the season of 1970. The team started off as an expansion team. Things didn’t start so smoothly for the Cavaliers, having a losing record for the first 5 seasons. The Cavaliers eventually got a break on their sixth season by winning the title in their division. Ted Stepien was the owner of the Cavaliers during the 1980’s. Stepien is remembered today as one of the worst owners in the franchises history. He would trade future draft picks for veteran players.  Because of these trades, the NBA implemented a rule that prohibited teams from trading a first round draft pick in successive seasons. This rule was called the “Ted Stepien Rule.”

The 2002-2003 season 

The 2002-2003 season was one of the worst seasons in franchise history. The team was tied for the worst record in the league. The Cavaliers finally got a break during the summer of 2003. They had the first pick in the first round of the NBA draft. With that pick the team selected LeBron James. After signing LeBron, the Cavaliers would go on to make playoff appearances from 2006-2010.  After the2010 season, LeBron decided to take his talents to Miami, where he would play the next 4 seasons before returning back to Cleveland and bringing home the first Championship for the city in over 50 years.

Why Cleveland means so much to LeBron James

Cleveland, Ohio is more than just the state where LeBron James plays basketball; Its much more. For LeBron, Cleveland is home. James was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, which is about an hour away from Cleveland. Gloria James, LeBron’s mother, was a single parent who did whatever it took to make ends meet. As a kid, James always dreamed of being able to play professional basketball in the city of Cleveland. Dreams became a reality when Cleveland got the first pick in the draft and selected LeBron. The city pf Cleveland has always meant so much to LeBron and vice versa. James has donated millions of dollars to the city and also brought home the first Championship for Cleveland in over 50 years.

Cleveland Cavaliers first NBA title.

The city of Cleveland went 52 years without a championship until the Cavaliers brought home the NBA title in the 2015-2016 season. The Cavaliers were facing the Golden State Warriors for the second year in a row; The Warriors beat the Cavaliers the previous year. The 2015-2016 Warriors had a historic regular season, winning 73 out of 82 games. The Cavaliers got down in the series 3-1. No other team had ever been able to overcome such a deficit, causing many Cavalier fans to accept defeat. The Cavaliers managed to even up the series to 3-3. The seventh game was played in Oracle Arena, home of the Warriors. The game had many lead changes and the last 3 minutes had fans across the world on the edge of their seats. The Cavaliers ended up winning the game 93-89. The Warriors were the first team in NBA history to ever blow a 3-1 lead.

Toronto Raptors a threat to the Cavaliers?

Whoever wins the Eastern Conference will have their hands full in the Finals. The Cavaliers were not the favorite to come out of the East before making the trades on the day of the deadline. Now, many experts around the league have ranked the Cavaliers as the clear cut favorites. With that being said, there are still many teams that could cause problems for this new Cavalier team; That team is the Toronto Raptors. Toronto is on fire this season and has been to the playoffs the past 5 seasons. Demar Derozan, all-star shooting guard for Toronto, ranks at 4th in the league at his position. Toronto’s point guard, Kyle Lowry, ranks at 7th in the league at his position. These two players combined have one of the most lethal back courts in the league. This has shown to be a problem for the Cavaliers in the past. J.R. Smith, shooting guard for the Cavs, has been known to struggle guarding Derozan. The Cavaliers recently acquired George Hill, who is a huge upgrade defensively. This new addition will help solve some of the previous problems they have had in the past with defending Lowry.

Could the Rockets be a potential landing spot for LeBron?

This summer LeBron James will have reached the end of his contract. The 14 time All-Star has remained silent about what he will do when the time comes. The Houston Rockets are one team that many league sources say James is interested in. With that said, what would it look like if James was to land in Houston? Right now Houston has the best record in the league. Last summer Houston acquired one of LeBron’s very close friends, Chris Paul. Throughout the years, James has mentioned his desire to one day play with Paul. James Harden is also another reason that LeBron might make the move to Houston during his free agency. Harden is leading the league in points this season, as well as being in the discussion for regular season MVP. There’s no question that LeBron James to Houston would shake up the league, giving Golden State something to sweat about. 

Cavaliers set to play Wizards after All-Star break.

The Cavaliers have gone nine straight days without playing a game due to the All-Star events. This time off has allowed the team to get some rest as well as a couple of practices in. The last few games for the Cavaliers have been nothing short of impressive with the new roster change in effect. The team is set to face the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The Wizards are a dominate force in the Eastern Conference and it is very likely that these teams will see each other in the playoffs. The Wizards are 4th in the Conference, with the Cavaliers being 5th. This game will give fans a good idea of how these teams will matchup come playoff time. The Wizards will be without their All-Star point guard, John Wall, due to injury. The Cavaliers will also be without one of their All-Stars, Kevin Love.

Will Father Time ever slow down LeBron?

LeBron James is currently playing in his 14th year in the league. Typically, players in the NBA begin to show a decline during this time, but that is not the case for James. The season statistics for James have never been higher, and it appears that age isn’t slowing him down one bit. James stats this year are better than his four years of MVP basketball combined. For the past 3 years, sports analysts around the league have suggested that James is soon to show a decline in his gameplay. Every year he has proved them all wrong by continuing to put up MVP caliber numbers. It’s seems that time isn’t slowing down James anytime soon.

Laura Ingraham’s comments on LeBron “Just shut up and dribble”

LeBron James was recently featured in an interview for Uninterrupted. James was accompanied by Kevin Durant and Cari Champion. The interview includes James and Durant discussing their life story and what basketball meant to them. The questions in the interview eventually lead to talks of President Trump.

“I feel like our team as a Country is not ran by a great coach,” said Durant.

LeBron had some choice words about the president as well.

“It’s not even a surprise when he says something, it’s like laughable,” said James.

Laura Ingraham took notice of James comments and reported her thoughts on live television stating, “Just shut up and dribble.”

James took Ingraham’s comments as very offensive and replied back by stating, “I am more than an athlete.”

What will LeBron do?

LeBron James is approaching the end of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many people around the league have heard multiple rumors about James’ leaving the Cavaliers, but no one can really be sure. After Cavaliers All-Star point guard, Kyrie Irving,  made the decision that he didn’t want to play with the Cavaliers anymore, LeBron’s future with Cleveland has seemed doubtful. The Cavaliers may have fixed many of their problems with the new roster change, but many people still don’t believe it will be enough to beat the Golden State Warriors. James has made 8 appearances to the finals, only winning 3. While this current Cavaliers roster may be equipped to come out the east, the chances of beating any of the top 3 teams in the Western Conference are slim. Another Finals loss would further tarnish James legacy. Many people around the league are suggesting that this could play a big role in his free agency decision this summer.

All-Star Weekend

This week the NBA had its annual All-Star weekend. This year the events were held at the Staples Center in Los Angles, California. The Cleveland Cavaliers had 3 players participating in the events. (Kevin Love, LeBron James, and Larry Nance Jr.) Kevin Love was selected as an All-Star, but was unable to play due to his recent injury. New addition to the team, Larry Nance Jr., was selected to participate in the Dunk Contest. Nance Jr. came in second place in the contest, falling behind rookie Donavan Mitchell. LeBron James was one of the captains in this years All-Star game. LeBron James scored 29 points, leading his team to the victory. James was also announced as the MVP of the All-Star game.