Roger Gordon - Tales from the Cleveland Cavaliers Locker Room: The Rookie Season of LeBron James

Copyright 2004, 2014 by Roger Gordon

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Cover photo credit AP Images

Print ISBN: 978-1-61321-783-2

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61321-801-3

Printed in the United States of America

C ONTENTS

F OREWORD

U ntil 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers had about as much fortune as a prizefighter who fractures his forearm in the first round. This franchise seemingly had more bad luck than any other team.

Who can forget Jim Choness broken foot in 1976, the troubled times in the early 80s, Michael Jordans dagger to the heart? There was Brad Daughertys career-ending back injury and, more recently, Zs infamous foot problems. I, myself, broke a foot my rookie season, then had knee surgery three years later.

But, most of all, it was the Cavaliers lousy fortune in the NBA Draft Lottery. Finally, though, at long last, we got a break. On the evening of May 22, 2003, the basketball gods looked down and said, Its Clevelands turn, by allowing us to win the lottery to gain the rights to select LeBron James with the first pick in the upcoming draft.

You couldnt ask for a better shot in the arm. What happened was like a miracle. The first thing I thought was, We finally beat the other cities, we finally are starting to head in the right direction.

That night, I was at Champps in nearby Valley View at the Cavaliers lottery party. It was an emotionally charged evening. There were a lot of people hugging others they didnt even know! Complete strangers! There were some fans who were in tears, just like I was. It meant so much to the area, and the franchise, that it was overwhelming.

Ive lived in Cleveland now for more than 30 years, and this is my heart and soul, my livelihood, my whole existence, right here, the Cavaliers. Whatever my role with the team has been, anything that happens to this franchise affects me. And, for something like that to happen, it was a great feeling. We were finally lucky, like so many other teams have been, and used that luck to catapult us to the brink of the playoffs.

After LeBrons rookie season, momentum steadily built. The Cavs finished above .500 in 2004-05 and then made it to the playoffs in each of the next five seasons. We came close to winning it all in 07 when we made it to The Finals.

Yes, it was an exciting seven years when LeBron was here the first time. Leading up to The Decision, I actually had a good feeling because of how long it took LeBron to decide what he was going to do. I realize there are many Cavs fans out there who, at the time, said theyd never forgive LeBron for leaving, but I dont hold anything against him. I mean, hes not a slave. He can make his own decisions. Thats the beauty of the United States! I probably wouldnt have done it the way he did iton televisionbut I mightve left, too, if I was still playing.

As for LeBrons decision to come back to the Cavs, that didnt surprise me at all. I could just kind of feel it. It was suspenseful, but I could feel that he was leaning toward coming back home.

I think, whoever we have in the starting lineup to go along with LeBron and Kyrie [Irving], I see the same scenario playing out here as did in Miami. It took them a year to really get themselves together, and then they won two titles in the next three years. Itll take the Cavs awhile to gel because there are a lot of different parts youve got to put together plus a new coach.

My message to Cavs fans? Just get ready for the ride and have a good time!

A USTIN C ARR

Analyst, Cavaliers Television Network

Director of Community and Business Development, Cleveland Cavaliers

Guard, Cleveland Cavaliers, 1971-80

I NTRODUCTION

H es back! Four years after taking his talents to South Beach, LeBron James has returned to... well... Euclid Beach.

James announced on July 11, 2014, by way of a heartfelt letter on SI.com that he would return to the Cleveland Cavaliers after four seasons with the Miami Heat. Cavs fans rejoiced. Many shed tears of joy.

The circumstances were much different on the evening of July 8, 2010, which will go down as one of the biggest tragedies... scratch that. Real tragedies are poverty, terrorism, war, and natural disasters. But, when it comes to sports tragediesat least Cleveland sports tragediesthe Kings Decision on that fateful Thursday night certainly qualifies. James opted to leave the Cavaliers after seven memorable seasons to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami to win... not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven... titles.

When James broke the news to Jim Gray on ESPN, most Cavs fans were shocked. Theyd figured, Theres no way LeBron will embarrass usthe city of Clevelandon national television.

But he did.

Cavaliers fans who watched that debacle of a TV show will forever have nightmares about red-and-white checkered shirts. Many fans cried. Some even burned LeBrons No. 23 jersey in effigy. Although Cleveland has always been a football town first and foremost, then a baseball town, in a way James flying south for the winters was worse than previous departures of Cleveland athletes that left fans singing the blues.

Rocky Colavito in 1960? Traded. Bernie Kosar in 1993? Released.

Jamess leaving was entirely of his own volition. Even when Jim Brown retired in the summer of 1966, it was triggered by Art Modells ultimatum. On top of that, James was virtually a hometown hero, born and raised in nearby Akron.

Longtime Cleveland sports media personality Bruce Drennan was wrong when he professed on his television show All Bets Are Off that LeBrons departure would set the Cavaliers back five years. Until LeBron returned, it looked like it was going to set them back an entire decade! Consider the fact that the Cavs won a grand total of 64 games during their first three LeBron-less seasons combined, only three more than theyd won in Jamess last season in Cleveland alone! Furthermore, the Cavs kept losing despite garnering the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft in 2011 and 13 and the fourth pick in 2012!

To make matters worseat least for Cavaliers fansthe Heat played in four straight NBA Finals, winning two, in LeBrons four seasons in Florida. It may not have been as many championships as James boastfully proclaimed the Heat would win at an elaborate Welcome Party the day after The Decision, but it was more than enough for Cavs fans to bear. Many of those same fans who vowed to loathe LeBron forever, and to never welcome him back to town, are rolling out the red carpet for him now. Thats what 50 years without a championship will do.

It will be a huge moment on the night of the Cavaliers 2014-15 home opener, much different from Thursday night, December 2, 2010, when 20,000-plus Cavs fans unmercifully booed LeBron James of the Miami Heat in his first game in Quicken Loans Arena as a visitor (a 118-90 Heat rout in which James scored 38 points with 5 rebounds and 8 assists). This time, perhaps drowning out a few boo birds here and there, it will be mostly cheers.