Vince McKee - The Cleveland Cavaliers: A History of the Wine & Gold

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2014 by Vince McKee

All rights reserved

Front cover, top left: Courtesy Sam Bourquin.

Front cover, top right: Courtesy Sheryl Scanlon.

Front cover, bottom right: Courtesy Sheryl Scanlon.

Front cover, left: Courtesy Landov Media.

All facts in the book were verified with www.basketball-reference.com and the players themselves.

First published 2014

e-book edition 2014

ISBN 978.1.62585.211.3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McKee, Vince.

The Cleveland Cavaliers : a history of the wine & gold / Vince McKee.

pages cm

print edition ISBN 978-1-62619-680-3 (paperback)

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (Basketball team)--History. I. Title.

GV885.52.C57M45 2014

796.323640977132--dc23

2014027397

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is dedicated to my mom and dad, Don and Maria McKee. You always taught me to stay loyal and true to my beliefs. That lesson has come in handy in regards to not only my marriage to my wife, Emily, but also my love of Cleveland sports. It hasnt always been easy to be a sports fan in this town, but with your teachings, I remain loyal and hopeful that one day, it might finally happen.

Contents

A Message to the Fans from Larry Nance and Craig Ehlo

I appreciated the fans when they cheered for us, and I still do now. They tell me how they loved our team because of how hard we played. I want the fans to know that when they see me, they are always welcome to come up and say hello. I will always stop for an autograph and shake a hand. I really appreciate our fans because we have the best fans in the world. I just want to say thank you!

Larry Nance

I have a picture that hangs in my sports room that has Ozzie Newsome, Joe Carter and I, and we are all wearing each others uniforms. I see that picture every day, and it just reminds of those seven years I was in Cleveland. The fans accepted you for who you were. They patted you on the back when you did good and picked you up when you were down. They wore their hearts on their sleeves and supported us no matter what. That is the biggest thing I can say to themthe camaraderie that we had with our team had a lot to do with those 20,000 people at the Richfield Coliseum every night. They supported you no matter what, and I have never come back to Cleveland and had anyone say anything negative to me. Every time I go back, fans tell me that they had a wonderful time watching our group play. I just want to thank them for supporting us for all those years. Even though we never won a championship, they loved us through and through.

Craig Ehlo

Foreword

Find a comfortable chair and settle in, Cavaliers fans. Vince McKee is going to take you on a trip down memory lane in his new book, The Cleveland Cavaliers: A History of the Wine & Gold.

Its all therefrom the early days at the Cleveland Arena to Ted Stepien and the Teddy Bears to the 2007 NBA Finals. McKee hasnt missed a thing. His thorough research and reporting is supplemented with lively interviews and anecdotes.

All your favorite old stories are included, but there are some new ones, toolike the one about Michael Jordan and Craig Ehlo and his son, Austin. After reading this, you wont be able to wait for the start of basketball season.

Mary Schmitt Boyer

Foreword

If you bleed wine and gold like Mr. Cavalierand I dothen this book is for you. Call it Cavaliers from A to Z, or perhaps Austin to Zydrunas.

The Cleveland Cavaliers: A History of the Wine & Gold takes you through the growing pains, when number thirty-four arrived, on through the Miracle of Richfield, when a Jim Chones broken foot stood between the Cavs and a ring. Read how World B. Free and George Karl kept basketball alive in northeast Ohio and how Wayne Embry assembled one of the best teams in the NBA during the late 1980s and early 90s.

The Mike Fratello days, prior to the unforgettable King James era, earned their own place in Cavs lore as the Cavs had arguably the best team in the land for back-to-back years, only to fall short in the post-season.

We all believe our Cavs passion will be rewarded someday, and so to you, loyal fans, enjoy this read as we salute a real wine-and-gold winner!

Fred McLeod

Foreword

I bleed wine and gold, and Cleveland is my home! The city is flourishing now and ready to accept a winner. Im glad a book is being written so more people can hear about the teams rich history. We have come so close many times, and I believe that one day we can get over the hump!

Austin Carr

Acknowledgements

This book would have not been possible without the patience and understanding of my beautiful wife, Emily, and adorable daughter, Maggie. It was the love and support of Emily that allowed me to write and continue to follow a dream. I would like to thank my wifes parents, Bob and Debbie Lamb. Your belief and faith in me over the last several years has provided more motivation than I can ever even begin to tell you. I love you both. I would also like to thank Kenny Roda for the usage of his personal picture collection. Thank you to Jim Friguglietti for his continued guidance and friendship. I would also like to thank Mary Schmitt Boyer for taking the time to read the original manuscript and write a foreword for it, as well as Craig Ehlo, Larry Nance, Austin Carr and Fred McLeod. A big thank-you to Jerry Mires of the Sports Fix for his continued support and help over the years. Most importantly, I would like to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ. It is through your light that all work is done.

Introduction

This story highlights the best moments, players and media members in Cleveland Cavaliers history. It has in-depth, extremely personal interviews with some of the top names in the history of the organization. It is a no-holds-barred account of the most intimate and sometimes controversial details of the most impactful moments in Cavaliers history. This book has input from the players mixed in with the media who covered the Cavs and the fans who watched them. This book will change the way the entire sports nation looks at Cleveland. Finally, the true stories are told!

Chapter 1

The Beginning

In 1970, Cleveland businessman Nick Mileti created the NBA professional expansion team known as the Cleveland Cavaliers. Part of an ownership group, he spent $3.7 million of his own money to bring professional basketball back to Cleveland. Mileti grew up in Cleveland and attended college at Bowling Green State University. He went on to open a profitable law firm, which earned him the funds necessary to purchase the Cleveland Barons hockey team and the building in which they played, the Cleveland Arena.

Mileti knew that the struggling Barons franchise would need a co-tenant and decided to create the Cavaliers. His first act of business was to hire Bill Fitch as the head coach. Fitch had coached in the college ranks, but this would be his first venture into the pro level. He had his work cut out for him with the expansion Cavs.