How many times in the past three months have we all heard Clevelanders saying things like, “If you told me a year ago that LeBron James would be soliciting Cavs fans to vote on which number he should wear or whether he should continue with his signature ‘Chalk Toss,’ I would have told you that you were dreaming?”
Well, since LeBron’s July 11 “Letter” provided the sweet evidence that dreams actually can come true, this week’s Cavs opener gives Clevelanders the opportunity to wake up and smell the Wine and Gold while still blissfully remaining in Wonderland.
In orchestrating perhaps the greatest “Prodigal Son Returns” story in the history of sports, James has created a dramatic narrative so powerful on so many levels that it boggles the imagination. Here in Northeast Ohio, James’ emphasis on his love of home and desire to make the Cleveland area a finer place to live has had the kind of impact that perhaps can only properly be measured by a Richter Scale.
So Thursday night, at long last, the results of the Cavaliers Seismic Summer will be on display. And based on the pre-season games, it seems clear to me that the Cavs have the potential to be one of the best teams of the past 25 years.
The incomparable James is at the height of his powers and has the opportunity – over the next five or six years – to stake a claim to being the greatest player of all time. Arguably the best athlete to play in the NBA since Wilt Chamberlain, James is in a class by himself in combining strength, speed, skills and smarts.
Along with his dazzling talent, James has added leadership qualities that should make his mentor Warren Buffet proud. Through his persuasive skills and iconic status, he has been able to recruit Kevin Love, perhaps the best power forward in the game, and veteran swingman Shawn Marion, whose career numbers warrant Hall of Fame consideration.
LeBron’s presence should allow guard Kyrie Irving to finally reach superstar status. That same presence should enable the rebounding and hustle games of Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson to complement the Cavaliers high-powered offense with grit and energy. Shooting guard Dion Waiters will have to adjust his game probably more than anyone on the team, but pre-season indications suggest this may not be a major problem at all.
The final roster assembled by General Manager David Griffin and innovative new head coach David Blatt contains veteran role players Mike Miller, Brendan Haywood and James Jones — each of whom has at least one championship ring and each of whom signed modest contracts with Cleveland for the sole purpose of winning more titles.
For 50 years, Cleveland’s obsessed fans have chased a championship with the ardor of a million Ahabs. In that same period, locals have seen the birth of the Rust Belt and the resultant population migration and economic upheavals that had the city — known in 1964 as “The Best Location in the Nation — derisively dubbed “The Mistake by the Lake.”
The return of LeBron has transformed a team that had been the worst in the NBA over the past four years into one that sits at the center of the basketball universe. His homecoming has become the lynchpin for Cleveland’s blossoming revival as a truly cool and vibrant destination point.
When James announced he was coming back to Cleveland, a gear shifted in both Northeast Ohio and the entire sports world. At tomorrow night’s pyrotechnic opener, the entire world will catch a glimpse of what true transformation looks like. It will be a sight to be savored.
Oh yes, as for my prediction as to how the Cavs will perform this season, I’ll put it this way: If I told you that next June the Cavaliers will be parading down Euclid with an NBA championship trophy, would you tell me I was dreaming?
[Photo: Erik Daniel Drost (Flickr)]
Larry Durstin is an independent journalist who has covered politics and sports for a variety of publications and websites over the past 20 years. He was the founding editor of the Cleveland Tab and an associate editor at the Cleveland Free Times. Durstin has won 12 Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards, including six first places in six different writing categories. He is the author of the novel The Morning After John Lennon Was Shot. LarryDurstinATyahoo.com
One Response to “Cavaliers 2014-15: The Stuff That Dreams are Made Of”
Eugene McCormick
Hype 1 Cavs 0. The Cavs are going to be good, of course, but this hype machine is out of control.