Walter White
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I wrote a heartfelt piece I wanted to share about this crazy off season and everything I wanted to remember about it. I thought it was appropriate to do it today. It is long (could have been much longer), but I hope you enjoy.
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It is still hard to believe this is real. Let it sink in, LeBron James is back on the Cavs. I think tonight, it will really sink in. This was the most unbelievable off-season in history and I want to do my best here to recap those emotions and the roller coaster we went through so I never forget. When we get used to winning or whatever the case may be in the future, I never want to forget this moment, and how special it was. I never want to “get use to winning”. I want to appreciate every single moment, because as we know from experience, you can never take it for granted. Let the hardships and all the failures from years past help us appreciate and enjoy this moment that much more.
It really was the perfect storm. Going all the way back to LeBron and the cramp situation in the Finals. The Heat were really on a roll up until the air conditioning outage. From that point, it was the Spurs who went on a roll and never looked back. We don’t know if the Heat would have won if that never happened, but I do know that it would be near impossible for LeBron to leave the Heat if they would have won three straight rings. The Heat were in the midst of what could have been a dynasty. So for us to even have a chance at LeBron coming back this soon, the Heat had to lose the Finals. Not only that, maybe in the way they ended up losing. Step one complete.
After we missed the playoffs, I know it hurt because we felt like we by far had enough talent and still couldn’t get it done. Four years without LeBron and we can’t even sniff the playoffs. Well, if we make the playoffs, we don’t win the lottery. WE WON THE LOTTERY?! I mean, I couldn’t believe it. With like 1.7% odds, it happened. And this was really big time because it was the most stacked draft class in a long time. I remember how excited I was, it was probably the next closest feeling to winning a championship (had quite a few of those moments this off season) . I remember as each spot kept going by and our team still kept not getting called. I was already jumping up and down by the time I knew we were in the top three. When they announced the #2 pick and I knew were got the 1st pick, by that point I was screaming hysterically with excitement. I know us winning the lottery basically set us up for some type of success and exciting basketball, definitely nothing guaranteed though despite how good the draft class. And definitely nothing contender worthy. But winning the lottery had to be the start to get LeBron thinking hard about a return. I’m not sure he would have considered it without the possibility of adding another talent like that. A 1.7% chance. Step two complete.
Oh but how joyous the discussions were for who we should take with the top pick. I was strongly against Wiggins at first, and heavily on the Jabari bandwagon, but my view changed constantly, almost by the minute. I’m sure I am not the only one that watched hours on end of footage of the top prospects, preparing for who we could select. Any of them would change the entire dynamic of our team. The more I watched Embiid, the more I felt like he was the clear pick. It was devastating to hear about his injury, when many of us really had our heart set on him. But if he doesn’t get hurt, maybe we take him and aren’t willing to give him up in a trade later when LeBron wasn’t interested in coming to a team that was so young. We end up with Wiggins which seemed like the right choice considering all the circumstances, and he was so happy to be here. It was exciting. I didn’t want to give him up in a trade, but his rawness is one of things that made it a lot easier. If we draft Jabari or Embiid, we are probably heavily relying on LeBron not coming back and looking at a different future. I think drafting Wiggins was the perfect prospect to allow what would eventually unfold. Step three complete.
What a coaching search and my goodness it couldn’t have turned out any better. We were linked to a long list of qualified names (especially over Mike Brown). It was exciting to turn the page to a new era. I remember the coaching search seemed like it dragged on forever, and many of us got the point where we did our research and felt strongly that Blatt was the right guy. We weren’t sure we were going to get him because of the pressure he might sign as an assistant in GS if we don’t make a decision soon. It was a glorious day when we signed this guy. It is nice to have a smart, competent, charismatic coach for once. Out of all the coaches, I believe we got the best one by far, especially for the roster we were able to eventually assemble that was unknown at the time. Not only that, we were able to sign our second option in Lue and create quite a dream coaching staff. Step four complete.
LeBron’s decision. Man, what a ride that was. Every step of the way it had been a roller coaster and this might have been the craziest. Every single day there was different news and speculation on what LeBron would do. Some people wouldn’t allow themselves to think it was ever possible because it felt like such a long shot, or they had been let down too many times. Some people were very optimistic. Some people were just trying to play it cool and just be happy that we will have an exciting team either way. I think I was all of those things at one point or another. All the ambiguous inside sources seemed to “know” he was going back to Cleveland. Many of the top national sources seemed pessimistic. Some on this site thought one way or the other. It was all conflicting and up in the air. Many of us were anxiously waiting everyday hoping to hear if he made his decision. It seemed like an eternity before he did. And he decided to come home, with the emotional SI letter to come with it. I don’t want to forget the moment when I saw the news. I might still be in shock. He left a team that went to four straight Finals to come back home willing to do whatever it takes. Step 5 complete.
Kevin Love is the piece that really made us contenders. It would have been fun basketball anyway, but who knows how long it would take to really contend with that many young players. We turned over the roster and put veterans and proven talent like Love in place to compete right away. Of course, without LeBron, none of that would have been possible. But would LeBron have even comeback if he didn’t know we had a good chance to get Love? It was sad to see Wiggins go, but we added another superstar to the team, and got to keep Dion. It was really a dream trade. Kevin Love is someone who many of us had dreamed about long before to team up with Kyrie. It seemed forever during that waiting period before the Love trade became official, but it is just amazing we can add LeBron James and Kevin Love in the same off season. If we don’t win the lottery, it probably never happens. But it did. Step 6 complete.
In recap, it is amazing how everything went right. How every move we made seemed to pay off. Think about how drastic the quality of players and coaching changed in one year. How the entire culture changed. How the entire city and state is changed for that matter. We went from not making the playoffs to legitimate championship aspirations (maybe even favorites) in one year. It was a whirlwind of an offseason, and it all came together absolutely perfectly. It came together so that the curse may be lifted and the championship will soon be in our hands. Step 7.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is still hard to believe this is real. Let it sink in, LeBron James is back on the Cavs. I think tonight, it will really sink in. This was the most unbelievable off-season in history and I want to do my best here to recap those emotions and the roller coaster we went through so I never forget. When we get used to winning or whatever the case may be in the future, I never want to forget this moment, and how special it was. I never want to “get use to winning”. I want to appreciate every single moment, because as we know from experience, you can never take it for granted. Let the hardships and all the failures from years past help us appreciate and enjoy this moment that much more.
It really was the perfect storm. Going all the way back to LeBron and the cramp situation in the Finals. The Heat were really on a roll up until the air conditioning outage. From that point, it was the Spurs who went on a roll and never looked back. We don’t know if the Heat would have won if that never happened, but I do know that it would be near impossible for LeBron to leave the Heat if they would have won three straight rings. The Heat were in the midst of what could have been a dynasty. So for us to even have a chance at LeBron coming back this soon, the Heat had to lose the Finals. Not only that, maybe in the way they ended up losing. Step one complete.
After we missed the playoffs, I know it hurt because we felt like we by far had enough talent and still couldn’t get it done. Four years without LeBron and we can’t even sniff the playoffs. Well, if we make the playoffs, we don’t win the lottery. WE WON THE LOTTERY?! I mean, I couldn’t believe it. With like 1.7% odds, it happened. And this was really big time because it was the most stacked draft class in a long time. I remember how excited I was, it was probably the next closest feeling to winning a championship (had quite a few of those moments this off season) . I remember as each spot kept going by and our team still kept not getting called. I was already jumping up and down by the time I knew we were in the top three. When they announced the #2 pick and I knew were got the 1st pick, by that point I was screaming hysterically with excitement. I know us winning the lottery basically set us up for some type of success and exciting basketball, definitely nothing guaranteed though despite how good the draft class. And definitely nothing contender worthy. But winning the lottery had to be the start to get LeBron thinking hard about a return. I’m not sure he would have considered it without the possibility of adding another talent like that. A 1.7% chance. Step two complete.
Oh but how joyous the discussions were for who we should take with the top pick. I was strongly against Wiggins at first, and heavily on the Jabari bandwagon, but my view changed constantly, almost by the minute. I’m sure I am not the only one that watched hours on end of footage of the top prospects, preparing for who we could select. Any of them would change the entire dynamic of our team. The more I watched Embiid, the more I felt like he was the clear pick. It was devastating to hear about his injury, when many of us really had our heart set on him. But if he doesn’t get hurt, maybe we take him and aren’t willing to give him up in a trade later when LeBron wasn’t interested in coming to a team that was so young. We end up with Wiggins which seemed like the right choice considering all the circumstances, and he was so happy to be here. It was exciting. I didn’t want to give him up in a trade, but his rawness is one of things that made it a lot easier. If we draft Jabari or Embiid, we are probably heavily relying on LeBron not coming back and looking at a different future. I think drafting Wiggins was the perfect prospect to allow what would eventually unfold. Step three complete.
What a coaching search and my goodness it couldn’t have turned out any better. We were linked to a long list of qualified names (especially over Mike Brown). It was exciting to turn the page to a new era. I remember the coaching search seemed like it dragged on forever, and many of us got the point where we did our research and felt strongly that Blatt was the right guy. We weren’t sure we were going to get him because of the pressure he might sign as an assistant in GS if we don’t make a decision soon. It was a glorious day when we signed this guy. It is nice to have a smart, competent, charismatic coach for once. Out of all the coaches, I believe we got the best one by far, especially for the roster we were able to eventually assemble that was unknown at the time. Not only that, we were able to sign our second option in Lue and create quite a dream coaching staff. Step four complete.
LeBron’s decision. Man, what a ride that was. Every step of the way it had been a roller coaster and this might have been the craziest. Every single day there was different news and speculation on what LeBron would do. Some people wouldn’t allow themselves to think it was ever possible because it felt like such a long shot, or they had been let down too many times. Some people were very optimistic. Some people were just trying to play it cool and just be happy that we will have an exciting team either way. I think I was all of those things at one point or another. All the ambiguous inside sources seemed to “know” he was going back to Cleveland. Many of the top national sources seemed pessimistic. Some on this site thought one way or the other. It was all conflicting and up in the air. Many of us were anxiously waiting everyday hoping to hear if he made his decision. It seemed like an eternity before he did. And he decided to come home, with the emotional SI letter to come with it. I don’t want to forget the moment when I saw the news. I might still be in shock. He left a team that went to four straight Finals to come back home willing to do whatever it takes. Step 5 complete.
Kevin Love is the piece that really made us contenders. It would have been fun basketball anyway, but who knows how long it would take to really contend with that many young players. We turned over the roster and put veterans and proven talent like Love in place to compete right away. Of course, without LeBron, none of that would have been possible. But would LeBron have even comeback if he didn’t know we had a good chance to get Love? It was sad to see Wiggins go, but we added another superstar to the team, and got to keep Dion. It was really a dream trade. Kevin Love is someone who many of us had dreamed about long before to team up with Kyrie. It seemed forever during that waiting period before the Love trade became official, but it is just amazing we can add LeBron James and Kevin Love in the same off season. If we don’t win the lottery, it probably never happens. But it did. Step 6 complete.
In recap, it is amazing how everything went right. How every move we made seemed to pay off. Think about how drastic the quality of players and coaching changed in one year. How the entire culture changed. How the entire city and state is changed for that matter. We went from not making the playoffs to legitimate championship aspirations (maybe even favorites) in one year. It was a whirlwind of an offseason, and it all came together absolutely perfectly. It came together so that the curse may be lifted and the championship will soon be in our hands. Step 7.
