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Rubber Rim Job takes you back.
May 2003...
the Cavs just finished their 2002-2003 campaign 17-65.
A season which saw John Lucas fired halfway through with a 8-34 record and his lead assistant Keith Smart taking over and finishing 9-31 for GM Jim Paxson's 4th season in control. We were all waiting with baited breath to see who would get the #1 pick. LOST in this memory is this rag tag bunch of heroes who were so bad that season, that they made it possible to have a chance to bring this hyped basketball savior from Akron home, long before anti-tanking change the lottery landscapes.
You may remember some of their names, faces, and (who in the hell is sitting between Wagner and Palacio as #3?) all of that, but let's collectively give these gentlemen their roses with a time capsule celebrating their futility.
Around the League:
Tim Duncan had just win his first MVP
Amar'e Stoudamire had JUST won the Rookie of the Year
Tracy McGrady was the scoring leader for the Magic
Ben Wallace was the rebounding leader for the Pistons
Jason Kidd was the Assist Leader for New Jersey
Some kid down the street in Akron named LeBron James was done winning state championships and was about to make the unthought of leap and would be available to draft
Some guy named Carmelo Anthony had just led Syracuse to the NCAA championship
Some Serbian guy named Darko Milicic was hyped like Ivano Drago coming to take over the league
Some other young guys named Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and the unforgettable Chris Kaman were also going to be in the lottery mix
And our Cavs and the Nuggets were at the bottom of the standings with matching 17-65 records, while the other bottom 5 teams Toronto (24-58), Miami (25-57) and Clippers (27-55) were all going to be angling for the most heralded Draft Lottery since the Iverson draft in 1996 about 7 years earlier.
Give us a call and share with us:
1. Where were you, how old, and what were you doing with your life and as a Cav fan leading up to this draft lottery? (April-May 2003)
2. What do you remember about the 2002-2003 Cavs with leading scorer Ricky Davis, rebounder Ilgauskas, Assist man Ricky Davis, Best 3pt shooter Jumaine Jones and rookies Dujuan Wagner, Carlos Boozer and Smush Parker? Any particular individual game that stands out?
3. Where were you the night we won the draft lottery and the rights to draft Akron's LeBron James
4. Any parallels from that era and the feeling around that team as the offseason started and this current team? How far have we come?
As soon as we get between 5-10 calls, we'll turn the mics on!
(216) 282-6289
May 2003...
the Cavs just finished their 2002-2003 campaign 17-65.
A season which saw John Lucas fired halfway through with a 8-34 record and his lead assistant Keith Smart taking over and finishing 9-31 for GM Jim Paxson's 4th season in control. We were all waiting with baited breath to see who would get the #1 pick. LOST in this memory is this rag tag bunch of heroes who were so bad that season, that they made it possible to have a chance to bring this hyped basketball savior from Akron home, long before anti-tanking change the lottery landscapes.
You may remember some of their names, faces, and (who in the hell is sitting between Wagner and Palacio as #3?) all of that, but let's collectively give these gentlemen their roses with a time capsule celebrating their futility.
Around the League:
Tim Duncan had just win his first MVP
Amar'e Stoudamire had JUST won the Rookie of the Year
Tracy McGrady was the scoring leader for the Magic
Ben Wallace was the rebounding leader for the Pistons
Jason Kidd was the Assist Leader for New Jersey
Some kid down the street in Akron named LeBron James was done winning state championships and was about to make the unthought of leap and would be available to draft
Some guy named Carmelo Anthony had just led Syracuse to the NCAA championship
Some Serbian guy named Darko Milicic was hyped like Ivano Drago coming to take over the league
Some other young guys named Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and the unforgettable Chris Kaman were also going to be in the lottery mix
And our Cavs and the Nuggets were at the bottom of the standings with matching 17-65 records, while the other bottom 5 teams Toronto (24-58), Miami (25-57) and Clippers (27-55) were all going to be angling for the most heralded Draft Lottery since the Iverson draft in 1996 about 7 years earlier.
Give us a call and share with us:
1. Where were you, how old, and what were you doing with your life and as a Cav fan leading up to this draft lottery? (April-May 2003)
2. What do you remember about the 2002-2003 Cavs with leading scorer Ricky Davis, rebounder Ilgauskas, Assist man Ricky Davis, Best 3pt shooter Jumaine Jones and rookies Dujuan Wagner, Carlos Boozer and Smush Parker? Any particular individual game that stands out?
3. Where were you the night we won the draft lottery and the rights to draft Akron's LeBron James
4. Any parallels from that era and the feeling around that team as the offseason started and this current team? How far have we come?
As soon as we get between 5-10 calls, we'll turn the mics on!
(216) 282-6289
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