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As The Dust Settles…Cavs Fans Find Themselves in Familiar Territory
July 28, 2010 By Brad Fisler
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When the 2010 NBA playoffs started, there was officially no better time to be a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. This was it. The team was methodically built and done so with full willingness to spend big during these difficult times. While many teams focused less on winning and more on freeing up salary cap space in preparation for this summer's free agency period, the Cavs were built to win and win now. The final phases of the team's construction process brought in an electric personality and consummate winner in Shaquille O'Neal to fortify and enforce the middle of the paint. They also maneuvered themselves to land 2-time All Star and former 6th man of the year, Antawn Jamison, via a 3 team trade late in the season to serve as the long sought after #2 man. Along with the compiled stable of willing and able role players, the Cavs of course boasted the mega talents of his Royal Highness, LeBron James, to deliver the knockout blow and bring home a winner. 
All the pieces were seemingly in place however the question that many Cleveland fans couldn't help but ask themselves was naturally, "what if in the end this all blows up in our faces?" Ah yes, that question. After all, we know better don't we? We know that winning just can't be that easy and in part, LeBron made sure of it. He delivered the knockout blow to us fans, and there was no ‘winner' attached to it.
Indeed, the Cavs' season crashed and crumbled in front of us and it did so with an apathetic and aloof LeBron James off in the hazy distance. He did something that his heroes before him would have never dreamed of. He quit. And of course soon after, he left.
In 7 seasons James gave the fans of this region a reels worth of jaw dropping highlights and not an ounce more. Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan did the same thing for the sport and their fans, but they maintained loyalty and also possessed the iron will to outwork everybody else in their respective paths to winning multiple championships. They chose the hard and honorable road to success and their legacies will forever reflect this. It's a man's game, and those two knew/know how to play it.
Now, the dust continues to settle as the Cavs transition from the toast of the town and cream of the NBA's crop to forgotten has been's. The loud ruckus and buzz of the Q will be greatly reduced to a mere shell of its former self, at least for now.
For the last few years, the Cavs and hometown Indians were polar opposites. The Cavs were centered around arguably the game's biggest superstar. They spent a lot of money to support that star and in turn won more regular season games than any other team during the course of the last two regular seasons.
The Indians, however, have been a rebuilding team since their latest collapse in 2007. During that time their ownership has drastically cut payroll and spent virtually no money on free agents. They have been sellers, not buyers. The franchise instead will once again rely on the farm system to produce prospects to ultimately build the future core of a winning team.
It is the small market, idealized method of putting together a winner. The window of opportunity is typically open only narrowly, and for just a brief period of time.
The Cavaliers are fortunate in that Dan Gilbert will continue to spend money, but it won't be quite that easy. As we know so painfully well, Cleveland is not a desirable location to work in the dead of winter. Without a solid core of players in place, signing top end free agents will be difficult.
Of course, LeBron James did nothing in terms of helping lure talent to this town being that he would not display any commitment to the potential players that the team had interest in landing. Thanks again big guy.
The reality of the Cavs and their future is similar to that of the Indians, at least at the start their rebuilding process. The Cavaliers will need to use their own future draft picks, as well as the picks they acquired from Miami in the James sign-and-trade deal and acquire solid young talent. There is no room for error, aka, dreaded and regressive busts.
By putting together a young and talented core during the next few years, the team can more realistically land top tier free agents. That is where Mr. Gilbert and his deep pockets and passion to win come in handy. The road back to perennial contention will be a long one. As Tom Petty said, "the waiting is the hardest part," but such is life.
Acquiring the right talent whiling minimizing the amount of misses and busts is a difficult, inexact science just look at many of the Cavaliers' previous drafts.
In this game and in this market there are no certainties. What we can bank on, however, is there most definitely will never be a talent like LeBron James to grace the wine and gold ever again. And for that matter, you can bet there will never be a core player for this franchise that will so selfishly quit on his team and fans only to end an era in such disgrace.
