The Cavaliers almost thwarted LeBron’s devious plan
It was one of the more elaborate, devilish plans the NBA has ever witnessed, and somehow the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office almost ruined it before it could even be fully realized.
The Chosen One, LeBron James, had spent the beginning chapters of his NBA career with his hometown team only to be endlessly ridiculed for failing to take rosters full of role players and turning them into NBA champions. After toiling away for seven long, exhausting, MVP-filled seasons and coming away without the ultimate prize, James had his own realization.
He had to leave. It was inevitable and the only outcome if the Cavaliers were to acquire the talent he ultimately needed around him to bring a title home to Cleveland. He went all out to leave nobody questioning his motives.
The Decision was born. Dan Gilbert authored a letter to the fans, relentless devotees burned his jerseys, and then of course “Not 1, not 2, not 3…” were words uttered from The King’s mouth. That’s all he needed for a full scale sell job that he was not returning to Cleveland. It worked.
In the four years following the departure of James, the Cavaliers wallowed away in ineptitude, notching just 97 wins (.311 win%), earning countless lottery picks and adding other assets to their name. The Heat, meanwhile, won 224 games (.718 win%) and two NBA titles (four appearances) while James hoisted the MVP trophy twice. Fans took the bait — hook, line and sinker.
The plan was so perfect, but James hadn’t accounted for the one variable that he thought was a no brainer — the Cavaliers messing up their draft selections. Sure, they took Kyrie Irving as a slam dunk number one pick in 2011 but the others? Well, let’s just recap.
The 2011 NBA Draft was Cleveland’s first chance to retool after the departure of James. A midseason trade in which they acquired the Clippers’ first round pick miraculously materialized into the number one pick after the draft lottery. The rebuilding process began with two lottery picks at one and four.
Kyrie Irving was the obvious choice as the top overall selection and the Cavaliers held court by nabbing the talented guard out of Duke. With the fourth overall pick, they took Tristan Thompson as their power forward of the future. It’s easy to criticize that second selection now that we’re five years removed from the 2011 draft, but in this alternate reality Klay Thompson was taken by the Cavaliers, giving them a dominant back court for years to come. The only downside to Klay is that we miss out on shirtless J.R. Smith and that’s a tragedy all its own.
Thompson would be the best outside shooter in any era that didn’t include Stephen Curry and had Cleveland taken him it would be easy to see Irving and Thompson as The Splash Bros instead of the duo in Golden State.
General manager Chris Grant really messed shit up in 2012, though. The Cavaliers were predictably bad the previous season which gave them the fourth pick to pair with picks 24, 33 and 34. Four picks which could easily help provide a potential star and depth for the future. Grant took a massive gamble on Dion Waiters with the top five selection and then proceeded to trade the last three picks for number 17 overall, which they used on Tyler Zeller. Phew, just recapping that makes me sick to my stomach and I’m not even a Cavs fan!
As we look back, the Cavaliers now select Andre Drummond at number four, Draymond Green at number 24, Jae Crowder at number 33 and whoever the hell else at 34 because LOOK AT THAT HAUL! If you’re tracking this, you’re starting to understand how important nailing every draft selection is. Imagine a core of Irving, Thompson, Drummond and Green with whoever else you can fill the roster with. It doesn’t mean immediate wins or titles but just wait, there’s more.
In 2013, the Cavaliers yet again had the basketball gods look upon them with such grace as to reward them with the number one pick in the draft lottery. They also had the 19th pick in that draft. They came away with Anthony Bennett and Sergey Karasev. WHAT?! That’s who you pick, Grant!?
With our Back to the Future paintbrush we wipe away the mistakes and instead the Cavaliers draft Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert. Jesus Christ. This new reality for Cleveland is making fans forget the so-called savior LeBron James, and instead there are riots in the streets in preparation for the oncoming NBA championships they will surely win.
At this point, we will nix the 2014 draft where the Cavaliers drafted Andrew Wiggins, because with all the talent they’ve amassed there’s just no way the number one pick goes to them in 2014. Even so, the alternate roster we have created is formidable to say the least.
Grant and the Cavaliers had six first round picks from 2011 to 2013 and arguably only hit on one of them. Yes, Tristan Thompson is a versatile big man who really proved his worth in the 2016 NBA Finals, but with Klay and Kawhi being taken after him the argument can certainly be made that the pick was a “miss.” The following two drafts are really indefensible, which is why Grant is no longer the general manager in Cleveland; a position now held by David Griffin.
LeBron’s elaborate scheme was fool proof. Leave the Cavaliers so they could accumulate an array of youthful talent, at the same time he would win some championships with his friends in Miami, then he could return as the Prodigal Son and save the reeling city of Cleveland who still yearned for their elusive pro sports championship.
Thankfully for the city — and James himself — his all-time greatness was so anointed, he was able to overcome the disastrous draft selections and deliver an NBA championship just two years after his return home. The plan worked then right? Wrong.
The Cavaliers won one championship, but if they had drafted more effectively they could have saved the entire league from the Death Star that the Golden State Warriors have become. Steph’s own elite play would have driven the team to contender status, however, without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green their small-ball revolution likely never occurs. Those two are not plug-and-play guys and the future of the NBA would have been altered had Cleveland been more adept with their draft abilities, all the while leaving LeBron to return and help turn the Cavaliers into the league’s dominate franchise for the next 3-5 years.
Imagine it just for a second.
A lineup of Irving, Thompson, Antetokounmpo, James and Drummond with Green, Crowder and Gobert coming off the bench. It’s unfathomable that group of players were available to this franchise and somehow they only managed to draft (and keep) ONE of them. ONE.
The plan was ingenious, sinister, inclusive and narcissistic all wrapped into one, but rather than it coming to fruition, James is now forced to work with the assets he has been given. He made it work once, defeating the best regular season team in NBA history, while being the only team to win the NBA Finals after being down three games to one.
What’s on tap for his encore? He once concocted this devilish plan, so don’t underestimate the lengths he will go to make everyone realize he really is The Chosen One. After all, “in Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.”
The work isn’t over.