Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Things To Be Thankful For In 2015
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had an interesting 2015. It won’t end like they originally wanted it too, but they have a lot to be thankful for.
As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Well, almost good.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have had an unforgettable 2015. It all started with LeBron James “coming home” and finished with the franchise’s second NBA Finals appearance against the Golden State Warriors. Although they didn’t get the results they aimed for, they proved to themselves they can overcome adversity and still push a team to its limit. However, 14 months prior, the Finals seemed to only be a pipe dream for a young team with no direction.
After a disappointing 2013-14 campaign, the Cavaliers were on the downtrend in the NBA. There was no guarantee that Kyrie Irving was going to re-sign with the team. Luol Deng got out of town faster than the Baltimore Colts trucks did on the way to Indianapolis.
Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson were having problems internally all season and it definitely affected the team in some ways. Anderson Varejao missed the chance of playing another full season due to injury. Former coach Mike Brown still had no idea how to run a complete offense.
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While that’s a lot of dysfunction, those weren’t even the biggest blunders. Anthony Bennett was a total bust for the Cavaliers and the hope of Andrew Bynum becoming the missing piece for a young impressionable team failed miserably.
The curse of losing James was in full effect and most fans had lost all hope of the team ever overcoming the proverbial “hump” that was hindering them. Well everything would change during that summer. It not only would change the fortunes of the Cavaliers, but the whole landscape of the NBA.
It all started with the trade of Jarrett Jack and Sergey Karasev to the Brooklyn Nets along with Tyler Zeller going to the Boston Celtics. This allowed the Cavaliers to clear space in their pursuit of James. The second domino fell when Irving re-signed with the team for a lucrative deal that would keep him with the Cavaliers for the long term. Another important piece was the signing of legendary Maccabi Tel Aviv coach David Blatt.
The last piece was the trade of Andrew Wiggins and Bennett to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love. In a matter of four months, they went from a bleak future to an automatic championship contender.
The Cavaliers still have a ways to go as the season progresses, but as 2015 comes to a close, these are some of the things the team and fans should be thankful for.
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