Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Things To Be Thankful For In 2015
1. LeBron James Came Home
He came back home!
During “The Decision” in which LeBron James chose to go to the Miami Heat, it ripped the heart out of many Cleveland Cavaliers fans. The video of the girl crying and fans groaning in disbelief automatically come to mind when I go back to that moment in 2010. I’ll even make a confession.
When he said he was leaving, it felt like a swift punch right in the stomach. Nobody in the city of Cleveland expected James to leave–but he did. Every single game he played with the Heat, Cavalier fans rooted against him and wished for the worst outcome.
The best moment was when they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals in 2011. While we were all Mavericks fans during that series, it didn’t change the reality that James was still in Miami and that the Cavaliers would still struggle going into the next season.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
It might sound pathetic and desperate to outsiders, but unless you are from Cleveland, you just don’t understand how passionate and loyal the fanbase is. James brought that for seven seasons and it was gone just like that. It was devastating. At the end of the day it is a business, but it doesn’t mean you have to agree with the final choice.
Little did fans know that better times were ahead. On July 11th, 2014, James wrote an article in Sports Illustrated titled ” I’m Coming Home.” He explained how he grew up as a man by going to Miami and how he would have done things differently if he had to do it again. All was forgiven by Cavalier fans.
All they wanted was an explanation and they finally got one. Basketball was finally back in Cleveland! The days of Luke Harangody, Samardo Samuels, Semih Erden, Baron Davis, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker, Lester Hudson, Alonzo Gee, Kevin Jones and most of all Ryan Hollins were gone! I have forgotten a lot more players, but these guys represent the tough times of Cavaliers fans. We finally were going to have a real team that could compete.
Next: NBA: New Year's Resolutions For All 30 Teams
I think a majority of fans would agree with this being the No. 1 reason to be thankful. Obviously without all the dominoes falling in place, we could be talking about the Seattle Cavaliers, but luckily they did. Do you agree with the choices or did you have something else? Let me know in the comments section.
Honorable Mention: David Blatt, Kevin Love, Re-signing of Matthew Dellavedova