Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Winning for Losing
The Cleveland Cavaliers have found themselves in a very interesting position. While they’re losing games in a Cleveland like fashion1. They are also poised to follow the small market blueprint to success.
If you haven’t been paying attention to the NBA for the last three decades let me catch you up on the Cavaliers history in one sentence. Lose, get close, lose, get really close, have your heart ripped out on national television, and lose some more. However, could the Cavs finally be set up for championship success…sorry for the pause but I was laughing.
I don’t know if you’ve read the book on how to create a championship team in a small market. If you haven’t, allow me to write it and take full credit for saving the NBA. Now it’s a short book so pay attention…ready? If a small market wants a chance at a championship they need to be terrible for 3 successive years, and have some luck. That’s it! That’s the book (please feel free to share this with the Washington Wizards)! You’re welcome. You may be surprised, because I threw it out there kind of off the cuff. I usually don’t put my gold of an idea in a comedic context, but this is no laughing matter. As a matter of fact I don’t have time to laugh. I’m too busy dropping grammatical gems with an approach reminiscent to a guy that did nothing but worked out and read Aristotle while in prison.
The way NBA teams get better is through the Draft Lottery. There are no exceptions. Now you may say, “What about the Lakers and Celtics? They don’t draft in the lottery and they have won the most championships.” However, if you look closer those teams actually prove the rule. It is true that the Lakers don’t actually draft players, but they traffic in the business of signing lottery picks. So while they circumvent the draft because of because of franchise history, mainstream access, or location (L.A. can give you all three and they can put a lady pyramid on top). They don’t circumvent the rule.
It’s important for small market teams to be terrible in order to become great. This is most evident by the Oklahoma City Thunder who got in the lottery and got lucky with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. So if you’re the Cleveland Cavaliers with a top 5 point guard in Kyrie Irving2. You have to think you’re once piece away.
The Cavaliers got the best players in the 2011 NBA Draft, and that’s not debatable. I do think that they are one franchise player away from being a playoff team, and by losing they are putting themselves in the perfect position to get that piece. As a Cavs fan this is the best scenario. Outside of being able to retroactively trade LeBron James for Kevin Love and Minnesota’s next three first round picks (they stay in the lottery). So I’m looking forward to finishing this season 10 games below 500, welcoming Harrison Barnes, and hopefully stinking again.
GO CAVS!!!
1. Definition of Losing in Cleveland Fashion – Often and all the time
2. Top Five Point Guards 1. Chris Paul 2. Deron Williams 3. Derrick Rose 4. Rajon Rondo 5. Russell Westbrook 6. Steve Nash 7. Mike Conley Jr., Brandon Jennings, and Kyrie Irving…well I guess he’s not in the top five, but it sounded good.
Editor-in-Chief of Comedic Prose
You can Follow Kortney Williams on Twitter @kortneyshane