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Happier times in Cleveland and TorontoIn free agency, for every winner there is a loser. While the center of the NBA-world has relocated to Miami, LeBron James and Chris Bosh’s former teams are left to deal with the devastation their departure wrought in obscurity, far from the prying eyes of national TV. The natural reaction, as Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert showed in his infamous “Comic Sans” letter, is one-upmanship. Gilbert vowed revenge, disparaging LeBron’s character on the way out and generally acting like a scorned lover. Accepting mediocrity will be no easier for Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo, whose job is undoubtedly on the line this season. After four seasons at the helm of the Raptors, they are in far worse shape than when he New Orleans Saints jersey
arrived. But after a break-up, it’s better to think with your head and not your heart. It’s in both teams to rebuild completely, following the model of the Oklahoma City Thunder and not the Indiana Pacers. In 2005, the then Seattle Supersonics pushed the eventual champion Spurs to six games. But after two ineffectual 30-win seasons and All-Star Rashard Lewis approaching free agency, they took out the dynamite. They signed and traded Lewis to Orlando for a massive trade exception, which they parlayed into draft picks by letting teams like Phoenix dump salary to cut payroll and avoid the luxury tax. They moved franchise player and probably future HOF Ray Allen for a high first-round pick. As a result, they picked up franchise cornerstones Kevin Durant and Jeff Green in that year's draft. The next year, the young team inevitably struggled, allowing them another high pick – guard Russell Westbrook. There’s no question that it’s a genuinely painful process; the team averaged 60.5 losses those first two seasons. But that’s the formula for long-term success in the NBA – find an All-Star to build your team around and draft high enough for a few years to get suitable pieces to complement his game. The New York Giants jersey
only thing worse than a drastic rebuilding process is running on the mediocrity treadmill, being not good enough to contend and not bad enough to draft top young players. That’s what happened to the Indiana Pacers in the aftermath of the 2004 Palace Brawl. The year before the team had won 61 games, and they were seen as a legitimate championship contender before Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson charged into the stands that night. Instead of rebuilding, they hung onto a window that had already closed. Rather than flipping disgruntled franchise cornerstones Artest and Jermaine O’Neal for young players and cap space, they picked up a collection of retread veterans centered around Peja Stojakovic and TJ Ford. Even finding a legitimate All-Star at No. 17 in the draft – SF Danny Granger – couldn’t change their fate. There were too many solid veterans around Granger for the team to sink to the bottom of the lottery, but not another All-Star type player to push them into the playoffs. The fruits of a genuine rebuilding processOver the last four seasons, they have averaged 35 wins while never picking lower than No. 11. The team still doesn’t have enough cap room to sign an impact free agent, and a trade demand from Granger seems inevitable. It’s easy to see the Cavs following in the Pacers footsteps. Gilbert seems too competitive, and too used to filling the Q, to allow a bottoming out process to occur. Cleveland will have to rely heavily on active big man Anderson Varejao to anchor the defense and trigger the fast break, because they will struggle to score in the half-court. They have a roster full of finishers – be it shooters on the outside (Mo Williams, Daniel Gibson, Anthony Parker) or big men who can convert in the paint (Antawn Jamison and JJ Hickson) – but no one who can set them up effectively. But there still is enough talent on hand to win 30-40 games and compete for the final playoff spots in the East. The question is will that be enough to satisfy a fan-base used to competing for a championship. Ironically, Toronto’s mismanagement puts them in a better situation than Cleveland. Replacing Chris Bosh, New York Jets jersey
an athletic power forward and an excellent rebounder, with the erratic Amir Johnson won’t improve the league’s worst ranked defense. Offensively they are a team of 3-point marksmen (Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon and Linas Kleiza) without anyone who can draw a double team and give those shooters open looks. Danny Granger has had little support in his time with IndianaThey have no choice but to play the young players they drafted in the lottery in the last two years – DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis – and see what they can contribute. And because they will have no choice to rebuild, Toronto’s future is brighter than Cleveland’s, despite a dramatically-less talented roster. For more in-depth exploration of this topic, check out the FanTake Blog:Get Buckets Follow on Twitter at:GetBucketsFT Follow on Facebook:Get Buckets