Thursday, March 30, 2006

Playoffs!

Yeah, it was expected, and has been for quite some time. But the fact that we can now say, for certain, that the Cavaliers are going to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, is nothing to diminish.
Just look at where this franchise has been since 1998. The Plain Dealer's Bud Shaw provides a good review of the sucky years.
Some lowlights: the transformation of Shawn Kemp from all-star to useless blimp, Lamond Murray once complaining that his jersey wasn't on sale in the team shop, Jeff McInnis putting his jersey on backward during practice and calling himself a "general contractor," Paul Silas' "hip-hop m-f-er" comment to Ira Newble and Silas calling Carlos Boozer a "see you next Tuesday" to the entire world.
In speaking of Boozer, let's not forget the fantastic foibles of the front office, starring Jim Paxson. There was Paxson and owner Gordon Gund, gullible but acting in good faith, letting Boozer out of the final year of his contract with the anticipation of signing him to a new deal. Then we all peed our pants when Boozer signed an offer sheet with Utah.
It's like shuffling your feet across a carpet and complaining when you get shocked.
Then there were the draft picks. Oh, the many, many draft picks.
Let us count the misled ways: Trajan Langdon, Chris Mihm, DeSagana Diop, Dajuan Wagner, Luke Jackson. Those are just the first-rounders that tanked.
You can see why some of us couldn't shake this however-irrational fear that the Cavs would do something really stupid upon winning the draft lottery in 2003, like maybe bypass LeBron James and take Dan Dickau first overall.
Eight years without the playoffs seemed like about 20. Maybe this 2005-06 team should get a banner in the rafters of The Q right now, as the Team That Broke the Drought.
Low standards? Maybe. But you're also talking about a franchise that has retired six numbers, yet counts a 30-year-old division title as its only title in franchise history.

1 comment:

theMike said...

Hell of a win, all the way around. Now if only LeBron and the rest of the team (mostly the rest of the team) can bring it that way every night. I still believe we can bring something substantial to this year's playoffs.