LeBron James was heavily criticized while in
Cleveland, and has shut the mouths of most of those people by winning
two titles and simply being the best basketball player on the planet.
Now, the focus instead can turn to why he couldn't win titles in
Cleveland. Following "The Decision," criticism went squarely back to his supporting
cast, which was far different than anything provided to him while in
Miami. Considering that LeBron was rebounds and Spurs' missed free
throws away from losing the 2012-13 title with Dwyane Wade, Chris
Bosh, Ray Allen, and a flurry of talented role players, it further
cements how difficult it is to win a NBA title without a great team.
It's worth questioning then. How bad
was the supporting cast for LeBron in his last year in Cleveland and
how have four years away from King James treated these players?
Antawn Jamison, SF: (2009-10
highlights: 15.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG) Acquired prior to the 2010 trade
deadline, Jamison was expected to be the insurance policy that would
put the Cavs title hopes over the top that season. It didn't work out
that way, and people will continue to second guess whether the front
office should have made a bigger push to trade for Amar'e Stoudemire.
Jamison led the team during the horrible 2010-11 campaign, and served
the Cavs well without any complaints. He left prior to the 2012
season to join the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers. He didn't work
well in Mike D'Antoni's system (neither has anyone else on that team
really), and signed this past offseason with the Los Angeles
Clippers.
Mo Williams, PG (2009-10
highlights: 15.8 PPG, 5.3 APG) Acquired in 2008 from the Milwaukee
Bucks for Joe Smith (yikes) and Damon Jones (double yikes), Williams
looked like a scoring threat that could bring up the ball and
complement James. He did that to a certain extent and the biggest
highlight of his time in Cleveland is shown in this great Bill Simmons column, which equally reveals how simple the Cavs offense
was. Since departing the Cavs, Williams has been a serviceable point
guard at best for the Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, and currently
the Portland Trailblazers. The silver lining for the Cavs was that
his trade to the Clippers led to their acquisition of the #1 overall
pick used to take Kyrie Irving.
Shaquille O'Neal, C (2009-10
highlights: 12.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG) Acquired prior to the 2009 season from
the Phoenix Suns for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, $500,000, and a
2010 2nd
round draft pick, O'Neal was seen as the Hall of Fame post threat
that could put the Cavs in the driver's seat for the title. But, it was clear O'Neal was
aged and his skills had diminished. In the horrible Game 5
playoff loss to the Boston Celtics, while LeBron allegedly didn't
step up, Shaq did. He had 21 points and 4 rebounds. Following
LeBron's departure, O' Neal spent a season with the Celtics before
retiring.
There were a lot of laughs and title expectations prior to the 2009 season.
Delonte West, SG: (2009-10
highlights: 8.8 PPG, 3.3 APG) West was acquired in 2008 along with
Wally Szczerbiak from the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Ira
Newble and Donyell Marshall (talk about a trade involving the most
meaningless role players). West's off the court situations trumped
any effect that he had on the court over the years with the Cavs. His
legal troubles, the allegations of an affair with LeBron's mother, and his bipolar disorder put him into more of a limelight
than anything else. After brief stints with the Celtics and
Mavericks, West is now playing basketball in China.
Anderson Varejao, PF: (2009-10
highlights: 8.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG) Varejao has been a career Cavalier and
was a spark plug for the LeBron-era Cavs. He continues to be a part
of the current Cavs team, but with the team's horrible play, he is
constantly the subject of trade talks with his favorable contract and
energetic play. Had it not been for a season-ending injury last year,
Varejao may have been headed to his first All-Star appearance. He is
a fan favorite, and perhaps the only person from the 2009-10 Cavs
with a strong value in the NBA.
J.J. Hickson, PF: (2009-10
highlights: 8.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG) Drafted by the Cavs with the 19th
overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, Hickson proved to be a product of
LeBron's success. He had his strong moments on LeBron's team, and his
youth and potential upside was enough for the Cavs front office to
not ship him in a potential trade with the Suns for Amar'e
Stoudemire. But, once LeBron left, it was clear Hickson was not the
player the Cavs thought him to be. In 2011, he was shipped to the
Sacramento Kings for Omar Casspi and a conditional first-round pick.
He bounced over to Portland last year and is now currently part of
the Denver Nuggets. With an injury to JaVale McGee, Hickson has been
getting increased playing time. He is averaging 10.3 points and 8.8
rebounds per game this season.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, C: (2009-10
highlights: 7.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG) Beloved by Cleveland fans since being
drafted by the Cavs in 1996, by 2010, Ilgauskas was aged, but still
capable of having an impact by being a big man with a good outside
shot. Paired with O'Neal, it didn't lead to a championship for
the Cavs. Ilgauskas also departed for the Heat, but retired before
Miami's championship run. The Cavs will retire Ilgauskas's jersey number this season.
Anthony Parker, SF: (2009-10
highlights: 7.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG) Parker joined the Cavs as a free agent
in 2009 to be another role player for a championship run. Parker
likely accomplished what he was brought in to do, but his role at
times was more significant than it likely should have been on a
championship contender. He remained on the team following LeBron's
departure, and announced his retirement in 2012. He is now a scout
for the Orlando Magic.
Daniel Gibson, PG:
(2009-10 highlights: 6.3 PPG, .447 3-PT pct.) Gibson was the darling
of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2007 playoff run. After James left, he
posted a career high 11.6 PPG on the horrible 2010-11 team. How
meaningless was Gibson from 2010-2013 for the Cavs? Wikipedia doesn't
even have any biographical information for him over those years.
“Boobie” is currently a free agent. However, he is drawing
bigger news as of late for reports of his marriage falling apart and
a summer arrest.
Jamario Moon, SF: (2009-10
highlights: 4.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG) Moon was acquired by the Cavs as a free
agent in 2009. He played a mostly insignificant role on the
LeBron-led Cavs. He was dealt along with Mo Williams to the Clippers
as part of the Baron Davis deal. He is currently in the NBA D-League.
Others who
appeared on the roster included Jawad Williams (now playing in
Paris), Leon Powe (already with a serious knee injury at the time
with the Cavs, he has since retired to work in some capacity in
sports business), Cedric Jackson (currently playing in Slovenia),
Darnell Jackson (currently playing in China) and most notably Danny
Green (significant contributor to the San Antonio Spurs that nearly
knocked off the Heat last year).
LeBron's
supporting cast has amassed zero All-Star appearances since he left
the team. More of the players have retired or played internationally
or in the D-League than have made a significant impact on any NBA
roster. Arguably, the most successful player has been Green, who got
the lowest amount of playing time when on the team.
In 2010, fans and pundits were
convinced that LeBron James could take this team to a NBA title. They
impressively (and perhaps surprisingly) finished with a 61-21 record
to earn the #1 seed in the NBA Eastern Conference. But, championships
are won by supporting casts as much as they are won by superstars. As
time has shown, the criticism was right. LeBron didn't have the
teammates to win the title. He found those teammates (along with his
prime) in Miami.
LeBron's decision
will always leave a sour taste in the mouths of Cleveland fans. But,
none of his supporting casts could remotely compare to what has been
provided to him by Pat Riley and the Heat organization. And, with the
current state of the Cavs, the idea that LeBron would come back to
the team via free agency seems like a fantasy as far fetched as a
championship during his time with the team.
