The Cleveland Cavaliers (also known as the Cavs) are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1970 as an expansion team and won their first Eastern Conference Championship in 2007.  The Cavaliers first began play in the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team under the ownership of Nick Mileti. Playing their home games at Cleveland Arena under the direction of head coach Bill Fitch, they compiled a league-worst 15–67 record. The team hoped to build around the number one 1971 draft pick Austin Carr who had set numerous scoring records at Notre Dame, however Carr severely injured his leg shortly into his pro career and did not recover sufficiently to become a great pro player.

The following seasons saw the Cavaliers gradually improve their on-court performance, thanks to season-by-season additions of talented players such as Bingo Smith, Jim Chones, Jim Cleamons and Dick Snyder. Cleveland improved to 23–59 in their sophomore season, followed by a 32–50 record in 1972–73, and a small step backwards to 29–53 in 1973–74. In 1974, the Cavaliers moved into the brand-new Richfield Coliseum, located in the cornfields thirty miles south of downtown Cleveland in Summit County. That season, the Cavaliers finished with a 40–42 record falling just short of a playoff berth.

In the 1975-76 season with Carr, Smith, Chones, Snyder, and newly acquired Nate Thurmond; Fitch led the Cavaliers to a 49–33 record and a division title. Fitch received the league's Coach of the Year award as the Cavs made their first-ever playoff appearance.  The Cavs won the series against the Washington Bullets, 4–3. Because of the many heroics and last-second shots, the series became known locally as the "Miracle of Richfield." However, hampered by injuries, particularly to Jim Chones, the Cavs proceeded to lose to the Boston Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs.

Cleveland won 43 games the next two seasons (1976–77 and 1977–78), but both those seasons resulted in early playoff exits. After a 30–52 season in 1978-79, Fitch resigned as head coach. The following season, after going 37–45 under Fitch's successor Stan Albeck, original owner Mileti sold his shares to minority owner Joe Zingale.

In 1980, after just a few months, Zingale sold the team to Nationwide Advertising magnate Ted Stepien. The new owner oversaw the hiring and firing of a succession of coaches and was involved in making a number of poor trade and free agent signing decisions. The result of Stepien's questionable trading acumen was the loss of several of the team's first-round draft picks, which led to a rule change in the NBA prohibiting teams from trading away first-round draft picks in consecutive years. This rule is known as the "Ted Stepien Rule."  Early on in his tenure, Stepien proposed to rename the team the "Ohio Cavaliers", part of a plan that included playing their home games not just in the Cleveland area but also in non-Ohio markets such as Buffalo, New York and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He also introduced a polka-flavored fight song, which was widely-ridiculed by fans and the media.

The ensuing chaos was reflected by the Cavs' on-court performance and attendance woes, going 28–54 in 1980–81 (Stepien's first year as owner), followed by an abysmal 15–67 mark in 1981–82. The 1981–82 team lost its last 19 games of the season which, when coupled with the five losses at the start of the 1982–83 season, constitute the NBA's all-time longest losing streak at 24 games. Although the team improved its record to 23–59 the following year, local support for the Cavs eroded which eventually bottomed out that year by averaging only 3,900 fans a game at the cavernous Coliseum which seated more than 20,000. Stepien threatened to move the franchise to Toronto and rename it the Toronto Towers, but brothers George and Gordon Gund purchased the franchise in the mid 1980s and decided to keep the team in Cleveland. (In 1993, Toronto would, in fact, get an expansion franchise, the Toronto Raptors.) Two years later, the Gunds changed the team colors from wine and gold to burnt orange, red and navy blue. Also, the team officially adopted "Cavs" as a shorter nickname for marketing purposes; it had been used unofficially by fans and headline writers since the team's inception.

In 1986, under the Gund brothers as owners, the team acquired, either through trades or the draft, Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper and Larry Nance. These four players (until Harper was later traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 1989 for the rights to Danny Ferry) formed the core of the team, under the direction of head coach Lenny Wilkens, that led the Cavs to eight playoff seasons in the next nine years, including three 50+ win seasons.

However, in 1989, the Cavs were paired against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. In the fourth game of the best-of-five-series, Cleveland managed to beat the Bulls in overtime 108–105 to level the series at 2–2. Home court advantage went to Cleveland. The game was evenly matched, until Cleveland managed to score on a drive and raise the lead by one, with three seconds left. Chicago called for a time-out. The ball was inbounded to Michael Jordan, who went for a jump shot. Cleveland's Craig Ehlo jumped in front to block it, but Jordan seemed to stay in the air until Ehlo landed. "The Shot" went in as time ran out, with Chicago winning the series 3–2. The buzzer-beater is considered one of Jordan's greatest clutch moments, and the game itself one of the greatest. But the pinnacle of the Cavs' success came in the 1991-92 season, when they compiled a 57–25 record and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, losing again to the Chicago Bulls 4–2.

Soon after, the Cavaliers entered into a period of decline. With the retirements and departures of Nance, Daugherty and Price, the team lost much of its dominance and were no longer able to contest strongly during the playoffs. After the 1992-93 season, in which the Cavs boasted a 54–28 regular-season record but suffered an early exit from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to the Chicago Bulls, Wilkens left to coach the Atlanta Hawks.

Following the hiring of Mike Fratello as head coach starting with the 1993–94 season, the Cavs became one of the NBA's best defensive teams under the leadership of point guard Terrell Brandon. But the offense, which was a half-court, "slow-down" tempo installed by Fratello, met with mixed success. Although the Cavaliers made regular playoff appearances, they were unable to advance beyond the first round.

In 1994, the Cavs moved back to downtown Cleveland with the opening of the 20,562-seat, state-of-the-art, Gund Arena. Known by locals as "the Gund", the venue also served as the site of the 1997 NBA All-Star Game.

Later on, players like Shawn Kemp and ydrnas Ilgauskas added quality to the team, but without further success. Fratello was fired following the shortened 1998-99 season.

Several losing seasons followed which saw the Cavaliers drop to the bottom of the league and become a perennial lottery draft team. After another disappointing season in 2002-03, the Cavaliers landed the number one draft pick in the NBA Lottery. The Cavaliers selected local high school phenomenon LeBron James. Also in 2003 the team colors were changed from burnt orange, red and navy blue back to wine and gold along with a new primary logo.

James' status as both an area star (having played his high school basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in nearby Akron) and as one of the most highly touted prospects in NBA history led many to view his selection as a turning point in the franchise's history. Embraced by Clevelanders as "King James," the 2003-04 season offered great hope for the future, as James rose to become a dominating player, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Hope was even greater for the 2004-05 season. James increased his production in terms of points, rebounds, and assists per game. Despite the loss of Carlos Boozer in the offseason, James teamed with ydrnas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden to form the core of the team. After a promising start, the Cavs began a downward spiral that eventually led to the firing of coach Paul Silas and general manager Jim Paxson. The team failed to make the playoffs that year, tied with New Jersey Nets for the final playoff spot, however the Nets owned the tiebreaker.

The Cavaliers made many changes in the 2005 offseason. Under new owner Dan Gilbert (also the owner of Quicken Loans), the team hired a new coach, Mike Brown, and a new general manager, former Cavaliers forward Danny Ferry. The team experienced success on the court in the following season, clinching their first playoff appearance since 1998. After a first round win over the Washington Wizards, the Cavaliers rebounded from a 2–0 deficit in the second round against the Detroit Pistons, winning three consecutive games to come one game away from the conference finals. However, they lost a close Game 6 at home, and followed it with a 79–61 loss in Game 7. in game seven, the Cavs set two records for futility deciding playoff games: least points scored in a game (61) and in a half (23). The playoff rounds were a showcase for the emergence of LeBron James, who achieved many "youngest ever to..." records considering during the run.

The Cavs continued their success in the 2006-07 season. The team earned the second seed with a 50–32 record, generating a series of favorable matchups which included home court advantage in the first two rounds. The Cavaliers' first-round was a rematch with the 7th-seeded Wizards, who finished 41–41 and struggled with injuries down the stretch. The Cavaliers swept this series 4–0—the first sweep of a playoff series in franchise history—and faced the New Jersey Nets in the second round. The Cavs won the series 4–2 with James scoring 23 points and adding 8 rebounds and 8 assists in an 88–72 win in Game 6.

The Cavaliers faced the Pistons for the second straight playoff year, this time in the Eastern Conference Finals. After again losing the first two games at Detroit, the Cavaliers won the next three to take a 3–2 series lead. This year the Cavaliers eliminated Detroit in Game 6. The wins included a 109–107 double-overtime thriller at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Game 5, in which LeBron James scored the last 25 points for the Cavs, and his performance in this game is recognized as one of the best in NBA history. They continued to a dominant 98–82 win at home in Game 6. Rookie Daniel "Boobie" Gibson scored a career-high 31 points in the series clincher, and the franchise won its first ever Eastern Conference championship. The team's first trip to the NBA finals was a short one, as they were outmatched and outplayed by the very strong San Antonio Spurs, who swept the Cavs 4–0.

After struggling through an inconsistent 2007-08 regular season which saw the Cavaliers go 45–37, they met the Wizards in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year. The Cavaliers jumped out to a three games to one lead, but failed to close out the series at home as James missed a potential game-winning layup at the end of the game. In game 6, James had a triple double and led the team to a 105–88 win and a 4–2 series win. They moved on to face the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the 2nd round. The Cavaliers lost the series 4–3 in a series that featured the home team winning all seven games. James scored 45 points in game 7, but it was not enough as Boston's Paul Pierce scored 41 points to lead the Celtics to victory.

The Cavaliers drafted J. J. Hickson 19th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. They also acquired the rights to Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun who will play in Russia next season.

Getting Inside

First, there was talk of Cavaliers point guard Delonte West mulling an offer from Moscow Dynamo, which proved to be bogus.

They might have talked, but Dynamo not only had a point guard they like in Hollis Price, but they didn’t have the money to make a big splash after signing forward Bostjan Nachbar.

At that point, agent Aaron Goodwin tried a different option. He criticized the negotiating tactics of the Cavs and said they were low-balling his client.

“They said, ‘Take the deal we’ve offered or we’ll go an alternate route,’” Goodwin said. “They won’t negotiate fairly.”

They talked to 76ers guard Louis Williams, another restricted free agent. After news broke of their interest, Williams agreed to a five-year, $27 million deal with the Sixers.

Goodwin said the Cavs have offered West slightly more than they signed Daniel Gibson for (five years, $21 million). A league source said Boston and Miami have approached the Cavs regarding sign-and-trades for West, but they were turned down by the Cavs.

“To quote another team, ‘Why should we negotiate for the Cavs?’” Goodwin said. “‘If we make an offer, all they’ll do is match.’”

Now that the Cavaliers have obtained Mo Williams, who would likely take many of West’s minutes, who knows what will happen with West?

A source said West wants a five-year contract. The Cavs have offered several options, including a four-year deal with the final year a team option.

One source doesn’t think West should get the full mid-level exception ($5.6 million) in the first year of a possible deal. But the source said he thinks West should be in that range and average $5 million over the course of the deal.

Reportedly, the Cavs are not in that ballpark.

If things break down, Goodwin said his client will play for the qualifying offer of $2.7 million and become an unrestricted free agent after the 2008-09 season.

Notes, Quotes

• The Cavaliers went into the off-season trying to get LeBron James more help. On Aug. 13, they got it.

In a three-team trade, the Cavs obtained 25-year old guard Mo Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks. Williams averaged 17.2 points and 6.3 assists a game for the Bucks last season, and he brings a dangerous outside shot to the table as well. In exchange for Williams, the Cavaliers sent guard Damon Jones to the Bucks and big man Joe Smith to Oklahoma City.

The trade has to be seen as a huge win for the Cavaliers, who got the best player in the complicated deal.

“Acquiring Mo strengthens our nucleus of players for both the short and long term. He is entering his prime NBA years and will be part of the foundation of our future success,” GM Danny Ferry said. “Mo is a player that excels as a traditional point guard, but also brings an extra dimension with his scoring and versatility. His ability to push the tempo, get inside the lane, shoot from the perimeter and distribute the ball will be very valuable for us.”

• The Cavaliers signed G Tarence Kinsey to a one-year contract thought to be worth $711,514 (the league minimum). The Cavs also own a team option for 2009-10 on his contract. Other than re-signing Daniel Gibson, it was the first free-agent move of the offseason. Kinsey, 24, spent parts of the previous two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. After getting waived by the Grizzlies after playing just 11 games last year, he ended up playing in the Turkish Basketball League for Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul. The 6-foot-6, 179-pounder averaged 9.2 points in 14 regular-season games in Turkey, in addition to 8.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12 Euro league games. He’s a scorer who is also a good perimeter defender—a weakness on the Cavs.

• Mark Stornes, one of highest ranking officials in the Cavaliers’ hierarchy, has resigned. Stornes, formerly chief executive officer, oversaw all business and operational aspects of the Cavs and their arena. He played a key role in the switchover from former owner Gordon Gund to current owner Dan Gilbert in 2005. Insiders said Stornes’ position won’t be replaced.

Quote To Note:   “Tarence is a talented young perimeter player that has good length and athleticism. He has shown an ability to be an effective player on both ends of the court.”— Cavs general manager Danny Ferry, on the free-agent signing of guard Tarence Kinsey.

Roster Report

Draft Picks: 

J.J. Hickson, F, 6-9, 242, North Carolina State—Athletic forward who is as raw as they come. He’s extremely long and will eventually block shots and score in the paint.

Darnell Jackson, F, 6-8, 250, Kansas—Hard-working big man who bangs around the basket. He’s one of five Kansas players who were drafted.

Sasha Kaun, C, 6-11, 250, Kansas—He’s signed to a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow in Russia. The Cavs will hold his rights. He’s a skilled big man who can score and rebound.

Biggest Needs:   The Cavs would like to add a perimeter player who can shoot and create his own shot. The chances they’ll be able to add such a player in free agency appear remote.

Free Agent Focus:   The Cavs will likely use their mid-level exception on a wing player, someone to shore up their perimeter defense. They expressed interest in James Posey of Boston, a Cleveland-area native would have been a good fit with the Cavs, but he signed with Orlando.

Player Notes: 

• The Cavs have shown some interest in Denver Nuggets restricted free agent G J.R. Smith, who is seeking more than the mid-level exception of $5.6 million. If they acquire him, it would likely be in a sign-and-trade. The odds of it happening, though, aren’t good.

• Among the teams showing interest in former Cavs G Devin Brown are Dallas, New Orleans, Denver and Atlanta. To a lesser extent, both Miami and Washington have made contact with Brown’s representatives. Brown played a team-high 78 games for the Cavs last year, which included 20 starts. He averaged 7.5 points.

• C Nenad Krstic, a 7-0, 240-pounder, drew a three-year, $15 million offer from the Cavs in free agency. His agent, Marc Cornstein, turned it down to take an offer from Dynamo Triumph in Moscow. He’s played the previous four years for the New Jersey Nets.

• Don’t get too fired up about the rumor that Suns G Leandro Barbosa is coming to the Cavs in a trade. One NBA source said he’s not even sure the Suns are making him available in trades. The source said F Boris Diaw might be on the block.