Bennett, Bynum and Brown: three B’s that mean a sign of “glee” for Cleveland

No. 1: Anthony Bennett of UNLV poses for a photo with NBA Commissioner David Stern after he was drafted #1 overall in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2013 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 27, 2013 in in the Brooklyn Bourough of New York City. (Getty Images)

There is a saying in America that goes, “It must be incredibly hard to be a sports fan from the city of Cleveland.”

For years, Cleveland hasn’t won a professional sports championship – be it through the lottery driven Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) or the misery ridden, Browns of the National Football League (NFL). The Indians, who ply their trade in Major League Baseball (MLB), aren’t a completely hopeless franchise but like every other team from The Cleve, they too figure a way to scavenge the wrong headlines of the newspaper.

As fans from other prominent cities across the United States reminisce the glory that at least one of the city’s franchises brings to them, Cleveland’s fans have had nothing to brag about for a while.

So naturally, the tendency is to think that anybody who now dons the jersey for any of these teams must be in a hem of lesser expectations than usual. For a city that has barely seen any unravelling success in recent memory, what is it that they could want from any new talent coming to town?

When Chris Grant decided to draft Anthony Bennett with the first overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, even Cleveland’s staunchest fans were perplexed. The franchise, once again trying to rebuild through college’s brightest talents, drafted Bennett ahead of what many fans described to be their ideal centre – Nerlens Noel.

In retrospect, Cleveland’s recent fortunes in the draft have been unblemished. The likes of Dion Waiter, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson haven’t faltered yet. Nevertheless, gambling on Bennett was risky as the teenager from UNLV failed to impress many experts with his poor fitness showings leading up to the draft. He also didn’t fill the void Cleveland needed to – at the post.

Perhaps Grant and the Cavs actually knew what they were doing. Very quickly, the Cavaliers went into the market and tried to lure in suitable free agents. There were players available but the Cavaliers’ management was cheeky enough to snag a talent not many expected them to.

During this off-season, Dwight Howard’s potential trade was always going to be the biggest news-maker. But the man he replaced in LA, or rather, who was shipped out to make cap space for him, is now the newest member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Andrew Bynum was not a storied favourite in the city of Los Angeles. The fans did like to watch him when he was fit. But his everlasting injuries and misdemeanours with the media meant the Lakers saw him as an misfit. After the organization from LA decided that Howard was who they wanted in the frontcourt, they shipped out Bynum in a blockbuster trade.

Injury-prone: Andrew Bynum #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers speaks to the media during a press conference after being traded from the Los Angeles Lakers on August 15, 2012 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)

The Philadelphia 76ers was the centre’s next destination. Unfortunately, his injuries continued to rattle the team doctors there as well. Irrespective of having signed one of the most lucrative offers in the NBA, Bynum spent all his time on the physiotherapist’s table.

Almost a year after he shifted homes to Philadelphia, Bynum moved once again. This time to the city of Cleveland: a place where glory is rarer than the Haley’s comet.

As much as critics will discredit his abilities, Bynum is a player of All-Star calibre. And to join him in proving every critic wrong will be his new friend, Bennett. Together, they will try to shun their detractors – not only for themselves and the entire city of Cleveland but also for their new coach, Mike Brown.

The Boss: Mike Brown of the Cleveland Cavaliers is introduced as the new head coach at The Cleveland Clinic Courts on April 24, 2013 in Independence, Cleveland, Ohio. (Getty Images)

Brown, like Bynum and Bennett, has had his fair share of controversies. During his first stint at “The Forest City”, he was labelled as Lebron James’ puppet. His firing as the Lakers’ head coach didn’t do any good to his reputation either, given he lost his job only 9 games into the 2012-13 season.

As much as Bennett seeks to validate being picked first overall and Bynum wants to substantiate his All-Star appetency, Brown will be on the same mindset. Taking over a team with young Irving spearheading the offense, who is easily one of the best point guards in the business, will do a world of good for Brown. Also, in the pecking order, the coach has a host of talent to experiment with at his disposal. Surely, fortunes will change for Brown and the Cavs.

Heading into this off-season, Cleveland wanted a rejuvenated core of players and an incentivized coach. They finally seem to have tallied their calculations correctly to build a team that could compete in the Eastern Conference. But for this team to be playoff perennials is easier said than done.

It is given that the franchise is now finally returning to relevance by trading smartly and drafting sensibly. While the Cavs can be fancied to be back within the fringes of reaching a playoff spot for 2013-14, they are in the same division as the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers – two teams who will ease into the post-season. Moreover, playing in the same conference as the Miami Heat or the New York Knicks will always be intimidating.

Uncle Drew: Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates a three pointer in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 5, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)

Yes, this also means that the same people who have been ever-so-loyal and passionate behind the Cavaliers will have to be content with common-sense presumptions. The fans wouldn’t need to hope for the Cavaliers to immediately start displacing prevalent teams of their perch – at least anyone with a hint of realistic expectations wouldn’t. All that the city of Cleveland should and will want is the franchise to show up to games with a calibre to match their opponents, and beat those who they are expected to.

In simple words, the Cavaliers should be able to beat every team bar the Heat from the Southeast Division and any team that doesn’t belong to New York from Atlantic Division. Within their division itself, Cleveland should aim to come out as at least the third best team. Such ambitions should be the consensual expectations from the team as well as the city.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are finally looking like a team to be talked about than a single player carrying the burden. With Bynum, Brown and Bennett arriving at the “Rock and Roll Capital of the World”, the city can sure expect the Cavs to start playing musically on court. At least that will signify that the Cavs are back within the fray – finally extracting the franchise from a juncture of anonymity in recent memory.

Basketball is finally back at Cleveland for the right reasons. We hope so, at least.

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