Monday, September 20, 2010

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #3 Ricky Davis

"Be not afraid of greatness: Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." William Shakespeare uttered these famous words, and unmistakably, he was talking about Ricky Davis.

The 3rd greatest Cleveland Cavalier of All-Time is none other than Tyree Ricardo "Ricky" Davis. Some have referred to Ricky as one of, if not, the worst Cavalier of all-time. I’ve heard these blasphemous rumors before. Trust, there are other great Americans who were not appreciated in their time. Thus, I must come to the defense of one of the most legendary franchise players in recent history.

Ricky Davis was an amateur stud while starting all 4 years at North High School in Davenport, Iowa. He quickly garnered attention nationally and decided to stay in-state, playing for the illustrious university of Iowa. His high-flying style of play to go along with his smooth jump shot, earned him a place in the NBA. With the 21st pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets drafted Ricky in one of the greatest late-1st round steals in Draft history. He would only play 2 seasons with the Hornets before being traded to the heat in a 9-player swap. Shame on Charlotte for underappreciating his talent, and a good move by the Heat.

Unfortunately for Miami, they would only suit up RD for 7 games before the Cavaliers made the move for the great, Ricky Davis. Personally, if I owned the rights to one of the historically great NBA players, I would not have traded him. I would consider it an honor and a pleasure to handsomely pay a player who displays such class and elegance on the court.

October 26, 2001 was a momentous day in Cavalier-history. Forget Queen James, this was the move of the decade for a franchise that desperately needed something to cheer for. Consider where the Cavaliers were before the acquisition of the legendary Ricky Davis: The season before we wised up and brought in Davis, the Cavaliers finished 30-52, led in scoring by Andre Miller and Lamond Murray. While Lamond did provide for some excitement, the role of high-flying dunk machine was essentially non-existent. Enter Ricky Davis.

Who can deny Ricky’s endless list of accomplishments in a Cavaliers uniform? Many were quick to point out his disputes with then-coach Paul Silas, and his reputation as a showboat. I choose to look at the positives; There are so many to choose from.

Granted, I advise you not to remember that the team actually got worse with the addition of Davis.. I’m still not even sure how that's logistically possible. In his first season as a Cavalier, Ricky averaged 11.7 points per game. Solid numbers for a player who only saw the floor for 23 minutes a night. He shot 42% from the field and clearly won the hearts of Cavs fans everywhere, depending on who you ask. 

Let’s also remember the fact that Ricky was part of the 2003 season, arguably the greatest roster the franchise has ever put together. Ricky Davis, Darius Miles, Carlos Boozer, Dajuan Wagner, DeSagana Diop, Zydrunas, and some rookie named LeBron James. Inexplicably, the franchise committed the cardinal sin of trading one, Ricky Davis, later that year.

I still can’t muster up the courage to defend the trade, seeing as the mentoring Ricky provided to LeBron was invaluable to the success of his early years. There was a certain level of respect and admiration that Ricky demanded from every player on the team, especially James. Don’t laugh, there’s evidence to support my logical claim.

In a game vs. the Sacramento Kings, LeBron James had a wide-open opportunity for a dunk on a fast-break. But, LeBron instead chose to turn around and flip the ball to Ricky, who obviously finished with a demoralizing reverse windmill.

This sort of respect for the greatness of Ricky’s dunking stature is a demonstration of why LeBron understood that Ricky Davis was even more of an electrifying dunker than he himself.

The LeBron and Ricky duo was one of the greatest tandems the Association could have ever hoped for. Clearly, Ricky’s mentoring of LeBron was instrumental to the success of LeBron’s early years, and the turning around of a franchise who hadn’t even sniffed the playoffs in years.

Now, let’s take a moment to discuss Ricky’s largely misunderstood act of trying to secure a triple-double. We all know the story. Ricky was one rebound short of the elusive triple-double and with the clock winding down, attempted to shoot on our own basket in order to achieve such an honorable feat. Undeniably, this move was a clear representation of Ricky’s unselfishness and in fact, his willingness to take some bad press in order for the good of the Cavaliers franchise.

This move earned him the dubious “Wrong-Rim Ricky” nickname that many so wrongly identify with this great player. It is so plainly obvious that Ricky was trying to secure his first career triple-double for the team, not for himself. Playing for a franchise with no hope of the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers desperately needed some sort of recognition and Ricky gave his best to bring that to us. Let’s applaud him for his efforts. We must not blame Ricky.

Ricky Davis represented such an incredulous amount of untapped potential and talent, that was never achieved in large part due to the fact that he never had the right coach to harness his abilities. Instead of faulting a legend of the game, we must look at the inept leadership of Randy Wittman, Paul Silas, and then John Lucas. We must not blame Ricky. Instead, we must recognize and appreciate what he could have and should have been – the 3rd greatest Cavalier in the history of the franchise.

When #31 suited up on a nightly basis, he never failed in his obligation to represent the 3 E’s. That is, Elevate, Electrify, and Excite. While some would say his antics were that of an egotistical showboat, We must not blame Ricky. The Cleveland faithful desperately needed a reason to keep their faith, and Ricky Davis did his best to keep Gund Arena an exciting place. His elevation still goes unmatched to this day. The 6 ft. 7” prodigy could dunk the ball with such ferocity that you wondered if the other team was even going to finish the game. He consistently got so high in the air that defenders simply chose to allow him open-access to the Rim.

Ricky Davis’ keys to Ricky-Davis-style dunking: "The key element is to be able to dunk when the light's on -- you know, dunking on people, finishing, keeping the attitude of dunking."

And “Dunk when the light’s were on” was Ricky’s specialty. A prime example of this unforgettable dunk-first, apologize-never attitude was displayed when he rose up over Steve Nash, creating a poster worthy of placement in the Smithsonian. Some have said there is still a bump on Nash’s forehead from where Ricky’s knee left a Voldemort-esque scar. I believe it.

During Ricky’s final full-season campaign with the Cavaliers, the team finished with an embarrassing record of 17-65. Again, we must not blame Ricky. When a player with such greatness is relegated to a franchise with no chance of winning, frustration is to be expected. And that’s not to say that Ricky didn’t bring it every night; The man carried this franchise to 17 wins, and for that I applaud him. In the 2002 season, Ricky averaged 20.6 points per game. He also snagged close to 5 rebounds, and was the out-right leader of the fun, yet hard-to-watch team.

Had Ricky been surrounded with more talent around him, that team could have achieved staggering numbers and likely won at least 3 more games, pushing our win total to 20+. Clearly, Ricky Davis knew that he had to do it all, and his mission became more than about himself. He decided that with the season already lost, he would position the franchise for great things in future. Yes, Ricky Davis wanted to do the right thing. He knew if the team lost as many games as possible, we would secure a draft pick worthy of this great franchise. Due to Ricky’s foresight and leadership, his flawless plan worked to perfection. The lottery balls bounced our way, and with the #1 pick overall the Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron James.

Ricky’s dedication to securing that draft pick was the main reason he took so many shots during that season. To Davis’ credit, only 2 years later the Cavaliers began a playoff appearance that has now stretched over 6 years. I vote that Ricky Davis’ jersey should be hoisted in the rafters, as his work-ethic and ability to block out the negativity that surrounded him was so important to the Cavaliers franchise. Ricky was so wildly popular that he felt obligated to coin his own fan section and give away 15 season tickets to his most passionate fans, the "Get Buckets brigade." Although the franchise foolishly traded him away to open more shots for a future traitor in James, we must not blame Ricky. Without question, Ricky Davis is Underrated.

                      

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Top 20 Cleveland Cavaliers: #4 Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Unfortunately for the Lithuanian, he would have been higher on the list had he not followed LeBron to Miami, but Zydrunas Ilgauskas still cracks the Top 5 as Greatest Cavaliers ever.  Zydrunas basically gave his entire career to this franchise, and will ultimately go down as one as one of the most beloved Cavs of all-time.

This here giant is 7 foot 3", and battled through countless foot injuries early in his career to become one of the best shooting big-men in the NBA.

Zydrunas was born in Lithuania and played 2 years for his hometown club team Atletas Kaunas before he entered the 1996 draft.  He was selected as the 20th overall pick, and the 260 pound he-man was ready to prove his worth in the association.

Z's foot injuries in the early part of his NBA lifespan were a major concern to the organization.  He battled through countless foot surgeries and beat the odds to play 13 productive seasons in a blue-and-orange (and then Wine and Gold) uniform.

Zydrunas is the tallest player in Cleveland Cavaliers history.  Enough said right there.  With the exception of Yao Ming, Ilgauskas has looked down on almost every other human being he has encountered in his life.  Take a minute, and just think about how tall 7 ft. 3" is.  He's a certified man-child.  Z hardly even had to jump to dunk the basketball.  It's a wonder why he didn't dunk more often.

Big Z never backed down from anybody, and took on multiple fights to back up his teammates.  On more than one occasion, Zydrunas could be seen walking off the court with blood gushing from his head, then receiving stiches in the locker room to come back out and play in the same game. 

He never took crap from any other team especially Boston, and you could always count on him yelling in his Lithuanian-accent when he wasn't happy.  Zydrunas was also famous for calling out officials if he felt they made a bad call, consistently giving them dirty looks and looks of exasperation.  He never seemed to agree with a travel call made on him. 

His footwork was one of the best parts of his game.  He knew exactly what moves to make when he was in the post, and the statistics prove it;  Zydrunas has a career 48% field goal shooting percentage to go along with almost 14 points a game.  He was a reliable free throw shooter and he drew a ridiculous amount of fouls in his career. 

He averaged 28 minutes a game on the floor in Cleveland, but his last season he only averaged 20 due to the addition of Shaquille O' Neal.  He accepted his role but you have to wonder why he wasn't getting more minutes in Mike Clown's rotation during the playoffs.  This last season must have been a major disappointment to Ilgauskas, who gave everything he had to win a championship in this city.  Don't get me started on Mike Brown's inexplicable lineup strategies. 

Zydrunas played with the Cavaliers longer than any other player in history.  Z has left his mark on this organization, and claimed many franchise records.

The Lithuanian Gargantuan © is the Cavs All-Time Leader in:

* Games Played
* Offensive Rebounds
* Total Rebounds
* Blocked Shots

Z also takes 2nd place in All-Time Points Scored.  As of right now he has just over 10,600 points in his career.  That number will rise this next season as he proves to be a valuable kick-out option for Wade and Prince James' drive-and-dish mentalities.
 
LeBrick James loved playing with this guy.  So much so that Z even made a cameo-appearance in the infamous Nike-Puppet commercials.  "I would like to buy some DVD's!"  (Insert Lithuanian accent)

James was well-aware that Ilgauskas was certainly a more consistent and reliable knock-down shooter than even he was.  Unlike LeBron, Z never quit on the team in the playoffs.  Will they put his jersey in the rafters?  The numbers would certainly warrant it, and the loyalty he showed to this franchise was unmatched.  Many in the Cavaliers organization speak highly on the character of Ilgauskas, and what he meant to the city of Cleveland.  He never wanted to leave, but he and James are good friends and Z knew the possibility of a championship was far more real in Miami this year.  
 
Although I'm saddened by the fact that Zydrunas is not finishing his career in a Cavaliers uniform, I will remember him as an excellent player in Cleveland sports history.  No other man as tall as he has ever had such a smooth jump shot.  Ilgauskas was a seasoned veteran and a solid leader that this team needed.  Zydrunas gave his heart to the franchise, and deserved to win a championship.  It's a shame that we didn't have a halfway decent team when Ilgauskas was in his prime.  I can still hear the fans at the Q yelling in unison, "Zeeeeeee!" as he swished another deep jumper. 
 
You can't blame him for taking the chance to win one this upcoming year alongside James, whom he has played with for the last 7 years.  Why do you think the Miami Heat wanted him?  He presents a legitimate presence at the center position. 

What other 7-footer do you know that can consistently drain shots from any spot on the floor?  He will likely see a lot of minutes with them this year, in an attempt to put that elusive ring on his finger with the Heat.  Big Z, farewell my friend.  Your services will be missed.  Zydrunas Ilgauskas is Underrated