Who would you drafted in 03?

[boneys2010]

Yea,I think the real question is what they should have done after drafting "That Pkayer".Taking him was certainly a no brainer.However after looking back breifly at the next dratf we chose Luke Kackson in the first round the following year.Than i n 2005 and 2007 it appears as though we had NO first rounders at all.Maybe we should have tried to grow more through making solid picks than going after some somewhat questionable deals through free agency?
I don't know what the answer would have bee.It's pretty easy ot second-guess now.

[TheOUTLAW]

If you were around early on, the Cavs were on the clock with LeBron from the moment they picked him. It's only revisionist that think that the Cavs could have grown in a more patient way.

[charlie121]

LeBron is the clear choice. You guys made the best decision at that time, but I would've built the team around him differently. If its true that the GM and owners got players that LeBron requested instead of telling LeBron who his teammates were going to be I would have put my foot down more. It would have made him feel more like a team mate then the "king".

[RRT]

LeBron James + Mo Williams

[tidho]

I would have drafted LeBron and then let the GM actually run the franchise and not LeBron.

If it looked like things were going to turn out the same way then I would have traded LeBron at his maximum value.

Exactly.

I've said it before, Cleveland didn't have a choice. From a P.R. perspective it had to be LeBron. I actually though Melo was going to be the better player and for any other team I would have taken him. I didn't think the difference would be big enough for Cleveland not to pick LeBron though.

[tidho]

LeBron is the clear choice. You guys made the best decision at that time, but I would've built the team around him differently. If its true that the GM and owners got players that LeBron requested instead of telling LeBron who his teammates were going to be I would have put my foot down more. It would have made him feel more like a team mate then the "king".

"If its true"....lmao.

LeBron never fully committed to the Cavaliers limiting their ability in free agency then leveraged that lack of committment to push the Cavaliers to make short sighted moves continent on his approval. He forced the 'win right now' culture that crippled the team's ability to build correctly, then ironically rewarded a team that let their star twist in the winds of mediocraty for years as his prime passed before their eyes.

[realfung]

I believe it will still be James, but people might say Wade so they can have three of them now.

But I say James in every aspect, but I would say the ownership will give James less control and the media can do less on faking the power to James.

[The_0utlaw]

Spammer alert.

[The_0utlaw]

Spammer alert.

[osamu]

I agree with many of the posts. The same thing happened to Toronto with Vince Carter. We catered to him and when things were not going well he left. Teams like the San Antonio and Utah add players to compliment the coaches system not to appease their franchise player.

[Maternal]

Seems like teams never learn. Catering to stars. But lets not bash James 100%. The owner was making an insane amount of money in a short and fast period of time. Why else would he cater to James? If he did the right thing and built a team slowly and properly which would compete for 5-10 years, allowing him to make a steady profit for those years. In short his greed also lead to this, it's not just James fault.

Dan should call himself out too.

[tidho]

...If he [Gilbert] did the right thing and built a team slowly and properly which would compete for 5-10 years, allowing him to make a steady profit for those years. ...

Then LeBron would have left after his rookie contract because the team wouldn't have shown a commitment to winning.
Its easy to say they shouldn't have been kissing his behind now, but at the time it was the only choice they had.

[mcfly1204]

...If he [Gilbert] did the right thing and built a team slowly and properly which would compete for 5-10 years, allowing him to make a steady profit for those years. ...

Then LeBron would have left after his rookie contract because the team wouldn't have shown a commitment to winning.
Its easy to say they shouldn't have been kissing his behind now, but at the time it was the only choice they had.

I think making it to the Finals in '07 was the end for Cleveland. They overachieved and had to go for it all after that. Had they been knocked out in the first our second round, management would have had more options.

[Grime_Wizard]

I would have taken LeBron, but not hired MB and Ferry. I think with his recent "decision" people are forgetting he once loved Cleveland and truly wanted to win a championship for the city