As the old saying goes, you never know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
They will get another reminder of what they’re missing on Wednesday night, as they host LeBron and his Los Angeles Lakers at the Quicken Loans Arena, live on Sky Sports.
The extent of James’ influence at Cleveland has been laid bare this season. With him, they were contenders year in and year out. Without him, they are suddenly in disarray.
The four-time Eastern Conference champions have limped to a dismal 2-13 record, the worst in the league. They have the league’s worst defense, and their stagnant offense isn’t much better.
Just six weeks into the campaign, their season is effectively over. But while they will surely not make the playoffs, LeBron’s return will certainly feel like a Game 7.
He will know that better than anyone. After all, he’s been here before.
LeBron’s relationship with his home city has not always been harmonious. His first seven years there were among the franchise’s most successful, but nonetheless marked by constant playoff frustration. With just one trip to the Finals to show for his considerable talents, by 2010, ‘The King’ had had enough.
His first departure – the infamous ‘Decision’ where he announced his intention on live TV to “take my talents to South Beach” and play for the Miami Heat – was seen as a betrayal, and met with public fury, vilification and even jersey burnings. The King, the hometown hero, had become the enemy.
His first game back in Cleveland as a Heat player was greeted by a ceaseless chorus of boos and jeers. Security was at an all-time high, drinks sold only in cups, not glass bottles.
In the pre-game words of an Ohio reporter: it had the potential to be New Year’s Eve, the Super Bowl and the apocalypse all in one.
The Heat won that game by 28 points, a precursor for things to come for both LeBron and Cleveland. While James enjoyed four successful years in Miami, winning two titles, the Cavs fell into disrepair, racking up lottery picks and enduring a series of 20-win seasons.
Few thought he would – or could – ever come back. But in 2014, the Prodigal Son returned, the bitter break-up somehow ending in reconciliation.
Overnight, Cleveland were contenders again, contesting four successive NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors and winning their first Championship in 2016.
That amazing comeback, from 3-1 down, is perhaps the greatest in league history. In that series, LeBron led all players in every major statistical category.
Despite the success, the road was sometimes rocky, particularly when Kyrie Irving was traded to Boston in 2017. LeBron himself recently marked that as the beginning of the end of his time there – though of course Los Angeles has plenty of attractions in its own right.
And so this summer he left for the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, tasked with leading the rebuilding process for one of basketball’s cornerstone franchises. This time, his exit was greeted by gratitude and appreciation. He had returned to help win a title for his hometown, and he had done it.
But once again, Cleveland are now staring into the abyss, plagued by problems on and off the court. That dreadful 2-13 record is made even uglier by heavy losses to fellow strugglers the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards.
Head coach Tyronn Lue was fired just six (winless) games into the season. His replacement Larry Drew is already at odds with the front office over contractual issues.
Star player Kevin Love is out until the new year for toe surgery. There has been dissent in the dressing room, with rumours circulating that veteran players are unhappy with highly-touted rookie Collin Sexton, going as far to say that he “doesn’t know how to play”.
In fact, some of those veterans did not expect – or perhaps even want – to be on the team this year. Ahead of the season, many assumed that the Cavs would start again, rebuild and consequently trade them.
The front office had other ideas. They still want to be competitive, and fully expected to make the play-offs this year. Understandably, they want to prove that they are still contenders, and can enjoy success despite LeBron’s departure.
Their poor start has clearly come as a shock, and perhaps explains Lue’s firing so early in the season.
The result of this is that Cleveland are stuck in a mire, caught in the gulf between hope and reality. They expected to be good but lack the talent, chemistry and organisation to achieve it.
They did not have a Plan B if they started losing. There is no long-term strategy akin to Philadelphia’s ‘Process’, designed to rebuild the team for future success.
However, barring any sudden shocks, the losing is likely to continue and they will remain near or at the bottom of the league.
A change of direction is surely required. If they haven’t already, Cleveland’s attentions will quickly – and quietly – turn to the 2019 NBA Draft, which early indicators suggest may be among the best in years.
Headlining that draft is Duke’s Zion Williamson, a 6ft 7in, 285lb forward with astonishing size, skill and athleticism. He is taking the college game by storm, and attracting comparisons to Mr James himself. This isn’t just media hype either – none other than Warriors coach Steve Kerr has made such a claim.
If Cleveland get that No 1 pick – and it is a big if – it would be fitting to see Williamson line up in the Wine and Gold, another chapter in this remarkable story.
Of course, that is still a distant dream and there is a lot of basketball to be played before then. The Cavs might be looking for the next LeBron, but on Wednesday, they will welcome home the real thing. It promises to be an emotional homecoming.
