Flip the Script:
In February, the Cavs drastically changed their plans. ESPN reported near the trade deadline that Cleveland agreed to ship Mo Williams and Jamario Moon to the Los Angeles Clippers for Baron Davis and their 2011 pick.
While Baron Davis was still considered in the conversation among the top point guards in the league, the deal was mainly done with consideration to the upcoming draft.
A Cavs source told ESPN, “We know we’re going to have to build this team through the lottery… We hope Baron works out, but our primary focus was the pick. We really wanted two top-10 picks to infuse the team with young talent.”
Baron Davis did not work out, but the Clippers’ pick did. The Cavs were rewarded with the number one pick and chose Duke phenom Kyrie Irving who later became Rookie of the Year.
But still:
Even with an impressive Kyrie and promising 4th overall pick Tristan Thompson, the Cavs did not fare much better. In 2011-12, they finished 21-45 in a lockout year.
Next year, with newly acquired lottery pick Dion Waiters, they won only three more games in a full 82-game season. They finished third last in the league.
The Cavs rewarded themselves for their bad play by selecting Anthony Bennett in the 2013 draft. That same offseason, the Cavs signed all-star and injury-ridden center Andrew Bynum. They hoped he would be an attractive piece alongside Kyrie Irving and the first overall pick to bring LeBron back the following year.
Like the plan in 2011, this one also fell apart. Bennett proved unwilling to overcome adversity in the tougher NBA. He averaged 4.2 points and 3 rebounds per game in his rookie season and later became an all-time draft bust.
Bynum, obviously, had persistent knee injuries. These limited him to only 26 games that season and hindered his production. He also, not so obviously, was reportedly thrown out of Cavs practice and suspended for heaving up shots from wherever he touched the ball—even half-court. He claims he acted out because he disliked coach Mike Brown’s overly detailed system.