What a week in Cleveland Sports
March 12 will forever be known as OBJ Day in Cleveland, OH. On this day the unprecedented happened. One of the best, the best?, players in the NFL was traded from the NY Giants to the Cleveland Browns. Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t just any player, he’s the highest paid wide receiver ever.
Beckham was only a year into his massive contract with the Giants. Things weren’t going well for my second favorite team in the NFL. Giants decided it was time to make a change. Lucky for Cleveland! Beckham will be playing alongside Jarvis Landry, his former teammate at LSU. He’ll also be working with Adam Henry his former LSU receivers’ coach.
Beckham’s got a huge contract and a lot of personality. That’s always going to be a risk. The Browns are building on personality this time around. In Baker Mayfield, they’ve got a young quarterback who wakes up ‘feeling dangerous’. If they can bring it all together, this is going to be one fun team to watch.
Local news stations are using the words playoffs and Super Bowl when talking about the Browns. While I would be very surprised to see them in the Super Bowl next year. The Browns are sure to excel and a playoff run is definitely in the cards. It’s exciting times that are long overdue for the Cleveland sports fan.
On the completely other end of the spectrum, the Cleveland Cavs went from being one of the best teams in the NBA last season to the worst team. We all know why. Losing Lebron James hurt in a big way. The Cavs have also suffered numerous injuries to other top players throughout the season. On Monday night, they played the Raptors. Who happens to be the second best team in the Eastern Conference.
I was lucky enough to attend the game on Monday night at Quicken Loans Arena fully expecting the Raptors to win. I even went with Raptors fans who had generously provided the tickets. There were more than a few Raptors fans in the building that night, too. They went home disappointed. Peter Kaye can give you a full rundown of the game in The Cavs Ruined My Monday.
What I noticed more than the game and the fight between Serge Ibaka and Marquis Chriss, was how relaxed and upbeat the Cavs looked. Kevin Love was smiling and goofing off with teammates on the bench. This was after they were clearly going to win the game. After years of high-pressure high stakes games, it must feel like a breath of fresh air to just be able to play. Being on a losing team can be defeating and frustrating. Really no athlete wants to always be on the losing side.
Watching the Cavs on Monday night showed another side to being on a bad team. For once the players can play because they enjoy the game. They know they are rebuilding. They aren’t trying to make the playoffs. Really it would be impossible at this point.
This won’t last for long. Next season the Cavs will definitely be expected to pick up the pace. But with an early first-round pick in the draft, plenty of young talent, and a handful of veterans who know the ropes, they are sure to improve.
Change isn’t always easy. Seeing a great player leave your team is hard. Something the Cavs and the NY Giants now have in common. Even the worst teams can re-build and be exciting again. Just ask the Cleveland Browns.
