This excerpt from Terry Pluto's new book 'The Comeback: LeBron, the Cavs & Cleveland' describes the late-night meeting at which the Cavs convinced Kyrie Irving to extend his contract — a crucial first step toward a championship.
In his new book "The Comeback: LeBron, the Cavs & Cleveland" (paperback $15.95, 251 pages, 30 color photos; ebook $9.99), Terry Pluto details one of the greatest stories in Cleveland sports history: LeBron James's return to Cleveland and the Cavaliers' unprecedented come-from-behind NBA championship. This excerpt, the fifth and final in a series, describes the late-night meeting at which the Cavs convinced Kyrie Irving to extend his contract -- a crucial first step toward a championship.
* * *
If Kyrie Irving doesn't sign, none of this happens.
Just remember that.
No extension for Kyrie Irving, no LeBron James with the Cavs. No Cavs in the 2015 and 2016 NBA Finals. No talk of the Cavs being a title contender for several years.
None of it.
"That's why it all started with Kyrie," said Dan Gilbert.
Let's flip the calendar back to June 2014. The Cavs had just finished a 33-49 season. Mike Brown had been fired as coach. Irving was the top pick of the Cavs in the 2011 draft. He had been in the NBA for three seasons, and all he knew was losing.
Here were the records:
21-45 in 2011-12.
24-58 in 2012-13.
33-49 in 2013-14.
Irving had made two All-Star teams. He was a career 21-point scorer. He was 2012 Rookie of the Year, the MVP of the 2014 All-Star game.
He also was only 22 and had his own Uncle Drew commercials for Pepsi.
Irving grew up in New Jersey. There were rumors that he wanted to play on the East Coast. After all, the national media never thought anyone would want to play in Cleveland. There were times when the Cavs even wondered about Irving's future because he could be very lax on defense. The losing seemed to wear on him. Like a lot of good young players on teams that are trying to build but keep missing the playoffs, there was frustration about the lack of talent.
LeBron had it in his last few years with the Cavs. His roadblock was not the playoffs. LeBron on the court with a bunch of average players was enough for the team to make the postseason. But the Cavs could not assemble enough talent to help LeBron win a title.
There were some national reports that the Cavs would not even offer Irving a full maximum contract once the July 1 free agency period opened. What the national media failed to understand was that Irving was a big part of the Cavs' plan to lure LeBron back to Cleveland. As for the reports of the Cavs trying to offer Irving less than the best possible contract under the salary cap, that was ridiculous.
Here was a 22-year-old who had been a two-time All-Star and an established 20-point scorer in the NBA.
Remember, he was 22 . . . I keep mentioning that because it's a key fact.
At 22, the odds were that Irving's game would continue to grow. At 22, he still had a lot to learn about the NBA and life. At 22, with so much attention and acclaim, Irving had stayed out of off-court trouble. He could be moody, but he was not a player who defied coaches.
A player like this at the age of 22 is exactly the type a team would want to keep under control with a new five-year, maximum extension.
The Cavs also needed to find out if Irving would stay with them.
His contract situation was a bit complicated. Here was the four-year, $23 million rookie contract that he signed as the No. 1 pick in the summer of 2011:
2011-12: $5.2 million.
2012-13: $5.5 million.
2013-14: $5.6 million.
2014-15: $7.1 million.
So on July 1, 2014, Irving was still under contract for the 2014-15 season. But that was the first date the Cavs could offer him an extension into the future.
The Cavs didn't know exactly what LeBron was thinking about possibly returning home, but they knew this much -- he was paying close attention to what happened when the Cavs offered Irving a contract extension. Would he take the full five extra years allowed by salary cap rules? Would he want a shorter deal, perhaps only a three-year extension?
Or would Irving decline it, and then dribble down the road eventually leading to free agency in 2015?
* * *
The meeting was held at 12:01 a.m. in a private room at a New York City restaurant. Irving was there with his father, Drederick Irving, and his agent, Jeff Wechsler.
Owner Dan Gilbert led a group that included his partners Jeff Cohen and Nate Forbes. Along with them were general manager David Griffin, coach David Blatt and associate head coach Tyronn Lue. The presence of Lue in this important meeting was a major indication of what was to come -- the Cavs had big plans for the former NBA guard. No other assistant coaches were there, just Lue. That's because the Cavs believed Lue had the respect of Irving and other Cavs players.
When he was hired by the Cavs in 2014, Lue was only 37. That helped him relate to the players. The Cavs wanted a strong point guard coach on their staff partly to help with Irving. Right after being hired by the Cavs, Lue spoke with Irving. They immediately found a lot in common. As an assistant/scout, Lue had studied the top point guards -- including Irving -- when Lue worked for Doc Rivers.
As he was able to tell Irving, he took a risk making that decision to join the Cavs. But he did it because he believed in the people for whom he was working.
* * *
By the time they assembled for that meeting, it seemed Irving was reasonably certain he'd sign some type of contract extension with the Cavs. The team wanted the full five-year extension.
Gilbert didn't want a repeat of 2006, when LeBron agreed only to a three-year extension. That same tactic was used by Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Fans now know why -- all three became free agents in 2010 and signed with Miami.
It seemed the Cavs spent the final two seasons (2008-09 and 2009-10) wondering if LeBron would leave Cleveland. Those clouds of doubt hung over the franchise and led to the disaster that transpired following his departure.
So in this meeting, a few things were made clear. The Cavs wanted Irving and believed in him. They wanted him for the full five more years. They wanted him to also buy into their vision of changing the franchise.
No one said it, but it was possible Irving would be traded if this meeting went the wrong way.
Instead, much of the foundation was in place so that both sides were able to trust each other in these early New York City hours.
* * *
The Cavs were impressed by Irving and his father, who had done their homework (along with Jeff Wechsler, the agent). The Irvings knew what kind of up-tempo teams Griffin had helped build while with the Phoenix Suns.
Drederick Irving is a strong presence in the life of his son. Irving's mother, Elizabeth, died when Kyrie was only 4 and his sister (Asia) was 5. Dad worked on Wall Street and raised both children. Drederick was there to look people in the eye -- people who would have such a major impact on his son's future. He asked tough questions. Gilbert already knew Drederick Irving and had a high opinion of the man, but came away even more impressed. The others in the room also had a tremendous appreciation of Irving's father.
It makes sense that the three owners (Gilbert, Cohen and Forbes) would be present. The same for Griffin and Blatt. The interesting choice was Lue, but the runner-up to Blatt for the top job and new associate coach had already become an important figure despite being with the team for only a week.
* * *
By the time Gilbert made his passionate proposal to Irving for the maximum contract extension, both sides had a pretty good idea that a deal was likely. Irving had been more engaged in the offseason than at any point in his three-year career.
Yes, Blatt would be his third coach in three years, but the Cavs were able to convince Irving that this time would be different, and much, much better.
The team felt good about Irving's maturity. A lot came quickly. He was the No. 1 pick in 2011 despite playing only 11 games at Duke. He made two All-Star teams, and was the 2014 game's MVP. He had the popular Pepsi Max Uncle Drew commercials, and he'd been scoring 20 points a game.
As the Cavs talked to Irving, they stressed that this was time to win. The Cavs needed Irving to become an elite point guard to make that happen. They wanted Irving in the middle of what they believed was a franchise shift and a drive to the 2015 playoffs. Gilbert and his ownership group stressed their willingness to be creative, to spend and to upgrade the talent.
"We showed him our salary cap room and flexibility," said Gilbert. "We really didn't talk about LeBron, because we didn't know where that stood. We stressed the team was getting better."
But Gilbert also didn't deny the possibility that LeBron would return. He certainly told everyone how he was willing to meet with LeBron any time, anywhere.
But there also was another message. In the very first minute that the Cavs could talk to anyone about signing as a free agent, all the important people came to New York to meet with Irving and his father.
The Cavs stressed how important Irving was to the franchise, and how much they valued him. Gilbert said Lue played a significant role, that the assistant coach "is a special dude, he really connects with people."
The plan was for Lue to help Irving grow as a player.
The Cavs weren't certain if Irving would sign. But they were very encouraged by his willingness to immediately meet with the team.
Within two hours, the star point guard and Gilbert shook hands on the deal that tied him to the Cavs until the summer of 2020.
"We went outside, and I told Kyrie that I wanted to tweet it out," said Gilbert.
Irving did the same, delivering the news of the extension on his own Twitter account.
It was 1:48 a.m., July 1, 2014.
Gilbert added that it was the first big step to bringing back LeBron.
"From LeBron's standpoint, if a guy like Kyrie walks away -- that creates doubt," said Gilbert. "But Kyrie committed right away, and that's a major statement about his faith in us."
And it kept them alive in the free agent game for LeBron.
* * *
Excerpted from the book "The Comeback: LeBron, the Cavs & Cleveland" (c) 2016 by Terry Pluto. Reprinted with permission of Gray & Company, Publishers. Available at Northeast Ohio bookstores, Discount Drug Mart, and Amazon.com. More information at TerryPluto.com.
About the book
LeBron James came home on a mission in 2014: Lead the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals and give Cleveland fans their first title in 52 years. Would he be able to restore his reputation, revive the franchise, and reward long-suffering fans?
Mike Starkey
It turned out to be an epic homecoming.
In a new book, Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto tells how LeBron and the Cavs took fans on a roller coaster ride from despair to hope and, finally, glory in the 2016 NBA Championship.
"The Comeback: LeBron, the Cavs & Cleveland" (paperback $15.95, 251 pages, 30 color photos; ebook $9.99) was two years in the making. It offers an in-depth look at how LeBron won back hometown fans; how the Cavs' front office crafted a championship-caliber team around James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love (and dared to change coaches midseason during a championship run); and how the team sparked a dramatic come-from-behind championship that electrified the city.
The book is available at Northeast Ohio bookstores and Discount Drug Mart locations, and online from Amazon.com. Print and e-book editions are available. More information at TerryPluto.com.
Book signings and appearances
Terry Pluto will autograph copies of "The Comeback" at these upcoming events:
- Nov. 5, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Buckeye Book Fair, Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster
- Nov. 9, 7-8 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 198 Crocker Park Blvd, Westlake
- Nov. 12, 1-2 p.m., Learned Owl Books, 204 Main Street, Hudson
- Nov. 14, 7-8 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 7900 Mentor Ave, Mentor
More events are listed at TerryPluto.com
