John Lucas: The Cavs Tanked The ’02-03 Season To Score LeBron
In the 2002-03 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers started Darius Miles 62 times and Milt Palacio 46 times. Now we know why. Former Cavs coach John Lucas told Fanhouse that he believes management tried to throw the ’02-03 season in order to land possibly the most hyped NBA draft pick of all time, LeBron James.
Prior to the ’02-03 season, the team traded Lamond Murray and Andre Miller. After the the Cavs stared the season 8-34 with Lucas as head coach, the team fired him on Jan. 23, 2003 and replaced him with Keith Smart.
“They trade all our guys away and we go real young, and the goal was to get LeBron and also to sell the team,” Lucas said in an interview with FanHouse. “I didn’t have a chance. … You can’t fault the Cavaliers for wanting to get LeBron. It was hard to get free agents to come there.”
With LeBron living up to all the hype and then some, we’re guessing that there’s no need to apologize to the poor ’02-03 season ticket holders for having to pay their hard-earned money to watch that atrocious team that finished 17-65. Ricky Davis, who was on that ’02-03 Cavs team, told Fanhouse that even though the strategy worked, there was a price to pay.
“It was tough on (Lucas),” said Davis, who is with the Clippers now. “They were forcing him to lose and I know it’s nothing he wanted to do. It’s just the position he was forced in. But it’s tough. … It worked, whatever they did (to get James) so it’s hard to knock them. They got what they wanted. But it was hard on Luke.”
Tanking seasons does not always guarantee a team will get the No. 1 pick in the Draft. Remember how much speculation there was that the ’96-97 Celtics were throwing games in order to land Tim Duncan and Keith Van Horn? Well, that backfired and they were stuck with the third and sixth picks and ended up with Chauncey Billups (who started his NBA career slow) and Ron Mercer.
Now the New Jersey Nets are appearing to be using that same formula (they did just trade for Chris Quinn) to win the John Wall sweepstakes.
Is it worth tanking a season to land a top draft pick?
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January 14th, 2010 at 11:52 am
clay says:
well, whats the diff between winning 15 or 25 games?
so tank away
No point being in the 35-40 win bracket cause you aint getting no chip
January 14th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
calvin brodus says:
mission accomplished.
January 14th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Michorizo says:
So the Warriors and Clips have been taking the wrong approach all these years?
January 14th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Dapro says:
I don’t see Jersey tanking the season, they just flat out suck! Bron is once n a lifetime player, Wall is good guard with great potential. Not worth throwing away the season but from a financial standpoint – makes them more likely to get moved just ask the Sonics-
January 14th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
LakeShow84 says:
i wouldve too lol but now they laying in their beds with it..
Where is Lebron going?? What is Cleveland doing to keep him?? no matter what its never enough it seems..
January 14th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Celts Fan says:
Is it worth it? Yes. Do the statistics show that tanking works? Not at all. It just means that if the tanking doesn’t work, you’re still higher in the order than you woulda been…
I gotta say though, the most disappointing sports moments of my life were:
1. Aaron f#ckin Boone in ’03
2. 18-1*
3. The ’07 Lottery
(I don’t really remember the Duncan lottery too vividly, but I’d say it’d be #3 over the ’07 one if I did. I think I was on vaca at the time so it came a lot softer hearing it sitting on the beach…)
January 14th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
B says:
Note to ED post this up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9u2rRYdUaw
January 14th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Prof. TX says:
The NBA should do something to discourage this. It’s not fair to the fans who buy tickets or league pass or anything else like that. If I buy a ticket, I expect to see my team play, not some staged exhibition like an anorexic WWF match. Either play the game right or build a ring and start lifting some weights.
Give every non-playoff team an equal shot in the lottery, then there is a reason to put in some work (player development) even if you won’t make the post-season.
January 14th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
B says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9u2rRYdUaw
January 14th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Heckler says:
Sure it is worth it. throw away one season in order to be competitive in many future seasons. sometimes in life, you have to take a half-step back in order to take two steps forward. same in business. and the NBA remains a business.
i dont really see a major problem with it. teams and organizations will always find a way around rules with legal loopholes.
The draft lottery was instituted for this reason. So that the worst record in the league is NOT guaranteed the #1 draft pick (unlike the NFL; where the draft order is determined by losing record[s]).
I think its just smart business. if there are 3 weeks left in the season, and your 27 games out of a playoff spot, your going to the lottery. So why not give yourself (as a team/organization) every chance possible to get the best player(s) available in that years draft?
There are no guarantees, but at least give yourself the best possible chance at (future) success and give the fans (espec those that complain) a reason ti look forward to the future and continue to buy tix to support the team.
THOUGHTS?!!?
January 14th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Ian says:
heckler
well u arent really losing one season when you tank because you werent making the playoffs anyways. like someone said 25 wins and 10 wins is the same shit so anytime i can grab a duncan/lebron tank away fellas.
January 14th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Dime Magazine says:
This is Gerald
Obviously if there’s a LeBron in the draft, its hard not to think about tanking. A LeBron or Tim Duncan can reverse your team and business almost overnight. It’s kind of unfair to your fans and some of the players and coaches that are put in that position, but I guess that’s the sacrifice that has to be made. But at the same time (like I mentioned with the ’97 Celtics) tanking can backfire. Who knows, Cleveland could have ended up with Darko. You are definitely gambling, but the odds are in your favor.
January 14th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Chilirey says:
and performance inhancing drugs are used in sports…..shocking!!
January 14th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Heckler says:
if i said to you right now….
your fave team could have two options:
1) the #1 overall pick OR
2) #3 and #6 overall picks
WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?!!?
January 14th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
POPPI GEE says:
I don’t see where this is so bad. Cept what happens when you have a player of Jordan, Kobe, Shaq (in his Prime) or LeBron stature and then you have 4 to 7 teams tanking on purpose?
I don’t want to see a tanking contest going on to get a player who may be the next whatever.
I think you take away from what is a wonderful sport when you do that.
January 14th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
karizmatic says:
I don’t think it’s worht tanking, I think as a team you need to try to win as many games as possible and keep improving a team to get to a winning level, but it has worked for some teams so I don’t know. It’s hard to knock it.
January 14th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Aron Phillips says:
I think I would be down for my team to tank if there was a player I was trying to go after – whether it be in the Draft or free agency. You don’t think the League knew what was going on with the Cavs? They trade their best players and then tank. At least with the Knicks, their goal is financial flexibility. Their problem is, they keep signing/playing misfits, but they somehow win games.
January 14th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
jryu says:
heckler’s post #10 said it best..
you would like to think teams/organizations would do the “honorable” thing and play hard every game and try to win no matter what. but, in the end, they’re still a business. many of those execs are focused on long term success/profitability, not current losses (both financial and standings-wise.) it’s the ugly truth to pro sports..
January 14th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Jack J says:
The Nuggets went through something similar in that same 02-03 season when they started Junior Harrington, Donnell Harvey and Ryan Bowen for most of the year – and traded away James Posey. Good thing they got the third pick because i’m betting Kiki would’ve taken Darko with the second pick and, along with Skita, would have anchored Denver’s frontcourt into multiple minus-17 win seasons. Nuggets then and New Jersey now, sorry Kiki, but it might just be you
January 14th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
jryu says:
and yeah, sometimes it backfires like boston in 07 who were blatantly tanking to get oden or durant and they ended up with the fifth pick in a draft that was thought to go only 2-deep. but then they leveraged their picks for KG & ray allen and everyone knows what happened that season so it’s all just making good business decisions and a little luck. and it doesn’t hurt if your former teammate is the GM of another team and gives you an 20/10 allstar..
January 14th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Celts Fan says:
I have no problem with tanking. When you buy a ticket, you’re not buying a ticket to see a player, you’re paying to see that team. It’s not different than if I bought a ticket for a Lakers game and Kobe didn’t play (due to injury.) That’s the risk you take when you buy the ticket.
@JackJ – the Nugs just had a TERRIBLE team that year. I don’t even think it was tanking, I think, just like the Nets this year, their team just sucked (and Posey wasn’t regarded then as highly as he is now. He was ’07 Trevor Ariza at the time – just another lanky defender…)
The best way to fix tanking is go to a tiered lottery system. While I do think the NBA has the best one in sports now, it could be better. 16 teams currently make the playoffs, leaving 14 sitting at home. Give the bottom 7 teams 2 ping pong balls each and the top 7 only 1 each. This way, it’s still pretty even odds, but you do give better odds to the terrible teams without giving anyone a real reason to tank. Thoughts?
January 14th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Chicagorilla says:
I wanted my Bulls to tank so bad to get Derrick Rose, but those idiots kept winning! Luckily they didn’t make the playoffs and D.Stern hooked us up with the #1 pick so we could get D.Rose anyway.
In reality though I can’t stand tanking. It just tells me the team isn’t about winning Chips, it’s about business and making money without winning the chips (Cubs).
It also sends a bad vibe to the players and makes them not care about the season which can be a lasting mentality.
i.e. 2001-2002 Cavs season:
1) Ricky Davis shooting at his opponents basket at the end of a game to get his triple double
2)Ricky Davis doing a between his legs dunk on a fast break while getting blown out. It was a few weeks before Lebron did it in a highschool game.
January 14th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
fallinup says:
Cavs weren’t the only ones tanking. I remember the talk about Kiki making the Nuggets tank the season too. Denver and Cleveland shared the same record. But the ball went to the Cavs. I was excited because Detroit (through Memphis) got that second pic. Boy… was that a pick Joe D has nightmares about now or what.
January 14th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
To me it’s like this the Draft is set up to keep balance in the league. No matter what if your a part of the lottery your not a playoff team so it doesn’t matter whoever gets #1 pick out of teams 1 -14. It would be a problem if someone like the Lakers got the #1 pick but that almost never happens so I’m fine with the way it’s set up now. Plus no matter what even if you get the #1 pick these days it’s still going to take a few years to start winning anything. Most likley by the time the pick is ready to take you to the next level his contract is up and he’s headed to a new team. Not to mention the likley possiblity that the consensus #1 pick will be a bust.
Also you start tanking and all of a sudden your team is used to losing games. Great sports coaches always talk about a winning culture because that’s exactly what winning teams have. Winning is a habit but unfortunately so is losing.
January 14th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
n.googs says:
aduhhhhhhhh……………….
January 14th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
sh!tfaced says:
The Houston Rockets are the best in tanking seasons. 3 number 1 picks, three big-time All-Stars, Yao, Hakeem and Sampson (before his knees failed him).
January 14th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
K Dizzle says:
This is news how? I thought it was a given that Cleveland NEEDED the hometown kid from Akron so why wouldn’
t they tank?
I can’t believe heads are in here postin about how unfair it is to the fans or how dishonourable it is to tank…Puh-leeze! We ain’t talkin championship teams tankin to get a franchise, we talkin shitty teams, where free agents don’t wanna go, puttin in minimum lineups in some games, to get a stud in the future rather than bein stuck in that midlottery hell. Can’t nobody find one Cavs fan that has a problem with them tankin to get Lebron…
January 14th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
the cynic says:
uh who cares? Lots of teams tank, and sometimes it works
January 14th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Diego says:
The Hawks helped Detroit win its last chip by trying to tank: Rasheed Wallace to Detroit for: Zeljko Rebraca, Bobby Sura, and future first-round pick.
(But then later that season J.T., Sura and Stephen Jackson went nuts with the run-and-gun, and the Hawks ended up actually doing better at the tail-end of the season than earlier. A pretty bad record that year, but one hell of a fun team to watch.)
January 14th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
big_ticket says:
almost 7 years??
spurs do this to get duncan
January 15th, 2010 at 9:24 am
nao_diga says:
Is it worth it to tank?
Maybe it depends on the draft. The 2003 draft was pretty special; besides James there was Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.
In terms of risk to the franchise, what’s the downside of tanking to improve your odds of getting one of the top two (or three picks)?