Last time the Cleveland Cavaliers finished last in the Central Division in back-to-back seasons, not too many folks knew they even existed. And they barely did.
That’s because the last time the Cavs finished last in their division in two consecutive years, they were an expansion team. They finished last in their first four seasons, through 1974.
Today, they are on the brink of finishing last for the second straight year. Last season, the Cavs finished 19-63. Following a loss Sunday night to the Orlando Magic, they were 20-39 and 1-1/2 games behind the fourth-place Detroit Pistons in the five-team Central.
Most fans aren’t overly concerned with these facts, as the worse your record is, the more pingpong balls you get in the hopper for the NBA draft lottery. Theoretically, that gives you a better chance to land a higher pick. And theoretically, a higher pick gives you a better chance of landing a franchise player who will help reverse your fortunes.
But last time the Cavs finished last in back-to-back years, there was no such thing as the lottery. You simply drafted according to record, just as it’s done in football and baseball.
So after finishing a league-worst 15-67 in ’70-71, the Cavs took Notre Dame guard Austin Carr with the No. 1 overall pick. Many Cavs fans know Carr as the high-energy analyst on FOX Sports Ohio broadcasts. But back then, he was a high-scoring guard fresh off a 64-point performance in the NCAA tournament.
And Carr made an immediate impact in Cleveland, averaging a team-high 21.2 points in his rookie year. However, he alone wasn’t enough as the Cavs finished 23-59 for another last-place finish.
It should be noted that injuries limited Carr to 43 of a possible 82 games that year.
So what happened after that?
Well, for starters, the Cavs drafted forward Dwight Davis with the No. 3 overall pick, and center Steve Hawes at No. 24. Interestingly, the Cavs very well could end up with the third and 24th pick (via the Lakers) this summer.
Anyway, Carr again led the Cavs in scoring at 20.5 points per game. (Veteran guard Lenny Wilkens also averaged 20.5 points that year, so he and Carr were actually tied.)
Davis, meanwhile, made a so-so contribution, averaging 9.4 points. He lasted only five years in the NBA, and only three with the Cavs.
As for Hawes, he never played for the Cavs. They traded him to Houston for a 1973 third-round pick about a month before training camp.
In 1973, the Cavs finished 32-50, which is pretty good for a third-year franchise in any sport in any era. Still, it resulted in another last-place finish in the division.
Now for the good news. The Cavs got two more high draft picks, and they selected big man Jim Brewer at No. 2 overall. They got forward Campy Russell eighth overall a year later.
They took small, positive steps each time — capped by the exciting “Miracle of Richfield” season in 1975-76. That year, the Cavs won the Central, and were led by Carr, Russell, American Basketball Association find Jim Chones and trade acquisitions Dick Snyder and Nate Thurmond.
Their coach, Bill Fitch, was the same man who coached them during the dire earlier seasons. Basically, the once-young team had come together, added a couple of veterans and respected its coach.
It’s a strategy similar to what current Cavs general manager Chris Grant, coach Byron Scott and the rest of the organization is following today.
Last year, they added the No. 1 overall pick in Kyrie Irving, as well as No. 4 in Tristan Thompson. They will have another high pick this summer, as well as a later pick in the first round. And they likely will spend part of their offseasons looking for the modern-day version of Chones, Thurmond, Snyder and more.
So although Cavs fans may be feeling down-and-out today, they don’t need to look any further than how their own favorite team was built nearly 40 years ago for hope.
Back then, it didn’t take long to erase the memories of last-place finishes in the Central Division. If all goes well, it won’t today, either.
Follow Sam Amico on Twitter @SamAmicoFSO
