Photo: Ron Schwane / AP
Cleveland has gone from a laughing stock to rising to the top in every major sport throughout the city.
The Cavaliers recently pulled off one of, if not the biggest trade in franchise history when they acquired Donavon Mitchell from the Jazz for three future unprotected first-round picks, Colin Sexton, Lauri Markkenan and Ochai Agbaji. Mitchell's career has come full circle as evident by the Instagram post he made when he found out he was coming to the CLE. "Spida" has been a lifelong Cavs fan due to the greatest player the franchise has ever had in LeBron James.
Although his acquisition brings excitement to the city and the team, it also raises expectations. Last year, the Cavaliers were a Top 3 seed in the Eastern Conference for a majority of the season and were the talk of the NBA before injuries derailed their second half. The Wine and Gold were a must see team on a nightly basis. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen represented the city in the All-Star Game at Rocket Mortage Fieldhouse and competed and won with Evan Mobley in the skills competition.
The Cavaliers haven’t been this exciting since James bolted for Hollywood in the summer of 2018. In my opinion, it's not championship or bust with the core, a core that now consists of four potential All-Stars, but they will be expected to make a respectable run in the playoffs.
Mitchell is locked up for three years, so the city of Cleveland can run to stores and grab those 45 jerseys and rock them proudly. The new era of basketball in the 216 hasn’t even scratched the surface!
Photo: Ron Schwane / AP
The Cleveland Guardians have been on the youth movement for a while now, and it’s finally paying off. The team's average age is 25. The Guardians deserve to be talked about more around national circles, as they are currently the hottest team in MLB. They're on top of the AL Central by three games in September when many experts predicted them to finish near the botto of the division. Terry Francona and Co. have succedded by not only relying on pitching, but by debuting 15 rookies throughout the season, and most of them have contributed in big ways one way or another throughout the campaign.
Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA Today
The Browns now have Deshaun Watson, a 27-year-old superstar quarterback to go along with a roster that’s capable of getting to the big game, and although they won’t have him for 11 games due to his suspension for sexual assault allegations, he is a long-term move. Backup signal caller Jacoby Brissett helped the team win their season opener against the Carolina Panthers behind the leg of fourth-round pick Cade York, as he drilled a 58-yard field goal through the uprights with almost no time left to seal the win 26-24.
Brissett isn’t Watson but winning the opener for the first time since 2004 cures anxiety for the fans and shows he keep the ship steady for the Super Bowl caliber roster until No. 4 returns Week 13 against the Houston Texans, his former team. Time will tell if they’ll be in the playoff picture or not but no matter how the season shakes out this season, the Browns are on the right route.
Kid Cudi has a song titled "Cleveland is the reason," and all sports in the city are giving a reason to be excited! For the first time in over two decades, all of Cleveland sports are succeeding.
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