2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers Season Preview
October 13, 2015It takes two…quarterbacks? Buckeyes beat Maryland: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
October 13, 2015The latest issue of ESPN The Magazine unveils their most recent tabulation of the Ultimate Franchise Standings—a ranking of every major professional sports team, 1 to 122, as decided by a smattering of variables that range from performance and cost to honesty of ownership and social media/information sharing. While Cleveland rarely fairs well in these sort of activities, the return of LeBron James has helped the Cavaliers while the Browns, well—they continue to Browns.
The players, coaches, ownership teams and fan relations areas (including in-stadium experience) were all ranked accordingly. One look at the top of the list, and you’ll find th San Antonio Spurs (No. 1), Seattle Seahawks (No. 6), Green Bay Packers (No. 7), and Pittsburgh Pirates (No. 8). Here are where the three Cleveland sports teams rank, and why, according to ESPN The Magazine:
34. Cleveland Cavaliers
No team in our rankings of 122 professional franchises jumped more than the Cavaliers, who a year ago were rated 101st. That’s fitting, because no other team remade itself as spectacularly as Cleveland did.
In the players category, the Cavs are ranked 23rd, quite appropriate when you consider the impact of their world-class No. 23, LeBron James. The roster also features the likes of Kyrie Irving and ESPN The Magazine Body Issue model Kevin Love. But with just the seventh-best players ranking in the NBA, this Cavs group might really grow on fans if it can bring Cleveland a long-awaited championship.
The funny part about the much-maligned David Blatt coming in at No. 90 among coaches is that he represents a significant improvement over the Cavs’ coaching rank last year. In 2014, Cleveland was 121st in coaching after Mike Brown had been fired for the second time in four years, his tenure sandwiching an equally disappointing stint on the sideline by Byron Scott. Despite rumors swirling around Blatt’s job security all season, the coach steered his team to the Finals with his season-long faith in backup guard Matthew Dellavedova paying off in the playoffs. That said, coaching is still the lowest-rated category for the Cavs by a wide margin.
It’s good to be The King, or even associated with The King, as the Cavs jumped 67 spots up the list, showing progress in almost every category. Yet the improvement won’t fully pay off until it leads to the first championship in franchise history. “I guess it speaks to the fact that we’ve been successful in executing on a few things, but at the end of the day, we don’t care what we’re ranked,” Cleveland general manager David Griffin said. “We want to be the best franchise we can possibly be, and I’m grateful that people are seeing that we’re moving in the right direction. But we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
61. Cleveland Indians
The Indians’ improvement over the past three years is undeniable. Yet fans remain unconvinced that the team is making enough of its talent on the field, which explains a double-digit drop from last year’s rankings. Cleveland hasn’t given up on the Tribe — the team remains in the top half of the standings (barely) — but the fan base clearly expects more.
Evidenced by his 24th overall ranking — third best in MLB –manager Terry Francona remains popular as the team has begun to win more. (Cleveland had five straight losing years before his arrival.) Overall, the Tribe have lost ground in our standings in each of Francona’s three years in the dugout, but a 2013 playoff appearance bought him some time. In addition to Tito at the helm, the Indians boast one of the game’s most exciting young double-play combos in rookie shortstop Francisco Lindor and old-school second baseman Jason Kipnis. Plus, Progressive Field tickets are several bucks below the MLB average and beer is the cheapest in the majors. For a non-playoff team, that counts for a lot — and lends to a 17th overall ranking in bang for the buck.
Since 2007, the Indians have played in only one playoff game, and it’s clearly taking a toll on the fans, who voted them 114th in title track (fourth worst in MLB). If they’re going to become a contender again, they need improvements on the mound — still waiting on that breakthrough from talented starter Trevor Bauer — and in the lineup, where first baseman Carlos Santana showed career-low power numbers. To help fix both problems, the team needs better bang for their free-agent buck. Before 2013, the Indians invested more than $100 million in four-year deals for outfielders Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher — and got a total of 5.3 WAR in return before ditching both players in the second half of 2015. The Indians have money to spend this winter, but they can’t afford to repeat such free-agent mistakes. (Those signings help explain why owner Larry Dolan ranks just 98th.)
While Francona remains beloved, the players he leads are losing the fans’ support; they dropped 32 places this year, down to 85th overall. But the 2015 season brought a much-improved Tribe defense, thanks in large part to Lindor, who gets top marks via metrics like defensive runs saved. Other improvements have come from the addition of Abraham Almonte in center field and Giovanny Urshela at third and moving Lonnie Chisenhall to right. If the Indians’ defensive prowess carries over to next season, a little bit of offense could go a long way. An infusion of youth could turn the Indians around — in both MLB and the Ultimate Standings.
109. Cleveland Browns
The good news? The Browns took a jump in these standings this year! The bad? By … one spot. These rankings show what Cleveland fans have long known: This is still — sigh — the same forlorn, frustrating team that hasn’t won more than five games since 20071 (and hasn’t finished outside the triple-digits here since 2011). Always looking for a quarterback — and a championship — yet seemingly never getting any closer to either (they’re worst in the NFL this year in title track). There’s always next year … ?
The Browns spent $125 million over the past two seasons upgrading the stadium and facilities. New scoreboards, better wireless access, fan-friendlier concourses and reconfigured seating reduced overall capacity but improved the intimacy and noise inside FirstEnergy Stadium. Plus, 2014 marked the first season since 2007 with more than five wins (and four of them at home!). Add to that the cheapest tickets in the league ($54 a head, on average) and you see why Cleveland climbed 19 spots overall in our bang for the buck category, its best showing this year.
The Browns remain stagnant in the overall franchise rankings (109), and near the bottom among NFL teams (28th in the league). Cleveland’s endless struggle to put a championship squad together has paralleled its endless struggle to find a quarterback (ranked just 110th in the players category). One year ago, drafting Johnny Manziel excited everyone, but after his poor rookie season, the Browns seem to be a long way from finding their franchise leader. This also means they are a long way from winning their first title since 1964. The team received the fifth-lowest score in all of sports when fans were asked if their team “consistently wins more games than they lose,” and they got an NFL-worst score in “demonstrates a commitment to winning” as well.
The Browns’ double-digit increase in bang for the buck and a 16-point jump for head coach Mike Pettine and his staff in their second year show that fans haven’t given up yet. But their frustration with constant losing and unending turnover might eventually take a toll. The best way to sum up the Browns’ ineptitude is to look at the numbers. Since 1999: 23 starting quarterbacks, eight head coaches, 14 offensive coordinators and 10 defensive coordinators. And the most glaring: 32.9, as in the Browns have won 32.9 percent of their 255 games since 1999 — an overall record of 84-171. When the product on the field is this bad, the mood in the stands won’t be much better.
Just think of how bad things would be if not for all three teams being among the best value as compared to their peers? The Indians and Browns were both voted to be among the bottom 10 franchises in all of professional sports2 when it comes to winning, an area where being above .500 (yay!) for three straight seasons means absolutely nothing.
When it comes to the Cavaliers, a little more faith in David Blatt will only help their ranking increase further. The Indians, as stated by Jason Kipnis, need an infusion of offense, pronto. The Browns? Well, as the numbers suggest, they need a lot more help than either of their local brethren. Unfortunately for Berea, one game does not a season make. Larry Dolan ranking 98th in ownership is very telling, but as long as Jimmy Haslam brings up the rear with a 117th ranking (literally, only five worse professional sports owners in North America), he’s squarely in the middle.
9 Comments
If ESPN The Magazine ranks professional sports franchises, and nobody cares, does the Pope still poop in the woods?
Sucking sucks.
He does. While reading ESPN the Magazine no doubt.
But seriously G_O…I really hope next year the Browns can get up to 104 or even crack 102. That would really mean something. These rankings really do mean something.
“… they continue to Browns.” Well said!
I cannot wait to read this article in 5 years while I am waiting in some random doctor’s office. I’ll circle back then to comment more fully.
http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/smh_posse.gif
EMBRACE THE SUCK
They included an exclamation point. It MUST be important.
We can scoff all we want, but this ranking is deserved. I’m surprised that there are 13 franchises ranked even lower.