The Blueprint: LeBron James, Cleveland's Deliverance, and the Making of the Modern NBA

by Jason Lloyd

Overview

An unputdownable, must-have sports book for every LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, and NBA fan.

June 19, 2016: the greatest moment in Cleveland sports history, when the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Finals and broke the Cleveland Curse. It was the triumph fans had been waiting fifty-two years for, and it wasn’t easy to get there—but thanks to LeBron James, an audacious plan to build a winning team, a couple of maverick GMs, and an incredible community of fans, it happened; and 2016 saw the birth of a new Cavaliers dynasty.

But how did they get there? It was a roller-coaster ride from tragedy to triumph, one that Jason Lloyd, a longtime Northeast Ohio resident turned reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal, got to see firsthand. He was witness to the Blueprint, as he calls it, which the Cavs put together to win their star player back from Miami and build a team that could win the ultimate championship. It incorporated several losing seasons, some high-risk draft picks, and an entirely new understanding of how to build a championship team.

The best part of the plan is that it worked, culminating in the most exciting Finals series in NBA history. And, most important, the end of the Cleveland Curse. Jason Lloyd, a true insider, tells the story of how the NBA really works, and how everyone—from the front office to the stars on the court to the new generation of coaches—worked together to create an unforgettable winning team.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781524741907
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/24/2017
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Jason Lloyd is a lifelong resident of Northeast Ohio. He has covered the World Series, the NCAA Tournament, the BCS National Championship Game, and the NBA Finals; and he has won several state and national awards for his work covering the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has also worked for ESPN.com, Lindy’s Sports, Cleveland Magazine, and CBSSports.com. He and his wife, Alessia, live in Avon Lake, Ohio, with their three children.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "The Blueprint"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Jason Lloyd.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 In the Beginning, King James Version 1

Chapter 2 "He's Gone" 23

Chapter 3 Starting Over 39

Chapter 4 Lottery, Luck, and Ping-Pong 55

Chapter 5 Old Memories, New Hopes 73

Chapter 6 Old Faces, New Mistakes 87

Chapter 7 Grant's Tomb 99

Chapter 8 Z 113

Chapter 9 Outside the Box, Other Side of the World 121

Chapter 10 The Big Three 133

Chapter 11 The Modern NBA 149

Chapter 12 Homecoming King 161

Chapter 13 Crutches, Calves, and Contracts 175

Chapter 14 Shoulders, Slings, and Fighter Pilots 189

Chapter 15 Pool Views 205

Chapter 16 Christmas Mourning 217

Chapter 17 Gambling Man 229

Chapter 18 Go West and Strangle the Media 243

Chapter 99 Seven 259

Chapter 20 Larry 271

Epilogue 277

Acknowledgments 293

Editorial Reviews

08/28/2017
As journalist Lloyd, who previously covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal, reports in this energetic, detailed slice of basketball history, when Akron-born LeBron James left the team in 2010, the Cavs immediately began plotting to get him back. When he signed back up in 2014, the fan response was mixed, and James had to adjust to new, talented teammates such as Kevin Love, who went from being adored by the superstar to nearly wilting under his high standards. Lloyd also covers the coaching staff and front office, notably the drama involved in finding a head coach: oblivious David Blatt, who led the Cavs from 2014 to 2016, thought he could coach in the NBA after years overseas, but soon realized he couldn’t. The right man, Blatt’s assistant Tyronn Lue, only took the job after his mentor, coach and former player Doc Rivers, convinced him. The Cavs’ player personnel moves in 2014 were dictated by finances (salary cap space was an obstacle) and need, and Lloyd’s intoxicatingly thorough reporting allows readers to grasp the difficulty in assembling a team—even one featuring a legend. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Blueprint

“[An] energetic, detailed slice of basketball history... Lloyd’s intoxicatingly thorough reporting allows readers to grasp the difficulty in assembling a team—even one featuring a legend.”—Publishers Weekly

“[A] brilliant book, one that takes the reader back through the many momentous moments over the past several seasons in Cavaliers history...Lloyd masterfully tells a truly compelling story of the fall, and subsequent rise, of the Cavaliers.”—Tim Bontemps, The Washington Post

“In the tradition of Michael Lewis’ Moneyball (2003), journalist Lloyd traces how the Cleveland Cavaliers, after re-signing LeBron James, captured the NBA championship in 2015–16.”—Booklist

“I couldn’t put down The Blueprint...this book will interest anyone whose team has had a long championship drought.”—Library Journal

“A very personal account of the return of LeBron James to Cleveland in 2014 and of the Cavaliers' NBA championship in 2016... [Lloyd] tells several interlocking stories: James' decision to leave the team, the four intervening years when the Cavs' front office began plotting to get him back, the arrival of key players (especially Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and J.R. Smith)... and, of course, that championship that erased decades of frustration for Cleveland sports fans.”—Kirkus Reviews

“This is a book about basketball, but also about hope and loss and redemption and what happens when the impossible somehow becomes real. Page after page, Lloyd expertly pulls back the curtain on all the private moments that coalesced to give Cleveland something more than a miracle: its first major championship in more than half a century.”—Rachel Nichols, ESPN
 
“In 2011, Jason Lloyd told me LeBron was coming back to Cleveland. 2011! That's how deeply ingrained he is with this franchise, this athlete and this story, a modern epic he was hard-wired to tell.”—Lee Jenkins, Sports Illustrated

From the Publisher

10/01/2017
Sportswriter Lloyd examines the rebuilding process of the Cleveland Cavaliers following Lebron James's exodus to the Miami Heat in 2010. Using the NBA's luxury tax to their advantage, the Cavaliers acquired draft picks by taking on poor player contracts from other teams in the league. This strategy resulted in three unprecedented picks, including future star Kyrie Irving. Numerous losing seasons continued as rookie players competed for playing time, and head coaches were fired amid roster rivalries. In order to build a competitive team around James after he returned in 2014, the team's front office traded young players and draft picks to get experienced veterans players, including Kevin Love. Despite injuries and issues between players and coaches, the Cavaliers made the NBA finals for two straight years. The team staged an epic 3–1 series comeback to win the 2016 championship over the Golden State Warriors. Beyond the Cavaliers' rebuilding, Lloyd notes how the modern NBA emerged as teams replicated the up-tempo style of play championed by coach Mike D'Antoni. VERDICT Although intriguing and accessible, Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin's Return of the King provides a more detailed account of the same period in Cavaliers' history. [See "Editors' Fall Picks," LJ 9/1/17, p. 33.—Ed.]—Chris Wilkes, Tazewell Cty. P.L., VA

Library Journal

The saga that Cleveland basketball fans (and, well, everyone in the sports world) watched unfold over several seasons receives a smart recap from the vantage of Jason Lloyd, a longtime beat writer in Northeast Ohio. LeBron James took the NBA by storm after he signed with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, left for Miami for four seasons, and then returned. Narrator James Patrick Cronin’s tone is perfect as he details behind-the-scenes maneuverings and on-court accomplishments and foibles. He doesn’t imitate anyone, and he’s accurate and clear with his pronunciation. His voice rises appropriately during emotional moments—often alternating between incredulity and anger. Fans will appreciate the connect-the-dots approach Lloyd takes, along with Cronin’s consistent narration. M.B. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2018 - AudioFile

The saga that Cleveland basketball fans (and, well, everyone in the sports world) watched unfold over several seasons receives a smart recap from the vantage of Jason Lloyd, a longtime beat writer in Northeast Ohio. LeBron James took the NBA by storm after he signed with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, left for Miami for four seasons, and then returned. Narrator James Patrick Cronin’s tone is perfect as he details behind-the-scenes maneuverings and on-court accomplishments and foibles. He doesn’t imitate anyone, and he’s accurate and clear with his pronunciation. His voice rises appropriately during emotional moments—often alternating between incredulity and anger. Fans will appreciate the connect-the-dots approach Lloyd takes, along with Cronin’s consistent narration. M.B. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2018 - AudioFile