The Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers [Hardcover]

Terry Pluto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 2007

“Not your typical sports biography . . . Take[s] the reader behind the scenes in the Cavaliers’ front office, revealing how championship contenders are built” — Library Journal

Two award-winning sports journalists give an in-depth look at how a team and a city were rebuilt around superstar LeBron James.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers drew the top pick in the 2003 NBA draft, an entire city buzzed with excitement. After all, how often does a LeBron James come along? Especially for Cleveland, a midmarket Rust Belt city without a sports championship in forty years. Especially for the Cavaliers, a long-struggling team that had never reached the NBA finals.

Soon, everyone had something riding on LeBron—billionaire team owner Dan Gilbert looking for a return on his investment . . . teammates eager for a championship ring . . . the league in need of the next Michael Jordan to promote . . . the shoe company with its multimillion-dollar endorsement deal . . . even popcorn vendors in the stands of Quicken Loans Arena and servers waiting restaurant tables in a downtown that now booms every game night.

Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst tell the converging stories of a struggling franchise that had to get worse in order to get better and a highly touted teenage phenom, the local kid who became their future.

This book will fascinate any basketball fan who wants the inside story of how LeBron James became the young superstar shouldering the weight of an entire NBA franchise. Chock full of facts and analysis.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Offers about as close to an insider’s perspective of events as possible. Pluto, a sports columnist for the Plain Dealer and the author of more than 20 sports books, brings decades of experience to the project . . . Windhorst has been covering this story since well before Lebron appeared on the national media radar, gaining access, and it shows. (Alex Rubin Free Times 20070130)

Anybody with access to the NBA’s highlight reel knows how well James plays. But fans know less about how teams are constructed, dismantled, and reconstructed, and how challenging it must be to build a group comprised of stars, role players, has-beens, deluded rookies, born-agains, and self-absorbed wackos into a team that wins a lot more often than it loses. “The Franchise” gives us a look at that process. (Bill Littlefield National Public Radio 20080209)

Flows quickly and smoothly with facts, analysis and interesting insight into the life of “King James”. It is an intriguing and somewhat nostalgic recap for those who have followed the Cavs loyally. New fans will enjoy this book as a celebration of the life of a super-achieving athlete playing in an underdog city. (Cleveland Magazine 20080101)

Highly recommended to sports fans and analysts who want a wide ranging look at today’s NBA. (Midwest Book Review 20080501)

A fast break the moment that you open the book. Pluto and Windhorst double team James, as only they can and give you accurate, detailed information that only adds to the legacy of the young Superstar. The final chapter of this young man’s career hasn’t been written but the journey up to now has sure been excited and we are all “Witnesses”. (Wesley Chism BlackAthlete.net 20090929)

Windhorst and Pluto chronicle the life and times of a superstar in the making. They’re particularly insightful in describing the big-money shoe endorsement squabble between Reebok, Nike, and Adidas—summarized neatly in an exchange between Adidas’ Sonny Vaccaro and Nike’s Phil Knight at one of James’ games . . . An informative study of how one individual has changed the marketing landscape for professional athletes—and resurrected a Midwestern city that was dying for a star. (BleacherReport.com 20080414)

Not your typical sports biography . . . Take[s] the reader behind the scenes in the Cavaliers’ front office, revealing how championship contenders are built (often, as in Cleveland’s case, by trading or selling as many players from a mediocre team as possible to save enough money and become bad enough to secure a number-one draft choice to land a player who might become the team’s savior). (Jim Burns Library Journal 20080501)

About the Author

Terry Pluto is a sports columnist for The Plain Dealer. He has twice been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the nation’s top sports columnist for medium-sized newspapers. He is a nine-time winner of the Ohio Sports Writer of the Year award and has received more than 50 state and local writing awards. In 2005 he was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame. He is the author of 23 books, including The Curse of Rocky Colavito (selected by the New York Times as one of the five notable sports books of 1989), and Loose Balls, which was ranked number 13 on Sports Illustrated’s list of the top 100 sports books of all time. He was called “Perhaps the best American writer of sports books,” by the Chicago Tribune in 1997. He lives in Akron, Ohio.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Gray & Company, Publishers (December 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598510282
• ISBN-13: 978-1598510287
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,401,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LeBron James's impact on the Cavs December 23, 2007

By Richard J. Grebenc

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Pluto and Windhorst do a very nice job of providing background, insight, analysis, and perspective on recent Cavs history. And not only from the time James was drafted. After a very brief review of Cavs history (literally a couple pages) prior to the Gund purchase, the authors provide an interesting look into the franchise from the time James was a freshman in high school. Alternating the Cavs saga with James progress during those four years is a really fascinating build-up to the drafting of James. Of particular import during this time is the story of the trade that got Shawn Kemp out of town and off the books (the story of their pursuit and acquisition of him in 1997 is given a long look also), followed by the dismantling of the team, and the additional dumping of salaries in the hopes of getting James.

An in-depth look into the shoe companies courting James is followed by the elation of the Cavs getting the number one pick and choosing James. A chapter on the Carlos Boozer fiasco provides perspective on that situation and its short-term and long-term effects. Much time is given to the change of ownership to Gilbert (with some fascinating insights and perspective from Gund and Gilbert), the subsequent hiring of Brown followed by Ferry (discussion of the latter's playing career and move to Cleveland as GM is detailed), the rough start Gilbert had, lessons learned, and future successes ending in a spot in the NBA finals in 2007.

Plenty of time is given to James, of course. By no means a detailed autobiography, enough information is given on his early years, and particularly his influences (family and friends), that a real solid picture is given of how he became a phenom early in life and how he developed into the star he is today.

A couple of negatives, though. Apparently recent interviews with Gilbert, Gund, Embry, Paxson, Silas, Tait, and Ferry really give insight and perspective to past events. But no interviews with Brown or current or recent players, especially James, appear. I would have liked to get their thoughts. Also, particularly annoying were several typos and awkwardly worded sentences. I'm sure these will be cleared up in any future editions. But these are mild criticisms and do not substantially take away from the book.

Meant to be a history of the Cavs leading up to James and how he has changed the franchise, the authors succeed admirably. A must-have for the hard-core Cavs fan, this would also be of interest to avid NBA fans of any stripe. In addition, casual fans would get great insight into how the Cavs got to where they are today and the impact one player can have on a franchise.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, Good Insight. April 1, 2008

By M. J. Yates

Format:Hardcover

This book was great at providing background information on the Cavaliers in the pre-James era. It also gave great insight into the courting of James by shoe companies. It didn't give enough information in the years since acquiring James and it was poorly written with dozens of typos. Other than that, if you enjoy Lebron or are interested in learning just how much he has revolutionized a franchise, it is a worthy reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It takes more than one player -- July 15, 2008

By kellytwo

Format:Hardcover

It used to be a game. Not any more. Once the players pass the age of about six or so, basketball (and probably every other major league sport, as well) becomes BIG Business, married without redemption to Entertainment. It's best not to forget that fact while you rejoice in the wonder that is LeBron James. HE certainly gets it! Apparently, he enjoys it all immensely, while never losing his head over it all. He seems to have been born to be a celebrity, as well as one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. And he's barely twenty-three, which coincidentally, is the number on his uniform!

This book by Cleveland sportswriter Terry Pluto and Akron's Brian Windhorst analyzes the Cleveland Cavaliers in every way imaginable throughout the team's 38-year-old history, with very special attention paid to the last seven years. If you have ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a major league team office, here's your guide. You will learn some amazing things, such as how to tear apart a team that's just slightly started on the slippery slope downward, in order to build up a hopefully better one that will be capable of pursuing championships in a legitimate way. It makes for fascinating reading.

And to think, it's all happening right here-in Cleveland!

Chapter Ten, which describes in minute detail the events of the Lottery evening in New Jersey, could not be more tense or suspense-laden if it were an Alfred Hitchcock movie! And if you remember that evening, you'll rejoice all over again, as Cleveland-finally!-got the grand prize.

There's an entire chapter devoted to Carlos Boozer. You can judge for yourself who was honorable and who wasn't as a result of that debacle. If you've followed the team during these last years (and who locally hasn't?) you'll find all the familiar players and coaches, as well as some maybe not-quite-so-familiar names. It's truly fascinating, if for no other reason than the intimate looks at the many behind-the-scenes episodes related here, to which most of us peons can never get close.

Don't be too misled by the photo of LeBron on the cover, however. This is not just a book about LeBron. The title is, after all 'The Franchise' and that's the thrust of this volume. Certainly, LeBron is (and will hopefully continue to be) a major part of the franchise, but basically, there's much to be learned about the former owner Gordon Gund and the current one, Dan Gilbert. He REALLY wants a championship, and seems willing to do whatever it takes to bring one here. I hope there will soon be a book of Gilbert's 'isms' - that would be an instant best-seller!

Maybe next year will be OUR year!