Bennett, Bynum and Brown: three B’s that mean a sign of “glee” for Cleveland

The Boss: Mike Brown of the Cleveland Cavaliers is introduced as the new head coach at The Cleveland Clinic Courts on April 24, 2013 in Independence, Cleveland, Ohio. (Getty Images)

Brown, like Bynum and Bennett, has had his fair share of controversies. During his first stint at “The Forest City”, he was labelled as Lebron James’ puppet. His firing as the Lakers’ head coach didn’t do any good to his reputation either, given he lost his job only 9 games into the 2012-13 season.

As much as Bennett seeks to validate being picked first overall and Bynum wants to substantiate his All-Star appetency, Brown will be on the same mindset. Taking over a team with young Irving spearheading the offense, who is easily one of the best point guards in the business, will do a world of good for Brown. Also, in the pecking order, the coach has a host of talent to experiment with at his disposal. Surely, fortunes will change for Brown and the Cavs.

Heading into this off-season, Cleveland wanted a rejuvenated core of players and an incentivized coach. They finally seem to have tallied their calculations correctly to build a team that could compete in the Eastern Conference. But for this team to be playoff perennials is easier said than done.

It is given that the franchise is now finally returning to relevance by trading smartly and drafting sensibly. While the Cavs can be fancied to be back within the fringes of reaching a playoff spot for 2013-14, they are in the same division as the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers – two teams who will ease into the post-season. Moreover, playing in the same conference as the Miami Heat or the New York Knicks will always be intimidating.

Uncle Drew: Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates a three pointer in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 5, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)

Yes, this also means that the same people who have been ever-so-loyal and passionate behind the Cavaliers will have to be content with common-sense presumptions. The fans wouldn’t need to hope for the Cavaliers to immediately start displacing prevalent teams of their perch – at least anyone with a hint of realistic expectations wouldn’t. All that the city of Cleveland should and will want is the franchise to show up to games with a calibre to match their opponents, and beat those who they are expected to.

In simple words, the Cavaliers should be able to beat every team bar the Heat from the Southeast Division and any team that doesn’t belong to New York from Atlantic Division. Within their division itself, Cleveland should aim to come out as at least the third best team. Such ambitions should be the consensual expectations from the team as well as the city.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are finally looking like a team to be talked about than a single player carrying the burden. With Bynum, Brown and Bennett arriving at the “Rock and Roll Capital of the World”, the city can sure expect the Cavs to start playing musically on court. At least that will signify that the Cavs are back within the fray – finally extracting the franchise from a juncture of anonymity in recent memory.

Basketball is finally back at Cleveland for the right reasons. We hope so, at least.