LeBron James saw the 2008-09 Cavaliers as his first true title team: "The deepest and most talented team we've had since I've been here"

LeBron James saw the 2008-09 Cavaliers as his first true title team: “The deepest and most talented team we’ve had since I’ve been here” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Winning championship titles is never a one-person show. Even the greatest players need the right teammates around them — and it’s up to the front office to make that happen.

Back in the summer of 2008, the Cleveland Cavaliers made some bold moves which had their star player and basketball legend, LeBron James, giving his approval.

Rebuilding the Cavs

The previous season had been James’ fifth year in the NBA, with the Cavaliers finishing at 44-38. Their playoff push came to an end in a tough seven-game, second-round loss to the Boston Celtics.

Even though Boston — who went on to become NBA champions — was a respected opponent to lose to, the defeat still highlighted how badly Cleveland needed to improve their roster to compete at the highest level.

In the following weeks and months, the responsibility for achieving that fell mainly on then-General Manager Danny Ferry and owner Dan Gilbert.

Media outlets like ESPN suggested that Cleveland’s roster changes might follow the Celtics’ formula for championship success from the previous year.

The Cavs moved quickly. They traded a 2009 second-round pick for the rights to forward Darnell Jackson and brought in big man Sasha Kaun from Seattle to add size.

During free agency, they signed Tarence Kinsey to bring energy and perimeter defense off the bench. Cleveland then sent Damon Jones and Joe Smith away in a three-team trade to acquire wing Maurice Williams, a tough role player ready to contribute.

To further strengthen the frontcourt, GM Ferry added veteran Lorenzen Wright and waived second-year swingman Gabe Skinner, focusing on experience and depth.

Championship foundation

“King James” was on top of the world at the time. Fresh off winning Olympic gold with Team USA, a documentary about him and his childhood friends, “More Than a Game,” had premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Even better, the NBA superstar recognized that the Cavs’ management had been as busy as he was since falling to the C’s in the previous playoffs. In fact, he saw they had done an outstanding job strengthening the roster.

“This is the deepest and most talented team we’ve had since I’ve been here,” declared LBJ, per ESPN. “This is the most excited I’ve been going into a season. We have a great chance to compete for a championship.”

For “The Chosen One,” the message was clear: the foundation was in place. Now it was up to him — and his revamped team — to deliver.

“There are no excuses for us now,” said the Ohio native. “We should be able to go out and dominate.”

While the Cavs would once again fall short of playoff glory — losing to the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals — they dominated the regular season.

Mike Brown’s team finished with a franchise-best 66–16 record, far surpassing the previous best of 57–25 from the late ’80s and early ’90s. Cleveland also ranked fourth in offensive rating and third in defense, proving they were elite on both ends of the court.

Meanwhile, LBJ won his first MVP award that year — he would go on to win three more — while narrowly missing out on Defensive Player of the Year, finishing second in the voting behind Dwight Howard.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on May 29, 2025, where it first appeared.

LeBron James saw the 2008-09 Cavaliers as his first true title team: “The deepest and most talented team we’ve had since I’ve been here”

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