The Cleveland Cavaliers held their annual Wine and Gold United members meeting Thursday night at the still super new Cleveland Convention Center. Quicken Loans Arena PA announcer Olivier Sedra presided over the show, celebrating Cavs fandom and ginning up even more enthusiasm for the coming season.

The meeting included a lot of cheap heat—fans beckoned to stand and cheer, t-shirt tosses, pictures with Moondog and Sir CC, Fathead giveaways, and the like. It may have been low-hanging fruit, but it was nice to see the Cavs organization dedicate this type of show to their fans. There were some minor missteps and a good bit of hollering out from the crowd , but the evening was what it was supposed to be: an olive branch to the fans and an overall feel-good affair.

Once the gifts were distributed and the Scream Team and Cavalier Girls exited stage right, the main attraction came out in the form of the night’s panel: owner Dan Gilbert, vice chairman Nate Forbes, CEO Len Komoroski, play-by-play man Fred McLeod, GM David Griffin, head coach David Blatt, and point guard Kyrie Irving.



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I have eaten up every nugget I’ve read about David Blatt, and tonight only exacerbated my excitement for his tenure. He thinks carefully before saying anything. When the floor was opened for Q&A, he met every question with a couple seconds of deliberation before speaking. Some were serious questions about adjusting to coaching in the NBA, and others were lighter queries about how exciting it is to coach LeBron. No matter the content, he was not one to waste words. Blatt is new as an NBA head coach, but he exudes knowing experience. He would sooner die than misspeak at the drive-thru.

His voice projected well in this PR setting, but it isn’t hard to imagine him getting hoarse from barking on the sidelines. You can hear the buzz in his voice when he talks about hoops; it’s magnetic. He compared Kyrie’s ball handling to mastery of a musical instrument. He spoke highly of management allowing him to bring in the best possible assistant coaching candidates, including Tyronn Lue and Larry Drew. I could listen to him talk about basketball all day long. He proper loves the game.

You can hear the respect in Kyrie’s voice when he talks about Blatt, too. He praised his new coach for being willing to shape his scheme around his players instead of forcing pegs into the wrong holes.

More than that, Kyrie was exceptionally charming. During the Q&A, a fan asked what advice the Cavs point guard would offer two young girls who wanted to excel at basketball. Said girls were invited onstage, and Kyrie swiveled in his chair to directly face them. He looked them straight in the eyes as he dispensed sound-if-recycled advice about practicing hard and pursuing what you love. The girls blushed and looked at the floor as they nodded. It was adorable. I hope he writes a children’s book one day.

Gilbert came out of the meeting looking good, too. He’s inextricably linked to a font and has earned a reputation as a…character, but he was personable and even self-deprecating on the microphone. When asked about expectations, he said that there were “no guarantees, of course. Remember when I did that last time? Very stupid.”

Say what you will of the Cavs owner personally, but he is dedicated to bringing the best possible game day experience to his fans. He revealed juicy details about the new “Humongotron.” It will be 72 feet wide, more than doubling the old scoreboard’s 34 feet, making it the largest arena scoreboard in the country. The 11,682 square feet of LED screens will be tilted so they can be seen from anywhere in the arena. And most importantly, flames will still shoot out of the thing.

Len Komoroski, Cavs CEO, boasted of other innovations coming to The Q. There will be 3-D court projections like the one from Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ retirement ceremony at every game; the Cavs said they are one of two sports organizations to invest in such technology. A new app will guide fans around The Q, and make replays available within 20 seconds of an on-court play. The app will also include shot charts, heat maps, advanced stats, and a live radio feed. Quicken Loans Arena will not be a dump on Danny G’s watch.

As well as the panel presented itself, this night was about the fans, and it was the fans in which I was most interested. The crowd inside the Convention Center cut across all demographic lines. There were fans of all ages, races, and costumes. Every iteration of Cavs’ colors was represented: wines, golds, blues, oranges. Some folks wore dresses, while others wore jerseys. There were weathered Cavs windbreakers and purple velour sport coats. The evening showed the diversity of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ fan base, and this was just among season ticket holders.

Of all these fans, I most enjoyed meeting a couple, Mark and Peggy, who have been season ticket holders for the past 10 years, and Cavs fans since the team’s inception back in 1970. They have been through literally everything with the Cavs: The Stepien years, the Shot, the Decision, the Return—they’ve been devoted through it all. The Browns get the most attention when it comes to diehard fans, but the Cavs have theirs, too.

The conversation turned to the Cavs home opener. Peggy was excited because attending games, especially a big one like that, is an event again. She was most excited for kids who will be introduced to a Cavs team that really matters. But I had to ask: Haven’t you two considered selling those home opener tickets for big dough?

Peggy’s response?

“Mark knows he’ll get divorced if he does.”

Six days, y’all. Get on Mark and Peggy’s level.