Cleveland Cavaliers first started play in the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team. Under the lead of coach Bill Fitch, Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team compiled a league-worst 15-67 record. However, Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team started to build around the 1971 draft pick, Austin Carr.

In the 1975-1976 NBA seasons, with Carr, Bingo Smith, Jim Chones, and Dick Snyder, Fitch led Cleveland Cavs, as the team is frequently nicknamed, to a dramatic 49-33 record, which was the best record in the Central basketball Division. Fitch got the league's Coach of the Year award as the Cavs made their first-ever NBA playoff appearance.

Cleveland Cavaliers won the series against the Washington Bullets, 4-3. Because of the many heroics and last-second shots, the series turned out to be well known as the "Miracle of Richfield." However, hampered by injuries, Cleveland Cavaliers continued to lose to the Boston Celtics in round two of the NBA basketball playoffs.

In the 1980s, new owner Ted Stepien rapidly hired and fired a series of basketball coaches and even threatened to move the franchise to Toronto . However, brothers George Gund and Gordon Gund bought the franchise in the mid 1980s and decided to keep the NBA team in Cleveland .

In 1986, under the Gund brothers as owners, Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team acquired, either through trades or the draft, Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper, and Larry Nance. These basketball players shaped the core of the team that led Cleveland Cavaliers to eight NBA playoff seasons in the next nine years, including three 50-wins plus seasons. The peak of the Cavs' dominance came in the 1991-1992 basketball season, when they compiled a 57-25 record and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, losing to the Chicago Bulls 4-2.

However, after Cleveland Cavaliers glory days came numerous losing seasons. Those NBA seasons saw Cleveland ’s drop to the bottom of the league, becoming a perennial lottery draft team. After another disappointing season in 2002-2003, Cleveland Cavaliers landed the number one draft pick in the NBA basketball Lottery. Cleveland Cavaliers selected high school phenom Lebron James. James' status as both a local star and one of the most extremely touted prospects in NBA basketball history led many to view his selection as a turning point in the franchise's history. The 2003-2004 seasons provided a great hope for the future, as James rose to be a dominating basketball player, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Hope was even greater for the 2004-2005 seasons. James blossomed into a superstar, increasing his points average, shooting percentage, assists average, and rebounds average. In spite of the loss of Carlos Boozer, James teamed with Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to shape the core of Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball team. After a promising start when the basketball team seemed to be locked firmly into the Eastern Conference's 5th playoff spot, Cleveland Cavaliers started a downward spiral that eventually led to the firing of coach Paul Silas and general manager Jim Paxson. Cleveland Cavaliers failed to make the NBA playoffs that year, tied with the resurgent New Jersey Nets for the eighth (and final) playoff spot (the Nets owned the tiebreaker over the Cleveland Cavaliers).

MORE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS INFO.

Cavaliers Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Cavaliers guard Delonte West has drawn some interest around the league, but his "restricted" tag has scared off any possible suitors.

Like Cavs guard Daniel Gibson, West has not found any team willing to sign him to an offer sheet. Other teams figure the Cavs will merely match the offer sheet.

There are only a couple teams with enough salary cap space to sign West for more than the mid-level exception of $5.6 million. One of them, Memphis, is not expected to use its mid-level exception.

The Cavs continue to negotiate a contract with West's representatives. Sources say the two sides are not real close to an agreement at this time and a couple of sign-and-trades have been discussed.

James expected to miss exhibition (PA SportsTicker) Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is not expected to play in Friday's exhibition game against Canada after suffering a mild right ankle sprain earlier in the week while practicing with the United States Olympic team.

Mavs will probably not be able to keep Devean George (Yahoo! Sports) The probability of swingman Devean George returning to the Dallas Mavericks next season appears to be decreasing...

Hornets reward Posey for title role in Boston (Yahoo! Sports) James Posey is much more popular this summer than last. So much so the Hornets will pay him $25 million to leave Boston.