Where Are They Now

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One of the Most Respected Guards of His Generation Reflects on His Early Days in Cleveland

by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
12/10/20 | Cavs.com

That’s as long as Andre Miller played in Cleveland.

Didn’t it seem like Andre Miller cut out a nice career in Cleveland? It was just three years with the Cavs before embarking on an NBA odyssey that took him to Portland, Los Angeles, Washington, Sacramento, Minnesota, San Antonio and two separate stops in Denver.

One might also think that a guy that bounced around that much was a problem child, but the opposite is true.

Andre Miller, by all accounts – including those of several Cavs employees who remember him from his tenure here – is the greatest guy imaginable. Approachable, humble, soft-spoken, genuine.

In terms of his dependability, Miller played in all 82 games nine times during his 17-year NBA career – including twice in Cleveland, where he missed just a single game in those three seasons.

He also did something in Cleveland that no Cavalier before or after – not LeBron James, not Mark Price – had done: he led the NBA in assists and averaged double-figures doing so – piling up a league-best 882 dimes in 2001-02, averaging 10.9 per on a team that won 29 games (and on which he was the second-leading scorer at 16.5ppg).

And Miller – a crafty ballhandler and cerebral playmaker who excelled in the midrange game – continued his excellence throughout the remainder of his career. He holds the unfortunate distinction of being the only player in NBA history to have notched at least 16,000 career points, 8,000 assists and 1,500 steals without ever being named an All-Star.

The native Angeleno put together one of college hoops most incredible Tournament runs with Rick Majerus’ surprising Utah team – and along with Keith Van Horn, (former Cavalier) Michael Doleac and (former Charge head coach) Alex Jensen propelled the Utes all the way to the 1998 title game, where they fell to Kentucky.

Cleveland tabbed the All-American with the 8th overall pick the following June (with a pick acquired from Boston in exchange for Vitaly Potapenko). With their own pick at No. 11, they selected “the Alaskan Assassin” – Duke’s Trajan Langdon.

The summer after setting the franchise mark in assists, after 245 games in Cleveland, Miller was dealt – along with Bryant Stith – to the Clippers in exchange for Darius Miles and Harold Jamison.

We reached out to the former Cavalier guard – and while he relaxed at his West Coast home, he recalled his days playing North Coast hoops in today’s installment of Where Are They Now …

Andre Miller still holds the Cavaliers single season record in assist (882) and average per game (10.9apg).
David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

So, first things first, what are you up to these days?

Andre Miller: I’m staying out of the way with all this pandemic stuff.

But I just joined up with, it’s a prep school, it’s called Balboa School. I’ve been helping coach the postgraduate team. And that’s pretty much it. It’s pretty rough during the pandemic – kids don’t get a chance to play as much; there’s no gym access. It’s not easy.

But I like it. It’s my first time coaching and it keeps me pretty busy. I’m enjoying the experience. It’s been fun so far. I don’t know how long I’ll do it, but for the time being I’m enjoying it.

Before getting drafted by Cleveland, you put together that incredible run at Utah. Nobody had really heard of Utah basketball before that team. How did the program catch that lightning in a bottle?

Miller: I think they did a great job recruiting.

Actually, the guy that recruited me – Donny Daniels – went to my high school and went to Utah and coached there for a number of years. He was also at Fullerton, UCLA, then I think he just retired from Gonzaga after a nice little stretch.

So, he went to my high school. And he came and recruited me.

Everything else was just the rest of the class that came in with: me, Mike Doleac, Alex Jensen, Drew Hansen. It was a solid recruiting class. And when we came in, Keith Van Horn had just finished his freshman year.

They were trying to build a program and we came in at the right time and it worked out.

We were blessed enough to all come in at the same time. Humble guys from great families. We respected each other and we worked hard. We enjoyed the experience.

As a southern California kid, what went through your mind when you were drafted by the Cavaliers?

Miller: I didn’t know too much about Cleveland, but a couple of my godbrothers from Los Angeles went to school at Wilberforce University, and one of my godbrothers ended up living there while I was playing in Cleveland. So, I had somebody that I could hang around with outside of basketball.

But those first three years in Cleveland were a great experience.

I met some good friends while I was out there – just solid, humble people. They didn’t get caught up in the lifestyle of the NBA, they’re just hardworking people. And that’s why I enjoyed my experience there.

Did it help coming in with Trajan Langdon?

Miller: Yes it did. Me and Trajan bonded early – just both us being lottery picks and being new to the NBA. We had to rely on each other, and we did a lot of talking on the floor.

Just learning how to deal with the NBA together made it easier for both of us.

How were you able to average almost 11 assists and lead the league for a struggling team that really wasn’t loaded with many offensive weapons?

Miller: The good thing was that I had some veterans that were very good. We just couldn’t win at the time.

The NBA around that time was very, very competitive, and me being a young guy, I just enjoyed my experience regardless of the wins – we just couldn’t muster up the wins.

"When I was coming in and playing in college, it was like a sin for a point guard to be shooting threes like that. But if I had the trust of a coach, management and teammates where you could just freely go out and shoot the ball without any repercussions, I think I’d have fared well."

My job was just to be a solid point guard and keep everybody involved in what was going on in the game. So, I don’t know how I averaged that amount of assists, but it was fun.

The league was so much different from your early days. Are you a fan of today’s game?

Miller: The the only issue I have with today’s game is the physical part, guys coming in and not really having to earn it.

I love how the ball gets up – the shooting, the up-tempo. But there’s not much defense out there now and I miss the physical part of the game. People are gonna get tired of scoring all the time – 125, 130 points a game – people want to see that competitive part of the game on the defensive end and that makes the game authentic – that physical part.

So that’s the only issue that I have. But everything else is great.

It’s evolving into a scorer’s league for the point guard, and that’s good for the game.

Miller: I think I would have done well. I think I could guard the guards. I thought I was a solid shooter, a respectable shooter.

I don’t think I’d be chucking up threes the way they are now. But the thing is: it’s encouraged now.

When I was coming in and playing in college, it was like a sin for a point guard to be shooting threes like that. But if I had the trust of a coach, management and teammates where you could just freely go out and shoot the ball without any repercussions, I think I’d have fared well.

The toughest part of shooting the ball is shooting when every shot counts. All the pressure of shooting a three-pointer where every shot counts.

But when you have guys just chucking it up and chucking it up, there is no repercussion. It’s actually encouraged.

So, like, just imagine if these guys who are shooting threes today had real repercussions for missing. ‘Hey, come over here and sit on the bench for shooting all them damn shots!’

They’re encouraging the kid from the 76ers to shoot threes and he won’t shoot threes because that’s just not part of the personality of his game. If that was my generation, they’d be like: ‘Aye, this kid can’t shoot at all. ’Kid … don’t shoot it.’’

How frustrating was it for you, and as a team, that Zydrunas Ilgauskas was unable to stay healthy back then?

Miller: That was really big, especially for a guy like me – to have a guy that tall, that mobile who could shoot, he could pass, he could defend and he could hold down the paint. And he was super-smart.

So, not having that guy in the middle really hurt our team and I still remember when he got hurt. It was one of those things where you had to move on.

I didn’t know if he’d ever come back, just because of his size. But he was able to fight through it and play some really good years with LeBron. I’m happy he was able to fight through that injury.

What was the personality of those Cavalier teams?

Miller: Overall, it was a quiet personality. Because you had a lot of guys that were quiet. I was quiet, Trajan was quiet, Wesley was quiet, Lamond was quiet. Chris Gatling was talkative and Jimmy Jackson was kind of in the middle.

So you had some good veterans in the locker room; I think it’s just that we didn’t have enough time together to gel.

"You have to deal with the business and the politics of the game – which I didn’t want to accept. Dealing with the agent, listening to recommendations, not knowing if I should stay or ask for a trade. All that stuff was new to me."

Guys were signing one- and two-year contracts and they were moving on – like making pit stops in Cleveland. You brought in young guys like me and Trajan, and we saw guys go in and out. There was no stability.

So, they had to kind of rebuild. And eventually that rebuild was moving me and making way for LeBron.

How was Randy Wittman as your first NBA coach back then?

Miller: Well, Randy played in the league; he had experience, he was with Flip Saunders in Minnesota.

And I knew I was coming into a locker room with a lot of veterans: Clarence Weatherspoon, Mark Bryant, Shawn Kemp, Bob Sura. You had those guys in the locker room, and then you bring Randy Wittman in, and I think it was his first head coaching job. And he had to deal with some strong personalities in that locker room.

So you had a mixture of younger guys like me and Trajan and you got vets that have a history in the league.

It was tough for Randy, but I thought he did a decent job with that opportunity. But with that many vets it was like: Which way are we going to go? How are we going to play?

You gotta understand, the league at that time, it was Lakers, San Antonio, Jordan was coming back. There was a lot of hype and it was some of the best years of the NBA. And it was just like the Cavs then were the Clippers of the East.

What was your reaction to getting traded after that third year?

Miller: I loved my experience in Cleveland, and I wanted to stay there. I didn’t plan on going anywhere else. I wanted to be there. I enjoyed the community, I made friends. I was hoping I wouldn’t go anywhere.

And then the business of basketball came in.

You have to deal with the business and the politics of the game – which I didn’t want to accept. Dealing with the agent, listening to recommendations, not knowing if I should stay or ask for a trade. All that stuff was new to me.

All I wanted to do was play basketball – think about Championships and All-Star Games. That other stuff wasn’t even in my head at the time.

My focus was coming to an organization, being professional and having longevity with one team. That was my goal. To come to ONE team and build, build a contender and be part of an organization that builds a contender.

But unfortunately, the politics of the game took over, and I was shipped out. I really didn’t want to, but it was more a recommendation from the agent, the pressure of: It’s not going to happen here. You’re not going to get what you want, whether it’s money or wins.

I was talked into asking for the trade – and I had to move on.

I still tell my friends, the only thing I can say about my experience with LeBron is: I met him when he was in high school, then I asked for a trade so they could draft the guy! (Laughs)

I could have played with one of the best players ever. And all I did was open my mouth and ask for a trade.

So, I always tell people: Be careful what you wish for and be careful what you let people talk you into.

When you look back on your career, what are you most proud of?

Miller: I took pride in being reliable and being available and I tried not to worry about the statistics. I knew if I was out there, I could compete at a high level, I could guard my position, I could guard wings if I needed to.

I did everything that was asked of me, team-wise. I practiced, I played in games and I got 100 percent out of my body. I walked away from the game on my own terms.

How did you feel when you’d come back to Cleveland as a visiting player?

Miller: I always looked forward to coming to the arena, flying in – remembering when I first got drafted, the friends that I made.

I always looked forward to coming back. I always reached out to people I was cool with.

Looking for Moses, the security guard. (Former Community Relations VP) Holly Yanak. The cookie lady, the lady who made me cookies! (Laughs) So many people made it feel like a home experience. I was always like: This is where I wanted to be; where I should live.

I’d go home to L.A. and people would say: ‘Hey, you’re back from the Mistake on the Lake!’ and I’d tell them: Nah, man. I love Cleveland. I loved it, everything about it.

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Where Are They Now: Andre Miller

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Veteran Forward Reflects on What Might Have Been with the Cavaliers

by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
9/22/20 | Cavs.com

Lamond Murray put up some of the best numbers of his 11-year NBA career right in here in Cleveland. But like a lot of players in that era of Cavs basketball, it was slightly marred by what-could-have-been.

Drafted with the 7th overall pick by the Clippers in the 1994 Draft, Murray – who grew up in California and played his college ball at Cal-Berkeley – spent his first five years in Tinseltown before coming to Cleveland-technically-in a sign-and-trade just before the 1999-2000 season.

During his three seasons with the Cavaliers, the 6-7 small forward averaged just over 15 points per game on a squad that had the potential to make noise in the Eastern Conference. But injuries – especially to big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas – and coaching turnover kept Cleveland from reaching its true potential, and during Murray’s three-year stretch averaged just 30 wins per.

Murray wrapped up his playing career following the 2005-06 season, playing with the Raptors and Nets after being dealt from the Cavaliers for Yogi Stewart in the 2002 offseason.

Cavs.com recently caught up with the former forward and here’s what he had to say about his short but productive stay on the North Coast …

Lamond Murray averaged just over 15 points per in 223 games over three seasons with the Cavaliers.
Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images

Lamond Murray: I’m living in Las Vegas. I moved out here a couple years ago.

I’m out here transitioning from playing ball and working kids out in L.A. with my company, Real Run International.

I moved out here to Vegas to do the same thing here. Because I knew that things were happening, people are transitioning from California to Las Vegas, in general. We knew the Raiders were coming. And we think at some time in the near future, the NBA might be here too.

They have some really nice high schools out here and some pretty good players are coming out of Vegas, as well.

So for me, as a retired player, the number one thing was to get to a tax-friendly state. (laughs) And I also wanted to be close to California. I still have a lot of family there; my kids live there. It’s just a quick, one-hour flight, or four-hour drive.

Tell us about your company, Real Run International?

Murray: I’ve had this company for a number of years and what we’ve done is, we’ve gotten back into the youth basketball program.

My company in L.A., we had club teams for a number of years where I had kids doing AAU basketball. We did a lot of training with those kids, and at the same time, my son was playing ball, finishing up at Pepperdine.

So I kind of got away from club basketball and started focusing on doing stuff with the Clippers – camps and clinics.

We’re doing everything basketball. I’m not coaching high school or college or anything like that. Just doing what I love on a level where I feel the kids will really receive the knowledge and it’ll help them improve their game.

What’s different about kids playing today than when you were coming up?

Murray: It’s weird because the kids nowadays are SO focused on whatever sport they decide they want to play – from a very young age.

When I started playing ball, I guess I was around eight-years-old, it was just an opportunity to play at the YMCA and develop a love for the game. Because my dad played, my uncle played, my cousins played. We just played.

But nowadays these kids are so focused and so driven to where they’re putting in hours at a young age. In a way, it’s the same thing we did. But it’s so much more difficult now. Everybody around the world plays basketball. Back then, it was the top 100 American players with some Europeans sprinkled in here or there.

But now you’re competing with the whole world and it became that much harder.

Growing up in California, playing your college and professional ball there, what the transition like coming to Cleveland?

Murray: Well, I chose to come to Cleveland.

I had an opportunity to leave at that time. My contract was up with the Clippers. The Spurs had offered me a three-year deal. And Randy Wittman came in at the 12th hour and said: We’d rather you come play in Cleveland and we’ll give you a seven-year deal.

So it looked like a sign-and-trade deal, but it was more a choice on my side to come and play in Cleveland.

At that time Shawn Kemp was there, Big Z was there. Andre Miller was on his way. Wes Person, a great shooter at two-guard.

They were just missing that one component – a playmaker at small forward who could do a little bit of everything. And that’s how I felt I could come there and fit in – especially in the Eastern Conference, which was easier than the West at that time.

Those teams had some interesting characters – Clarence Weatherspoon, Bob Sura, Danny Ferry. Where did you fit in?

Murray: I was right down the middle. I’m a quiet guy, but not too quiet.

But you had Clarence, who’s a very, very quiet guy, a cool guy. Danny Ferry wasn’t loud, but he was kind of a leader. Bobby: he was real smooth, we used to call him ‘the Lady’s Man.’ He was a smooth character. And we had Shawn – and he was going through some things at that time, so he really wasn’t the same guy that we remembered from his Seattle days.

And, of course, we had Z – a great, great guy. And a great shooter! We’d be in the gym having a shooting contest, and he’d be beating all the small forwards, all the two guards – on a daily basis. We’d be like: ‘Man, how does this big guy shoot the ball so well?!’

The guy really had skills. He just couldn’t stay on the floor long enough for us to see him do what he did later on, when he was able to come back. It just happened to be bad timing.

But we actually had a really, really good team when everybody was healthy and on the same page. I thought we could have done some big things during that time, but it just wasn’t meant to happen.

You put up some of the best numbers of your career during your time in Cleveland, but how frustrating were the injuries and the team’s lack of success?

Murray: It was frustrating for me because I’d just played on a Clippers team, we’d come off a playoff run against the Utah Jazz. And I was at the point of my career where I was like: ‘Hey, I want to win.’

Contracts were all settled, everything was good on that end. Now, how do I win? How do I start making the playoffs?’ Those are always the things that players want to get back to.

"We actually had a really, really good team when everybody was healthy and on the same page. I thought we could have done some big things during that time, but it just wasn’t meant to happen."

In high school and college, you’re likely coming from a winning tradition. And you’re a high pick, so you’re going to a team that’s struggling a little bit. But you eventually want to get to a team or be on a team that starts winning.

And I mentioned the San Antonio Spurs, they’re winning Championships and I’m thinking: ‘Oh man, did I make the wrong choice?’ and things like that.

I was excited that I was able to go out there and put up some good numbers. Coming out of college, everybody knew that I like to score the ball.

And being able to put up good numbers consistently made me feel good individually, but then after a while you’re like: Numbers are good, but let’s start winning while I’m putting up these numbers.

How much did the coaching turnover – Randy Wittman then to John Lucas – effect the team’s success?

Murray: Randy was a really good coach. I think he was trying to figure out his personality as a coach those first couple years. That first year, he didn’t demand a lot out of us. But that second year he was much tougher. We were like: Who is this guy, Pat Riley?

He was demanding so much from us, and it was out of the blue. It was one of those things where it caught everybody off guard and everybody was trying to figure it out.

And when John came in and he demanded a different level of conditioning. He continued with that Pat Riley trend and pushed us and ran us through some unorthodox stuff in practice. So, he came in and started to put his stamp on our team.

Then he got in a position with LeBron James coming out of high school and all those different components factoring in. And the situation was like: OK, we want to win now, but we have this opportunity to get a once-in-a-generation type player.

LeBron would come up to the games from Akron. He’s up here watching games. He’s in the hallway.

The team was promoting young guys like Ricky Davis more, older guys were getting their minutes pulled back. And as a veteran, you can see what’s going on. So, we knew our time was going to be short.

And the decision pretty much came to: Let’s blow it all up.

You played in China and the Middle East after your NBA career wrapped up. What was that experience like?

It was one of those situations where I still wanted to play in the league. I was with New Jersey in my final year before I went to China. And I thought I still had a couple good years left in me. But things didn’t work out that way.

So I ended up going to go to China, and that was a unique experience.

NBA China hadn’t developed yet, so we were kind of pioneers – former NBA players going out there and putting up big numbers for these teams. I actually won the CBA Championship there with the Guangdong Tigers.

After that year, I decided to play in the Middle East. I was kind of winding down at the time. The CBA, at the time, that particular level, was like playing college ball. And I would say playing in the Middle East was like playing high school ball. So I brought my butt back home.

How do you feel now about those years in Cleveland?

Murray: You know, people always ask me that. ‘What were your best years?’ And I always say: ‘I had some of my best years in Cleveland individually as a player.’

They ask where did you like to play? Yes, California. I’m a California kid. I was in Toronto, and that wasn’t a good experience because I was injured most of the time. And I finished in New Jersey, and we went farther into the Playoffs than we’d ever been and won a Divisional Championship.

So you can pick and choose all the places you’ve been and how they fit you at that particular time. And in Cleveland, I had so much fun – putting up good numbers, hitting game-winning shots.

Was there any particular special moment from that time?

Murray: Well, hitting that game-winner against the Nets in 2002 was pretty special.

But I like when we went on that run early in the 2000-01 season, because teams really got to see our true potential. It was still the first month of the season. Big Z was playing really well; the whole team was.

We could feel it. We could feel the momentum. We had great chemistry. And we thought that was going to be a great year as a team. But Z went down, and the season didn’t go the way we wanted it to.

Murray: I was just watching the Playoffs – watching the Clippers get knocked off by Denver.

I just enjoy watching basketball, in general. I just love the game. I keep up with it.

I watch as much basketball as I possibly can, study different trends from different eras. Sometimes I think: Man, I would love to play in this era. Because this is exactly what I loved to do – jack ‘em up and not play any defense!

Murray: Yeah, I tune in to see what’s going on.

And I also watch because I got a chance to hang out with Larry Nance’s son when I was playing ball in Cleveland. He used to come to the gym as a young guy. So, it’s really interesting to see him out there playing for Cleveland.

And it was so much fun to go back out there for the 50th Anniversary. I hadn’t been back in so long. I was just happy for Cleveland. To see that LeBron brought the Championship to the city and how much the city has grown from the time we played.

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Where Are They Now: Lamond Murray

Blue-Collar Forward from One of the Golden Eras of Cavaliers Basketball Takes a Look Back

by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
6/26/20 | Cavs.com

Every successful team has a player like Mike Sanders. And the Cavaliers of the late-80s and early-90s had plenty of success with a player just like Mike Sanders.

After his arrival in 1997 with Larry Nance from Phoenix in a mid-season blockbuster that sent Kevin Johnson, Tyrone Corbin and Mark West to the Suns, the Cavaliers made the Playoffs in each of Sanders’ four seasons with the team.

That era of Cavs basketball had no shortage of star power. Nance, Mark Price and Brad Daugherty made a combined 11 All-Star Game appearances from 1988 to 1994, with Lenny Wilkens coaching them in the midseason classic in 1989.

But behind every star-studded squad, there’s the blue-collar guys who set the screens, clean up the offensive glass, score off put-backs and take on the toughest defensive assignment.

Mike Sanders did all that; and did it well. Over his three-and-a-half seasons with Cleveland, the Louisiana native played in 180 regular season and 35 postseason contests for the Cavaliers. And on a team that featured three All-Stars and Hot Rod Williams, Sanders averaged a solid 8.7ppg – including 12.8ppg during Cleveland’s 1988 postseason run.

Known as being a team of great guys as well as skilled ballplayers, Sanders fits the mold to a tee. One of the league’s true gentlemen, the former UCLA star returned to Cleveland this past year to take place in the franchise’s 50th season celebration.  And today he sits down with Cavs.com to talk about one of the golden eras in Cavaliers basketball in this installment of Where Are They Now …

Mike Sanders averaged 8.7ppg and reached the postseason in all four years with the Cavaliers from 1987 through 1993.
Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images

Before we start looking back, what are you up to these days?

Mike Sanders: I’m working with St. Charles Parish parks and recreation. I work with the kids’ programs, do some community service work, speaking to kids in the community and things like that. I just finished coaching a kids’ basketball clinic, actually.

It’s a job I really enjoy, and I guess I’ve always had a penchant for it. The years that I was in the league, I was always associated with the Boys and Girls Club and with the YMCA.

I’ve always had a passion to work with kids and I really enjoy what I’m doing down here in Louisiana.

Speaking of kids from Louisiana, what was it like going from a small town like yours to the campus of UCLA?

Sanders: Well, it was a little bit of a culture shock. (laughs)

At UCLA, there’s such tradition and so many people. I’m from a small town – DeRidder, Louisiana – that only had about 10,000 people in it. And there was an article in the paper during my freshman year that said: ‘Mike Sanders plays in front of more people at Pauley Pavilion than live in his entire hometown.’ I got a kick out of that!

But I wanted to keep up the tradition, and there was a certain pressure because I really wanted to win another National Championship. They had 10 before I got there, so I was hoping I could put one up in the rafters as well.

But we came up just short to Louisville in 1980 when they beat us in the National Championship game.

What was your experience like, being coached by Larry Brown at UCLA?

Sanders: I learned a lot from Larry Brown. He came to UCLA in my sophomore year. And It was about re-learning the fundamentals, because Larry Brown is a teacher. Larry Brown will teach you the fundamentals.

And that was one of the things that led me to UCLA in the first place. The history, with John Wooden being a fundamental coach who wanted to teach.

That’s how players became better after going to UCLA, because of the teaching that they had received.

Aside from the culture shock, how did your game change at UCLA?

Sanders: Well, I had to make an adjustment from high school, where I played center.

Being from a small town and being one of the tallest players on the team, I had to play center. Well once I got to UCLA, I looked around and I’m like: ‘OK, this guy’s 6-11, this guy’s 6-10, this guy’s seven feet … ‘

I knew I’m not going to play the post, I’m going to be on the wing. So, I had to make an adjustment, and eventually I started playing small forward.

You were drafted in the second round by the Kansas City Kings but never played a game for them. Where did your career go from there?

Sanders: I got drafted by the Kings, but after about three or four days I got released. So then I went and played in the CBA for George Karl in Montana and then San Antonio picked me up before that season was over with and I stayed in the league from there.

One thing I loved about George – he would just let you play your game. He wanted the ball to be shot quickly, he wanted you to run the floor. If you could do those two things – shoot the ball and run the floor – George was happy with you.

What was the climate like in Phoenix right before the trade to Cleveland?

Sanders: There were some problems there at the time. I guess Walter Davis had some problems. So, at the time the Suns just wanted to make an entire household change and try to get some new faces in and try to build a new culture.

So they made a bunch of trades that year, back in 1987, including myself and Larry Nance to Cleveland.

And what were your thoughts when you heard about the trade?

Sanders: Well, I was a little down, because I was leaving the West. And I wanted to stay out West.

Now, I was going someplace that was cold. Cleveland is the Midwest, but it’s still cold!

And I knew this was going to be another adjustment, getting used to the cold weather, playing in the cold weather. Because I did that for a time in Montana, and I really didn’t like playing in a cold gym.

After practice, you leave practice and go home in the snow. So even getting around was different, driving in the snow.

But the thing I loved about my experience in Cleveland were the players that were there when Larry and I arrived.

We had a great group of guys. Hot Rod, Brad, Mark Price, Phil Hubbard. All those players were also just good guys and they really made us feel comfortable.

On a team so loaded with stars, how did you find your role?

Where Are They Now

Where Are They Now: Andre Miller

Where Are They Now: Lamond Murray

Where Are They Now: Mike Sanders

Where Are They Now: Anderson Varejao

Where Are They Now: Jim Cleamons

Where Are They Now: Johnny Davis

Where Are They Now?: TERRELL BRANDON