I forget the specific game, but it was definitely before Lebron came back to Cleveland. The Cavs were bad, but not really bad. I'm talking "Andrew Bynum was contributing at the time" bad, which I guess is a lot better than "Luke Harangody was allowed off the bench on a regular basis" bad. I saw a message on the big screen that said "Kyrie Irving and Matthew Dellavedova arefrom Australia," and probably some Australian saying. I wasn't exactly a Cavs aficionado at the time, so I didn't know anything about Delly besides what was just presented to me. Then I watched the game.
What I saw, I don't ever recall seeing before in the NBA.
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I saw a man who, despite being overmatched in terms of all facets of athleticism by his assignment, defend his man as if his life depended on it. He was rabid, a bulldog in a world of lions. He gave his heart and soul whenever he was on the floor, and he became my favorite Cavalier very quickly.
As I learned of him, he became the image of what I really like out of not just any athlete, but any person. From giving up his number for Luol Deng, to participating in Akron Children's Hospital events, he proved to not only be a maximum-effort guy on the court, but a great teammate and genuinely nice guy off of it.
But while Delly gave a championship effort every time he stepped on the court, he couldn't possibly start over any point guard the Cavaliers had over his career, let alone Kyrie Irving. But during the 2015 NBA Finals, he was given a chance.
The Cavs were in dire straits after Game 1. Kevin Love had already gone down with injury, and Kyrie went down in overtime. Then Delly showed up. His pestering of Steph Curry on defense made headlines, and as the Cavs rose to a 2-1 lead, Delly became the beacon of hope that Cleveland had lost after the loss of Irving. Matthew Dellavedova was a megastar because of what made me love him in the first place, his drive to give all the effort he possibly could. Unfortunately, this came at a price. Delly was a backup point guard, never needing to give his effort for the length of time a starter would, and after Game 3, his body couldn't take it. He was hospitalized and given fluids intravenously, and his level of production dropped for the rest of the series, resulting in a Golden State win.
Dellavedova was nevertheless praised for his performance, and even after a 2016 Finals were he was mostly a non-factor, he was still awarded in the form of a 4-year deal by the Milwaukee Bucks worth 38 million. And while I hate to see Delly go, I am at least glad that he got the money he deserves.
Matthew Dellavedova, from coming onto Cleveland's Summer League team as an undrafted rookie and earning himself a 2 year, 1.3 million dollar deal, to his farewell letter to Cleveland, has in my mind personified what Cleveland is all about. He gave everything he had to a team that everyone counted out. Milwaukee received more than a reserve guard. They received a man who will never give up. They received a motor with no off switch. They received a consummate professional and teammate. They received my favorite player in the National Basketball Association.
Thank you, Delly. Hope the Bucks treat you well.
