The Cleveland Cavaliers returned to the Quicken Loans Arena for their first home preseason game on Saturday and were greeted by a shiny and newly-renovated locker room.
The Cavaliers Twitter account posted the reactions of guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Cedi Osman upon entering and were instantly enamored with the facility.
Rookie point guard Colin Sexton was also filmed checking out the parts of his first NBA locker.
To be honest, they look like children getting into a playground for the first time. Nonetheless, the youngsters do look mad excited for their new-look facility.
Now onto some theories: LeBron James left, new lockers for the good guys left. Coincidence? Or not?
While it may just be a coincidence, it does, in some way, look intentional by the Cavaliers organization. And by the way, if you havenât heard yet, LeBronâs old locker room spot is now a towel closet.
What does this all mean though?
Is the organization trying their best to keep their playersâ morale up by giving them a fresh set of lockers? Are they gearing up the players for a ride down to the bottom of the league, and are compensating the eventual downfall by rewarding them with new lockers?
Remember, the last time LeBron left, the Cavaliers bottomed out and went from a 61-win team in the 2009-10 season to an abysmal 19 wins in 2010-11.
Or is the organization using this as a means to give the team some much needed motivation following the departure of the best player in the world? This sparkling new locker room may be a reminder for the team that they can still compete, and will be just fine even without James at the helm.
Regardless of the reason, the departure of LeBron is definitely a devastating blow for the team. Whether the Cavs are using these as a means to either tape up the wounds or add fire to flame, they are doing the right thing to keep their playersâ morale in check.