Lance Allred to Sportando: Cavs will win the title

Lance Allred is hearing impaired, with a 75-80% hearing loss but that didn’t prevent him from making his dream come true in basketball and he even managed to play in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 34 year old power forward / center was a ground – breaking player for the Cavs (2007/08 and 2008/09) and became the first legally deaf player in NBA history. The highlights of his career are the two times he was part of the NBA D-League All-Star (2008, 2009) being on the roster of Idaho Stampede.

Now, having retired from basketball, he follows everything that happens there and he expresses to Sportando his opinion about the NBA Finals between his former team and Golden State Warriors.

-Did you expect Cleveland Cavaliers to be so close to win the title just a year after LeBron's return?

“I am not too surprised, because the Eastern Conference is very weak. It has been for some time now. When Paul George went down with an injury and Lance Stephenson left the Pacers, I knew Pacers were no longer a contender, and that left the door wide open in the East. With LeBron leaving Miami, Miami was no longer a threat. So, I am not surprised Cleveland is in the Finals. I always thought they would be, with LeBron’s experience and talent. But I am surprised they are in the finals with how little Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving have contributed this post season”.

-You have played in Cleveland when LeBron was there. How was your experience with him in the team?

“I loved my experience in Cleveland. It was an amazingly professional experience. We were treated top notch, whatever physical issues we had were immediately taken care of: massage, physical therapy. There was never anything we had to ask for, as they were already thoughtful of our needs. It was great. I was just crushed that we lost to Boston in game 7, of the second round that year, 2008, when Boston went on to win it. I strongly feel that had we defeated Boston, we would have won the championship that year”.

-How was your cooperation with LeBron James?

“I loved playing with Bron. He was nothing but kind to me, when he didn’t have to be. People don’t realize just how intelligent he is. He is one of the smartest men in the NBA. And it shows on the floor. He sees everything. And he is very articulate and able to express what he is seeing with amazing clarity”.

-Do you think that the departure of LeBron in 2010 was a necessity for Cleveland in order that he gains title experience and to return more ready to help them win the ring?

“I think Cleveland was in bad shape when he left, and their roster was very weak, and Cleveland had the biggest luck we have ever seen, winning the lottery, 3 out of 4 years. But, if you look at the post season, Kyrie, one of the first draft picks, has been injured these postseason, and then Kevin Love, who they traded their other two top picks for, has been out as well. So, yes they got lucky in the draft, but those haven’t been why the Cavs have been playing so well. The biggest move I feel was the trade the new front office made to get Mozgov and JR Smith onto the roster. The new front office is doing really well with their roster choices. So, I think the team is actually stronger with Kyrie Irving out, because it allows LeBron to be the point forward for the team. Kyrie doesn’t get enough assists as a point guard and wants to shoot first. The team is much more balanced and the scoring is more spaced, and LeBron has had the best postseason of his career during the stretch Kyrie has been out”.

-Do you find differences between the first and the second time of LeBron in Cleveland?

“He is just smarter. He knows when to attack, and went to be patient. He knows that if he isn’t hitting his shots, he is doing a better job of remaining effective by making his teammates better. No one makes their teammates better than LeBron does. Not only he is the most dominant physical specimen in the NBA since Shaq, he is also very intelligent and make his teammates better. He is still the best player in the World. Even if Curry won the MVP award this year, LeBron is still the best in the world”.

-Is it a surprise for you that Golden State Warriors reached the finals?

“After San Antonio lost to the Clippers, a tough first round match up, and the only team that I felt the Spurs could lose to, I felt it was a wide open race for all the other teams, but I felt Warriors or the Clippers would reach the finals. And when the Rockets beat the Clips, I was very confident the Warriors were going to reach the finals, because basketball is a game of matchups. And the Spurs were the one team that could certainly beat the Warriors”.

-Is Stephen Curry the main reason that Golden State Warriors are in such a high level this year?

“To a degree, I can say yes to that. But my main credit would be to Draymond Green. He has given the Warriors a new defensive Identity, and their defense is one of the best in the league, and is often overlooked because of their powerful offense. But their defense is excellent. And hats off to Coack Kerr for starting Green and going small and sending David Lee to the bench. It was a risky move, but it has paid off huge. I am a big Draymond Green fan”.

-Is there a chance for Cleveland to win the title against Golden State Warriors, who are not a team like San Antonio Spurs?

“Yes. Absolutely. I felt the Spurs would easily handle the Cavs. But going against the Warriors, I am actually expecting the Cavs to win, because as you saw against Atlanta’s high powered, fast paced offense, the Cavs just slowed down the tempo, and controlled the pace, and I expect them to do that as well against the Warriors, who also want to play fast.

-You have played in Europe and of course you know David Blatt. How is it possible a coach from Europe to be in the NBA finals with good possibilities to win the title being just a year in the league?

“John Wooden said it best, “It is easy to be the best coach, when you have the best players.” LeBron made Eric Spoelstra look like a genius as well. Not that Blatt isn’t an amazing coach, but LeBron has made Blatt’s job very easy”.

-How you made it possible to play basketball without hearing the instructions of your coaches and teammates?

“I am a very visual player. I rely on my sight and memory to quickly remember the other team’s plays, but also my team’s plays in a timeout/huddle when a coach is drawing it up. But I also tell people, in the fourth quarter, in a loud arena, everyone is deaf. And in the land of temporary deafness, the permanently deaf man is a king. I actually have an advantage, as I don’t get rattled easy on the road. But I still “feel” the vibrations of the crowd. And because arenas get so loud, coaches still use hand signals for everyone. So, really, I am at no disadvantage, as I am able to very easily see what we are running and execute it with no problems. My hearing really been of little hinderance”.

-You are a great example of will. Where did you find the strength to follow your dream when it was against all odds?

“People have been telling me all of my life what I can and can’t do. I simply choose not to listen- I can’t hear them anyways. But I am not going to lie: it has been a tough ride, but very rewarding. That being said, it is the only life I know. We can talk and argue about heaven and afterlife all we want, but all we know for certain is this life is the life we have. And so, I am going to live it, the best I can, on my terms”.

-What is the social meaning you want to pass with your career in basketball?

“I am retired now as I just finished my tenth and last season of professional basketball, and so that is a great question for me to think about. What is my legacy? I am now a keynote motivational speaker, and I am coming into great opportunities to share my story even further, by letting others, whether they have a physical limitation or not, by telling them, that the only limitations that truly exist, are the ones we place on ourselves. I wish that to be my legacy, as I leave the game behind and now look to make deeper connections with my audiences around the world as a speaker”.

Interview via Maria Karvouni