The Cavs are looking sharper in the alt blue unis…but are they lucky?

Though seemingly mothballed after the home loss to the New York Knicks for what could only have been karmic reasons, we’ve seen a recent resurgence of the Cavs alternate blue uniforms. Since their unfortunate debut, the Cavs have evened up their record in the alt unis to 2-2. It remains to be seen if this positive trend continues, but for now it appears that the blue will factor more heavily in the mix.

However, this seems like all the uniform experimentation we can expect as Cavs fans this season (not including the forgettable special “first name” X-Mas jerseys). We’re seeing a plethora of new designs and color schemes being used around the NBA this year, and it’s curious that the Cavs aren’t at the forefront of that… especially given the connections two certain all-stars have with a certain major shoe and athletic apparel company.

So, how did we get here?

The re-design blues…

When there were rumblings late last summer that the Cavs might be going to introduce some new alternative uniforms for the upcoming season, you could color me excited… I’d personally had just about enough of the “mustard and ketchup” jerseys of the last few years with their simple designs and lack of pizazz (as well as their connection to the dark ages of no LeBron).

Then Dan Gilbert tweeted out a preview in early October showing the new blue alternative version of the current uni… and I remember my mood at the time matched the color. Here I was expecting some sort of dramatic re-design… and what we got was more reminiscent of a uni from say… Hot Dog on a Stick. Don’t get me wrong, I think the blue unis are a welcome improvement over the standard colors…

But with images like these floating around the internet…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…it seemed like the uniform redesign would be much more radical to match the splashiness of the newly constructed team, the upgrades to the humongotron and the 3-D floor projection that DG added to the Q.

Honoring the past…

While the home white, road wine and alt blue unis of the first LeBron Era of 2003-10 were a welcome re-design to the awful and simple block black and blue unis of the previous couple of years, I had a genuine affinity for most all of the alternative throwback uniform styles the Cavs mixed in, starting in the 2008-09 season. Having been a Cavs fan since the “Miracle of Richfield” days, it was wonderfully nostalgic to see things like…

…the old feathered logo from the team’s inception…

…the checkerboard trim from the Miracle days…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and the blue and orange “Cavs” basketball logo from the great teams of the late 80s and early 90s.

 

 

 

 

 

The CavsFanatic uniform mashups…

Then the Cavs got truly creative and started putting their own unique spin on the throwback unis. These were classic designs that featured a mashup of other colors from different eras, and resulted in two of my favorite Cavs uniforms ever…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping up with the trends…

More and more, we’re seeing sleeved jerseys incorporated into alternate team uniforms throughout the league. Some of them are really eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing (or at least interesting)… like the Suns’ “Phoenix Rising” unis or the Clippers’ “Back in Blue” get-up…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…others call attention to, or honor the history of the team’s city like the Blazers’ “Rip City” unis or the Pistons’ “Motor City” duds…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…or even celebrate heritage and culture like the Warriors’ and Rockets’ special “Chinese New Year” celebration jerseys that were unveiled this season…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since LeBron has been on record that he’s not a big fan of the sleeved jerseys, the odds are against the Cavs adding that feature in the next uniform re-design. However, if they did… it might look something like this…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The look of the future…

If it were up to me (and it isn’t) to suggest design themes for an alternate Cavs uniform, I’d probably try and tap into the history of the city.

Maybe a “Rock & Roll” themed uni that honors the HOF and the birthplace of rock and roll. They could even incorporate the logo…

Or an homage to the place they call The Land…

 

Or some version of the city skyline as depicted in the uniform designs above that were kicking around on-line.

Or even another logo (if the Cavs can get permission from Warner Bros. and DC Comics) to honor native Clevelander Jerry Siegel and his greatest creation… Superman. The Cavs already have the right color scheme if they decide to go that direction…

 

Since the Cavs should continue to win a lot of games in the foreseeable future, they might as well find new ways to look good while doing it.

But I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to see what the Cavs will come up with for their next uniform design. Everyone has their own tastes, and I’m sure a lot of you probably disagree with my favorites… So chime in and let your inner uniform critic/designer out to play…