CLEVELAND, OHIO – I was about to take a bite into my bacon BBQ burger at Harry Buffalo on East 4th – my first true American meal – when the notifications started flooding my phone.
Matthew Dellavedova, Australia’s own and Cavaliers hero, had been traded back to Cleveland.
The mood inside the bar changed immediately, as Cavs fans started getting word of the news. Throughout the room, you could hear the whispers – ‘did you see Delly is back?!’, ‘we traded George Hill for him!’.
Within four minutes, I had multiple messages claiming I brought Dellavedova with me to Northeast Ohio. Greg Swartz from Bleacher Report even Tweeted about it.
I mean it's no coincidence that @lukesicari is visiting from Australia the same exact time Delly gets traded to the Cavs.
— Greg Swartz (@CavsGregBR) December 8, 2018
I, personally, will be taking no credit for the trade.
As I left the restaurant, a lady was on her phone outside the door, explaining to someone on the other line the details of the deal.
My Twitter feed continued to reflect the love and affection Cleveland has for Dellavedova. After all, the two are similar in so many ways – hardworking underdogs with an unrelenting desire to succeed.
When the book is written about the Cavaliers-Warriors finals history, Dellavedova deserves his own chapter, such was the magnitude of his role (mainly in 2015). He pushed himself to dehydration while defending Steph Curry - a major reason why Cleveland’s fanbase values him so highly.
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Anyway, back to Friday night.
As Melbourne-based decade-long Cavs fan I made sure I got to Quicken Loans Arena as soon as the gates opened to soak in the atmosphere. I was sitting just rows behind the Cavaliers bench – a prime spot for the pregame festivities.
The other side of the Dellavedova trade saw Hill sent to Milwaukee. While we were waiting next to the Cavs tunnel for players to arrive, Hill was courtside in a tracksuit giving his final farewells to workers and team personnel. He was even exchanging pleasantries with staff from the visiting Kings, one of Hill’s former teams.
Hill also hugged and said goodbye to some fans he had clearly formed a relationship with.
It provided a small window into how many people a trade actually impacts. It’s the cutthroat nature of midseason trading that is yet to be truly experienced in Australian sport, the sudden shock of having to move your entire life to another city in an instant.
A consummate professional, Hill still signed autographs and took selfies with the sea of waiting Cavalier fans, all of whom wished Hill good luck.
“That’s the business,” Hill said to the supporters.
George Hill signing autographs and saying his final goodbyes to people at The Q. True pro. pic.twitter.com/R8CYXnbeKH
— Luke Sicari (@lukesicari) December 7, 2018
Not only did Dellavedova etch himself into the hearts of the fans, Cleveland’s media members also connected with him.
As I was taking a photo with Fox Sports Ohio Cavs commentators Fred McLeod and Austin Carr, McLeod mentioned to me how it would be good if we get ‘Delly’ back (at this stage on Friday night, the trade had not yet been made ‘official’ by the teams).
A day earlier, during my time with ESPN Cleveland, Emmett Golden, Jerod Cherry and I were chewing the fat on how big Dellavedova’s cult hero status was during his first tenure as a Cavalier.
Back to the game, and the actual contest between the Cavs and Sacramento was played with minimal mention of Dellavedova, apart from conversations you’d hear between fans inside the arena (the teams involved didn’t announce the widely-reported deal until after the match).
Sure enough, when the trade was made official the social media love for Dellavedova poured in at a faster rate.
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The next night, Cleveland played host to the Washington Wizards – a game I was a credentialed media member for.
It was always unlikely Dellavedova would play, due to all players involved in the deal having to pass physicals with their new teams, and that suspicion was confirmed when I arrived at the media section and picked up a copy of the game notes.
It read: ‘INJURY UPDATE: Matthew Dellavedova (Trade Pending) – OUT.
Delly won’t be making his #Cavs season debut tonight. Game notes says the trade is still pending. pic.twitter.com/pUghH1d58A
— Luke Sicari (@lukesicari) December 8, 2018
When asked during his pregame press conference about when Dellavedova will play, Cavaliers coach Larry Drew said he didn’t even know when his new point guard would even be with the team.
Well, he didn’t have to wait long.
After John Henson – who was also traded to Cleveland – finished his inaugural media appearance as a Cav, the Cavaliers communications department announced that Dellavedova was in the building and would be speaking to the press shortly.
When Dellavedova was walking through the corridors of The Q, you could hear cheers and greetings from security guards and team staff. The enthusiasm in the air for Delly’s return was palpable.
On the chalkboard displaying the menu for media members that night, there was a ‘Welcome Back Delly’ message.
As Dellavedova was making his way to the area where he was due to speak with the media – which was in front of a Cavs Fox Sports Ohio banner in the players run-out tunnel, facing a lounge for fans with VIP/corporate access – the supporters in the lounge started screaming and pulling their phones out, all trying to get a shot of their returned hero.
There is a corporate area next to where Matthew Dellavedova did his first media appearance back as a Cav.
— Luke Sicari (@lukesicari) December 9, 2018
They were cheering and going crazy for him. And the media dining menu has a special message for him! pic.twitter.com/XY57O8Y5cN
“I really appreciate the love everyone has shown, it just makes me excited to get back out there and play for everyone in this city. It is a special place and they’re very special fans, (the reaction has) been a big surprise. The people here are really special,” Dellavedova said.
Delly’s words were translated into actions during the first quarter, when a tribute video welcoming him back played on the Cavs’ gigantic jumbotrons during a timeout.
The reaction was raucous.
🗣 SOUND ON
— Luke Sicari (@lukesicari) December 9, 2018
Matthew Dellavedova gets a HUGE standing ovation by the @cavs fans at @TheQArena when shown on the big screen pic.twitter.com/Q7vwRdXhK4
It was fitting that Cleveland won the match 116-101, as it rounded out a night filled with unbridled happiness.
Even after the game, the Dellavedova references kept coming.
While the media was waiting for Drew’s postgame press conference, leading Cavaliers reporter for The Athletic Joe Vardon asked if I had been flown to Cleveland specifically to cover Dellavedova.
The next day, when I experienced tailgating and an NFL game for the first time, fellow Browns fans expressed their excitement about Dellavedova returning after they heard my Australia accent.
The reaction from the city of Cleveland after Dellavedova was traded to the Cavs confirmed the cult following he gained during the team’s heyday. The bond between Delly and Cleveland is so strong that it will never be broken.
With this next tenure, it will only strengthen.