The Cavaliers yesterday unveiled their Nike uniforms for the '17-18 season in white and wine colors, and "featuring the team's updated branding along with the Goodyear Wingfoot logo and Nike Swoosh," according to Joe Noga of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. The white Association edition uniforms "read CAVS across the chest in wine with a gold outline." The front and back numbers and letters are also wine with gold trim and the shorts "feature a wine waistband with CLE in the center." The wine Icon edition uniforms "say CLEVELAND across the chest in gold with a navy outline." The front and back numbers are "navy with gold trim, while the letters and player's name are gold with navy trim." The navy waistband "reads CAVS in the center." A gold accent trim "outlines the collar and runs down the side and back shoulders of the jersey and onto the shorts, reminiscent of armor." The uniform also "features the Cavaliers DNA statement 'All For One. One For All' stitched in two places" (
Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 8/8). ESPN.com's Paul Lukas wrote, "This feels like a Nike design, primarily because of the typography, which is rendered in a custom font full of angles and points and hard-edged negative space." It "feels like something from a college football uniform, or maybe a from a video game." Lukas gives the white design a B-, as the typeface is "all one big thud, with no grace or elegance." It is "not a terrible uniform, but not a great one either." Lukas: "This new redesign feels like a wash." Meanwhile, Lukas graded the wine design a C+, writing it "feels like a significant downgrade." The blue numbers will be "hard to make out, and the longer 'Cleveland' lettering just means there's more of that typeface to contend with" (
ESPN.com, 8/7).
POINT OF EMPHASIS: The Cavaliers used highlights of G Kyrie Irving to promote their new uniforms despite his request for a trade, and ESPN's Mike Greenberg said, "All that has happened is he's gone to the owner ... and said he would like to be traded. He's still a member of the team. If they want to use his likeness, he’s one of the biggest stars in the world.” ESPN’s Mike Golic said, “If this decision was made after he requested a trade, you don't think there is anything involved in it that says, ‘Let's show him love here?' Everybody would imagine it would be LeBron being used, let's use Kyrie. You don't think that was the thought process at all?” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN2, 8/8).
