Cleveland Cavaliers Reveal New Uniforms for 2022-23

[OnWis97]

1 hour ago, Sport said:

Like the Jazz they've chosen non-design. I don't like this trend at all. 

 

The good and bad news is because this is the NBA they'll have six throwbacks, 11 alternates that don't use a single team color, and they'll change again in 2024 so it's barely worth discussing. 

You're the designer and I'm not, so...

I don't necessarily think they're non-design. In any case they're not nearly as bad as Utah's in my opinion. The black jersey is a steaming pile, but that's expected. I think the primaries are some neck/shoulder trim from being pretty good. I'm going to actually say that I like them.

 

They kinda took the 2014-2017 and stripped them tweaked them 13 times, all for the worse. The 2014-2017 home and road  make up my favorite primary set in NBA history. I loved it (and the yellow alt...but of course they gravitated toward the blue and black). While I still like these, they seem like unfinished throwaways from 2014.

[dont care]

23 minutes ago, CitizenTino said:

I disagree with the “they’re practice jerseys” sentiment. There’s a lot of detail, but the problem is that it’s probably too subtle to appreciate unless the uniforms are right in front of you. 
 

Adding a simple trim around the collar/shoulders or down the sides would have helped, and if they wanted to have a line through the numbers like the 90s, using a contrasting color would have been better, but otherwise, these are a big improvement from what they’ve worn the past 5 years.

Where are these “lots of details” they are plain jerseys and shorts with just a wordmark and logo on them. 

[8BW14]

I kinda like the tonal trim on the jersey and shorts. The C logo isn’t bad either. The rest of it, not so much. The logo and wordmarks don’t do anything for me and the shield is just way too slapdash and plain. The number font has waaay too many angles going on and the inclusion of black is offensive to me. If they insist on a third color it should have been navy blue.

[dont care]

6 minutes ago, OnWis97 said:

You're the designer and I'm not, so...

I don't necessarily think they're non-design. In any case they're not nearly as bad as Utah's in my opinion. The black jersey is a steaming pile, but that's expected. I think the primaries are some neck/shoulder trim from being pretty good. I'm going to actually say that I like them.

 

They kinda took the 2014-2017 and stripped them tweaked them 13 times, all for the worse. The 2014-2017 home and road  make up my favorite primary set in NBA history. I loved it (and the yellow alt...but of course they gravitated toward the blue and black). While I still like these, they seem like unfinished throwaways from 2014.

They are both cut from the same cloth. They only difference is one is black and white with yellow, the other is red and white with gold and black. 

[Bruhammydude]

So painfully bland it's not even funny. Should've kept the summer league uniforms

[OnWis97]

16 minutes ago, Sport said:

 

Yes the stakes are gone. Same reason I can't be moved to care about college football uniforms. They'll wear them once and change again next week. When the Pistons and Islanders dumped their dynasty looks for 90's teal it was a big deal because they went in with both feet, there was no guarantee they'd ever go back. If that happened today they would just be an alternate uniform and it wouldn't matter nearly as much.

 

I had sportscenter on last season, half paying attention while I looked at my phone, looked up at whatever NBA game was on and I literally didn't know what two teams I was watching. If they sell more jerseys as a result of the constant changing then I guess the math works for them and they don't care about damaging their brands' strength, but I don't have to like it as a fan of sports aesthetics. 

That's an interesting point that I haven't thought about...

 

It's weird to think that I miss how upset I was about the Pistons going to teal. Because it felt permanent, or at least indefinite. Does anyone really think the Jazz are going to stick with that crap they just introduced for the long haul? No. I hate it but as pro sports start acting like college sports, the uniforms become more plentiful and more forgettable.

 

I've also had the same thought about the watering down of the brand. I guess if enough fans are buying their team's city edition every year, then it works. It feels like it should be a zero-sum game (i.e., if I buy the city edition, I forgo the primary) but obviously, there are just enough people that will buy any jersey they like (from their team or just a really cool one from another team) so more jerseys leaves more possibility that Average Jersey-Loving Fan really likes one and buys one.  As you say, the math must work out but the branding just seems so watered down. They're sharing their space with advertisers, at any time the Celtics could be wearing uniforms that at first make you think they're Bulls, there's no immediate understanding of who's at home. Most fans don't buy jerseys but they do want to know who's playing...i know, score bugs, but they take them down for replays, etc. Smarter people than me have figured out that this is paying off, I guess. I don't like this approach to uniforms at all...teams should have an identity. If you have multiple identities, you have none.

[Sport]

5 minutes ago, OnWis97 said:

You're the designer and I'm not, so...

I don't necessarily think they're non-design. In any case they're not nearly as bad as Utah's in my opinion. The black jersey is a steaming pile, but that's expected. I think the primaries are some neck/shoulder trim from being pretty good. I'm going to actually say that I like them.

 

They kinda took the 2014-2017 and stripped them tweaked them 13 times, all for the worse. The 2014-2017 home and road  make up my favorite primary set in NBA history. I loved it (and the yellow alt...but of course they gravitated toward the blue and black). While I still like these, they seem like unfinished throwaways from 2014.

 

I guess I shouldn't have used "non-design" because doing nothing is still a design choice. I'm just over minimalism in lieu of actually trying something bold and then passing it off as "look how clean these are!" Yeah, they're clean, you invented a plain white tank top. Congratulations. 

[DEAD!]

All I can say is, Cleve-Bland

 

[BBTV]

From their site:

"IT’S A VERY CLEAN, REDUCTIVE, MODERN DESIGN THAT PAYS HOMAGE TO ALL OF THE PLAYERS AND FANS THAT HAVE BEEN A PART OF OUR TEAM’S REMARKABLE JOURNEY IN BECOMING WHO WE ARE TODAY.”

LOL WUT?  They're certainly "clean, reductive, and modern" (whether they're "good" is obviously subjective), but how the hell does it pay homage to all of the players and fans?  And what are they today?

Are they trying to say that by having a "CAVS" wordmark, the black C jersey, and keeping the wine and gold, that they're essentially keeping something from every era of the franchise?  That's the only way I can rationalize that statement.

[gosioux76]

I've always been a fan of less = more and simple is better than overly complex, but I'm with most of you in finding that this set and the Jazz rebrand are taking it a little too far.

 

I really liked the Brooklyn Nets set upon its unveiling, and still do, largely because of its simplicity. I also liked the post-LeBron Cavs uniform that also went super simple. I didn't think you could really strip those down much more, but they found a way. It's very confusing.

 

I think I said this when the Jazz unis came out, but they remind me a bit of the late '80s reversible practice jerseys that were standard during that era. 

[Carolingian Steamroller]

1 hour ago, Sport said:

Like the Jazz they've chosen non-design.

 

It's really interesting that the Jazz and Cavs both went with de-colored details from previous designs. That's a trend in itself.

[FroBroStudio]

It seems that the Cavs always do something right while doing something wrong. They bring back old gold and simplify their color palette to three - four colors (Wine, Old Gold, Black, White) but then simplify their jerseys to the point that its just a tank top (or a onesie) and remove elements like the sword that worked with their old logo. Even worse, in five years, Cleveland will probably change the look to something more suitable but make the branding worse or vice versa...

[gosioux76]

27 minutes ago, OnWis97 said:

I've also had the same thought about the watering down of the brand. I guess if enough fans are buying their team's city edition every year, then it works. It feels like it should be a zero-sum game (i.e., if I buy the city edition, I forgo the primary) but obviously, there are just enough people that will buy any jersey they like (from their team or just a really cool one from another team) so more jerseys leaves more possibility that Average Jersey-Loving Fan really likes one and buys one.  As you say, the math must work out but the branding just seems so watered down. They're sharing their space with advertisers, at any time the Celtics could be wearing uniforms that at first make you think they're Bulls, there's no immediate understanding of who's at home. Most fans don't buy jerseys but they do want to know who's playing...i know, score bugs, but they take them down for replays, etc. Smarter people than me have figured out that this is paying off, I guess. I don't like this approach to uniforms at all...teams should have an identity. If you have multiple identities, you have none.

 

This is an interesting thought.  Maybe it's not so much a design trend as a  reaction to what they do with the City Edition program , or even a way to draw more attention to it.  If your primary uniforms are super basic, then the City Editions are likely to stand out by contrast. 

 

If you look at a team's complete uniform program today, they have, what, at least four uniforms? If you look at them as a collection, rather than individual uniforms, there's likely to be some degree of balance -- from the simple to the complex, with threads that tie them together. 

 

I'd guess that for some teams, the City Editions and throwbacks already outsell any apparel related to their primary uniforms. So they strip the core uniforms down to their basest elements and lean into what has already become and alt-heavy league. 

 

EDIT: Just read the team's description of the uniforms.  I'm sure there are examples to the contrary, but I've only ever seen the word "reductive" used in a negative context. 

[Carolingian Steamroller]

1 hour ago, LA Fakers+ LA Snippers said:

If you look closely, there is trim on all 3 jerseys, they just are the same color as the base. It won't show up on TV, but it's something.

 

 

They took this identity and stripped it of everything that made it good:

 

 

 

If you look carefully at the high res photos of the actual uniforms the sublimated piping doesn't have quite the same proportions. The 2010's design had stripes that were 1-1-1-1-1 and this looks more like 1-1-3-1-1, sort of Northwestern-stripe-y.

https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/jerseys

 

Shorts seem tailored a little shorter than typical. I wonder if there's a template change coming down the road for the NBA and this is the Cavs getting ahead of it. 

 

[VampyrRabbit]

They aren't bad and the colour combo is really nice, but these uniforms are just bland. It feels like something is missing.

[PHXJerseyGuy]

Trim.  All this look needs is some semblance of trim (yes, I know there's trim elements the same color as the jersey, but I mean team-colored trim).

[CitizenTino]

1 hour ago, dont care said:

Where are these “lots of details” they are plain jerseys and shorts with just a wordmark and logo on them. 

Proprietary number font that now includes the line through the middle.

Silicone application for the gold.

Textured trim around the arm holes and collar.

V hoop logo hidden in the overlap in the side of the shorts.

Waistband logos.

 

If you don’t like those details, that’s fine. But they’re there.

 

 

[mattr1198]

Practice jerseys. Not offensive, but so boring compared to what they could be with a sleeve pattern and side design.

[colinturner95]

For all the times I called the Jaguars uniforms practice jerseys, I take it back. 

 

And unlike Utah, at least the Cavs stuck with a scheme with historical precedence. 

 

20 minutes ago, CitizenTino said:

Proprietary number font that now includes the line through the middle.

Silicone application for the gold.

Textured trim around the arm holes and collar.

V hoop logo hidden in the overlap in the side of the shorts.

Waistband logos.

 

It's not necessarily about liking those details, but the bolded ones are the only ones that are contrasting and not tonal. 

[-Akronite-]

In 2010 I remember seeing the new jerseys and feeling disappointed. But I felt that it was a good starting point for what could become a great uniform with some tweaks. Kinda funny that they took that uniform and made it look even simpler with this rebrand.

 

If the new gold pops in person, this could be alright. Still already prefer it to the muddled navy & generic elements of the last set. But yeah, I would've preferred the 03 side panels and/or some candy-cane trim.