Cavaliers welcome back Wayne Embry

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Wayne Embry now jokes about the decision that shaped the Cavaliers for years and sealed his legacy.

Embry, who guided the Cavs through some of the franchise's most successful seasons, was honored by the club Tuesday night as part of a black heritage celebration, along with former Ohio State football stars Archie Griffin and Eddie George, plus NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, who played for Cincinnati.

Through trades and drafts as Cleveland's general manager and president from 1986-99, Embry turned the Cavaliers into a perennial power in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs were solid-not-spectacular teams, and went deep into the playoffs but never won an NBA title.

Plain Dealer

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Wayne Embry did not leave the Cavaliers on the best of terms.

After 13 years with the organization, overseeing some of its most successful seasons as team president and general manager, Embry was fired by Gordon Gund on Memorial Day weekend in 1999 following several difficult years.

But fences have been mended and Embry will be back tonight when the Cavs honor him on Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Night as part of the team's Black Heritage Celebration.

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