10 Years ago today (Tues) the Cleveland Cavaliers opened their brand new practice facility – The Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence. Now the team and the clinic have signed another decade long partnership.
Being the official medical provider for the Cavaliers means helping injured players but Cavs CEO Len Komorowski says when it’s the world famous Cleveland Clinic it can attract players.
“It really becomes a point of competitive separation for us relative to the rest of the NBA.”
Team General Manager Koby Altman can quickly tick off ways the Clinic helped players including new Cavalier Jeff Green, who underwent heart surgery in Cleveland back when he was a Boston Celtic.
“The Clinic took care of him and do you think he feels positive about coming back to Cleveland? That’s because of the clinic.”
For the Clinic Chief of Staff Brian Donley, the partnership turns out to be a lot of work
“I will tell you it’s more than we thought. We didn’t realize – but we’re incredibly happy – that its takes us into June for the last several years, that responsibility.”
That’s because the Cavs made the Finals the last 3 years.
Former team physician Doctor John Bergfeld says the Clinic partnership is a lot different than when he started
“Then I was a doctor and that was it, and a trainer. And we worked together but we didn’t have marketing contracts. We didn’t have a contract – it was a handshake.
Bergfeld says hospitals suddenly realized they could advertise the fact that they treat professional sports teams.
The Clinic Courts features a very cold cryotherapy chamber and an underwater treadmill for players. Doctor John Bergfeld says the field has come a long way since the 1980’s when he was team physician.
“For one the facility, if you just take the physical facility, because we were all over the place. And the innovation that’s occurred, the evolution. The cryotherapy- well we used to put an icepack on something. And now sports medicine has made gigantic leaps. “
Cavs officials called Bergfeld the father of sports medicine. He was given a lifetime award from the NFL for his work with the Browns.