Cleveland Cavaliers: Ranking the Best Players by Position in Team History

The Cleveland Cavaliers began as one of three expansion teams to join the NBA in 1970-71, along with the Buffalo Braves and Portland Trail Blazers.

Nick Mileti, the original owner of the team, turned to an untested coach—University of Minnesota head coach Bill Fitch—to lead the franchise into the NBA. Cleveland got the seventh overall pick in the 1970 draft and used it on Iowa forward John Johnson—a solid player who would go on to win a title with the Seattle SuperSonics—but not a star. The expansion draft yielded a five-time All-Star in guard Don Ohl from the Atlanta Hawks and a former All-Star in forward Len Chappell from the Milwaukee Bucks. Ohl retired, however, rather than report to the Cavaliers and Chappell was waived early in the inaugural season. The best player to come out of the expansion draft was swingman Bingo Smith, who would play a key role as the team rose to respectability in the mid-1970s.

The Cavaliers didn’t reach the .500 mark until their sixth season, 1975-76, when Cleveland won 49 games and won the Central Division title, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling in six games to the eventual champion Boston Celtics. Fitch earned Coach of the Year honors for his work in turning a 15-67 expansion team into a conference finalist. The 67 losses are still a team record for futility, one that was matched by the 1981-82 squad.

Fitch was fired after the 1978-79 season and the next year, original owner Nick Mileti sold the club to minority owner Joe Zingale, who a few months later sold to advertising magnate Ted Stepien. The arrival of Stepien launched a dark era in franchise history, one that is still felt in the NBA today.

Stepien’s goal was to build a contender immediately, but he spent superstar money on role players such as Scott Wedman, James Edwards and Bob Wilkerson. But it was the trades Stepien made that eventually led to what is known today as “the Stepien rule,” an NBA policy that a team can’t trade its first-round draft picks in consecutive years without NBA approval. Under Stepien’s watch, the Cavaliers at one point traded away their first-round picks from 1982-91. One of the deals brokered with new owners George and Gordon Gund, who bought the team in 1983, was to award the Cavaliers compensatory first-round draft picks in order to better facilitate the rebuilding of the franchise.

Those picks helped the team assemble a contender in the late 1980s and early 1990s under coach Lenny Wilkens. The Cavaliers made the playoffs eight times in a nine-year stretch from 1988-96, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 1992 before losing to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

The Cavs bottomed out again in the early 21st century, culminating with a 17-65 season in 2002-03 that earned them the most balls in the lottery. Cleveland won the lottery and the rights to local prep phenom LeBron James, who hailed from nearby Akron. Within four seasons, James had led Cleveland to its first NBA Finals in 2007, although they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

The Cavaliers won 66 games in 2008-09, a franchise record, and 61 in 2009-10, but were unable to make a return to the Finals. James famously left as a free agent in the summer of 2010 and Cleveland has struggled since, winning just 64 games over the last three seasons.

In 43 seasons, the Cavaliers have reached the playoffs just 18 times, and not at all since a five-year run of postseason play from 2006-10.

So who are the best players by position in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers?

NOTE: Players must have appeared in 250 regular-season games with the franchise to be considered for this list.

LeBron James, picked No. 1 overall by the Cavaliers in 2003, is the franchise’s all-time leader in points and steals. (Flickr.com/Keith Allison)

Small Forward: LeBron James (2003-10)

Sports Illustrated had plunked LeBron James on its cover while he was still in high school and when James opted to skip college and enter the 2003 NBA Draft, he was the most coveted player to come into the NBA in a generation. The Cavaliers got the first overall pick and took James, who helped turn the franchise around.

James won back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards as a Cavalier in 2008-09 and 2009-10, as well as taking Rookie of the Year honors in 2003-04. He was a six-time All-Star while in Cleveland and made six All-NBA teams, including first-team notice four times. He also was the All-Star Game MVP in both 2006 and 2008 and was named twice to the All-Defensive first team. While with the Cavaliers, James led the NBA in scoring in 2007-08 and in minutes per game in 2004-05. In his last three seasons in Cleveland, he led the league in player efficiency rating, while topping the NBA in win shares in his final two seasons with the Cavs.

In seven years in Cleveland, James averaged 27.8 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game.

He is the franchise’s all-time leader with 15,251 points and 955 steals and is also second with 771 3-pointers and 3,810 assists, fourth with 3,861 rebounds and 482 blocked shots and tied for seventh with 548 games. His 40.3 minutes per game and 27.8 points per game are also franchise records and he ranks third with 1.7 steals per game and fifth with seven assists per game. His 26.9 PER is Cleveland’s highest, as are his 31.9 usage percentage, 103.3 win shares and .224 win shares per 48 minutes.

James holds Cavalier single-season records for minutes played (3,388 in 2004-05), points (2,478 in 2005-06), minutes per game (42.5 in 2005-06), points per game (31.4 in 2005-06), PER (31.7 in 2008-09), usage percentage (33.8 in 2008-09), win shares (20.3 in 2008-09) and win shares per 48 minutes (.318 in 2008-09).

One of James’ most memorable games for Cleveland was a 50-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist night against the New York Knicks in 2008:

In July 2010, James was dealt to the Miami Heat as part of a sign-and-trade agreement in exchange for a first-round pick in 2013, second-round picks in 2011 and 2012, a future first-rounder and a trade exception. James has taken the Heat to three straight NBA Finals and led them to two straight titles.

Apologies to: Campy Russell, Mike Mitchell, Chris Mills, Phil Hubbard.

Power Forward: Larry Nance (1988-94)

Larry Nance came to Cleveland in a 1988 trade with the Phoenix Suns.

Larry Nance was part of a trade that helped both sides when he came to the Cavaliers in February 1988 along with Mike Sanders and a 1988 first-round pick from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Kevin Johnson, Tyrone Corbin, Mark West, first- and second-round picks in 1988 and a second-rounder in 1989.

What Nance did was prove to be the missing piece that made a good team into a very good—almost great—one. Nance was a two-time All-Star in Cleveland and was twice named to the All-Defensive team.

In parts of seven seasons for the Cavaliers, Nance averaged 16.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game while shooting 53 percent from the floor.

Nance is third all-time in Cleveland history with 1,087 blocked shots and is also sixth with 3,561 rebounds and eighth with 7,257 points. His 53.0 field-goal percentage is the franchise’s third-best mark and he is the franchise’s all-time leader with 2.5 blocks per game.

Nance’s 243 blocked shots and 3.0 blocks per game in 1991-92 are Cavalier single-season records.

Here are some of Nance’s career highlights:

After being limited to 33 games in 1993-94 because of knee injuries, Nance retired in September 1994 after 13 seasons in the league.

Apologies to: Drew Gooden, Hot Rod Williams, Tyrone Hill, Jim Brewer.

Center: Brad Daugherty (1986-94)

Brad Daugherty was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Cavs.

The night before the 1986 NBA Draft, the Cavaliers dealt Roy Hinson to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Using the pick on North Carolina center Brad Daugherty worked out well for Cleveland.

Daugherty was a five-time All-Star and was All-NBA in 1991-92, leading the league in true shooting percentage at 63.5 percent in 1992-93.

In eight seasons with the Cavaliers, Daugherty averaged 19 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 53.2 percent from the floor.

Daugherty is second in franchise history with 5,227 rebounds and is also third with 10,389 points, sixth with 2,028 assists, seventh with 397 blocked shots, tied for seventh with 548 games and 10th with 422 steals. His 53.2 field-goal accuracy is second in Cavaliers history, while his 9.5 rebounds per game is third and his 19 points sixth.

Daugherty’s 63.5 true shooting percentage in 1992-93 is a team single-season record, as is his 125.3 offensive rating that season.

Here are some of Daugherty’s career highlights:

Daugherty’s career was cut prematurely short at age 28 due to a herniated lumbar disc suffered in February 1994. He missed all of the 1994-95 season and retired in the summer of 1995. Daugherty now works for ESPN as an analyst for the network’s NASCAR broadcasts.

Apologies to: Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jim Chones, Anderson Varejao, Mark West.

Shooting Guard: World B. Free (1982-86)

World B. Free, shown on a 1986 Fleer card, was one of the few bright spots in Cleveland in the early 1980s.

One of the few highlights from the early and mid-1980s for the Cavaliers was the scoring prowess of World B. Free, who came to Cleveland in December 1982 from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Ron Brewer.

Free was a scoring machine for the Cavs, even if he was a liability on the defensive end. In parts of four seasons in Cleveland, Free averaged 23 points and 3.9 assists per game.

Despite his relatively short stay in Cleveland, Free is 10th on the franchise’s all-time list with 6,329 points. His 23 points per game average is second in franchise history.

Here is a Free mix from his NBA career:

Unsigned as a free agent after the 1985-86 season, Free eventually signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in December 1986, returning to the team with which he started his career. The Cavaliers received a 1990 second-round pick as compensation for the signing. Free also played for the San Diego Clippers, the Warriors and the Houston Rockets in his 13-year career. He played briefly for the Miami Tropics in the U.S. Basketball League in 1987 and made a brief comeback in 1991 with that league’s Atlanta Eagles before retiring. Free is currently director of player development for the 76ers.

Apologies to: Austin Carr, Wesley Person, Bobby Phills, Craig Ehlo.

Point Guard: Mark Price (1986-95)

Mark Price, shown on a 1989 NBA Hoops card, is the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in assists.

Price was the other piece of the Cavaliers’ successful squad from the late 1980s and early 1990s to come from the 1986 draft. Price was taken in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks and traded to Cleveland on draft night for a 1989 second-round pick.

It turned out to be a great deal for the Cavs. Price was a four-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection, including one first-team nod in 1992-93, as a Cavalier. He also led the NBA in free-throw shooting twice, in 1991-92 (94.7 percent) and 1992-93 (94.8 percent).

In nine seasons with Cleveland, eight as a starter, Price averaged 16.4 points and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 90.6 percent from the free-throw line. His career 90.4 percent mark is second in NBA history behind only Steve Nash.

He is the Cavaliers all-time leader with 4,206 assists and 802 3-pointers. He is also second with 734 steals, fifth with 9,543 points and sixth with 582 games. He is also Cleveland’s all-time leader in free-throw shooting at 90.6 percent and his 40.9 3-point percentage is third in team history. He ranks fourth with 7.2 assists per game. His 59.1 true shooting percentage is the highest in Cavalier annals, as well.

Price’s 94.8 free-throw percentage in 1992-93 is a team single-season record.

Here are some highlights from Price’s career:

In September 1995, Price was traded to the Washington Bullets for a 1996 first-round pick. He also played for the Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic and retired after the 1997-98 season. Price was recently hired to work as an assistant to coach Steve Clifford with the Charlotte Bobcats this season and he has also been an assistant at the collegiate and NBA levels and a head coach in Australia, as well as a shooting consultant for both the Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks.

Apologies to: Jim Cleamons, Geoff Huston, Terrell Brandon, Foots Walker.