Top 10 Favorite Cavaliers of All-Time

[SVC]

The team with Bron. The rest of the team is basically a wash, but Bron makes that team easily better.

 

[JayDD1972]

Great topic! In no order...

LeBron - He may not be popular this month but there will be a statue in front of the Q someday.

Z - I worked at the Channel 3 sports desk when he was a rookie. Met him through there, and I'm pretty sure a package I helped put together was the first use of his nickname.

Varejao - I was into international hoops around that time, and Brazil was awesome. I was thrilled when the Cavs traded for him and he gave us a great career.

Love - Underappreciated during his run so far, but he chose to stay and cemented his place on my list. My uncle had a good parallel: He's what we all hoped Danny Ferry would be.

Delly - I loved watching him at St. Mary's. They were on the local sports station all the time. Sometimes you just know - that guy is going to be taking people's jobs.

Mark Price - He was such a relatable superstar, especially in Cleveland. Watching him drop over 20 with all those assists made every kid rocking a Super Cuts side part think they had a shot.

Larry Nance Sr. - He was the only elite athlete on those 1980s teams. He had the jaw dropping plays but became a solid jump shooter as he aged. I wore knee high socks when I played in his honor.

Brad Daugherty - Doesnt want to be linked to the franchise too much now, but when he was healthy he was the key to the Cavs turnaround. Just a beautiful back to the basket game.

Bobby Phills - He was the Delly story before Delly. Also a tremendous athlete, but a true two way player who played smart basketball. Still one of the most senseless losses. Yet another reason to hate David Wesley.

Kevin Restani - Who, you ask? He was a backup power forward who bounced around the league. He also worked as Dean of Students at one of my first teaching gigs. He loved tossing back a few, buying people shots of Rumpleminz, and talking about what the NBA was like in the late 70s and early 80s. He passed away in an old timers league game, RIP.

I didnt know Brad doesnt want to be linked to the Cavs? Never knew there was bad blood there. Good list! Yeah, no matter the feelings toward Lebron right now, he should always be number 1.

 

[JayDD1972]

I agree this is fun

Top 10

1. Bobby Phills... Was there any doubt here? He worked himself up from last player on the bench to a legit starter and I always appreciated his effort.
2. Larry Nance Sr... The guy wasn't a superstar but I guarantee every team in the league wanted him on their squad
3. Mark Price... Nuff said
4. LeBron... He was a pleasure to watch. What an amazing player and might be the best to ever play the game
5. Zyrdrunas... He's a nice guy on and off the court. A loyal Cavalier. Fought back from career threatening injuries to his feet. What's not to like?
6. Ron Harper... Should have never traded him. The Cavs had something brewing with him Price/Daugherty/Nance/Hot Rod
7. Terrell Brandon... All around good player. Floor general. I just enjoyed watching him play
8. Kevin Love... I love how he rebounds from below the rim.
9. Ricky Davis... He was crazy. He shot at his own basket to get the rebound and a triple double. But he was the only thing worth watching on those dreadful teams
10. Andre Miller... He just went out there and did his business and his best years with the Cavs


Not Top 10
1. Carlos Boozer... I mean can anyone else top this list?
2. Danny Ferry... We traded Harper for him? C'mon!
3. Eric Snow... Literally could not do anything
4. Bobby Sura... He flat out pissed me off. Cocky attitude when he did nothing to earn it
5. Dion Waiters... AND ONE!
6. Omri Casspi... He was the late 2000's version of Bobby Sura
7. DeSagana Diop... The guy shouldn't have even been drafted let alone in the top 10. It was painful watching him attempt to play basketball
8. Lester Hudson... He had like 3 good game and was already working on his HoF induction speech
9. Trajan Langdon... 2nd Alaskan on this list. He's not an asshole like the first one but this assassin didn't come anywhere close to his mark
10. Mike Sanders... The mid 80s small forward version of Eric Snow.

Lol, Mike Sanders. I always think if we would have upgraded the SF positiom back then we may have beat the Bulls.

 

[JayDD1972]

1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
2. Hot Rod Williams (had plastic action figure and card)
3. Andre Miller (watched him play at U. of U. while living in UT).
4. Ron Harper (had a giant poster of him).
5. Sasha Pavlovic
6. Brad Daugherty
7. Larry Nance Sr.
8. Delonte West (always hoped he would get his shit together)

Two for whacky characters

9. Edgar Jones (for quotes alone)

"All talent has limitations, and I don't have any."

"I didn't develop. I evolved. First, I was a defensive specialist. Then I incorporated the shot-blocking and then threw the dunking and jump-shooting into the mix. I came up with a dominating, exterminating, germinating, postulating machine.''

“I’m not talking any more. That’s it. No more words. It’s over. Wanna know the deal? Mum is the word here. My game talks and conversation walks. It’s just that I’m basically a quiet guy who keeps to himself. I don’t like to talk.”

10. Derrick Chievous: (From the PD) "Nicknamed "Mis-Chievous." Wore a bandage on various parts of his body for no apparent reason. Often the first player in the locker room before a game, he would put on a teammate's jersey and lie down in front of his locker, again for no apparent reason. Once had Paul Mokeski autograph a pair of Mokeski's shoes, then wore them during the game, even though they were the wrong size. Took some journalism courses at Missouri and always reminded reporters he knew as much about the profession as they did. Who knows? Maybe he did."

Damn man, Lebron didnt even sniff your list, lol

 

[Phills14]

Team A wins 100 times out of 100

 

[Scholar]

I didnt know Brad doesnt want to be linked to the Cavs? Never knew there was bad blood there. Good list! Yeah, no matter the feelings toward Lebron right now, he should always be number 1.

Nonsense, this is a favorites list. It is not a best player to wear the uniform list. As I have already stated, I don't like the person Mr James is. The Drama Queen has too much baggage. So, he is not one of my favorites, let alone my most favorite.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

The lot of ya are making me feel old as your lists are devoid of "Miracle" players. Hard for me seeing lists without Bobby "Bingo" Smith and Austin Carr. I can still hear in my head Joe Tait shouting "Bingo for three". Anyways, in no particular order, Bingo Smith, Austin Carr, Nate Thurmond, Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, Andy Varejao, Kevin Love, Delly, Z. Honorable mentions: Kyrie Irving, Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye, Baron Davis. There is no Lebron because I truly don't like the "person" Mr James is. He is an amazing basketball player when he wants to be but, He is such a friggin drama queen. He is responsible for some of the very best and very worst basketball that I have seen out of the Cavaliers.

A man after my own heart, BUT here are my Top 10 Players:
1. Bron, because he brought me the championship I waited a whole life for.
2. Price - His development turned the Cavs into a contender in the late 80s.
3. Austin Carr - Mr. Cavalier. Embraced the franchise, the city, and the fans.
4. World B. Free - Fond memories of the Cavs' return to the playoffs in 1985. He was a legend.
5. Bingo Smith - A monster during the Miracle run. Money from deep, before the 3-point line was a thing.
6. Daugherty - Solid in the middle, until his back gave out. Humble guy who didn't need notariety.
7. Delly - Did everything he could to win us a title in 2015, driving himself to dehydration.
8. Nance - Another humble guy who gave his all for years. Always wish we had traded KJ for a SF, though.
9. Campy Russell - I remember him the most, from Joe Tait's calls on the radio in the late 70s.
10. Jim Chones - Our best player, during the Miracle year.

Honorable Mention
11. Frye
12. RJ
13. Cedi

Favorite CAVALIER of all time: JOE TAIT.

Sentimental Favorites:
1. Edgar Jones
2. Ben Poquette
3. Foots Walker
4. Dinner Bel Mel
5. The Bagman

Players I used to Like
1. Kyrie
2. JR

 

[JayDD1972]

Nonsense, this is a favorites list. It is not a best player to wear the uniform list. As I have already stated, I don't like the person Mr James is. The Drama Queen has too much baggage. So, he is not one of my favorites, let alone my most favorite.

Alright man, damn.

 

[BankShot]

I already did my 10 favorite, but here is my all time Cavs team:

1st team
C Daughtery
PF Love
SF LBJ
SG Harper
PG Kyrie

2nd team
C Big Z
PF Nance Sr
SF Mitchell
SG Carr
PG Price

 

[stowfan]

I already did my 10 favorite, but here is my all time Cavs team:

1st team
C Daughtery
PF Love
SF LBJ
SG Harper
PG Kyrie

2nd team
C Big Z
PF Nance Sr
SF Mitchell
SG Carr
PG Price

What a drop off. lol

 

[bleedwineandgold03]

1. kyrie Irving
2. lebron James
3. Matthew dellavedova
4. Anderson varejao
5. Bobbie Gibson
6. ilgauskas
7.kevin love
8. eric snow
9. Collin Sexton ( hes going to be a beast have a feeling)
10. Larry nance jr

 

[col63onel]

10. Tyrone Hill
9. Brevin Knight
8. Mark Price
7. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
6. Larry Nance
5. LeBron James
4. Kyrie Irving
3. Matthew Dellavedova
2. Ron Harper
1. Brad Daugherty

edit - Honorable mention to Kevin Love, Michael Cage, Terell Brandon and Craig Ehlo

 

[Phills14]

Michael Cage

really?

I never knew this until it was published on bball reference, but apparently his nickname was John Shaft? That's friggin great

 

[col63onel]

really?

I never knew this until it was published on bball reference, but apparently his nickname was John Shaft? That's friggin great

He just moved up to #6 after that

 

[1B4IGO]

I was tempted to put Jiri Welsh on my list.