Top 5 Players To Play For The Cleveland Cavaliers In Franchise History
By Joseph Jones
The Cavs don’t have the most storied history in the NBA, and while times are good now, Cleveland’s history is filled with a lot of heartache and bad basketball. But hey, they’ve only been around since 1970, and things couldn’t be better with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on board.
Here’s the top 5 players who have played for the Cavaliers. This list is subjective, numbers aren’t everything, sometimes. So if you disagree with any of these, let me know in the comment section.
5. Austin Carr
Going into their second NBA season in 1971, the Cavs were hapless. Their inaugural seasons saw them limp to a 15-67 mark. There were only 17 teams in the NBA back then, and yet the Cavs owned the worst record by 7.0 games!
Despite some lousy basketball in their first season, their poor record helped them attain the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 NBA Draft. The selection yielded Austin Carr out of Notre Dame.
Carr was a great player, but the scary thing is, he might’ve been even better if not for a knee injury he sustained in 1974. Even with that injury, which required surgery, Carr returned and his scoring prowess never disappeared.
Carr averaged 16.2 points, 2.9 assists and 3.0 rebounds in his nine seasons with the Cavs, who retired his number (34). He’s also a prominent name in the Cavs record book, via NBA.com.
"Carr remains the franchise leader in field goals made and attempted and ranks second in points scored. He also ranks among the franchise leaders in free throws made and attempted (4th), steals (4th) and minutes played (4th)."
He was a blue-collar player who brought grit and toughness to the court as he played nine seasons for the Cavs and then went on to play for the Washington Bullets and Dallas Mavericks for a career total of 11 seasons. He helped the Cavs to three playoff appearances and was a part of the “Miracle at Richfield,” a game that’s been elevated to legendary status in Cleveland sports lore.
He currently works as a color commentator for Fox Sports Ohio alongside Fred McLeod. He’s also employed as the Director of Community Relations. He’s known as “Mr. Cavalier,” and has become synonymous with catch phrases such as “Get that weak stuff out of here,” when the Cavs block a shot, Or there’s “He hits it Deep in the Q” when they hit a 3-pointer. There’s also my personal favorite: “There’s a breeze in the building,” when the opponent shoots an air ball.