Recently, a poll on Rankeo.com asked fans to weigh in on who the best Cleveland Cavaliers players ever were, and the answers weren’t exactly surprising.
However, some very experienced Cavs fans may argue that there was a bit of recency bias in the responses.
As expected, LeBron James was voted the best Cavalier ever, after averaging 27.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game through two stints with the team.
Kyrie Irving, now with the Brooklyn Nets, finished second after putting up 21.6 points and 5.5 assists a game in six seasons with the Cavs. Kevin Love finished third in the polling.
The three combined to help Cleveland win its first and only NBA championship in 2016.
Some former Cavs players from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s rounded out the top 10. Mark Price, an All-Star point guard who played with the team in the late 1980s and early 1990s tied with Love for third in the polling.
Brad Daugherty, a five-time All-Star and the first overall pick of the 1986 NBA Draft, was fifth. Larry Nance Sr. the father of current Cavalier Larry Nance Jr., was voted seventh.
Price, Daugherty and the elder Nance combined to make Cleveland a force in the Eastern Conference back in their day but picked the wrong time to do so, as the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls were winning championships with iconic players such as Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
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