Top Five Cavs Shooting Guard Of The Gund/Q Era
To commemorate twenty seasons of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball at Quicken Loans arena, King James Gospel is looking at the best in various categories during that span. Today we look at the top five shooting guards for the Cleveland Cavaliers during The Gund/Q Arena era. Last year finished up the Cavs 20th season in their hallowed arena.
Before we get started I’d like to address why Ricky Davis and Larry Hughes, two of the more prominent Cavs shooting guards of the last twenty years, were left of the list. In both cases it came down to the types of players they were during their time in Cleveland.
Davis was a selfish gunner, who cared far more about his stats than helping his team win. He was notoriously bad in the locker room and had to be shipped out during LeBron James’s rookie season to get him away from the future king. High scoring totals do not make up for that.
Hughes was simply an underachiever during his time with the Cavaliers. Constantly hurt, Hughes was never quite the defender many though he was. He was also a poor fit next to James on the offensive end. The Cavaliers were lucky to be able to get out from under his massive contract.
Now, without further ado, here are the top five Cavalier shooting guards of the last twenty years.
While it may seem like a surprise that a player who was never a regular starter made a list like this, it all comes down to Game Six of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. On that night Gibson scored 31 points on 7 of 9 field goals, including 5 of 5 from three, to help lead the Cavaliers past the Detroit Pistons and into the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. A huge fan favorite, Gibson played all seven of his seasons in the NBA with the Cavaliers and shot 40.7% from three during that time, but he’ll always be remembered for that epic Game Six.
Signed in 2009 to help the Cavaliers win an NBA championship, Parker played three seasons with the team before retiring in 2012. During his time in Cleveland, Parker was a very good shooter and solid defender, but his biggest benefit may have been as a voice in the locker room. Parker was the consummate professional and, after LeBron James left for the Miami Heat, was arguably the leader of the team. One of the smartest players the Cavaliers have had, Parker was truly underrated.
A forgotten Cavalier from the time between the Price-Daugherty and LeBron James eras, Person was the Cavs’ starting shooting guard for five seasons from 1997 to 2002. A tremendous shooter who averaged 12 PPG and shot 42.2% from deep during his stint in Cleveland, Person had the longest tenure at shooting guard of any player during the Q Era.
While both of these players are undoubtedly talented enough to make the top five individually, I put them together due to the short time they have been in Cleveland thus far, as well as the fact that they came to the Cavaliers together from the New York Knicks. Regardless of who is in the starting lineup this season, both Shumpert and Smith are big parts of a Cavaliers team that has a real chance to win the NBA Championship. In a few years, when we look at the top Cavalier shooting guards during twenty-five years at Quicken Loans Arena, both men may be high on this list.
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He only played two and a half seasons in Cleveland, never posted a PER above league average, and dealt with mental health issues and problems with the law, but Delonte West is the best shooting guard the Cleveland Cavaliers have had in the last twenty years. An intelligent, hard-nosed player who could play both positions, West was the consummate glue guy. His ability to handle the ball, shoot, and defend at a high level were critical parts of some of the best teams in Cavalier history. It’s a shame that West never truly got the help he needed when he was playing and was out of the league before he turned 30. He was a really special player.
And there you have it, the top five Cleveland Cavalier shooting guards during the Q Era. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below!