Cleveland Cavaliers: 15 greatest draft steals in franchise history
By John Buhler
- Seven seasons (2006-13)
- 397 career games
- 7.8 points, 2.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds per game
Daniel Gibson spent his entire seven-year NBA career with the team that drafted him No. 42 overall in the 2006 NBA Draft out of the University of Texas. Gibson was the Big 12’s Freshman of the Year in 2005, making All-Big 12 Third Team both years in Austin and was an all-conference defensive player in his sophomore season with the Longhorns in 2006.
After two years playing in burnt orange in the Big 12, Gibson decided to forgo his final two years of collegiate eligibility to enter the NBA Draft. While he would have to wait until the second round to be drafted, Gibson did carve out a solid rotational role during the final years of the first LeBron James era in Cleveland.
Gibson played in 60 games as a rookie in 2006-07, starting 16 of them. While his 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game didn’t help him make an All-Rookie team, Gibson really came on in the ensuing postseason. He played in 20 playoff games for the 2006-07 Cavaliers, averaging 8.3 points per game in 20.1 minutes per contest, as Cleveland made its first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history.
Though the result was not what Northeast Ohio wanted, Gibson would be a big part of the Cavaliers’ rotation for the next three seasons before James took his talents to South Beach. Twice did Gibson average over 10 points per game. He did it for the first time as a second-year player in 2007-08 with 10.4 and then set a career high the year after James left with 11.6 points per game in 2010-11.
Despite being a promising second-round pick out of Texas, Gibson unfortunately washed out of the league before his late 20s. He last played for the Cavaliers in 2012-13 where he averaged 5.4 points, 1.8 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game in 20.0 minutes per contest. Injuries and personal issues led to Gibson being out of the NBA during the first few years of Kyrie Irving’s start as a pro in Cleveland.
Regardless of how of he was out of the league before he turned 27 years old, Gibson cracks this all-time list for a few reasons. He spent his entire seven-year NBA career with the Cavaliers, he helped Cleveland make its first trip to the NBA Finals. Gibson did this as a rotational player that initially went to the franchise at No. 42 overall back in 2006.