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Cavs: Franchise icons fill the Cavaliers’ All-1990s Team

By Josh Cornelissen

Larry Nance, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Larry Nance, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images /
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Terrell Brandon, Cleveland Cavaliers. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport /

Cavs’ All-1990s Team: G – Terrell Brandon

In the 1991 NBA Draft, armed with the 11th overall pick, the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted point guard Terrell Brandon. Likely seen as insurance if Mark Price couldn’t recover from his knee injury, Brandon settled in as Price’s backup for a few years. In 1995-95 he started in Price’s absences and the following year took the reigns when Price was traded to the Washington Bullets.

Brandon didn’t look back, averaging 19.3 points and 6.5 assists as the full-time starting point guard. He made his first of two consecutive All-Star teams, dazzling teams with his finishing and following in Price’s footsteps as an elite free-throw shooter. Defensively he was a magnet for steals and leveraged his athleticism to be an impact player on a pair of successful Cavs teams as a starter.

In a league where the elite point guards of the 1980s and early 1990s were fading and a new generation hadn’t yet stepped into their place (and no one liked John Stockton for some reason), Brandon stood out more than he otherwise would have. Sports Illustrated granted him their cover spot, anointing him the “Best Point Guard In the NBA” in February of 1997.

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This title didn’t really hold water then, with Stockton and Gary Payton around, but it highlights just how well Brandon played for the Cavs in the middle of the decade. Cleveland parlayed his success into a trade for Shawn Kemp in 1997, just seven months after the cover story.

His combination of offense and defense acquitted itself well looking back on his time in Cleveland, and his 16.7 points per 100 possessions above a replacement player (Value over Replacement Player, or VORP) was second in the decade behind just Price. The Cavs were blessed with two of the best point guards of the decade.