7 best second-round draft picks in Cavaliers history

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NEW YORK – 1987: Rod Strickland #11, Kenny Walker #7, Johnny Newman #4 and head coach Rick Pitino of the New York Knicks stand on the sideline as the crowd celebrates during an NBA game at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York in 1987. (Photo by: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

No. 5: Johnny Newman, 29th pick in 1986 Draft

We come to the first boomerang player on this list, someone who started his career with the Cavaliers and returned to the team later on. Johnny Newman was the 29th overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, entering the league after a highly-decorated career at Richmond.

The 6’7″ forward joined a stout Cavs team and played a frequent but small role as a rookie, playing in 59 games and averaging five points per contest. He wasn’t re-signed by Cleveland, so he signing as a free agent with the New York Knicks right at the start of the season in 1987.

Newman’s career blossomed from there, as he averaged double-digit scoring for the next seven years of his career. He became a full-time starter for the Knicks, then spent time in Charlotte, New Jersey, Milwaukee and Denver before finding his way back to Cleveland for the 1998-99 season.

For his career, Newman played an impressive 1,159 games for seven different NBA franchises. He is 62nd in NBA history for games played, the quintessential role player who made his way around the league.