9 Cleveland Cavaliers that never played a single minute
No. 2 – Charles Oakley
One of the definitional teams of the 1990s was the New York Knicks, a defensive juggernaut with Patrick Ewing in the middle. They made it to two NBA Finals and were a brick wall in the path of Eastern Conference contenders for the entire decade. Key to their identity was Charles Oakley.
The bruising power forward was the enforcer on those teams, playing a relatively small role on offense and knocking opponents around as a rebounder and interior defender. He was an underrated passer as well, and rightfully earned an All-Star berth in 1994.
Way back before he was thumping heads for the Knicks, Oakley was drafted ninth overall in the 1985 Draft by none other than the Cleveland Cavaliers. The first half of the 1980s were a dark time for the Cavs with owner Ted Stepien trading away pick after pick, and even when Stepien was gone and the Cavs had the chance to use their own first-round pick they traded it after the draft anyway.
Oakley was sent to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Keith Lee (the 11th pick) and young point guard Ennis Whatley. The pair were out of the league in just a few seasons, while Oakley went on to play 19 seasons.