5 greatest players the Cleveland Cavaliers regret giving up on too soon
By John Suchan
No. 2- Bill Laimbeer
The Cavs drafted Bill Laimbeer back in 1979, but he didn't begin playing for them until 1980 because he decided to play in Europe first. When he started playing for the Cavaliers, he did a nice job. He primarily came off the bench in his first campaign but still averaged 30 minutes, 10 points and nine rebounds per game. His minutes and starts increased a bit over the next two seasons in Cleveland, but he never showed signs of being a star in the NBA like he would on the team that the Cavs eventually traded him to.
Little did the Cavs know at the time that once they traded Laimbeer to the Detroit Pistons in 1982 that he'd become a core member of that team for years to come. Laimbeer and the Pistons of that era included the likes of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman who became famously known as the "Bad Boys". Those teams won two NBA Titles in 1989 and 1990 . They played a rough brand of basketball where they encouraged intimidation of their opponents and Laimbeer was the ring leader of the group.
The Hall of Fame center showed potential with the Cavaliers, but unfortunately the franchise lacked the patience to realize Laimbeer's talent.
No. 3 - Carlos Boozer
Carlos Boozer was drafted by the Cavs in the second round of the 2002 draft out of Duke. He was solid forward on the team, starting and averaging a double double in his second season. It was thought the Boozer would be part of the core group of players surrounding a young LeBron James; however, the Cavaliers allowed him to become a restricted free agent after his rookie deal.
There is some controversy surrounding this move by the Cavs. It was reported at the time that the Cavs allowed him the restricted free agency status with the idea that Boozer would re-sign with Cleveland that summer. Instead, the Utah Jazz swooped in offered Boozer $70 million, and he took the money instead of staying in Cleveland and playing with James.
It left a bad taste in Cavs fans' mouths as it looked like Boozer got greedy. Villain or not, he went onto have success in Utah and later with the Chicago Bulls. If he had stayed in Cleveland, maybe that NBA Title run by the Cavaliers and James in 2007 would have turned out differently.