5 best players in Cleveland Cavaliers history who never made the All-Star Game

All-Star Snub No. 5 - Ron Harper

Ron Harper's tenure with the Cavaliers was cut short after a brash decision by then-owner Gordon Gund to trade Harper to avoid controversy, but his three-and-a-half seasons were enough to showcase the vast talent Harper brought to the league.

In his rookie campaign, Harper scored 22.9 points per night and added 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals, as well. Harper averaged at least 19 points in four seasons throughout the eighties and nineties, two decades that did not have as high of expectations for scoring to be an All-Star as the modern NBA has. While the rest of the listed Cavaliers were snubbed with reason, there is no real indication as to why Harper was never an All-Star even after leaving Cleveland.

Eventually, Harper ended up a key member of five championship teams with the Chicago Bulls, starting alongside Jordan for years. Somehow, Harper was never awarded a single All-Star appearance for his championship-winning efforts. The two-way threat did eventually make the Hall of Fame in 2007, but he was ignored during the span of his active time in the NBA. Harper is the closest exception to the lack of Cavaliers in Springfield, but again his prime seasons were spent outside of the Land.

The impact Harper showed with the Bulls highlighted the mistakes by Gund to ship him away. While there is no absolute answers to "what if" questions, Harper might have changed the course of history between the Cavs and Bulls in the playoffs if Gund had kept him around. Additionally, Harper would have had more of the spotlight in Cleveland rather than playing behind Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.

Ultimately, the Cleveland Cavaliers and their fans cannot rewrite history to award past players their well-deserved honors. Instead, all that can be done is appreciate and celebrate the present success Donovan Mitchell has brought to this generation of Cavalier greats. With Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland at his side, the Cavs have a bright future with current and rising stars for the foreseeable future.

All-Stars or not, Cleveland will not forget these names any time soon. They gave their respective arena crowds plenty of reasons to erupt in cheers and comradery over their careers. All-Star titles cannot change their impact on the franchise's history, big or small.