The 7 Greatest Cavaliers in history, ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
Although the Cleveland Cavaliers do not have any players in the Hall of Fame whose careers were defined by their time in Cleveland, many players have made their mark on NBA history with The Land.
The modern NBA era cannot be discussed without naming various Cavaliers, from LeBron James to Donovan Mitchell. Past generations also remember the likes of Mark Price, World B. Free and more. Fans of the organization know the struggles and tribulations the Cavs have faced, but the highlights and legacies created along the way are unforgettable.
Using ESPN Columnist John Hollinger's advanced statistic Player Efficiency Rating (PER), ten Cavaliers stand above the rest. A player's PER is a measure of their performance per minute (adjusted for pace) with a consistent average of 15.00 across the league. The consistent average allows the statistic to help compare performances over the years.
With PER in mind, these are the seven players with the best PER as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers in franchise history.
7. Larry Nance, Sr. - 20.0
After being traded to the Cavaliers from the Phoenix Suns in the 1987-88 season, Larry Nance, Sr. adopted the team and city as his own, playing for Cleveland until his retirement in 1994. Nance earned two of his three All-Star appearances with the Cavaliers in 1989 and 1993. By the time he retired, Nance had three nominations to the NBA's All-Defense teams, as well.
The historic big man helped establish the Cavaliers as a threat to the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls throughout the early-to-mid- nineties. While Cleveland could never eclipse the Bulls' route to their first three-peat, Nance and his associates were one of the best and most memorable teams of the era. Nance's dominant post presence and elite defense gave every opponent a horrifying matchup in an era when physical bigs were in high demand.
Since his retirement, Nance has stuck around northeast Ohio and has been an adamant supporter of the franchise. His legacy resurfaced when his son Larry Nance, Jr. joined the Cavaliers for a few years. Cleveland unretired Nance's jersey to allow his son to wear the famed number 22 during his Cavs tenure.
Unsurprisingly, Nance will not be the only Cavalier from the nineties to appear on this list.