The 13th greatest Cavalier of all-time is without a doubt, Daniel “Boobie” Gibson. The epitome of an NBA stud who doesn’t get enough playing time, Daniel has had a huge impact on the Cavaliers organization, and has always been a fan-favorite.

Gibson grew up in Texas, where he excelled at Jones High School. Averaging 25.5 points per game, he led his team to a 31-5 record, and won the Texas 4A State Championships his senior year. Daniel chose to continue his career with the Texas Longhorns, but he wouldn’t be there long. In the two seasons he played, he scored 935 points, and made 175 three pointers. In his sophomore season, he dropped nine 3’s in a game against Baylor, a Texas record.

On June 7th 2006, Boobie decided he would enter the NBA draft, and forgo his two years remaining of college eligibility. 22 days later, the Cavaliers drafted Daniel in the second round with the 42nd overall pick. Following a pre-draft workout with the Cavs in 2006, he cancelled all remaining workouts with any other teams and refused to work out for them prior to the draft. This potentially was the reason he fell to the 2nd round. He joined a Cleveland backcourt that that was dead last in scoring in the NBA.  That was about to change.

Mike Brown gave Gibson his first start in January of 2007 against the Golden State Warriors. Only 20 years old, he would start 15 more games for the Cavaliers that season. He shot 42% from behind the 3 point line, which led all rookies.  LeBron was 31% on the year.. ouch.

Daniel represented the Cavaliers on the Sophmore-squad in the 2008 Rookie vs. Sophmore challenge.  On a team with Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay, and Brandon Roy, playing against the likes of Kevin Durant and Al Horford.. Gibson was clearly the best player on the court.  Daniel shattered a record  by draining 11 three pointer's.  He scored 33 points, and brought home the MVP trophy.  Boobie and Zydrunas are the only Cavaliers to take home this award in the Rookie/Sophmore challenge.

 In the 2007 playoffs, he made a name for himself vs. the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals.  In Game 3 he came up big with 9 points and an important steal from Tayshaun Prince late in the 4th quarter. He followed that up with 21 points in Game 4, which came from only 7 field goal attempts. We all know what LeBron did taking over in Game 5. But Game 6 was Daniel Gibson’s turn to shine. He dropped a career high 31 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter.

He helped the Cavaliers become only the third team in NBA history to win a best-of-seven conference final after losing the first two games of the series. Not to mention, he helped propel the Cavs to their first ever NBA finals.

Daniel Gibson is an important piece to the Cavaliers franchise. Although he has seen a significant decrease in playing time over the last several years, he still remains a fan favorite. Gibson is known for having unique designs cut into his hair, and it does a pretty good job of separating him from the crowd. Oh, and he’s dating Keyshia Cole.

I’m still not sure why Mike Brown basically delegated him to the bench this year. Extremely frustrating. Brown probably viewed Gibson’s size as hindrance to the team’s defense, but that’s just ignorant. Danny Ferry was even quoted as saying, “Daniel Gibson is the best defensive guard on the team.”

Whomever the Cavaliers coach might be next year, he should take advantage of all the things that Gibson brings to the table. (Apparently it won’t be Tom Izzo) Let’s just hope he gets back into the rotation, and knocks down the countless 3’s that we all know he can hit. "Shoot it Boobie, Shoot it". You gotta love this guy.  LeBron certainly does.  Daniel “Boobie” Gibson is Underrated

                    

Let's be real: I have no grounds for making this pick.  Wesley Person sneaks in at #15 on my list.. and I'm not even really sure why.  It's my 22nd birthday today, so don't ask questions.  Wes was born in Alabama, and attended the University of Auburn.  He was well-regarded for his shooting ability, and was expected to be a 1st round draft pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. 

The Phoenix Suns saw something they liked in Person, and drafted him with the 24th overall pick.  He only played three forgettable seasons in Phoenix before the Cavaliers acquired him in 1997.  The Cavaliers saw a solid player and a great perimeter threat, and he was a key part of the 97-98 season.  That year happened to be his best statistical season, when he averaged 14.7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.53 steals a game.

Speaking of the 1997 season, this was pretty much Wesley's best as a professional basketball player.  He played in all 82 games, shot 43% from the 3 point line, and averaged 39 minutes a game.  His 3 point stroke was nothing to joke about: he led the league in both 3's made and attempted.  Playing alongside Wes Person that year was Brevin Knight, Danny Ferry, Shawn Kemp, Bob Sura, and a rookie named Zydrunas Ilgauskas.  In one of his best games that year, he scored 31 points.. coming off the bench.  When he was on, he was one of the best pure shooters in the Assocation.  Combine Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan, and you get Wesley Person.. sort of.

The Good News: that year we finished 47-35, and made the playoffs.  The Cavaliers were the best defensive team in the league.  The Bad News: the Cavaliers got bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs, losing 3 games to 1 to the Indiana Pacers.  Wesley finished the year second in scoring for Cleveland behind the legendary (I use the term lightly) Shawn Kemp. 

The Cavaliers and Wesley Person parted ways after the 2002 season.  He played with the Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, and Denver Nuggets before his playing days were over in 2005.  Clearly his best years were in Cleveland.

Wesley Person represents the good-old-Cavalier-days of the late 90's.  The man was a threat from behind the arc every time he touched the ball.  His career 3 point percentage was almost 42%.  Makes sense that he was selected to compete in multiple All-Star Weekend 3 point shootout contests.  Although he never did win one, his presence in the festivities made me proud to be a Cavaliers fan.  I'm not sure how he made it higher on the list than Terrell Brandon and Bobby Phills, but I think it's because I saw more of him.  He blossomed early and faded quickly, but he is still a Cavalier great.  LeBron never got the chance to dial-up Wesley, but he told me he wishes Wes-P had stuck around for a few more years.  It's true, Wesley Person is Underrated

                    

Danny Ferry made the list of my top 20 Cavaliers at #16, but oddly enough he is no longer with the organization. D-Ferry (or D-fairy depending on who you ask) was born in Maryland in 1966. Danny was a high school phenom, and was easily considered one of the best high school basketball athletes in the country in 1985. Danny gained national recognition when he was selected as Parade Magazine’s Prep Player of the Year. He was one of the most highly recruited seniors at the time, and he eventually committed to the Blue Devils of Duke University.

At Duke, Danny was pretty much a machine. He was renowned for his outside shooting, rebounding, and court-vision. Some even compared him to a young Larry Bird (a little bit of a stretch). He did however set a bunch of records while at Duke, and helped lead them to 3 Final Four appearances. Danny still holds Duke’s all-time single game scoring record, with 58 points in a game against Miami in 1988. Duke is a college powerhouse, and he cemented his legacy there ranking 5th in career points, and 5th in career rebounds.

He was also a consensus All-American, and earned a Naismith College Player of the Year award. You should be getting the picture: Danny was the man. He was one of the country’s most popular players in the country, and he was near the top on most team’s draft boards. Duke even retired his #35 jersey at the end of his senior season.

Danny was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 2nd overall pick in the 1989 draft. Danny knew the history of their terrible franchise, and indicated that he would not play for them. The Clippers sent him overseas to Italy where he played one season averaging 23 points and 6 rebounds. Before he played a game for the Los Angeles, the Cavaliers acquired him along with Reggie Williams in exchange for Ron Harper, and two 1st round draft picks. The Cavs were willing to give up a good deal to get him, but they had faith he would be worth it. 

Danny’s Ferry time in a Cleveland uniform was solid. He spent 10 years as a Cavalier, playing in a franchise-record 723 record games (until Zydrunas broke it), and averaged 7.8 points and 3 rebounds in 20 minutes a game. His best season came playing alongside other top 20 cavaliers Terrell Brandon and Bobby Phills, where he averaged 13 points and 4 rebounds in 32 minutes a game.

At 6 foot 10 inches and 230 pounds, Danny was a legitimate NBA power forward and gave the Cavaliers that token white-guy you could easily root for. Although many would argue he never became the type of star the Cavaliers were hoping for, he was still a solid Cavalier and remained loyal to the franchise.

Danny left Cleveland in 2000 and signed with the San Antonio Spurs. After a few uneventful seasons, he retired and joined their front office from 2003-2005. He directed all basketball operations and was very active in the draft and free agency market.

The Cavaliers offered Danny a chance to return as a GM for the franchise he played 10 seasons for, when he was offered a 5 year contract worth $10 million dollars in 2005. Danny’s management career in Cleveland started off a little shaky, when he constructed the infamous signing of Larry Hughes. He rebounded quickly though, and started building our franchise to what he assumed would be a title contender.

He was the architect of the Shaquille O’ Neal sign-and-trade, the Antawn Jamison acquisition, and also bringing in Mo Williams. Unfortunately, we all know the story of the 2010 Cavaliers collapse. LeBron is on the fence about returning, and Danny turned in his resignation just about a week ago. Apparently he didn’t like the direction Dan Gilbert was taking this team. He also wasn’t in favor of the way the Cavaliers handled themselves during the regular season, and D-Ferry disapproved of the organization basically bending over backwards for every one of LeBron’s requests.

As such, he is no longer part of the franchise. Regardless, Danny is still a good guy.  I was once told, "You should start liking players for things they do off the court, because that means they are good people.." whatever that means.  He is a board member of Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights OH. He’s also a board member of Playing for Peace: a nonprofit organization that uses basketball to unite and educate kids around the world.  Danny, we thank you for your time in Cleveland and we wish you luck in the future.  The Sarah's would agree.. Danny Ferry is Underrated