It's a pretty big deal to make the Top 10 on LeBron James is Underrated's 20 greatest Cavaliers of all-time. Lamond Murray should feel honored. He played only a few years for the Cavaliers, but his time was appreciated.
Lamond played his college basketball at the University of California, alongside Jason Kidd. He was a solid scorer, great rebounder, and a physical presence for Cal. Kidd and Murray made for an exciting Golden Bears team to watch, and they made two consecutive NCAA tournaments. Lamond was somewhat overshadowed by phenom J-Kidd, but he was still a force and everyone knew he would be a 1st round draft pick.
Unfortunately, Murray's career was screwed right off the bat. He had the unfortunate experience of being dafted by the Clippers with the 7th overall pick in the 1994 draft. Nobody wants to play for the Clippers. So, he was essentially in basketball purgatory until 1999, when they mercifully traded him to Cleveland. The Cavaliers sent Derek Anderson and Johnny Newman to the Clippers.
Lamond came to the Cavaliers ready to make an impact, and he certainly did. In the 1999-2000 season, he appeared in 74 games, averaging 16 points and 6 rebounds a game. Pretty solid numbers when you consider he was playing alongside Bobby Sura, Earl Boykins,Wesley Person, and Shawn Kemp. At 6 ft. 7" and 235 lbs, he was big for the small forward position and presented match-up problems for other teams. He often used his strength and tenacity to drive the lane and finish with a nasty dunk. Not to mention he was a consistent jump shooter.
Unfortunately that year, Coach Randy Wittman led the Cavaliers to a 32-50 campaign and missed the playoffs. Not exactly what Lamond had in mind when he came to a Cleveland team with a decent amount of talent. During these tough times, I remember that Lamond Murray made the Cavs somewhat watchable. I applaud him for that.
The next year, nothing got better. Even with the addition of Andre Miller, the team posted a 30-52 season. Lamond and Miller were the two bright spots on what was otherwise a pretty terrible team. So the Cavaliers solution the next season? Fire Randy Wittman, hire John Lucas, and sign Ricky Davis. Hmm. It wasn't really a surprise that the Cavaliers finished 29-53. Lamond did lead the Cavaliers in scoring with 16.6 points per game, but this team and franchise were in shambles.
Lamond wanted out of Cleveland, and the front office granted him his wish. You can't really blame him. He was upset that the Cavaliers traded Andre Miller for Darius Miles. Fortunately, he didn't have to take part in the miserable 17-65 season the year before we drafted LeBron. He played two seasons in Toronto, and then another in New Jersey. Lamond, we respect you for your time in Cleveland. You made a terrible team fun to watch on occasion. You even made wearing the mask fashionable. Lamond Murray is Underrated
On the night of the 2010 NBA Draft, I find it fitting to talk about one of my favorite Cavaliers of all-time. Wish I could have gotten him into the Top 10, but it just didn't work out that way. Coming in at #11 on the list, is none other than Darius Lavar Miles.
Darius was born in 1981, in Belleville Illinois. He attended East St. Louis High School, and led his team to 3rd place in the 2000 Illinois State High School championship. D-Miles was a high school phenom at 6 ft. 9", but he encountered a bit of an issue when it came to getting into college. He wanted to play at St. John's, but failed to receive a qualifying SAT score to get into the school. Apparently those SAT classes didn't do the trick. Darius wasn't too worried about it, and decided to skip the whole "college" thing and go straight to the Pros, similar to Kobe and later LeBron.
He entered the 2000 NBA Draft, and was expected to be a first-rounder. No one saw the Clippers taking him with the 3rd overall pick, but that is exactly what happened. At the time, he was the highest pick ever taken directly out of high school. Who said obtaining a college degree was important anyways?
For the next two years, Darius made headlines on a flashy Clippers squad. Playing alongside high-flying Miles was Quentin Richardson, Lamar Odom, and Elton Brand. This was unquestionably one of the most exciting teams in NBA history, and become popular with young fans.
It was in LA where Darius and Quentin trademarked their classic "double-fist head tap" celebration. Still never really figured out what exactly it meant, but my boy Lechner and I imitated it all the time in middle school. Those were the days.
Before the 2002-2003 season, the Cavaliers traded one Cavalier legend for another. Andre Miller was sent to the Clippers for Darius, and I would have been upset if it was for anyone else. Unfortunately, during Darius' only full year with the Cavaliers, we were the worst team in the league. Don't put all the blame on Miles though, don't forget the immortal Ricky Davis was on this team as well. A classic Darius/Ricky story occured before the season, when the team was featured them on the media guide. Like a true baller, Darius overslept and didn't even make it to Media Day.
Darius played in 62 games, starting 67, and the team finished 17-65. I watched every game of this season, on WUAB 43 and FSN. I still don't get why Dan Gilbert replaced stud announcer Michael Reghi. Probably the worst move in franchise history. Regardless, in every defeat, you could at least count on one great dunk from D-Miles.
Darius Miles and the horrendous play of the Cavaliers that season led to the team locking up the #1 overall pick in the 2003 Draft. The #1 pick turned out to be some player named LeBron James. He's pretty good from what I hear. Darius and LeBron were close friends at the time, and the franchise was ready to move in a positive direction.
Midway through the 2003 season, the Cavaliers decided they no longer had a need for Darius. He and LeBron played the same position, and it just wasn't meant to be. That's not to say that he and The King didn't hook up on a few sick alley-oops before he departed to Portland. We shipped him out, and in return received Jeff McInnis. Not exactly what I had in mind.
While he was in Portland, he showed some of what he was capable of, and the Blazers were impressed. So impressed, that they offered him a 6 year, $48 million dollar contract. It was a pretty good deal for Miles, who hadn't exactly earned much of anything yet.
My favorite story about Darius in Portland came during the 2004-2005 season, when he got into it with then-Coach Maurice Cheeks. He apparently insulted Cheeks with racial slurs, and was quoted as saying, "I don't care if we lose the next 20 games, since Cheeks is going to be fired anyways." Talk about sticking it to the man. No one could doubt what he said was true, as Cheeks was soon fired and the team proceeded to lose most of their games the rest of the season.
In 2005, he began the season red-hot. In the first regular season game against Minnesota, he dropped 32 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, along with 5 assists and 5 steals, and 3 blocked shots. He kept it up until he suffered a knee injury, and when he returned in February he just wasn't the same. He was a player who relied on his quickness and jumping ability, and his knee just wasn't agreeing with him. He sat out the entire 2006-2007 season due to microfracture surgery.
Darius is a Cavalier-great, whether you agree or not. Not only does he play basketball, but he's also an actor. He starred in the 2004 film The Perfect Score, where ironically, he played a high school basketball player who needed a qualifying SAT score to get into college. Must have been a tough role for him to get into. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out. D-Miles is one of the 5 best dunkers in Cavaliers franchise, up there with the likes of LeBron and Ricky Davis. Now that I think about it, Miles might be one of the most ferocious dunkers of all-time. He represented the youth movement of the early 2000's, and was unfairly traded before he and LeBron the chance to mesh. When he wanted to, he could block shots with the best of 'em. Darius is currently attempting an NBA comeback with the Charlotte Bobcats, and I wish him the best. I miss seeing the double-fist head bump, and hope he makes it onto a roster so he can bust it out after a nasty dunk. It's pretty obvious, Darius Miles 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
