Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2021/22 revision of our top Cleveland Cavaliers.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Cleveland showed improvement and have the makings of a squad that could make some noise this season.  Last year resulted in two new entrants and one minor elevation

As always, we present our top five, which was not impacted by last season:

1. LeBron James

2. Mark Price

3. Brad Daugherty

4. Zydrunas Ilgauskas

5. Larry Nance

You can find the entire list here.

Kevin Love moved up one spot to #8.

Debuting at #35 is Center and 2022 All-Stars, Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland at #49.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Darius Garland was a three-time recipient of the Tennessee Mr. Basketball Award (2016-18) and after a year at Vanderbilt, the Guard was taken with the Fifth Overall Pick (2019) where he landed with the Cavaliers.

Garland became the answer to the trivia question, “Who is the first player to be born in the 2000s to play in the NBA”, but the former Commodore has shown progression in all three of his pro seasons, immediately becoming a starter, and working his way to the All-Star Game in year three.  That was the season where he broke out with 21.7 Points and 8.6 Assists per Game, the latter stat placing him sixth overall.  Garland was also a Finalist for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award, losing to Ja Morant. In 2022-23, Garland had similar numbers (21.6 PPG), and helped the Cavaliers make the playoffs.  Garland averaged 18 Points per Game the year after and again aided the Cavs in making the playoffs.  Last season, Garland played 75 Games (his healthiest to date) and broke over 20 Points per Game (20.6) while adding a second trip to the All-Star Game.

Entering his seventh campaign, Garland is a player to watch, and could be the catalyst for a deep playoff run in Cleveland.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2021/22 revision of our top Brooklyn Nets.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Brooklyn made the playoffs, but were bounced in the first round in a disappointing year.  The impact of 2021-22 yielded one elevation and two new entrants.

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. Jason Kidd

2. Julius Erving

3. Buck Williams

4. Brook Lopez

5. Vince Carter

You can find the entire list here.

The controversial Point Guard, Kyrie Irving moved up to #25 from #35, a staggering amount considering how few Games he played last year, though this is more of an indictment on the tumultuous overturn of the franchise on a regular basis.  This made it easy for Irving who was still great when playing to make a jump like this.

Another polarizing figure, Kevin Durant, makes his first appearance at #26.  Again, like Irving, this was an easy vault, as he just needed to be…well…Kevin Durant.

Let’s make it three!  James Harden, who was only there a year, and never a full season, debuts at #40.  See the above to see how it can happen!

That’s basketball!

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

The complex history of James Harden had a brief stop in Brooklyn, where, as tumultuous as he might be, “The Beard” was still one of the top performers in Basketball.

After years of All-Star seasons, all with growing frustration that his Houston Rockets could not make the Finals, Harden asked for a trade in the 2020 off-season. Eight Games into the year, Harden obtained his wish: he was traded to the East with the Brooklyn Nets, who formed a new “Big Three” with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The promise was there, but the results did not materialize.

The trio was rarely on the floor together due to rotating injuries, but Harden always sparked for the Nets when he played.  An All-Star in 2021, Harden was still a potent scorer, averaging 24.4 Points per Game for Brooklyn over 36 Games.  The following year, Harden was still scoring well, with 22.5 PPG in 44 Games, but he was again frustrated and asked for a trade, with Philadelphia as his landing point.

Harden never had a full season for Brooklyn, but the game of Basketball is a star’s contest where the elite dominate. Even with under 100 Games as a Net, the numbers don’t lie, even though it was overall a failed experiment.