The Cavaliers have a bunch of mediocre or bad players on their roster that is devoid at this point of elite talent. You might just think they're all worthless but I do have a pecking order in mind. As we get back into the second part of the season I'm going to give you my thoughts on the order of players on the team from worst to best.
Today I'll focus on players 8-15 and later will give you 1-7.
15. Christian Eyenga
The kid simply is a prayer right now for coach Byron Scott. There doesn't seem to be much of a future for him in Cleveland and I suspect his being a first round pick has something to do with him still being on the team. If they thought anything of him he would have at some point gotten some minutes, especially with Anthony Parker missing significant time and Boobie Gibson missing a few games as well.
14. Ryan Hollins
It was a debate whether to put him here or move him up a spot but I have this irrational loathing of Hollins due to his avoidance of rebounding. The big man grabs just 5.3 boards per 36 minutes which is almost the same number as Anderson Varejao's 5.0 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes. He shoots a bad percentage from the field when all his attempts are in the paint and he can't grab boards. He is fortunate to be in the NBA.
13. Luke Harangody
His lack of any scoring ability crushes his chances. If he could just make a couple shots he actually would be a passable 10th man. But, he's had an incredible difficulty scoring this year and it's somewhat shocking also how he has lasted in the NBA this long. Luke has attempted two free throws in 102 minutes this year. Digest that for a minute.
12. Anthony Parker
AP is washed up but is hanging on to his starting spot just like Shaq did over Andy in the 2009-2010 season. The fact that he keeps getting thrown out there every night when he's healthy just makes me drool for a Jeremy Lamb type player every game. He's unable to provide any scoring or shot creating at his age and it's hard to believe any contender will give him a non guaranteed deal next year.
11. Manny Harris
I'm possibly wishful thinking by rating Harris so highly based on his performance in Canton but I find it hard to believe that in real minutes he couldn't bring more to the table than Anthony Parker. He's got his flaws but I'm going to slot him in here. He actually hasn't even gotten into a game yet so it's not too fair to rank him but this is where I think he'd be.
10. Semih Erden
He's definitely come around on me and I would now admit if he is your 4th big man you're not in horrible shape. While he still fouls too much, I think with more minutes he is certainly lapping Ryan Hollins and should be the main backup to Anderson Varejao and play 15 minutes per night when Andy comes back. He's never going to be an impact player but we have far more problems than him.
9. Samardo Samuels
I'm taking a leap of faith with him by ranking him this high considering he rarely plays. But, I've seen a knack to be a productive player whenever he's consistently gotten minutes. He reminds me of Big Baby in the fact that he's an undersized power forward who really is going to struggle against length and scoring inside so he'll never shoot a great percentage. It just seems like he could do it but he's buried behind a productive veteran and a first rounder.
8. Daniel Gibson
Boobie is my pick for the biggest regression this year. He's simply played very poorly in the first half and I think that without a doubt he's having his worst season as a member of the Cavaliers in his 6th season. Opposing defenses have little trouble stopping him as you can just crowd him and make him drive. From 3-9 feet he's shooting 23.1%. From 10-15 feet he's at 16.7% and 16-23 it sits at just 21.0%. I do not expect him to have much of a future with the team should he play like this in the second half. There's no doubt he's been the least improved player on the Cavaliers in 2011-2012.
What is your list from 8-15? Who do you think should not be on here and in the next group? Should Hollins even be in the best 15?
Stay tuned for my list of the seven best players on the Cavaliers coming soon.