Former Cavaliers Still in the Playoffs

The 2021 NBA Playoffs have been so much fun to watch. Greatness every night. Star players on display on the reg. And upsets. Upsets galore! And even as a Cavaliers fan, it has been a joy to see so many 216 alums playing all over the place.

Only four guys with Cavs guys remain, though. And three of them reside in the West.

Yogi Ferrell

The Yogi Ferrell chapter was a very brief one. He spent less than two weeks with the team early in this season. His numbers were decent, and he only played rotational minutes in one of his two appearances. He had heavy garbage time opportunities in the second chance.

It’s nice to see Yogi on the Clippers, now competing for an NBA title. His career kind of slowed down after a great beginning with the Dallas Mavericks during the back half of his rookie campaign.

Cameron Payne

Everybody loves Cam Payne! Well, they do now, at least. For a long time, wherever Payne played, his minutes were limited, and anonymous executives were spouting off insults about him. The guy has proven himself as a member of the Phoenix Suns point guard room that he belongs as a rotational guy in the league.

He was remembered as the guy who did cool handshakes with Russell Westbrook in OKC but is clearly so much more than that. With Chris Paul limited, he helped PHX past the Lakers. And he went off against the Clippers in game 1.

Put some respect on his name! He played briefly on a few 10-day contracts with the Cavs during the 2018-19 year.

Jae Crowder

Jae Crowder is a guy who is loved wherever he plays. Of course, there is one exception to this rule. While playing on the Cavs, he was disliked and was a sort of locker room problem. He lasted just half a season here and probably smiled when he found out he was traded.

Jae went to Utah and has bounced around a few times since then as well. He now plays for the Phoenix Suns, where he’s a perfect fit for what they like to do. He is three wins from finally making his first NBA Finals. He has reached the playoffs with every team he has finished a season with at least once.

The guy can play at a high level, and though his time with the Cavs was rotten, he has a fan in this writer.

PJ Tucker

Wait, what?! PJ Tucker was never a Cavalier. The stats back this up! Ha. Look up the 2007 Summer League rosters and be amazed. PJ was waived by Toronto after his rookie year and signed on with Cleveland for the summer. It obviously didn’t work out, as he spent the next five years out of the league.

The acquisition of Tucker at the deadline helped the Bucks get to where they are now. He played magnificent defense against his old pal Kevin Durant for seven games. And now he is four wins away from his first NBA Finals.

Keep going, PJ! The best is still yet to come.