The 1990–91 NBA season was the 21st season of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. After playing in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

the previous season,

Danny Ferry Daniel John Willard Ferry (born October 17, 1966) is an American executive and former professional basketball player who played the forward position. Considered one of the most celebrated basketball players in the United States from the high sc ...

would make his debut in the NBA, signing a contract with the Cavaliers. However, a year after overcoming injuries to make the playoffs, the Cavaliers were utterly destroyed by injuries again, as

Mark Price William Mark Price (born February 15, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. The last coaching job he held was as head coach of the Charlotte 49ers men's basketball, Charlotte 49ers. As a four-time NBA All-Star and ...

only played just 16 games due to a torn ACL in his left knee, averaging 16.9 points, 10.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game, and sixth man Hot Rod Williams only played just 43 games due to a foot injury. The team re-signed free agent

Darnell Valentine Darnell Terrell Valentine (born February 3, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life Valentine was born in Chicago, Illinois and graduated from Wi ...

in December as their starting point guard in Price's absence. The Cavaliers played around .500 early into the season, but as they stood at a 10–8 start, they struggled and lost 16 of their next 17 games, including an 11-game losing streak, and held a 15–32 record at the All-Star break. Despite winning eight out of eleven games in April, the Cavaliers were unable to make the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, finishing 6th in the Central Division with a disappointing 33–49 record. Brad Daugherty led the team with 21.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, and was selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, while

Larry Nance Larry Donnell Nance Sr. (born February 12, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. A forward from Clemson University, Nance played 14 seasons (1981–1994) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Phoen ...

averaged 19.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, and Williams provided the team with 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. In addition,

Craig Ehlo Joel Craig Ehlo (; born August 11, 1961) is an American former basketball player. He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with four teams, amassing career totals of 7,492 points, 2,456 assist (basketball), assists a ...

provided with 10.1 points, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while Valentine contributed 9.4 points, 5.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game, Ferry provided with 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game off the bench, and second-year forward Chucky Brown contributed 8.5 points per game. Following the season, Valentine was released to free agency.

Draft picks

* 1st round pick (#13) traded to

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

deal. Used to draft

Loy Vaught Loy Stephen Vaught (born February 27, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who spent ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), primarily with the Los Angeles Clippers. Vaught played at East Kentwood High S ...

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

:y - clinched division title :x - clinched playoff spot :z - clinched division title :y - clinched division title :x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

, -style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , , November 13, 1990 , , @

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

W 121–104
, , , , The Omni
10,645 , 4–3 , -style="background:#cfc;" , 16 , , November 30, 1990 , , @

W 101–93
, , , , The Omni
11,996 , 9–7 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 24 , , December 17, 1990 , ,

L 98–109
, , , ,

Richfield Coliseum Richfield Coliseum, also known as the Coliseum at Richfield, was an indoor arena located in Richfield Township, between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. It opened in 1974 as a replacement for the Cleveland Arena, and had a seating capacity of 20,27 ...

11,622 , 10–14 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 46 , , February 5, 1991 , , @

L 114–118
, , , , The Omni
11,354 , 15–31 , -style="background:#fcc;" , 76 , , April 9, 1991 , ,

L 98–104
, , , ,

15,235 , 28–48

Player stats

Player Statistics Citation:

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1990-91 Cleveland Cavaliers Season Cleveland Cavaliers seasons Cleve Cleve