1986–87 Cleveland Cavaliers season

The 1986–87 NBA season was the Cavaliers' 17th season in the NBA.^[1]

1986–87 Cleveland Cavaliers season
Head coach	Lenny Wilkens
General manager	Wayne Embry
Owners	Gordon Gund George Gund III
Arena	Coliseum at Richfield
Results
Record	31–51 (.378)
Place	Division: 6th (Central) Conference: 9th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WUAB
Radio	WWWE
< 1985–86 1987–88 >

The season saw the team draft Brad Daugherty and Ron Harper with the first and eighth overall picks, respectively. Future four-time All-Star Mark Price was brought in from Dallas, who drafted him in the second round of the draft.

Draft picks

Main article: 1986 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	1	Brad Daugherty	C	United States	North Carolina
1	8	Ron Harper	G/SF	United States	Miami (OH)
2	29	Johnny Newman	SF	United States	Richmond
3	50	Kevin Henderson		United States	California State-Fullerton
4	73	Warren Martin		United States	North Carolina
5	96	Ben Davis		United States	Gardner-Webb
6	119	Gilbert Wilburn		United States	New Mexico State
7	142	Ralph Dalton		United States	Georgetown

Roster

1986–87 Cleveland Cavaliers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From PG 5 John Bagley 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1960-04-23 Boston College SF 23 Tyrone Corbin 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1962-12-31 DePaul C 43 Brad Daugherty 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1965-10-19 North Carolina SG 3 Craig Ehlo 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1961-08-11 Washington State SG 4 Ron Harper 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1964-01-20 Miami (OH) SF 35 Phil Hubbard 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1956-12-13 Michigan PF 24 Keith Lee 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1962-12-28 Memphis SF 22 Johnny Newman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1963-11-28 Richmond PG 25 Mark Price 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1964-02-15 Georgia Tech C 54 Melvin Turpin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1960-12-28 Kentucky C 41 Mark West 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1960-11-05 Old Dominion PF 18 Hot Rod Williams 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1962-08-09 Tulane

Head coach Lenny Wilkens Assistant(s) Dick Helm Brian Winters Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: March 5, 1987

Regular season

Season standings

Central Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Atlanta Hawks	57	25	.695	–	35–6	22–19	17–13
x-Detroit Pistons	52	30	.634	5	32–9	20–21	17–13
x-Milwaukee Bucks	50	32	.610	7	32–9	18–23	17–13
x-Indiana Pacers	41	41	.500	16	28–13	13–28	13–16
x-Chicago Bulls	40	42	.488	17	29–12	11–30	17–12
Cleveland Cavaliers	31	51	.378	26	25–16	6–35	8–22

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Boston Celtics	59	23	.720	–
2	y-Atlanta Hawks	57	25	.695	2
3	x-Detroit Pistons	52	30	.634	7
4	x-Milwaukee Bucks	50	32	.610	9
5	x-Philadelphia 76ers	45	37	.549	14
6	x-Washington Bullets	42	40	.512	17
7	x-Indiana Pacers	41	41	.500	18
8	x-Chicago Bulls	40	42	.488	19
9	Cleveland Cavaliers	31	51	.378	28
10	New Jersey Nets	24	58	.293	35
11	New York Knicks	24	58	.293	35

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1986-87 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	–	3–3	4–2	4–2	2–0	2–0	3–3	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	3–3	5–0	5–1	3–3	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–0
Boston	3–3	–	6–0	3–2	2–0	2–0	3–2	2–0	2–0	5–1	2–0	0–2	3–3	4–2	4–2	3–3	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–2
Chicago	2–4	0–6	–	5–1	1–1	1–1	3–3	0–2	0–2	3–2	2–0	0–2	4–2	3–2	4–2	3–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	3–3
Cleveland	2–4	2–3	1–5	–	0–2	1–1	1–5	1–1	0–2	3–3	2–0	0–2	1–5	4–2	4–1	2–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–4
Dallas	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–0	–	4–2	1–1	5–0	3–3	0–2	5–0	3–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–2	2–3	5–1	4–2	5–0	3–3	1–1
Denver	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	–	0–2	4–1	3–3	1–1	2–3	0–5	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–2	3–2	2–4	5–1	2–3	2–4	1–1
Detroit	3–3	2–3	3–3	5–1	1–1	2–0	–	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	3–3	5–1	6–0	5–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–3
Golden State	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–5	1–4	1–1	–	4–1	0–2	6–0	2–4	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–5	4–2	4–1	4–1	4–2	2–3	0–2
Houston	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	3–3	3–3	1–1	1–4	–	2–0	4–1	1–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–2	2–3	5–1	5–1	1–4	3–3	1–1
Indiana	3–3	1–5	2–3	3–3	2–0	1–1	3–3	2–0	0–2	–	2–0	0–2	2–4	5–1	3–2	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–2
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–5	3–2	0–2	0–6	1–4	0–2	–	0–6	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–5	0–6	1–4	1–4	2–4	2–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–3	5–0	1–1	4–2	4–1	2–0	6–0	–	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–1	5–1	5–0	4–1	4–2	3–2	1–1
Milwaukee	3–3	3–3	2–4	5–1	0–2	1–1	3–3	2–0	2–0	4–2	2–0	1–1	–	4–2	4–2	2–3	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–1
New Jersey	0–5	2–4	2–3	2–4	0–2	0–2	1–5	0–2	1–1	1–5	1–1	0–2	2–4	–	5–1	3–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–4
New York	1–5	2–4	2–4	1–4	0–2	0–2	0–6	0–2	1–1	2–3	2–0	0–2	2–4	1–5	–	3–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–4
Philadelphia	3–3	3–3	3–3	4–2	0–2	2–0	0–5	1–1	2–0	4–2	2–0	0–2	3–2	3–3	3–3	–	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–3
Phoenix	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	2–3	1–1	5–1	2–3	1–1	5–1	1–5	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	–	2–4	2–3	2–3	1–5	4–1	0–2
Portland	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–2	2–3	2–0	2–4	3–2	2–0	6–0	1–5	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	4–2	–	3–2	4–1	4–2	3–2	1–1
Sacramento	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–5	4–2	1–1	1–4	1–5	1–1	4–1	0–5	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–2	2–3	–	3–3	2–3	1–5	1–1
San Antonio	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	1–5	1–1	1–4	1–5	0–2	4–1	1–4	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–2	1–4	3–3	–	1–4	2–4	0–2
Seattle	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–5	3–2	0–2	2–4	4–1	1–1	4–2	2–4	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	5–1	2–4	3–2	4–1	–	3–2	1–1
Utah	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–3	4–2	1–1	3–2	3–3	1–1	3–2	2–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–4	2–3	5–1	4–2	2–3	–	1–1
Washington	0–5	2–4	3–3	4–2	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	2–4	2–0	1–1	1–4	4–2	4–2	3–3	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	—

Game log

1986–87 game log Total: 31–51 (Home: 25–16; Road: 6–35)
November: 5–9 (home: 2–2; road: 3–7) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 2 November 2, 1986 Chicago 4 November 7, 1986 @ Golden State 8 November 15, 1986 @ Dallas 9 November 16, 1986 @ Houston 10 November 19, 1986 Golden State 11 November 20, 1986 @ Atlanta L 89–108 The Omni 8,547 3–8 12 November 22, 1986 @ Detroit
December : 8–7 (home: 7–3; road: 1–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 16 December 4, 1986 Detroit 17 December 6, 1986 Boston 18 December 9, 1986 Atlanta L 98–122 Coliseum at Richfield 10,276 8–10 25 December 23, 1986 @ Chicago 28 December 29, 1986 Atlanta W 107–106 Coliseum at Richfield 15,458 13–15
January : 5–11 (home: 5–5; road: 0–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 32 January 6, 1987 Chicago 34 January 10, 1987 @ Atlanta L 104–129 The Omni 15,649 14–20 35 January 13, 1987 Detroit 36 January 14, 1987 @ Detroit 37 January 16, 1987 @ Boston 39 January 19, 1987 Houston 41 January 23, 1987 @ Chicago 42 January 24, 1987 Chicago 44 January 29, 1987 Atlanta W 102–91 Coliseum at Richfield 10,569 17–27
February : 5–7 (home: 4–1; road: 1–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 46 February 4, 1987 @ Boston 49 February 12, 1987 Detroit 54 February 22, 1987 Chicago 56 February 25, 1987 @ Detroit 57 February 28, 1987 @ Denver
March : 4–12 (home: 3–4; road: 1–8) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 67 March 18, 1987 Denver 70 March 24, 1987 vs. Boston (at Hartford, CT) 72 March 29, 1987 Dallas
April : 4–5 (home: 4–1; road: 0–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 76 April 6, 1987 @ Atlanta L 105–110 The Omni 8,459 27–49 77 April 7, 1987
1986–87 schedule

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Ron Harper	82	82	37.4	45.5	21.3	68.4	4.8	4.8	2.5	1.0	22.9
Brad Daugherty	80	80	33.7	53.8	0.0	69.6	8.1	3.8	0.6	0.8	15.7
Hot Rod Williams	80	80	33.9	48.5	0.0	74.5	7.9	1.9	0.7	2.1	14.6
Phil Hubbard	68	68	30.6	53.1	0.0	59.6	5.7	2.0	1.0	0.1	11.8
John Bagley	72	67	30.3	42.6	30.1	83.1	3.5	5.3	1.3	0.1	10.7
Mark Price	67	0	18.2	40.8	32.9	83.3	1.7	3.0	0.6	0.1	6.9
Mark West	78	13	17.1	54.3	0.0	51.4	4.3	0.5	0.3	1.0	6.5
Craig Ehlo	44	15	20.2	41.4	17.2	70.7	3.7	2.1	0.9	0.7	6.2
Keith Lee	67	1	13.0	45.5	0.0	71.3	3.7	1.0	0.4	0.6	6.1
Melvin Turpin	64	1	12.5	46.2	0.0	71.4	3.0	0.5	0.2	0.6	6.1
Johnny Newman	59	0	10.7	41.1	4.5	86.8	1.2	0.5	0.3	0.1	5.0
Tyrone Corbin	32	0	13.7	36.8	25.0	73.7	3.0	0.5	0.5	0.1	4.0
Scooter McCray	24	2	11.6	46.2	0.0	48.8	2.4	1.0	0.4	0.2	3.3
Ben Poquette	37	1	11.8	50.0	0.0	79.5	2.1	0.8	0.2	0.6	3.1
Dirk Minniefield	11	0	11.1	31.0	0.0	25.0	0.9	1.2	0.5	0.1	2.5

Player Statistics Citation:^[2]

Awards and records

• Brad Daugherty, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team
• Ron Harper, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team
• John "Hot Rod" Williams, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

Transactions