1990–91 Cleveland Cavaliers season

The 1990–91 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 21st season for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association. After playing overseas in Italy the previous season, Danny Ferry made his debut in the NBA, signing a contract with the Cavaliers; the Cavaliers had acquired Ferry from the Los Angeles Clippers, who selected him as the second overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft. During the off-season, the team signed free agent Gerald Paddio.

With the addition of Ferry, the Cavaliers lost their first two games of the regular season, but then won six of their next seven games, and held a 9–7 record at the end of November. However, after only just 16 games, Mark Price sustained a torn ACL in his left knee, and was out for the remainder of the season, while sixth man Hot Rod Williams only played just 43 games due to a left foot injury. In December, the team re-signed free agent Darnell Valentine as their starting point guard in Price's absence, and also signed undrafted rookie small forward Henry James.

Without Price and Williams, and after a 10–8 start to the season, the Cavaliers struggled falling below .500 in winning percentage, losing 17 of their next 18 games, posting a six-game losing streak in December, and then posting an 11-game losing streak between December and January, as the team held a 15–32 record at the All-Star break. However, the team played above .500 for the remainder of the season, winning eight of their eleven games in April, including a four-game winning streak to close the season. The Cavaliers finished in sixth place in the Central Division with a disappointing 33–49 record, and failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs.

Brad Daugherty averaged 21.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, while Larry Nance averaged 19.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, and Price provided the team with 16.9 points, 10.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game. In addition, Williams provided with 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, while Craig Ehlo contributed 10.1 points, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and Valentine contributed 9.4 points, 5.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Meanwhile, Ferry averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, second-year forward Chucky Brown provided with 8.5 points per game, James contributed 8.1 points per game in 37 games, Paddio averaged 7.2 points per game, John Morton provided with 5.4 points and 3.7 assists per game, and Steve Kerr contributed 4.8 points and 2.3 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, Daugherty was selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team. The Cavaliers finished twelfth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 623,735 at the Coliseum at Richfield during the regular season. Following the season, Valentine and Paddio were both released to free agency.