No. 50: Cleveland Cavaliers
Ultimate Standings 2012
Last year's rank: 65
Title track: 94
Ownership: 45
Coaching: 40
Players: 56
Fan relations: 26
Affordability: 37
Stadium experience: 51
Bang for the buck: 98
Three top-five picks in two years. Now, that's rebuilding. After LeBron James bolted from Lake Erie for Biscayne Bay, owner Dan Gilbert struck gold in 2011, landing the No. 1 pick and selecting the eventual Rookie of the Year in Kyrie Irving, who, with his 18.5 ppg and 5.4 apg, made Cleveland Cavaliers fans completely forget about That Guy Who Abandoned Us. Okay, maybe not, but the former Duke standout did give fans something -- someone -- to cheer for, and it's reflected in the 24-spot jump in our players category, one of six categories in which the Cavs increased their ranking. While the average ticket price is $48.62, just about the NBA average, the Cavs boast a $2.75 soda, $3 hot dog and $5 parking, all tied for the league's cheapest. Combine that with a 9.1 percent drop in the cost of attending all 41 home games and the Cavs -- with Irving, 2011 No. 4 pick Tristan Thompson and 2012 No. 4 pick Dion Waiters -- have much more value than most people would have envisioned.
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2012 ULTIMATE STANDINGS
- 1. Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2. Green Bay Packers
- 3. San Antonio Spurs
- 4. Indiana Pacers
- 5. Memphis Grizzlies
- 6. Phoenix Coyotes
- 7. Tampa Bay Lightning
- 8. New Orleans Saints
- 9. Texas Rangers
- 10. Arizona Diamondbacks
- 11. Baltimore Ravens
- 12. Pittsburgh Steelers
- 13. New Jersey Devils
- 14. Nashville Predators
- 15. Los Angeles Angels
- 16. Tampa Bay Rays
- 17. St. Louis Blues
- 18. Houston Texans
- 19. Pittsburgh Penguins
- 20. Boston Celtics
- 21. Philadelphia 76ers
- 22. New England Patriots
- 23. Cincinnati Reds
- 24. Chicago Bulls
- 25. St. Louis Cardinals
- 26. Dallas Mavericks
- 27. Atlanta Braves
- 28. Carolina Hurricanes
- 29. Milwaukee Brewers
- 30. Detroit Red Wings
- 31. Miami Heat
- 32. Los Angeles Kings
- 33. Florida Panthers
- 34. Washington Nationals
- 35. Utah Jazz
- 36. San Francisco 49ers
- 37. Anaheim Ducks
- 38. Denver Broncos
- 39. Denver Nuggets
- 40. Carolina Panthers
- 41. Atlanta Falcons
- 42. Ottawa Senators
- 43. Arizona Cardinals
- 44. Seattle Seahawks
- 45. New Orleans Hornets
- 46. San Francisco Giants
- 47. Dallas Stars
- 48. New York Giants
- 49. Philadelphia Phillies
- 50. Cleveland Cavaliers
- 51. Houston Rockets
- 52. Detroit Tigers
- 53. Los Angeles Clippers
- 54. Pittsburgh Pirates
- 55. Philadelphia Flyers
- 56. Detroit Lions
- 57. Indianapolis Colts
- 58. Boston Bruins
- 59. Buffalo Bills
- 60. Buffalo Sabres
- 61. Los Angeles Dodgers
- 62. Kansas City Chiefs
- 63. New York Rangers
- 64. Baltimore Orioles
- 65. Jacksonville Jaguars
- 66. Cleveland Indians
- 67. Miami Marlins
- 68. Washington Capitals
- 69. Chicago White Sox
- 70. San Jose Sharks
- 71. Minnesota Timberwolves
- 72. Tennessee Titans
- 73. Philadelphia Eagles
- 74. Chicago Blackhawks
- 75. Kansas City Royals
- 76. Chicago Bears
- 77. Orlando Magic
- 78. Colorado Avalanche
- 79. Toronto Blue Jays
- 80. Detroit Pistons
- 81. Portland Trail Blazers
- 82. New York Yankees
- 83. Minnesota Twins
- 84. Phoenix Suns
- 85. Colorado Rockies
- 86. Dallas Cowboys
- 87. Minnesota Wild
- 88. Brooklyn Nets
- 89. Los Angeles Lakers
- 90. Houston Astros
- 91. Winnipeg Jets
- 92. Vancouver Canucks
- 93. New York Mets
- 94. Atlanta Hawks
- 95. San Diego Chargers
- 96. Oakland Raiders
- 97. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 98. Oakland Athletics
- 99. Seattle Mariners
- 100. Minnesota Vikings
- 101. Golden State Warriors
- 102. Cincinnati Bengals
- 103. Toronto Raptors
- 104. Milwaukee Bucks
- 105. New York Jets
- 106. Calgary Flames
- 107. Cleveland Browns
- 108. Washington Redskins
- 109. San Diego Padres
- 110. Miami Dolphins
- 111. Montreal Canadiens
- 112. Chicago Cubs
- 113. New York Knicks
- 114. Edmonton Oilers
- 115. St. Louis Rams
- 116. Columbus Blue Jackets
- 117. Boston Red Sox
- 118. Washington Wizards
- 119. New York Islanders
- 120. Charlotte Bobcats
- 121. Sacramento Kings
- 122. Toronto Maple Leafs
