Cleveland Cavaliers Blog – Page 100 – NBA Blog

Welcome party for Shaq in Cleveland

Shaquille O’Neal is old but still good (and big) enough to contribute positively to a team. I worry that he’ll throw Cleveland Cavaliers chemistry off a bit this season, though. Even if he’s more effective than Zydrunas Ilgauskas for stretches, Big Z can hit open mid-range jumpers that Shaq can’t make.

Anyway, Cleveland welcomed Shaq to town in style. The AP reports:

Shaq got in one last party before training camp.

Shaquille O’Neal, the big man Cleveland is counting on to deliver this championship-starved city a title, was welcomed to town Sunday with a star-studded party that included sports celebrities and Average Joes looking to rub elbows with them.

Fashionably late, O’Neal arrived in an SUV at 11:15 p.m. as fans, one of them holding a life-size cardboard cutout of O’Neal in an Orlando Magic uniform, cheered on the sidewalks and took pictures of the town’s newest superstar, who will be teammates with reigning league MVP LeBron James.

O’Neal has had a good first impression of Cleveland.

”It’s a nice town,” he said. ”The entertainment is already here. Everything is here. The Browns are here, LeBron is here and now I’m here.”

NBA preseason begins this Thursday.

Anderseon Varejao in a good place

Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Anderson Varejao is in a good place right now as far as his basketball life both home and abroad is concerned. Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

Not only is Varejao sporting a new contract, he’s also got his national hero status back.

Healthy and with a new six-year, $48 million deal, he was able to play to Brazil in the FIBA Americas Championship in Puerto Rico. He played well, averaging 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds, and the Brazilians won the gold medal and qualified for next summer’s world championships. Team USA didn’t take part.

“It was a good summer for me, it was good to be able to play for Brazil again,” Varejao said. “When I was at the airport in Sao Paulo on my way back, there were people who wanted to take their pictures with me now.”

Varejao said it helped that the team’s performance in Brazil got excellent television coverage at home. But what he did after he came back didn’t hurt his reputation, either.

The Cavs remain one of several favorites in the Eastern conference to reach the NBA Finals. The team is playing Varejao more money than what a role player expects to make. I’m not sure how much he can improve.

Bobcats sign Flip Murray

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed free agent combo guard Ronald “Flip” Murray. The seven-year NBA veteran averaged 12.2 points in 24.7 minutes last season for Atlanta. Per team policy, terms of the deal will not be released.

“This signing adds depth, experience and athleticism to our backcourt and increases the number of players on our roster who can compete at multiple positions,” Higgins said. “Flip has a proven track record in this league as a guy who can score and distribute the basketball and we are extremely excited about what he brings to this team.”

The 6-3 Murray was originally selected by Milwaukee with the 42nd overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. He holds career averages of 9.9 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 412 games with Seattle, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Atlanta and the Bucks. In addition to his scoring, he averaged 2.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 80 games (two starts) for the Hawks last season. During Atlanta’s 2009 NBA Playoffs run, he averaged 11.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 11 games.

No stranger to the Carolinas, Murray starred collegiately at Shaw University in Raleigh, where he was named NCAA Division II National Player of the Year, First Team All-America and CIAA Player of the Year after leading the Bears to 28-5 overall record and Division II Final Four appearance as a senior.

The Bobcats also added guard Antonio Anderson, who went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft. The 6-6 University of Memphis standout averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 34.3 minutes last season.

Share your Bobcats opinions in the InsideHoops Charlotte Bobcats forum.

Delonte West arrested for weapons charges

Apparently the Cleveland Cavaliers failed to inform guard Delonte West that they do not want him to make like a road warrior and strap up tons of guns to himself while speeding on some crazy three-wheeled motorcycle, cutting off police cruisers in the process.

Silly them. Because now he’s reportedly done just that.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

Cavaliers guard Delonte West is facing weapons charges after being pulled over on his motorcycle while carrying a small arsenal near his Maryland home late Thursday night.

Prince George’s County police said West was carrying two concealed handguns and a shotgun when he was pulled over on Interstate 495 near his offseason home in Brandywine, Md. around 10 p.m. Corporal Clinton Copeland said West was speeding and cut off a police cruiser while riding on his three-wheeled 2009 Can-Am Spyder motorcycle.

After being stopped West informed police he was carrying a gun in his waistband, which was a 9mm Beretta. Police also found a Ruger .357 strapped to his leg and a shotgun inside a guitar case that was slung over his back. West was traveling alone.

Maybe West was just riding to the store to buy some juice.

Read NBA fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Timberwolves sign Sasha Pavlovic

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed free-agent guard/forward Sasha Pavlovic. Per team policy, terms of the contract offer were not disclosed. It was reported by multiple outlets to be a one-year deal for around $1.3 million.

“We are excited to add Sasha to our team,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “His size and athleticism will help round out our wing position and provide us added experience.”

Pavlovic, a 6-8 wing from Serbia, has appeared in 381 games (127 starts) over his six-year career, averaging 5.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. His best statistical season came in 2006-07, when he averaged 9.0 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from behind the arc. Pavlovic has helped the Cavaliers reach the postseason in each of the last four years, including a playoff run to the NBA Finals in 2007 in which he averaged 9.2 points per game during the postseason.

Originally selected by the Utah Jazz with the 19th overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Pavlovic appeared in 79 games as a rookie before being selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2004 Expansion Draft. Pavlovic was subsequently traded to Cleveland, where he’s played each of the past five seasons.

Suns buy out Sasha Pavlovic

The Phoenix Suns didn’t feel they had a need or use for Sasha Pavlovic, so the team and player have parted ways. Stefan Swiat of Suns.com reports:

As expected, Sasha Pavlovic’s basketball career in Phoenix was finished before it ever even began. The Suns have agreed to buy out Pavlovic’s contract in a move that will allow the team greater salary cap flexibility moving forward.

Marc Cornstein, Pavlovic’s agent, approached the Suns recently to talk to the team about a prospective buyout. If Pavlovic would have remained with the Suns, there was a reasonable chance that he would have been waived in December, allowing the organization to pay much less of a luxury tax to the league.

The 6-7 guard/forward averaged just 4.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per game last season.

Dwyane Wade`s future up in air

Half the fun of talking about LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and other top stars isn’t just raving about what they do on a basketball court. Speculating about where they may play in the future is just as entertaining.

Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald reports (via blog):

Asked if the Bulls would be his No. 1 destination should he leave Miami next year, Wade replied, “If I disclose that kind of information, the articles this season aren’t as exciting anymore. Speculation is not the same. You guys ain’t going to have nothing to talk about me.”

Then asked what would keep him Miami, Wade provided this answer: “Well, first of all I love the organization. I love what it stands for, from the owner Mickey Arison on down. It’s a first class organization. We’ve had some good times in Miami. I love the weather. It’s become home for me for the past six years. Hey, it’s not my fault Miami drafted me at No. 5 (in 2003) and Chicago did not move up (from No. 7).”

While LeBron, Wade and other top stars probably do have a strong opinion about what team they may try to play for once their current contracts run out, it’s safe to assume they really aren’t 100 percent sure. Things can happen. Rosters change. Teams that appear to be attractive can shake things up. So while the speculation will continue, it’s mostly all in fun, because no matter what sources a reporter may have, the players themselves are perfectly likely to change their mind in the future.

Hawks sign Joe Smith

The Atlanta Hawks have signed veteran power forward Joe Smith to a contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Rick Sund.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “the contract is a one-year deal Tuesday for the veteran’s minimum salary, approximately $1.3 million.”

“Joe’s acquisition provides us with a solid complement to our frontcourt,” said Sund. “Not only does he bring years of experience to our team, but his versatility gives our coaching staff a player who can play multiple positions and an individual who will provide tremendous leadership in the locker room.”

The 6-10, 225-pound Smith is a 14-year NBA veteran who most recently played 21 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. Before joining the Cavs, he spent time with the Oklahoma City Thunder (where he participated in 36 contests), who bought out the remainder of his contract and released him on March 1. Smith saw action in 13 playoff games for Cleveland, averaging 5.5 ppg and 3.7 rpg (.460 FG%), and on the season, tallied 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds (.496 FG%, .750 FT%).

Smith brings career numbers of 11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists (.456 FG%, .790 FT%) per game to the Hawks, where he will join experienced frontcourt mates Al Horford, Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia. The NBA’s number one overall pick in 1995 by the Golden State Warriors, Smith was the consensus College Player of the Year at Maryland in 1995 and named to the 1995-96 All-Rookie team in addition to finishing third in the voting for the league’s Rookie of the Year award.

He has played in 52 postseason games over his career, scoring 6.5 points and grabbing 4.6 boards, while shooting .459 from the field and 78 percent from the line.

He spent two-and-a-half seasons with Warriors, tallying a career-best 18.7 points in his second year and was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers midway through the 1997-98 campaign. Following one year with the Sixers, Smith joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first of two stints in 1998-99 before signing with the Detroit Pistons for the 2000-01 season.

Following a return to the Timberwolves in the summer of 2001, Smith played two more years with Minnesota before moving on to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2003-04. After three seasons with the Bucks, he played in only 11 games with the Denver Nuggets before being traded (along with Andre Miller) back to the Sixers (for Allen Iverson) for the remainder of the 2006-07 season.

For the next season (2007-08), Smith was a member of the Chicago Bulls and played in 50 contests, averaging 11.2 points before being traded in a three-team deal to Cleveland. He was a part of another three-team trade later that summer when the Cavaliers sent him to Oklahoma City, where he remained until he returned to Cleveland.

He was named Associated Press All-American and was the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Player of the Year as a sophomore at Maryland. In two seasons with the Terrapins, he averaged 20.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

Joseph Leynard Smith, born July 26, 1975 in Norfolk, VA, will wear uniform number 32 with the Hawks.

Cavaliers sign Danny Green

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard/forward Danny Green to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. Per team and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. We’ll try to post contract info later today.

The Cavaliers selected Green with the 46th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Green played four seasons at North Carolina and averaged 9.4 points on .455 shooting and 4.1 rebounds. He was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team, the All-ACC Third Team and the NCAA South Regional Tournament Team. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound guard/forward finished his college career as the only player in ACC history to tally at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 three-pointers, 150 blocks and 150 steals and is the only player in the Tarheel’s history to record 100 or more blocks shots and three-point field goals. As a senior he averaged career-best 13.1 points on .471 shooting, including shooting .418 from three-point range and 4.7 rebounds in 38 games (all starts) as North Carolina won the 2009 NCAA Championship.

Green played for the Cavaliers’ team during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. In five games (three starts) he averaged 8.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game.

Hawks may sign Joe Smith

Various reports quoted over the last month on the InsideHoops.com NBA rumors page stated that the Atlanta Hawks have had interest in the services of veteran forward/center Joe Smith. And now they may be set to sign him.

According to ESPN.com, “Joe Smith has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks for the veteran’s minimum, a source told ESPN’s Ric Bucher on Friday.”

Since entering the league in the 1995-96 season, the 6-10, 230-pound Smith has career averages of 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game.

Last season he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per outing.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.