Cleveland Cavaliers Blog – Page 11 – NBA Blog

Cavs exercise contract options on Darius Garland, Dylan Windler and Isaac Okoro

The Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised the fourth-year (2022-23) contract options on Darius Garland and Dylan Windler and the third-year (2022-23) option on Isaac Okoro.

Garland (6-1, 186) was the No. 5 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by Cleveland and owns career averages of 14.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 0.95 steals in 31.9 minutes over 117 career games (113 starts) with the team. Last season, the Vanderbilt product received three votes for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award after recording career highs in points (17.4), rebounds (2.4), assists (6.1, 18th in NBA), steals (1.22), minutes (33.1), field goal percentage (.451) and three-point percentage (.395). Additionally, Garland was one of only four players in the entire NBA to post at least 17.0 points, 6.0 assists, a .390 clip from three and a .840 mark from the foul line in 2020-21, joining Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry. He became the quickest in franchise history to reach 200 career three-pointers (107 games), achieving that mark with his fourth trey in a win over Chicago on April 21. So far this season, Garland is handing out a career-best 9.0 assists per game, which ranks third in the NBA, while also averaging 14.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per contest.

Windler (6-6, 199) was selected as the 26th overall pick by the Cavaliers during the 2019 NBA Draft after a four-year career at Belmont. He has appeared in 34 career games with the Cavaliers, holding averages of 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.2 minutes. Last season, he averaged 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 16.5 minutes over 31 games after missing his entire rookie campaign in 2019-20 due to a left lower leg stress reaction. From Dec. 23 to Feb. 24, Windler led the Cavs in three-point percentage at .418 (23-55) and had a stretch of nine consecutive three-pointers made without a miss (Feb. 23-24), becoming the first Cavs rookie to accomplish that feat in 20 years and was the longest by any Cavs player since Kyrie Irving in 2015.

Okoro (6-5, 225), the No. 5 pick by the Cavaliers out of Auburn in the 2020 NBA Draft, is averaging 9.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.90 steals in 32.1 minutes over 71 career games with the team. An NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection last season, Okoro (646 points, 62 three-pointers, 62 steals, 24 blocks) became just the third rookie in franchise history to record at least 500 points, 50 threes, 50 steals and 20 blocks in a single season, joining LeBron James (2003-04) and Kyrie Irving (2011-12). The 20-year-old led all NBA rookies in minutes per game in 2020-21 while also ranking in the Top 10 among rookies in steals per game (sixth), points per game (eighth) and assists per game (10th). His 32.4 minutes averaged was the highest by a Cavs rookie since LeBron James in 2003-04 (39.5) and the most by any NBA rookie since 2017-18 (Ben Simmons 33.7 and Donovan Mitchell 33.4).

Cavaliers sign Ed Davis and Justin James

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Ed Davis, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

The Cavs today also signed guard Justin James (6-7, 190) to their 2021 training camp roster.

Davis (6-9, 225) appeared in 23 games (seven starts) for the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2020-21 season, averaging 2.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 13.0 minutes. Over 11 NBA seasons with Toronto, Memphis, L.A. Lakers, Portland, Brooklyn, Utah and Minnesota, Davis has played in 691 games (103 starts) and holds career averages of 6.2 points on .566 shooting from the field and 6.6 rebounds in 19.6 minutes. Additionally, Davis has played in 33 postseason games, averaging 3.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 11.8 minutes. Davis was originally drafted out of North Carolina as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Raptors.

James appeared in 36 games during the 2020-21 season for the Sacramento Kings, averaging 3.9 points in 8.6 minutes. James was drafted No. 40 overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the Kings after spending four years at University of Wyoming.

Cleveland Cavaliers waive Mfiondu Kabengele and Brodric Thomas

The Cleveland Cavaliers waived center Mfiondu Kabengele and guard Brodric Thomas, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Kabengele (6-9, 250) appeared in 16 games during the 2020-21 season for the Cavaliers after signing his first 10-day contract with the team on April 10, 2021, his second 10-day on April 21, 2021 and a multi-year contract on May 1, 2021. Kabengele also appeared in 23 games with the Los Angeles Clippers last season.

Thomas (6-5, 185), who signed a Two-Way contract with the Cavs on September 15, 2021, signed his first Two-Way contract with Cleveland on February 24, 2021 and played in 32 regular season games (one start) for Cleveland and Houston last season. Thomas also played in six games with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team.

Cavaliers sign Tacko Fall, Mitch Ballock, Kyle Guy and R.J. Nembhard to training camp roster

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed center Tacko Fall and guards Mitch Ballock, Kyle Guy and R.J. Nembhard to their 2021 training camp roster.

Fall (7-6, 310) played in 18 games for the Boston Celtics last season, averaging 2.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.11 blocks in 7.6 minutes. The third-year center went undrafted in 2019 after a four-year collegiate career at the University of Central Florida (2015-2019).

Ballock (6-5, 205), who spent four years at Creighton University (2017-2021), recently played in four games for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Guy (6-1, 170) played in 31 games for the Sacramento Kings in 2020-21. The third-year guard spent most of his rookie campaign in 2019-20 with the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League, appearing in 37 games (29 starts) while averaging 21.5 points (seventh-best in G League), 3.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 36.9 minutes.

Nembhard (6-5, 200), an undrafted guard out of Texas Christian University, competed in four contests for the Miami Heat in the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where he averaged 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 15.7 minutes.

Cavaliers sign Denzel Valentine

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Denzel Valentine.

Valentine (6-5, 218) appeared in 62 games (three starts) for the Chicago Bulls this past season, averaging 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16.7 minutes. He scored in double figures on 21 occasions, including a career-best seven straight double-digit scoring performances from Feb. 3-15. Over four NBA seasons, all with the Bulls, Valentine has played in 232 regular season games (45 starts) with career averages of 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 19.8 minutes. His 342 three-pointers rank 13th all-time in Bulls franchise history. Additionally, Valentine played in four postseason games for Chicago in the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

The 27-year-old guard was originally drafted by Chicago with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft after a four-year career at Michigan State, where he became the first player in school history to be named Player of the Year by the Associated Press during his senior year. Valentine also earned college player of the year awards from the NABC, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, and Basketball Times while garnering a unanimous First-Team All-American selection in 2016.

G League: Cleveland Charge name Dan Geriot new head coach

The Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League, downtown Cleveland’s newest professional sports team playing home games at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center, announced today that Dan Geriot has been promoted to become the fifth Head Coach in Charge team history.

Coach Geriot joins the Charge after spending the last six seasons in various roles on the staff for our own Cleveland Cavaliers.

“This is a very exciting day for the Cleveland Charge and I’m looking forward to having someone of Dan’s experience and innovative approach step in as head coach of this team,” said Charge General Manager Brendon Yu. “During his tenure with the Cavaliers, Dan displayed a unique ability to build strong relationships with players and assisted with their overall development both on and off the court. I’m confident that he will be able to bring that same passion and commitment to the Charge.”

“Dan has been an integral part of my coaching staff for a little over two years and I’m extremely happy for the opportunity presented to him to lead the Charge,” said Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “His work ethic and commitment to the organization confirms his desire to coach the game at the highest levels of competition. The continuity this move provides also creates a seamless transition across the entirety of our player development program here in Cleveland between the Charge and the Cavaliers. I’m looking forward to watching Dan help those young men achieve their basketball goals.”

Geriot has been a Cavaliers Assistant Coach since the 2019-20 season, where he was responsible for assisting and reporting directly to Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff along with scouting upcoming opponents and presenting game plans, as well as the individual development for the frontcourt players. Geriot was previously an assistant video coordinator/coaching assistant with the Cavs from 2016-18 and was a seasonal video coordinator with the team for the 2015-16 championship season. Prior to joining the Cavs, Geriot was with Campbell University as an assistant coach from 2013-15 and was with Princeton University as an assistant coach from 2011-13. The Springfield, Pennsylvania native has a degree in political science and history from the University of Richmond, where he played four collegiate seasons and led the Spiders to two NCAA tournaments in 2010 (First Round) and 2011 (Sweet 16).

All four previous Charge Head Coaches have ended their tenure with NBA call-ups: Alex Jensen (Utah), Jordi Fernandez (Denver), Steve Hetzel (Charlotte), and Nate Reinking (Cleveland).

Cavaliers sign guard Kevin Pangos

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Kevin Pangos, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Pangos (6-2, 185) has spent the last six years playing professionally in Europe, most recently for Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League and the EuroLeague.

This past season in EuroLeague play, Pangos earned All-EuroLeague First Team honors after averaging a career-high 13.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 29.0 minutes over 39 games (all starts). The 28-year-old shot .390 from beyond the arc and made the most three-pointers (89) in EuroLeague play, while ranking third in assists per game and 18th in points per game.

Over his international career, Pangos has also played for FC Barcelona (Spain, 2018-2020), Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania, 2016-2018) and Gran Canaria (Spain, 2015-2016) and was an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in 2018, two-time LKL champion (Lithuania, 2017 and 2018), two-time King Mindaugas Cup winner (Lithuania, 2017 and 2018) and All-EuroCup Second Team selection (2016).

Following four college basketball seasons at Gonzaga University, Pangos went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft. With the Bulldogs, the Ontario, Canada native earned First Team All-WCC all four seasons (2012-2015), appearing in 142 total games (141 starts) with career averages of 12.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.25 steals in 33.1 minutes. Additionally, Pangos was the WCC Player of the Year and a Third-Team All-American (AP, NABC, TSN) during his senior season and left Gonzaga as the only player in program history with more than 1,700 points, 500 assists and 150 steals and remains the Bulldogs all-time leader in three-pointers made (322).

Cavaliers re-sign Brodric Thomas to a two-way contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have re-signed guard Brodric Thomas to a Two-Way contract, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced yesterday.

Thomas (6-5, 185), who signed his first Two-Way contract with the Cavaliers on February 24, 2021, played in 32 regular season games (one start) for Cleveland and Houston last season. He recently appeared in five games for the Cavaliers in the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and averaged 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 25.7 minutes.

The undrafted guard from Truman State also played in the NBA G League in 2020-21, where he was named to the All-NBA G League Second Team and to the NBA G League All-Rookie Team. In six games with the Cleveland Charge (then Canton Charge), the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, Thomas averaged 21.3 points on .462 shooting from the field, including .462 (24-52) from three-point range, 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.17 steals and 1.17 blocks in 33.8 minutes. Prior to his stint with the Charge, Thomas appeared in eight games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and averaged 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.62 steals and 1.12 blocks in 33.3 minutes.

Three-team NBA trade sends Lauri Markkanen to Cavs, Larry Nance Jr. to Trail Blazers

As part of a three-team NBA trade, the Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired forward Lauri Markkanen (LAU-ree MARK-a-nin) in a sign and trade agreement from the Chicago Bulls, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

In the deal, Cleveland traded forward Larry Nance Jr. to the Portland Trail Blazers and a protected 2023 second round pick (via Denver) to Chicago. The Bulls also received forward Derrick Jones Jr. from Portland and the Trail Blazers’ lottery-protected 2022 first round pick as part of the trade.

“We are extremely fortunate as an organization to be in a position to acquire another young and talented player with the skill-set of Lauri Markkanen,” said Altman. “He has the proven ability to play multiple positions and stretch the floor from the perimeter and, at 24-years-old, we believe his best basketball is in front of him. We are committed to establishing a winning culture in Cleveland that can be sustained over time and Lauri helps elevate that description. I also want to thank Larry for his outstanding and impactful contributions to our team, both on and off the court. His selfless acts of kindness and support for small businesses in Northeast Ohio during a global pandemic says a lot about his character. He remained steadfast in his commitment to helping others in their time of need and it was an inspiration to us all. Larry truly embraced the community, its fans and his teammates and he will be missed. The Cavaliers have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Larry as a person and a player, and we wish him and his family all the best in Portland.”

Markkanen (7-0, 238) played in 51 games (26 starts) for the Bulls last season, averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per contest. He also shot career highs in field goal percentage (.480) and three-point percentage (.402), while going .826 from the foul line. Markkanen connected on 119 three-pointers in 2020-21, his fourth consecutive season with over 100 triples. He also became just the fourth player in Bulls franchise history to shoot a perfect 7-of-7 from beyond the arc, accomplishing that feat against Philadelphia on March 11, 2021.

A native of Finland, Markkanen was originally drafted out of the University of Arizona by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Traded on draft night to Chicago, he spent his entire four-year NBA career with the Bulls, averaging 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in 29.5 minutes over 221 games (195 starts). Markkanen was an All-NBA Rookie First Team selection in 2018 and leaves the Bulls ranked sixth all-time in franchise history in three-pointers made with 493.

“Larry is a talented and versatile player that impacts winning on both ends of the floor,” said Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey. “We welcome him and his family to Portland and look forward to his contributions on the court and in our community.”

Originally selected by the L.A. Lakers with the 27th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, Nance (6-7, 245) holds career averages of 8.3 points (52.9% FG, 33.3% 3-PT, 68.75 FT), 6.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.26 steals and 24.2 minutes in 350 games (123 starts) with the Lakers and Cleveland. A native of Akron, Ohio, Nance played collegiately for four seasons at Wyoming.

Cleveland Cavaliers hire Sidney Lowe as assistant coach

The Cleveland Cavaliers have hired Sidney Lowe as an Assistant Coach, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman and Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Lowe has been on the coaching sidelines for nearly three decades and returns to Cleveland where he was an assistant coach for five seasons under Mike Fratello from 1994-1999. Over that stretch, he was part of a staff that helped the Cavaliers garner three playoff appearances (1995, 1996, 1998). The Washington, DC, native and former NBA point guard was most recently an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons for the past three seasons (2018-2021), including an NBA postseason berth in 2019.

“Sidney brings a wealth of coaching experience and familiarity to our staff,” said Bickerstaff. “He is a great teacher of the game and his ability to build lasting relationships across the board is integral to the growth of our overall culture here in Cleveland. Sidney also brings all of the character traits we value as a human being – loyalty, trust and integrity. I look forward to working with him and building something special together with our young and talented roster.”

Lowe began his coaching career with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1992, when he became an assistant coach under then-head coach Jimmy Rodgers. He was promoted to head coach midway through the 1992-93 season and remained in the position through the 1993-94 season. Following five years as an assistant with Cleveland (1994-1999) and one with Minnesota (1999-2000), Lowe was named head coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies in 2000 and remained at the helm until 2002-03. He was the lead assistant to head coach Flip Saunders staff in Detroit during the 2005-06 season, a year the team advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Lowe also served as head coach at his alma mater, North Carolina State (2006-11), where in his first season he became the third coach in school history to win 20 games and defeat the three other ACC North Carolina institutions (North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest). After coaching at NC State, Lowe returned to the NBA and spent three seasons as an assistant with the Utah Jazz (2011-2014), two with the Timberwolves (2014-2016) and two with the Washington Wizards (2016-2018).

As a player, Lowe was originally selected by the Chicago Bulls with the first pick of the second round (25th overall) in the 1983 NBA Draft and spent four seasons with Indiana, Detroit, Atlanta, Charlotte and Minnesota. He also competed in the Continental Basketball Association, leading the Albany Patroons and Tampa Bay Thrillers to CBA titles. Lowe played college basketball under the late Jim Valvano at North Carolina State, earning Final Four All-Tournament honors while helping lead the Wolfpack to the 1983 NCAA Championship.