Category: Cleveland Cavaliers Blog

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Cavaliers sign Isaac Okoro to rookie contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed their 2020 NBA Draft pick, guard/forward Isaac Okoro (oh-CORE-oh), General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Okoro (6-6, 225) was selected by the Cavaliers with the fifth overall pick in Wednesday’s draft. In his lone collegiate season at Auburn in 2019-20, Okoro played in 28 games (all starts), averaging 12.8 points on .514 shooting, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 31.5 minutes per game. He was named to the 2019-20 All-SEC Second Team, All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team, becoming just the sixth player in SEC history to be named to an All-Conference Team, All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman Team in the same season, joining Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2011-12), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2011-12) and Nerlens Noel (2012-13), LSU’s Jordan Mickey (2013-14) and Texas A&M’s Robert Williams (2016-17). Okoro is Auburn’s highest draft pick since Chris Morris was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft.

Okoro finished the 2019-20 season ranked 10th among all NCAA Division I freshmen in field goal percentage (.514) and was named to the Auburn Athletic Director’s Honor Roll after maintaining at least a 3.5 GPA in the fall. He became just the fourth Auburn player to ever earn SEC Freshman of the Week twice in a season (Nov. 18 and Dec. 9) and was the second Auburn freshman since 1990 to score in double figures in each of his first six NCAA games. Okoro won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup. He attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, where he averaged 19.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.7 steals as a senior in 2018-19 and led the team to a state championship.

Cavs select Isaac Okoro with No. 5 pick in 2020 NBA draft

The Cleveland Cavaliers have selected guard/forward Isaac Okoro (oh-CORE-oh) from Auburn University with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

In his lone collegiate season at Auburn in 2019-20, Okoro (6-6, 225) played in 28 games (all starts), averaging 12.8 points on .514 shooting, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 31.5 minutes per game. He was named to the 2019-20 All-SEC Second Team, All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team, becoming just the sixth player in SEC history to be named to an All-Conference Team, All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman Team in the same season, joining Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2011-12), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2011-12) and Nerlens Noel (2012-13), LSU’s Jordan Mickey (2013-14) and Texas A&M’s Robert Williams (2016-17). Okoro is Auburn’s highest draft pick since Chris Morris was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft.

Okoro finished the 2019-20 season ranked 10th among all NCAA Division I freshmen in field goal percentage (.514) and was named to the Auburn Athletic Director’s Honor Roll after maintaining at least a 3.5 GPA in the fall. He became just the fourth Auburn player to ever earn SEC Freshman of the Week twice in a season (Nov. 18 and Dec. 9) and was the second Auburn freshman since 1990 to score in double figures in each of his first six NCAA games. Okoro won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup. He attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, where he averaged 19.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.7 steals as a senior in 2018-19 and led the team to a state championship.

Cleveland Cavaliers sign radio broadcast agreement with iHeartMedia Cleveland

The NBA Cleveland Cavaliers, AHL Cleveland Monsters and NBA G League Canton Charge have signed a multi-year, multi-team broadcast agreement with iHeartMedia Cleveland that will start with the 2020-21 season.

The agreements for iHeartMedia’s network of official flagship stations include WTAM 1100 AM/106.9 FM and WMMS 100.7 FM for Cavs basketball; FOX Sports 1350 AM “The Gambler,” the new home for Monsters hockey; and 99.7 FM Canton’s New Country for Charge basketball.

The stations will broadcast each team’s preseason, regular season and postseason games as well as pre-and postgame programming.

“We are excited to extend our already successful relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Monsters, and Charge,” said Keith Hotchkiss, Metro President for iHeartMedia Cleveland. “These teams are an important part of the iHeartMedia family, and this multiyear agreement allows us to continue delivering content to fans who listen to iHeartRadio’s WTAM, WMMS, and FOX Sports 1350 The Gambler.”

“Our decades-long partnership with iHeartMedia Cleveland reflects a mutual commitment and collaboration by all involved to continually find ways to deliver the highest quality broadcast and fan experience possible,” said Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse CEO Len Komoroski. “We’re excited to keep the good times rolling with the great team at iHeartMedia as we introduce a new level of broadcast and promotional inclusion across all of the flagship stations for the Cavs, Monsters and Charge.”

WTAM 1100 AM will continue as the Cavaliers’ long-time flagship station, broadcasting all 82 Cavs regular season games, select preseason games and all playoff games, which will also simulcast live on sister station 100.7 WMMS, Cleveland’s Rock Station.

Both WTAM 1100 AM and 100.7 WMMS will also serve as flagship stations for the 30-station Cavs Radio Network that reaches 38 states and half of Canada.

The extension marks the 31st consecutive season that WTAM 1100 AM has been the official flagship radio home of the Cavaliers, which began in 1990-91 when the station was then WWWE 1100 AM.

It is the 46th season that Cavs games have been broadcast on 1100 AM, starting in the 1971-72 season.

Veteran broadcaster Tim Alcorn will return for his 2nd season as the radio play-by-play voice of the Cavaliers and will be joined by Cavaliers legend, Jim Chones, as the game analyst, who will be back for his 11th season as the game analyst. Returning for his 29th year is studio host Mike Snyder, who will anchor all pregame, halftime and postgame shows. Former OSU great and NBA player Brad Sellers will be back for his 11th year as a postgame studio analyst.

LeBron James highlights lack of jealousy between him and Anthony Davis

Plenty of players have reason to be jealous of LeBron James. He’s got a bunch of NBA championships. He’s been to the Finals a zillion times. He never has to wait on line at da club. Things are good. And he’s happy to say that things are also good between him and star teammate Anthony Davis. The OC Register:

On Thursday afternoon between Games 1 and 2 of the Finals, James was asked what common ground has allowed his relationship with Anthony Davis to flourish. The 35-year-old four-time MVP understands the weight of his words – he pursed his lips just a moment before diving into his answer.

“We’re not jealous of each other,” he said. “I think that’s the best thing.” …

James said their relationship runs counter to what many believe “alphas” on sports teams do: inherently battle for dominance.

“I believe jealousy creeps in a lot, and that is the absolute contrary of what we are,” James said. “We know who we are. We know what we’re about. We want the best, seriously, every single day, both on and off the floor, for one another.”

The Lakers lead the Heat 1-0 in the 2020 NBA Finals. Game 2 is Friday night.

Cleveland Cavaliers reveal 2020-21 Statement Edition uniforms

The Cleveland Cavaliers revealed their 2020-21 Statement Edition uniforms today.

The Cavs black Statement Edition jersey, color and style will forever be associated with the team winning their first NBA Championship in 2016.

A distinctive element of the uniform is pinstripes that line the front of the jersey to the middle of the shorts. These faint grey lines are shaped to invoke the imagery of the grain of the sword

Cavs sign Dean Wade and Jordan Bell

The Cleveland Cavaliers today signed forwards Dean Wade and Jordan Bell to multi-year contracts, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced.

The deals are low-paying and will have little impact on the Cavs salary chart. According to Cleveland.com, “sources say Wade, who was garnering interest from the Washington Wizards over the last few weeks, will receive a team-friendly four-year contract that pays him $375,000 for the rest of the 2019-20 season. The final three years, starting in 2020-21, are non-guaranteed. The fourth year is a team option. According to sources, Bell will get $250,000 for the rest of 2019-20. His second year is non-guaranteed.”

Wade (6-9, 219), who signed a Two-Way contract with Cleveland on July 9, 2019, appeared in 12 games for the Cavaliers this past season. He also played in 30 games (29 starts) with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, averaging 14.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 blocks in 31.1 minutes per contest. Wade went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft after playing four years collegiately at Kansas State, where he was a two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection and finished his career ranking among the Top 10 in school history in career starts (123, second), double-digit scoring games (81, seventh), rebounds (685, eighth), field goals made (548, eighth) and points (1,510, 10th).

Bell (6-8, 224) played in 29 contests for Minnesota and Memphis during the 2019-20 regular season, averaging 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game. The three-year forward owns career averages of 3.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.0 minutes over 154 games (16 starts) with Golden State, Minnesota and Memphis and was a member of the Warriors’ 2018 NBA Championship team. Bell, who played three years at the University of Oregon, was the 38th overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft by Chicago before being traded to Golden State on draft night.

Cleveland Cavaliers statement on NBA return to play plan

Joint Statement From Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman and Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff:

“While we are disappointed that the announced return to play proposal excludes the Cleveland Cavaliers, we understand all of the unprecedented factors that contributed to this outcome and we accept the hard decisions Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA’s Board of Governors had to make. We also respect the exhaustive and life-altering measures that were considered as a result of COVID-19, but as a team, we greatly desired to be a part of the season’s resumption.

We were hopeful to be granted the opportunity to continue the 2019-20 season and join our counterparts in Orlando to further the development of our young team in meaningful basketball games, and also feed off the positive momentum we had built prior to the league shutdown on March 11. Collectively, our players want to compete at the highest level and we will unquestionably use this as added motivation as we continue working towards a sustainable culture of winning.

Although the time away from our incredible fanbase in Cleveland and across Northeast Ohio is unfortunate, we look forward to finding ways to continue utilizing our platform and available resources to reach out in our community to help affect change and take sustainable action in the fight against racial injustice. We are looking forward to returning to the court for the 2020-21 NBA season.”

Organizational Statement:

“While we are disappointed that the season has come to an end and would have preferred to continue playing, we respect the extreme complexities involved and understand the league’s recommendation and decision. We remain proud of the way our players, coaches and entire organization has faced this incredibly challenging time. So much of what we’ve learned about our team and ourselves as an organization during this journey, though, has nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with love, character, community and our culture. All of which are things we will continue to amplify.

We’re also very grateful for the continued passionate support from our partners, our Wine & Gold United members and from all Cavaliers fans. Those bonds and relationships have grown even stronger through all of this. Full focus on our future starts right now and we are in a great position to improve on the momentum that was developing when we were last on the court.

In a huge understatement, we all miss this greatly and will prepare with great anticipation for the start of next season. What a thrilling, even historic, moment and celebration that will be!”

A few workouts recently resumed at NBA facilities

Here’s the New York Post reporting on a tiny step in the right direction:

The new normal at NBA practice facilities began Friday, featuring temperature checks at the door, latex gloves and an outfit in a bag.

The Cavaliers were among the first teams to open back up for voluntary workouts after the league was suspended March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Four players — Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman and Ante Zizic — went to the facility, where they were met with plenty of new precautions as they took the first step back after nearly two months off.

There’s still a very long way to go. But taking baby steps is the responsible way to go right now.

Cavs sign Sir’Dominic Pointer to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed guard/forward Sir’Dominic Pointer to a 10-day contract today.

Pointer (6-6, 192) has appeared in 41 games (13 starts) this season with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, averaging 12.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 2.0 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game. Pointer played in Canton’s 108-106 double-overtime win over the Wisconsin Herd at Canton Memorial Civic Center this afternoon, tallying 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, four steals and four blocks in 33 minutes of action. The St. John’s product was selected by the Cavaliers with the 53rd overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and has played three seasons with Canton, owning NBA G League career averages of 9.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks in 23.0 minutes per game over 132 career contests (48 starts).

According to Cleveland.com, “Pointer was informed of the call-up shortly after the game and is expected to drive from Canton, so he can be available in time for Cleveland’s game against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.”

The Cavaliers’ roster now stands at 16, including two Two-Way players.

Cavs sign Levi Randolph, waive Alfonzo McKinnie and Tyler Cook

The Cleveland Cavaliers made some moves today, signing guard Levi Randolph to a Two-Way contract, and waiving forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Tyler Cook.

Randolph (6-6, 210) has played in 20 games (all starts) this season with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League team, averaging 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 36.0 minutes per game. He originally went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft after playing four years collegiately at Alabama, where he averaged 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 30.7 minutes per game over 135 career contests (120 starts).

McKinnie (6-8, 215) was claimed off waivers by the Cavaliers on Oct. 21 and played in 23 games for Cleveland this season. Cook (6-9, 255), who was claimed off waivers by the Cavaliers as a Two-Way player on Oct. 19 and had his contract converted into a standard NBA contract on Jan. 3, played in six games for Cleveland this season.