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Cavs, Jazz trade Alec Burks, Kyle Korver

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard Alec Burks and two future second round draft picks from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Kyle Korver.

The two draft picks that Cleveland is receiving in the deal are Utah’s own 2020 second round pick and a 2021 second round pick from the Washington Wizards via the Jazz.

“Kyle’s on-court accomplishments are well known,” said Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman. “More importantly, though, Kyle is a great person and teammate. He sets an example in everything he does. His work ethic, character and dependability are all at a very special level and something we will always respect and be thankful for. We wish Kyle and his family the best as he continues his career back in Salt Lake City.”

“Alec is a young vet that’s versatile and talented,” said Altman. “We welcome him to Cleveland and we’re looking forward to him getting started with us soon.”

Burks (6-6, 214) has appeared in 17 games for Utah this season, averaging 8.4 points in 15.8 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures on six occasions in 2018-19, including a season-high 22 points in 27 minutes on Nov. 5 versus Toronto. Playing in his ninth NBA season, Burks holds career averages of 9.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per game over 382 career contests (43 starts) with Utah. He also competed in the 2012 and 2018 NBA Playoffs for the Jazz, averaging 8.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game through 13 contests. The 6-6 guard out of Colorado was originally selected by Utah with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Currently in his 16th NBA season, Korver (6-7, 212, Creighton) has appeared in 1,120 career games (422 starts) with Philadelphia, Utah, Chicago, Atlanta and Cleveland, owning averages of 9.9 points on 44.4 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from three-point range, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 26.0 minutes per contest. Named an All-Star during the 2014-15 season, the Pella, Iowa native currently ranks fourth all-time in NBA history for three-point field goals made (2,238). Along with Stephen Curry and Ray Allen, Korver is one of only three players in NBA history to hit over 2000 three-point field goals on better than 40 percent from beyond the arc in their career.

Korver appeared in 180 games during his first stint in Utah (2007-10), totaling 1,570 points, 468 rebounds and 294 assists, 95 steals and 65 blocks, also helping the Jazz to the postseason in each of his seasons as a Jazzman. He ranks second in Jazz history in three-point field goal percentage (.416) and third in free-throw percentage (.879). During the 2009-10 season, he shot 53.6 percent from three, which set an NBA single-season three-point field goal accuracy record.

Originally selected in the second round (51st overall pick) by the Nets, Korver won the 2014-15 NBA Sportsmanship Award, as voted on by fellow NBA players.

George Hill may return soon for Cavs

The Cavs are 4-15 this season, tied for the second worst record in the league. They need bright spots. Is one such bright spot the return of their not-too-impactful veteran point guard? I guess. Here’s Cleveland.com with the latest on George Hill, who has started all 10 of his games this season and put up an average of 12.6 points and 3.0 assists per game:

George Hill played four-on-four with teammates and coaches, taking contact once again, prior to the Cleveland Cavaliers leaving for their two-game road trip Tuesday afternoon.

He’s “progressing,” according to head coach Larry Drew. Hill could even make his return Wednesday night against Oklahoma City, a team source told cleveland.com.

The Cavs had him go through the post-practice contact session and he’s expected to take part in Wednesday’s shootaround in Oklahoma City. His official status will be determined after that, as the training staff wants to see how Hill responds after two straight days of on-court work.

LeBron James, Lakers play Cavs in Cleveland tonight

LeBron James and the Lakers visit Cleveland tonight to play a Cavs team that has been in shambles this season and looks nothing like the contender they were when LeBron was still on the squad. The game will be on national TV. Seeing the type of reception LeBron receives during pregame intros and an expected video tribute will be fun to watch. More on the game from Cleveland.com below:

Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson opted for the canned answer when asked about the importance of Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Just another game. Another game on the schedule,” Thompson said following shootaround. “Another opportunity for us to play at home and compete and be on our floor.”

Only it’s not. Wednesday marks LeBron James’ first return to Quicken Loans Arena since leaving the Cavaliers a second time in free agency.

Promos have been playing for weeks on ESPN. It’s one of two games nationally televised for the Cavaliers this season. This is the one fans have had circled on the calendar since it was released.

The Lakers through Tuesday’s games are 9-7 and the West’s 8th seed, while the Cavs are an NBA-worst 2-13 and currently dealing with a reported trade request/demand from veteran shooting guard J.R. Smith.

Cavs Rookie Collin Sexton Playing Well as Starter

The Cleveland Cavaliers are an NBA-worst 2-12 through Thursday’s games. Regardless of whether they planned to rebuild after LeBron James’ departure or thought they could partially weather the storm and stay competitive, the losses have piled up, and the team must clearly focus on the future, not the present. But a bright spot as emerged. Here’s Cleveland.com reporting on rookie guard Collin Sexton:

George Hill worked alongside Andrew Harrison on ball-handling drills while rookie Collin Sexton launched jumper after jumper at the opposite hoop.

Hill is getting closer to a return from a sprained right shoulder, which has sidelined him since suffering the injury late in the game against Orlando on Nov. 5. But his old starting point guard spot may be gone when he gets back, pried away by the rising youngster who has started to blossom since stepping into the lead role…

In four games as starter, Sexton is averaging 18.0 points on 48.4 percent from the field and 70 percent from 3-point range to go with 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

With him on the floor, the Cavs have an offensive rating of 102.3, which ranks fourth-best of any player averaging double-digit minutes in those games. The team’s defensive rating, a point of weakness for Sexton early on, is 102.0. That equals a positive net rating, one of three players capable of making that claim.

With Kevin Love out injured and a team that is racking up losses, Sexton, at least in four games as a starter so far, is worth keeping an eye on.

Cavs PG George Hill hurt

The Cavs aren’t having the best of NBA seasons. Here’s the News Herald reporting the latest:

The Cavaliers are losing games and players at an alarming rate.

Starting point guard George Hill could miss two weeks with a sprained right shoulder, the latest setback for the Cavs, who have won just one game and are expected to be without All-Star forward Kevin Love for at least another five weeks following foot surgery.

Cleveland is also missing forward Sam Dekker, who sprained his ankle and is out for a month.

— Full Article

Cavs sign Andrew Harrison, waive John Holland

Cavs sign Andrew Harrison, waive John Holland

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed guard Andrew Harrison to a Two-Way contract today.

And in a related move, the Cavaliers waived Two-Way forward John Holland.

Harrison (6-6, 213) appeared in one game with the Memphis Grizzlies this season. He owns career averages of 7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 21.7 minutes per game over 129 games (64 starts) in three seasons with Memphis. Harrison also played in six postseason contests for the Grizzlies during the 2017 Playoffs, averaging 6.5 points and 2.2 assists in 19.8 minutes per game. The 6-6 guard out of Kentucky was originally selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 44th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have two Two-Way contract players on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. A Two-Way player can spend up to 45 days with the Cavs.

Cavs and Larry Drew agree to new head coaching contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed Larry Drew to a new head coaching contract.

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Coach Drew to continue leading the team on the court. He brings important experience and many qualities that we expect to translate well with our team as the head coach,” said Altman. “We’re looking forward to the ways he can impact the team and help our players continue to grow and find success.”

Drew was named associate head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers in September of 2016. He spent his first two seasons with the Cavaliers as an assistant coach (2014-2016).

Before his arrival in Cleveland, Drew served as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013-14. Prior to that, he was head coach of the Atlanta Hawks from 2010 through 2013, where he compiled a 128-102 (.557) overall record and led the Hawks to the postseason in each of his three campaigns on the bench.

Cavs release statement regarding Jim Boylan lawsuit against them

CAVS STATEMENT REGARDING LAWSUIT FROM JIM BOYLAN

The Cleveland Cavaliers had an ‘option,’ in its sole discretion, to extend the contract of its former Assistant Coach Jim Boylan one additional year for the 2018-2019 NBA season.

The Cavaliers chose not to exercise its option to extend Mr. Boylan’s contract for the 2018-2019 season, a right that was fully and completely negotiated and executed in accordance with terms of the contract.

The contract between the Cavaliers and Mr. Boylan ended with the completion of the 2017-2018 NBA season.

Sometime over the past couple of months, Mr. Boylan hired the Cleveland, Ohio law firm of Thorman Petrov Group.

After Mr. Boylan hired this plaintiff firm, Christopher Thorman wrote to the Cavaliers initially to “informally” resolve matters related to Mr. Boylan’s employment, only to then follow up with an outrageous written demand for $6.174 million dollars. The demand was a precursor to a threat to file a lawsuit in the misguided hopes that embarrassing the Cavaliers by publishing Ty Lue’s voicemail would motivate a settlement. Thorman followed through with his threat yesterday.

The outrageousness of Mr. Boylan’s claim of ‘age discrimination’ due to the Cavaliers not exercising an option in a contract both parties signed cannot be overstated.

The only fact that exceeds the egregiousness of Mr. Boylan’s claim that he is owed any further compensation from the Cavaliers is the extortion attempts by Christopher Thorman demanding $6.174 million dollars when, had the one-year option been exercised for the 2018-2019 season, Mr. Boylan would have been paid $500,000 for his services. Mr. Thorman, as well as his law firm Thorman Petrov Group, has a pattern and practice of deploying these types of strategies.

This frivolous lawsuit is simply an opportunistically-timed effort at a shameless cash grab. The team will seek immediate dismissal of this disappointing, unwarranted and baseless claim.

Coach Tyronn Lue fired by Cavs

Coach Tyronn Lue fired by Cavs

Cavaliers Head Coach Tyronn Lue was released today by the team. Associate Head Coach Larry Drew has been named interim head coach. The announcement was made from Cleveland Clinic Courts by Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman.

“This was a very difficult decision. It is especially so, considering Coach Lue’s time with us over the last four years, including four straight trips to the NBA Finals,” said Altman. “We have respect and great admiration for Ty, not only as a coach, but a person. We thank him for the many ways he has contributed to our success, wish him the best and he will always be remembered for leading a very special Cavs team back against the odds to win the title in 2016. This is a different team equation, though, and one that we felt needed a different voice and approach that required this change.”

Coach Lue joined the Cavaliers coaching staff in June of 2014 as associate head coach. He was promoted to head coach in January of 2016, thus becoming the 20th head coach in franchise history. As head coach of the Cavaliers, he had a combined regular season record of 128-83 (.606) and a 41-20 (.672) mark in the playoffs.

Drew was named associate head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers in September of 2016. He spent his first two seasons with the Cavaliers as an assistant coach (2014-2016), including the 2015-16 campaign when Cleveland won the NBA championship.

Before his arrival in Cleveland, Drew served as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013-14. Prior to that, he was head coach of the Atlanta Hawks from 2010 through 2013, where he compiled a 128-102 (.557) overall record and led the Hawks to the postseason in each of his three campaigns on the bench.

Cavs off to horrible start defensively

It’s too early in the season to jump to any wild conclusions about any NBA team that flies in the face of long-term season-long logic. But in the case of the Cavs, it makes perfect sense to expect that they won’t be a particularly good defensive team this season. Not with the current roster. So in their 0-3 season start, it’s actually not too early to sound the alarm about the squad’s defense, which has been atrocious so far. Here’s Cleveland.com reporting:

The problem starts with, but isn’t necessarily limited to, communication breakdowns — in transition and on switches.

“I think the biggest thing is communication,” head coach Tyronn Lue said on Tuesday. “When you’re switching you have to call the switches out so the man can’t get behind and get dunks and layups and easy shots.”

The Cavs have a motto on defense: ELC. That stands for early, loud and continuous. They reference it every day.

“By nature we have some guys that are quiet guys, they need to speak up, speak louder and call out the coverages,” Lue said.

For his part, Lue has been much more vocal this season. He’s constantly off his cushy bench seat, barking out instructions. Assistant coach Mike Longabardi is doing the same.

— Full Article