Cleveland Cavaliers Blog – Page 19 – NBA Blog

Cavs sign Channing Frye

Center/forward Channing Frye is back on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Frye (6-11, 255) split last season between Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game over 53 games (one start). He owns career averages of 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting .387 from three-point range in 22.8 minutes per game through 854 contests (439 starts) with New York, Portland, Phoenix, Orlando, Cleveland and the Lakers.

Frye previously played with Cleveland from parts of 2015-16 through 2017-18, and was a member of Cleveland’s 2016 NBA Championship winning team. With the Cavs, he has appeared in 144 games (19 starts), averaging 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per contest.

The 12-year NBA veteran has competed in 49 playoff games with Portland, Phoenix and Cleveland, averaging 7.0 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting .444 from beyond the arc in 17.6 minutes per game. With Cleveland during the 2016 and 2017 Playoffs, he played in 29 games, holding averages of 7.0 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting .558 from the field, .541 from deep and .857 from the free throw line in 13.5 minutes per game. His .541 three-point percentage is the highest in Cavaliers playoff history (minimum 50 attempts).

The 6-11 forward, who hails from White Plains, New York, and played collegiately at Arizona, was originally selected by the New York Knicks with the eighth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. He earned First Team All-Rookie honors in 2005-06.

Cavs sign Billy Preston to Two-Way Contract

The Cavs yesterday signed forward Billy Preston to a Two-Way Contract.

Preston (6-10, 240) appeared in three games (two starts) with BC Igokea of the Adriatic League in Europe during the 2017-18 season. He averaged 7.0 points and 4.0 reboun`ds in 15.8 minutes per game. Preston was also a 2017 McDonald’s High School All-American after his senior year at Oak Hill Academy (VA).

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 for the Cavs will provide services to the team’s G League affiliate – the Canton Charge – but can spend up to 45 days with Cleveland.

Cavs sign rookie Collin Sexton

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed Collin Sexton to his rookie contract.

Sexton (6-3, 190) was selected by the Cavaliers with the eighth overall pick last month. In 33 games (32 starts) at Alabama in 2017-18, he averaged 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and a 3.6 assists in 29.9 minutes. The 2017-18 SEC Newcomer of the Year and Co-Freshman of the Year totaled the most points ever by a Tide freshman and the third-most in school history with 632 points, and was a 2017-18 AP Honorable Mention All-America selection.

Sexton will wear jersey number 2 with the Cavs.

LeBron James decision to opt-out or not coming today

LeBron James can stick with his current Cavs contract. Or out out, and re-sign with the Cavs for more money. Or opt out, and sign elsewhere. Or opt out, and then line up a sign-and-trade with the Cavs to get sent elsewhere. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the situation:

LeBron James has a huge decision to make before free agency begins Sunday.

He has until 11:59 p.m. Friday to opt in or out of his $35.6 million player option with the Cleveland Cavaliers for next season. James would become an unrestricted free agent by opting out.

James would be eligible to sign a five-year, $205 million free-agent deal with Cleveland this summer if he opts out… If James signs with another team, his max salary would be $152 million over four years.

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Cavs draft Collin Sexton 8th overall

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected guard Collin Sexton from the University of Alabama with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Sexton (6-3, 190) played one year collegiately at Alabama, averaging 19.2 points (second-most in SEC), 3.8 rebounds and a team-high 3.6 assists in 33 games (32 starts) during 2017-18. His 632 total points were the third-most for any player in a single season in school history as well as the most ever by an Alabama freshman. Sexton scored 10 points or more on 29 occasions, 20 points or more 16 times and 30 points or more in three contests. He set an Alabama freshman scoring record with 40 points, including 31 in the second half, on Nov. 25 against Minnesota, while also becoming the first Tide player to score 40 points in a game since 1979. Sexton also helped lead Alabama to its first NCAA tournament win since 2006 with a victory over Virginia Tech on March 15.

Following his freshman campaign, Sexton was named 2017-18 SEC Newcomer of the Year and Co-Freshman of the Year, becoming just the second Alabama player to ever earn the Freshman honor (Mo Williams, 2002). He also earned All-SEC First Team honors as voted by media, and was tabbed All-SEC Second Team and All-Freshman Team by SEC coaches. A 2017-18 AP Honorable Mention All-America selection, Sexton was additionally named to the SEC All-Tournament team after scoring a school-record 79 points over the Tide’s three games.

The Marietta, Ga. native played at Pebblebrook High School (Mableton, Ga.), where he was a 2016-17 Naismith High School All-American Second Team selection. He won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Zaragoza, Spain, and was named MVP of the tournament after leading Team USA in both scoring and assists.

Tyronn Lue intends to return as Cavs coach

If Tyronn Lue has his way, he’ll be coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers again next season. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

Tyronn Lue confirmed to reporters after Friday’s series-ending Game 4 loss in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors that he intends to return as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers next season.

Lue, who guided the Cavs to their first championship in franchise history after being elevated from associate head coach to the head coach midway through the 2015-16 season, when David Blatt was dismissed, has three years remaining on the five-year, $35 million contract extension he signed in the summer of 2016.

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Rodney Hood will play more, starting in NBA Finals Game 3

The Cavs have a logjam on the bench in the backcourt, with multiple options. Because LeBron James handles the passing that a point guard would typically handle, the team’s biggest need from both starting and backup guards is good outside shooting, and defense. According to ESPN.com, the Cavs will now give Rodney Hood more of a shot:

Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue says he will switch up his rotation in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday by giving minutes to seldom-used wing Rodney Hood against the Golden State Warriors.

“We’re going to give Rodney a chance,” Lue said Tuesday. “He’ll get a shot, and see how he does. He’s been working, staying ready. So we’ll see.”

Hood was the Cavs’ starting shooting guard in their playoff opener — a 98-80 loss to the Indiana Pacers — and has seen his role diminish dramatically since then, going from a bench player to receiving six DNP-CDs in Cleveland’s past 10 games…

He had much more success during the regular season for the Cavs, including a seven-game stretch from late March through early April when Hood averaged 13.9 points on 49.3 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3 with 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

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Steph Curry an early 2018 NBA Finals MVP candidate

We’re only two games into the 2018 NBA Finals, so it’s a bit early to pick a clear Finals MVP candidate. But it’s a two-player race so far, between LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Here’s a Warriors-area outlet, NBC Sports Bay Area, stating the early case for Steph:

Steph Curry is the obvious choice for Finals MVP so far. Yes, it is only two games into the series, and as the Warriors know very well, anything can happen. But unless the Cavaliers were to come back and win the series, Curry has to be the odds-on-favorite. While he has had dominant moments in the Finals, his masterful play actually started at the end of the Western Conference Finals. Over the last three games (including Game 7 of the WCF) Curry is averaging 29.7 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field, 49 percent shooting for deep (on a staggering 14 attempts per game) coupled with 9 assists and 7 rebounds. Curry has dished out 27 assists over the last three games, his highest mark since exactly a year ago, when he tore up the Cavs in the 2017 NBA Finals. Also this fun fact: Steph Curry has out-rebounded one of the Cavaliers’ best rebounding big men, Tristan Thompson, in each of the Finals games thus far. If that sounds familiar, it is because last Finals, Curry had more boards than Thompson in three of the five games, and finished with more rebounds overall in the series.

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Klay Thompson dealing with sprained ankle

The Warriors were without Andre Iguodala in NBA Finals Game 1 and may be without him in Game 2. But now Klay Thompson is questionable for Sunday’s Game 2 with a banged-up ankle. Here’s Cleveland.com reporting:

Warriors All-Star Klay Thompson suffered a high left ankle sprain in Game 1 of the Finals and said he plans to play in Game 2 Sunday.

The Warriors are officially calling him “questionable.”

Thompson was injured in the first quarter of Golden State’s 124-114 win when JR Smith fell into his leg diving for a steal. He limped to the locker room and returned to the game for the start of the second quarter and finished with 24 points and five 3s.

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Tristan Thompson fined, has flagrant foul downgraded

Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson has been fined $25,000 for failing to leave the court in a timely manner following his ejection and for shoving the basketball in the face of Golden State Warriors forward/center Draymond Green, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 2.6 seconds remaining in overtime of the Warriors’ 124-114 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday, May 31 at Oracle Arena.

Thompson’s Flagrant 2, which was assessed for his actions in contesting a jump shot by Warriors guard Shaun Livingston, was downgraded to a Flagrant 1 upon league office review. The foul occurred directly prior to Thompson’s interaction with Green.

So, no fear of suspension for Thompson for NBA Finals Game 2 Sunday night in Oakland.