Category: Cleveland Cavaliers Blog

Cavs blog – Cleveland Cavaliers blog, blogging Cavs news, rumors and more

Cavs sign Evan Mobley to contract extension

The Cleveland Cavaliers recently signed forward/center Evan Mobley to a multi-year contract extension.

“We are thrilled to sign Evan to a long-term extension, solidifying his place as a cornerstone of our franchise,” said Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman. “Evan has quickly established himself as one of the premier defensive players in the league, and we’ve only scratched the surface of his overall potential. Since drafting him, he only knows winning basketball and has proven to be pivotal to our team’s success. His exceptional work ethic, versatility, and commitment to excellence both on and off the court truly embody what it means to be a Cleveland Cavalier. We believe Evan’s best basketball is still ahead of him, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue building something special together for many years to come.”

Mobley (7-0, 215) played in 50 games (all starts) for the Cavaliers this past season and posted career highs in field goal percentage (.580, 11th-best in NBA), three-point percentage (.373), free throw percentage (.719), rebounds (9.4) and assists (3.2), to go along with 15.7 points and 1.44 blocks in 30.6 minutes per contest. He also registered 21 double-doubles and was one of only four NBA players to average at least 15.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 blocks (Anthony Davis, Victor Wembanyama, Joel Embiid). Mobley’s 2.17 blocks per game during the 2024 NBA Playoffs were the most by any Cavalier in a single playoffs since 1992 (Larry Nance, 2.71). In the First Round, Mobley set the franchise record for most blocks in a single playoff series with 21 against Orlando. Additionally, Mobley became the third-youngest Cavalier to record 30 or more points in a postseason game (LeBron James, Daniel Gibson) when he tallied 33 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks in 43 minutes versus Boston on May 15.

Cavaliers sign rookie Jaylon Tyson

The Cleveland Cavaliers recently signed their 2024 NBA Draft pick, guard Jaylon Tyson.

Tyson (6-6, 218), who was selected with the 20th overall pick in last week’s draft, appeared in 31 games (30 starts) as a junior at the University of California this past season, averaging 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 34.3 minutes. Among Pac-12 players this past season, Tyson ranked third in scoring, seventh in rebounding and eighth in assists, earning him a selection to the All-Pac-12 First Team. His 607 total points this past season were the most in a season at California since 2012-13. He was also a Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Top 10 Finalist for the 2023-24 season.

A native of Plano, Texas, Tyson played in a combined 70 games (61 starts) throughout his collegiate career at California (2023-24), Texas Tech (2022-23) and Texas (2021-22), averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 28.8 minutes while shooting .372 from the three-point line.

Tyson became the second player out of University of California selected in the First Round of the NBA Draft in Cavaliers team history (Kevin Johnson, No. 7 pick in the 1987 NBA Draft).

Cleveland Cavaliers hire Kenny Atkinson as their new head coach

The Cleveland Cavaliers have hired Kenny Atkinson as Head Coach, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced yesterday from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Atkinson, 57, becomes the 24th head coach in Cavaliers team history after spending the last three seasons as assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, who most recently captured the 2021-22 NBA Championship. He will also serve as an assistant coach with the French National Team that will participate at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer.

“We conducted a thorough and extensive search in the selecting of the next head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and today, we are excited to welcome Kenny Atkinson to Northeast Ohio,” said Altman. “Kenny brings a wealth of experience, a proven track record of player development, and a relentless work ethic that aligns with the vision we have for this franchise. His innovative approach will instill a style of play and brand of basketball that will give us a chance for sustainable success and ultimately compete for Championships. His familiarity coaching alongside some of the NBA’s best elevates this partnership and we are excited that Kenny will guide our team and help us achieve our goals both on and off the court.”

Prior to his stint with the Warriors, Atkinson was an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers (2021-22), and head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, spending parts of four seasons (2016-2020). He ranks third all-time in Nets franchise history for games coached (308) and fourth in wins (118). After Brooklyn posted a 20-62 record in his first season, Atkinson led the Nets to an eight-win improvement in his second season. In 2018-19, Atkinson guided Brooklyn to a 42-40 record and their first postseason berth since 2015. The 14-win improvement represented the third-biggest increase in wins among all NBA teams that season, and Brooklyn’s third straight season improving its win-loss record, marking the first time the Nets had done so in three or more consecutive seasons since 1990 to 1994.

His previous experience includes assistant coaching stops with Atlanta (2012-2016), New York (2008-2012), and one season as the director of player development in Houston (2007-08).

“I am thrilled and honored to be named head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers,” said Atkinson. “This is an incredible opportunity to lead an already talented young roster with an equally bright future. I’ve seen firsthand and had to prepare for this group as an opposing coach, and the task was not easy. I’m so excited to now be on this side of the ledger to help continue moving this team forward. I also want to thank Koby Altman and the front office for having the confidence in me and the shared vision we have for sustainable success in Cleveland.”

New Cavs head coach will reportedly be Kenny Atkinson

Per the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

The Cavs have their man.

Sources tell cleveland.com that a long, exhaustive search ended on Monday morning with the franchise choosing Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, considered one of the favorites from the beginning, to replace fired J.B. Bickerstaff.

Over the last month-plus, the Cavs conducted numerous interviews with various candidates — over Zoom and in person — and eventually narrowed down their finalists to three: Atkinson, New Orleans associate coach James Borrego and Minnesota’s Micah Nori.

Cavs eliminated from playoffs in second round by Celtics

Per the News Herald:

If the NBA handed out a participation trophy, the Cavaliers would have earned a gigantic one for the effort they showed while losing Games 4 and 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. But it doesn’t work that way when the participants are being paid millions upon millions of dollars.

The Cavs, playing without Donovan Mitchell (calf strain), Jarret Allen (rib injury) and Caris LeVert (knee injury), did not bow to the superior Celtics in Game 5 on May 15 in TD Garden. But in the end the home team prevailed, 113-98, to move on to the conference finals.

Mitchell also missed Game 4 with his calf injury. Allen missed all five games of the semifinals after missing the last three games of the Orlando series, which the Cavs won in seven games. The Cavs lost Game 4 to Boston, 109-102, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Once all the “Our guys never quit” talk subsides, Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman will have some important decisions to make. Or maybe they will be made by Altman’s boss — Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

FULL ARTICLE

Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell undergoes procedure to fix nasal fracture

Cleveland Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell sustained a nasal fracture at Houston on March 16 and missed the Cavaliers’ next game at Indiana on March 18. A medical procedure was performed this morning at Cleveland Clinic to realign the affected area. Mitchell will be reevaluated in approximately one week and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Cavaliers sign Marcus Morris to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Marcus Morris Sr. to a 10-day contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Morris Sr. (6-8, 235), who appeared in 37 games this season with the Philadelphia 76ers, was traded to San Antonio as part of a three-team deal on February 8th before being waived on February 29th. Over his 13-year NBA career, Morris Sr. has played in 820 games (509 starts) with Houston, Phoenix, Detroit, Boston, New York, L.A. Clippers and Philadelphia, owning career averages of 12.1 points (.435 FG%, .377 3FG%, .775 FT%) and 4.5 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per contest. Additionally, he has appeared in 67 career playoff games (45 starts) with averages of 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in 30.1 minutes while also shooting .407 from the three-point line.

The veteran forward was drafted 14th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2011 NBA Draft after a three-year collegiate career at University of Kansas (2008-2011), where he was named the 2010–11 Big 12 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.

Cavaliers sign Pete Nance to Two-Way contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Pete Nance to a Two-Way contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Nance (6-11, 230) played in two games for the Cavaliers this season after signing a 10-day contract with the team on January 18. He has also appeared in 29 games (24 starts) this season for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League affiliate, averaging 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.34 blocks in 31.5 minutes. He posted the first Charge triple double in over two years on January 10 at Indiana, finishing with 27 points, a career-high 12 assists and 10 rebounds in 40 minutes.

Per the Akron Beacon Journal, “I’m from right down the road, grew up a lifelong Cavs fan and so to be able to be in practice and just be around the team and be around these guys, obviously, it’s a dream come true,” Pete Nance said. “It’s something I’ve thought about my whole life, for sure, so it’s just a really awesome moment for me.”

Nance went undrafted after one season at University of North Carolina (2022-23) and four seasons at Northwestern University (2018-22), averaging 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.3 minutes in 137 games (104 starts) during his collegiate career. Last season at UNC, the Akron-born native started all 30 games and averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.13 blocks in 30.0 minutes, while leading the team in blocks (34), finishing second in free throw percentage (.816) and ranking third in three-pointers made (32). Nance was also a member of the recent Cavaliers 2023 Summer League Championship team, appearing in all six games, averaging 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.4 minutes.

Cavaliers Two-Way forward Emoni Bates added to 2024 Rising Stars competition

Cleveland Cavaliers Two-Way forward Emoni Bates will replace injured NBA G League Ignite forward Ron Holland on Team Detlef in the 2024 Panini Rising Stars. The annual showcase of premier young talent at NBA All-Star will take place on Friday, Feb. 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and air live at 9 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the United States.

Bates, a 6-8 rookie, will play in Panini Rising Stars for the first time. He has appeared in 10 games with the Cavaliers, who selected him with the 49th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Bates is averaging 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 33.7 minutes in 10 games with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ NBA G League affiliate. During NBA All-Star 2024, Bates will also compete in the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T on Sunday, Feb. 18.

Holland will not participate in Panini Rising Stars or the NBA G League Up Next Game presented by AT&T because of a right thumb injury. In Rising Stars, the 6-8 Holland was to play for the team with three-time NBA All-Star and Indiana Pacers legend Detlef Schrempf as its honorary head coach. For the NBA G League Up Next Game, Holland will be replaced by Chicago Bulls Two-Way forward Adama Sanogo.

Cavaliers convert contract of Craig Porter Jr. to standard contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have converted the contract of guard Craig Porter Jr. to a standard NBA contract.

Porter Jr. was subsequently assigned to the Cleveland Charge for tonight’s game at Grand Rapids.

Porter Jr. (6-2, 185) was originally signed by the Cavaliers on a Two-Way contract on July 7th after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Wichita State. This season, he has played in 32 games (five starts) for the Cavaliers and is averaging 6.5 points, 2.8 assists (6th among NBA rookies), 2.5 rebounds, 0.53 steals and 0.38 blocks, while shooting .509 from the field in 14.7 minutes per contest. Porter Jr., who was also a member of the Cavaliers’ 2023 Summer League Championship team, has scored in double figures on nine occasions and handed out five or more assists eight times this season.

In a win over Denver on Nov. 19, Porter Jr. recorded a career-high 21 points on 7-10 (.700) shooting from the field, including a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 25 minutes off the bench. His 21 points were the most by an undrafted Cavaliers rookie since Matthew Dellavedova on March 26, 2014 at Detroit (21 PTS). Against New Orleans on Dec. 21, Porter Jr. dished out a career-high 11 assists, which were the most assists by an undrafted Cavaliers rookie since Dellavedova (4/9/14 vs DET). He also recorded the most rebounds ever by a Cavaliers undrafted rookie with 12 boards during a win at Dallas on Dec. 27.