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Cavaliers promote Brendon Yu and Liron Fanan within organization

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced yesterday that Brendon Yu and Liron Fanan have been elevated into new roles within the organization effective immediately, as Yu moves into the position as Director of Scouting for the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Fanan takes over as General Manager for the Charge.

Yu has been a part of the Cavaliers organization for nine seasons, including the last four as General Manager of the Charge (2019-2023), with Director of College Scouting for the Cavaliers added to his title in 2022-23. In addition, Yu spent two seasons as the Director of G League Operations and Basketball Operations, Special Projects. He began his tenure with the Cavaliers as the basketball operations seasonal assistant in 2014-15. As Director of Scouting, Yu will lead the talent evaluation of collegiate and professional athletes and continue to work closely with Altman and Cavaliers General Manager Mike Gansey overseeing personnel for the Cavaliers, including international and NBA G League players.

With her promotion, Fanan becomes the first woman in Charge franchise history to be named general manager and just the fourth in the NBA G League, joining Tori Miller (College Park Skyhawks), Amber Nichols (Capital City Go-Go) and Anjali Ranadivé (Stockton Kings).

Cavs clinch spot in 2023 NBA playoffs

Via Cleveland.com:

Where were you in 1998?

That year has become rooted in Cavs history — an inescapable smudge that no one could erase. It was the last time the organization made the playoffs without LeBron James — the multi-time franchise savior whose presence single-handedly controlled the team’s destiny. With him, Cleveland was a pillar of stability and prosperity. Without him, rubble.

Until Sunday night.

The Cavs crushed Houston, 108-91, ending a five-year playoff drought and clinching a berth without LeBron for the first time in more than two decades. It’s their fourth straight win and sixth in the last seven games. The victory also pulls the Cavs closer to third-seeded Philadelphia who had an abundance of breathing room a few days ago.

“You want to appreciate every step along the way and it’s definitely a blessing,” All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said. “I don’t want to downplay the moment. But in the same token, and I told the guys in there, this is what you come to expect. You made your first one, appreciate it, enjoy it, celebrate it for the city, for the organization, for your individual guys who have made it, but at the same token like, three seed is in play. That’s the goal. That’s the focus. We should come to a point now where that’s what is expected of us — making the playoffs and continuously pushing forward.”

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Cavaliers sign Sam Merrill to multi-year contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Sam Merrill to a multi-year contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Merrill (6-4, 197) signed a 10-day contract with the team on March 3rd and appeared in one game for the Cavaliers. Prior to joining Cleveland, Merrill appeared in 35 games (34 starts) this season for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League affiliate, averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.7 minutes. He scored a season-high 32 points, including a Charge franchise record 10-14 (.714) shooting from the three-point line on February 22 against the Greensboro Swarm.

In 37 career NBA games (two starts) with Milwaukee, Memphis and Cleveland, Merrill has connected on 28-71 (.394) from the three-point arc. During the 2020-21 season, he ended his rookie season as a NBA Champion with the Bucks, where he was teammates with current Cavaliers Two-Way player Mamadi Diakite. Merrill also appeared in five games with the Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies G-League affiliate) with averages of 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 28.9 minutes.

Merrill was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans as the 60th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft after a four-year collegiate career at Utah State University. He was a two-time All-Mountain West First Team selection (2019 & 2020) and named Mountain West Player of the Year in 2019.

Cavaliers sign Sam Merrill to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Sam Merrill to a 10-day contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Merrill (6-4, 197) has appeared in 35 games (34 starts) this season for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ exclusively owned and operated NBA G League affiliate, averaging 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.7 minutes. He scored a season-high 32 points, including a Charge franchise record 10-14 (.714) shooting from the three-point line on February 22 against the Greensboro Swarm.

In 36 career NBA games (two starts) with Milwaukee and Memphis, Merrill has connected on 28-70 (.400) from the three-point arc. During the 2020-21 season, he ended his rookie season as a NBA Champion with the Bucks, where he was teammates with current Cavaliers Two-Way player Mamadi Diakite. Merrill also appeared in five games with the Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies G-League affiliate) with averages of 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 28.9 minutes.

Merrill was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans as the 60th overall pick in the 2020 draft after a four-year collegiate career at Utah State University. He was a two-time All-Mountain West First Team selection (2019 & 2020) and named Mountain West Player of the Year in 2019.

Cavaliers sign Danny Green

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Danny Green for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Green (6-6, 215), who appeared in three games this season with the Memphis Grizzlies, was traded to Houston as part of a three-team deal on February 9 before being waived on Feb. 12. Over his 14-year NBA career, Green has played in 822 games (709 starts) with Memphis, Philadelphia, L.A. Lakers, Toronto, San Antonio and Cleveland, owning career averages of 8.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.03 steals in 25.3 minutes per contest while also shooting .399 from the three-point line. Green has made at least 100 three-pointers in 11 of his 14 seasons and his 1,465 career three-pointers rank 14th among active NBA players. Additionally, he has appeared in 165 career playoff games (159 starts) with averages of 8.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in 25.6 minutes. His 165 playoff games are the 3rd-most of any active NBA player, behind only LeBron James (266) and Andre Iguodala (177).

A three-time NBA Champion with the Spurs, Raptors and Lakers (2014, 2019, 2020) and one of just four players in NBA history to win championships with three different franchises (LeBron James, Robert Horry and John Salley), Green was an NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection in 2017. The veteran forward was drafted 46th overall by the Cavaliers in the 2009 NBA Draft after a four-year collegiate career at University of North Carolina (2005-2009), where he was part of the Tar Heels National Championship team in 2009.

Cleveland’s roster now stands at 17 players, including two Two-Way players. Green will wear jersey #14 for the Cavaliers.

Dillon Brooks suspended, Donovan Mitchell fined

Memphis Grizzlies guard-forward Dillon Brooks has been suspended one game without pay and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell has been fined $20,000 for their roles in an on-court altercation, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.

After missing a layup and falling to the floor, Brooks initiated the altercation by striking Mitchell in the groin area in an unsportsmanlike manner. Mitchell then escalated the situation by throwing the game ball at and pushing Brooks, after which both players continued to physically engage with one another.

Brooks was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected, and Mitchell was given a technical foul and ejected.

The incident occurred with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter of the Cavaliers’ 128-113 victory over the Grizzlies on Feb. 2 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Brooks will serve his suspension Sunday, Feb. 5 when the Grizzlies play host to the Toronto Raptors.

Cavaliers hire Anderson Varejao as a Player Development Consultant and Global Ambassador

The Cleveland Cavaliers have hired Anderson Varejão as a Player Development Consultant and Global Ambassador, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

The longtime Cavaliers center and fan-favorite returns to Cleveland in a full-time capacity after retiring from a 14-year NBA playing career and will help lead the organization’s international partnership efforts.

The Cavaliers will honor Varejão with a special presentation and video tribute at halftime of the Cavs vs. Milwaukee Bucks game on Saturday, January 21st.

“Andy embodies all that the city of Cleveland stands for and beyond, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring his experience, leadership and character back into the Cleveland Cavaliers family,” said Altman. “His infectious work ethic and commitment to our community have earned him his rightful place in the fabric of this organization and all of Northeast Ohio, and his impact on the game internationally will benefit our global outreach. We are thrilled to welcome Andy and his family back fulltime to the Cavaliers.”

In his new role, Varejão will engage with coaches, front office and Cavaliers players in varying on-court development roles during the season, as well as travel internationally for both basketball and corporate activities. Varejão will also assist the Cavaliers in their on-going mission to grow the game of basketball globally, including in Latin America. The organization has already launched an official team Portuguese Instagram channel called @cavsinbrasil in partnership with award-winning Brazilian digital and social media agency, Play9. The channel, which is filled with daily fresh content and game coverage, already has over 16,000 followers since launching last October.

“In Cleveland, we’ve seen first-hand the passion that fans in Brazil have for the game of basketball as they cheered on their hero, Anderson Varejão, during his incredible 14-year NBA career,” said Nic Barlage, Cleveland Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse CEO. “As we celebrate Andy and all that he has meant to our franchise, we are committed to helping to grow the sport across the globe in an authentic and thoughtful way. Our hope is that we can organically create generations of new Cavs fans internationally that will carry on that same passion for the game that Andy brought to the court every night.”

“I am thrilled and honored once again to be a formal part of the Cavaliers family,” said Varejão. “This is a unique opportunity to start a new chapter of my life with the team I love and in the city I love. I want to thank Dan Gilbert, Koby and Nic for welcoming me and my family back to Northeast Ohio with open arms. I am truly excited to be back here where it all started and contribute to growing the game of basketball in areas that hold a meaningful place in my heart.”

During his playing days in Cleveland, Varejão was a key member of the Cavaliers back-to-back 60-win teams (66-16 in 2008-09 and 61-21 in 2009-10) and six playoff teams (2005-2010, 2015), including two Eastern Conference Finals runs (2007 and 2009) and the franchise’s first ever NBA Finals appearance during the 2007 Playoffs. Over 13 seasons with the Cavaliers, Varejão appeared in 596 regular season games (208 starts) with averages of 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per contest. Nicknamed the “Wild Thing,” Varejão still ranks among the Cavaliers all-time Top 10 leaders in offensive rebounds (fourth, 1,486), defensive rebounds (seventh, 2,968), total rebounds (seventh, 4,454), games played (eighth, 596), blocks (eighth, 399) and steals (eighth, 529). He also earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2009-10 and owns a share of the team’s single game record for rebounds with 25 boards on January 2, 2014 versus Orlando. Additionally, Varejão played in 71 playoff games with Cleveland and ranks among the Cavaliers’ all-time postseason leaders in games played (71, tied for fourth), steals (67, fourth), offensive rebounds (147, fourth), defensive rebounds (258, sixth), total rebounds (405, sixth) and blocks (39, tied for seventh).

Before entering the NBA and becoming one of only seven players in Cavaliers history with 4,000 points and 4,000 rebounds, Varejão first started playing basketball for Clube de Regatas Saldanha da Gama (Vitória-ES) during his youth. From there, he signed to play for Franca Basquete (Franca-SP), where he joined the professional team and the Brazilian National Team. He played for Franca for four years, and his stellar play elevated him to join Liga ACB in Spain, where he won multiple championships playing for F.C. Barcelona, including the Liga ACB MVP trophy in 2001-02 and their first-ever EuroLeague title in 2003. After enjoying much success internationally, Varejão was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 30th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft before being acquired by the Cavaliers in a trade on July 23, 2004.

In addition to his 13 NBA seasons in Cleveland, Varejão had a brief stint with the Golden State Warriors where he appeared in 36 games during parts of the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, as well as 17 postseason contests during the Warriors’ NBA Finals run in 2016. Following his stint with Golden State, Varejão played for Flamengo in the NBB (Novo Basquete Brasil) league in 2017-18 and 2018-19, where he was MVP of the All-Star Game (2018) and champion of the Copa Super 8 and NBB 2019 title. In 2021, Varejão made his final appearance for the Brazilian National Team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Qualifier in Croatia. He represented Brazil for over 20 years.

Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio will reportedly make season debut soon

Via ESPN.com:

After a full year of rehabilitating an ACL tear in his left knee, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio is targeting a return against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, sources told ESPN.

Rubio will practice Wednesday, and if all goes well, he will play in Portland on Thursday, the sources said.

The Cavaliers — 26-16 and fifth in the Eastern Conference — are anxious to make Rubio a part of the team’s guard rotation with All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week

The NBA announced today that Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 12 (games played Monday, January 2, through Sunday, January 8).

This marks Mitchell’s second player of the week honor this season, winning the award in Week 9 (games played from Dec. 12-18), and is his fifth of his NBA career (once in 2021-22 and twice in 2018-19). His honor also marks the 66th time a Cavalier has ever won the weekly award, as he becomes the first Cavalier to win player of the week multiple times in a single season since LeBron James in 2017-18.

The Cavaliers went a perfect 3-0 in games Mitchell appeared in this past week. The sixth-year NBA guard averaged an Eastern Conference-best 37.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.0 steal in 38.7 minutes. He also shot .530 from the field and .861 from the foul line, while scoring at least 20 points in all three games. In addition to leading the conference in points per game, Mitchell ranked sixth in assists per game and was the only player in the East to average at least 30.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists.

Mitchell started the week with one of the highest scoring games in NBA history, registering a franchise-record 71 points (22-34 FG, 7-15 3FG, 20-25 FT), 11 assists, eight rebounds and one block in 50 minutes during a 145-134 overtime win over Chicago on Jan. 2. It marked the most points scored by any NBA player since Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006. Mitchell also became just the seventh player in NBA history to record 70 points or more in a game, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Bryant, David Thompson, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor and Devin Booker. No other NBA player in league history accomplished a 70-point, 10-assist effort until Mitchell’s performance. With 24 points in the third quarter, 18 in the fourth and 13 in overtime, Mitchell combined to score 55 points after halftime, tying Bryant for the most points by any NBA player after intermission in the last 25 seasons, and helping the Cavaliers overcome a 21-point deficit. His 71 points shattered the franchise’s single game scoring record, beating the previous mark of 57 by LeBron James (11/3/17 at WAS) and Kyrie Irving (3/12/15 vs. SAS). The 99 points Mitchell scored or assisted on were the second-most ever behind the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points on March 2, 1962 (104 points created). Additionally, Mitchell became only the fourth NBA player to make 20 field goals and 20 free throws in a single game, along with Chamberlain (March 2, 1962), Booker (March 24, 2017) and Michael Jordan (March 28, 1990).

Mitchell followed his historical 71-point outing with a near double-double of 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds during Cleveland’s 90-88 victory over Phoenix on Jan. 4. He closed out the week by tallying 22 points (7-12 FG, 6-6 FT), one steal and one block in 30 minutes of a 112-98 win at Phoenix on Jan. 8. Through his 36 appearances this season (all starts) with Cleveland, the 6-3 guard is averaging a career-best 28.8 points (eighth-best in NBA) on career highs in field goal percentage (.488), three-point percentage (.405) and free throw percentage (.874), to go with 3.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.44 steals in 36.5 minutes per contest. He is one of two NBA players averaging 25.0 points or more while shooting at least .400 shooting from beyond the arc (Stephen Curry), and his 136 three-pointers made rank third in the NBA. The Cavaliers’ 26-15 record is the fourth-best mark in the Eastern Conference and the franchise’s best 41-game start since 2017-18 (26-15).

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James won Player of the Week accolades for the Western Conference.

Donovan Mitchell reflects on trade from Jazz to Cavs

Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell reflects on the trade that sent him from the Utah Jazz to Cleveland, via the Salt Lake Tribune:

Donovan Mitchell: “I look at it as a win-win. Everybody’s flourishing, doing well, happy, and sometimes a new beginning is just what you need. That’s for both sides. I don’t know what the vibe is in the locker room over there, but when I talked to the guys it just seemed like a fresh breath. Sometimes your time just runs out. I just think for me personally, I’ve said this on several occasions, I’m happy in a different way. They seem to be that as well, they’re playing well as a group. I’ve watched a bunch of games. It’s great to see both sides thriving after something that took a whole summer to kind of figure out.”