Cleveland Cavaliers Blog – Page 50 – NBA Blog

LeBron James decision: Back to Cavs

This time, when the phone rang, Dan Gilbert was the one celebrating.

Moments before LeBron James’ essay announced his homecoming to the Cleveland Cavaliers, his agent phoned Gilbert to congratulate the once-scorned owner.

In a 26-word statement posted via Twitter seconds after James words reached the masses, Gilbert rolled out the welcome mat for the four-time MVP on behalf of the franchise’s fan base.

“Welcome Home @kingjames. I am excited for the fans and people of Cleveland and Ohio. No fans and people deserve a winner more than them.”

Gilbert’s 8-year-old rushed to his side to ask if he could pull his James jersey out of the closet.

— Sports Xchange

Report: Kevin Love interested in Cavs

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on the Cleveland Cavaliers, who LeBron James announced today that he’ll be signing with:

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love is “intrigued” by the idea of being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and would commit long term to the team, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.

The Cavaliers have opened talks by offering guard Dion Waiters, forward Anthony Bennett and a first-round pick to the Timberwolves in exchange for Love, sources told ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard.

Love said during a June 11 appearance on ESPN’s “SportsNation “that it “burns me and hurts my heart” that he hasn’t made the playoffs in six seasons in the NBA.

LeBron decides to go back to the Cavaliers

LeBron James’ latest decision is in: He’s returning to Cleveland.

Ending a saga that had the NBA virtually at a standstill while he made up his mind, James told Sports Illustrated for a story published Friday that he’s decided to go home. His decision reverses the move he made when he left the Cavaliers for Miami four years ago, and a twist that would have seemed unfathomable after the venomous fallout when he joined the Heat.

“When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission,” James said in the SI first-person story. “I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn’t had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.”

He added, “My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now.”

— Associated Press

Cavs sign Kyrie Irving to contract extension

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced today that the team and Kyrie Irving have agreed upon and signed a contract extension. Per multiple reports, the deal is a maximum-level extension for five years and approximately $90 million.

“We couldn’t be happier to have Kyrie firmly at the core of our Cavaliers team and family for years to come,” said Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin. “He’s already proven he’s among the best in the NBA and we’re excited to watch his continued growth and success. To know that he is all in and shares our high expectations and championship goals is something we’re extremely proud of. It is a clear reflection of how we all view our future together, with Kyrie fully vested in this franchise and the city of Cleveland.”

Irving was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Cavaliers and has career averages of 20.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 33.7 minutes through 181 games with the team. An NBA All-Star in each of the past two seasons, Irving was MVP of the 2014 All-Star Game where he became the second-youngest player to win the award. Since Irving, the 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year, entered the league, he has the third highest scoring average among all NBA point guards. In 2013-14, he led all Eastern Conference point guards with 20.8 points, while also averaging 3.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.5 steals in 35.2 minutes per game. He was one of only six players in the NBA with averages of at least 20 points and six assists per game last season.

“We are excited that Kyrie has officially committed to be here long-term with the Cleveland Cavaliers,” said Cavs Majority Owner Dan Gilbert. “The future has never been brighter as we are building the team and franchise for sustainable success. Kyrie is obviously a very big piece of our plan.”

Three-team trade sends Jarrett Jack to Nets, Tyler Zeller and Marcus Thornton to Celtics

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Boston’s 2015 second round pick (top 55 protected) as well as the rights to Ilkan Karaman and Edin Bavcic in a three-team trade that sends Jarrett Jack and Sergey Karasev to Brooklyn and Tyler Zeller and the Cavs’ 2016 top 10 protected first round pick to Boston, Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin announced today. As part of the three-team trade, Boston will also acquire guard Marcus Thornton from the Nets.

The Cavs want salary cap space in order to offer LeBron James a maximum-level NBA contract. In order to accomplish this, they needed to trade Jarrett Jack’s contract. That’s what this deal is all about, at least from Cleveland’s side of things.

The 2015 second round pick that Cleveland received from Boston is top 55 protected. If Boston does not convey its 2015 second round pick to Cleveland, Boston’s obligation to convey a second round pick to Cleveland as part of this trade will be extinguished. Cleveland’s 2016 first round pick to Boston is top 10 protected in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and, if not conveyed, will be unprotected in the 2019 draft.

The Cavs also receive the rights to forwards Ilkan Karaman and Edin Bavcic. Karaman, 24, was selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 57th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft and most recently played in the Turkish Basketball League for Fenerbahçe Ülker. Bavcic, 30, who was originally selected by the Toronto Raptors as the 56th overall pick of the second round in the 2006 NBA Draft, currently plays for KAOD in Greece.

Zeller, a 7’0” center, appeared in 70 games for the Cavaliers last season where he averaged 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 53.8 percent from the field in 15.0 minutes per game. In his nine games as a starter Zeller averaged 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 21.6 minutes per game. The product of the University of North Carolina was originally selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks before being traded to the Cavaliers on draft night. Zeller recorded a career-high 23 points to go along with six rebounds against the Houston Rockets on March 22 this season. He pulled down a career-high of 15 rebounds against Philadelphia to go along with 18 points in just 25 minutes on February 18. During his rookie season (2012-13) Zeller averaged 7.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 26.3 minutes per game and was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team while also participating in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend.

Thornton, a 6’4” guard, split last season between the Brooklyn Nets and the Sacramento Kings where he averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 24.1 minutes per game. After being acquired by the Nets on February 19 he appeared in 26 games for Brooklyn and spiked his scoring average to 12.3 points while also averaging 2.8 rebounds per game. In those 26 games Thornton recorded double-figures in scoring 14 times and reached 20 or more points six times. Earlier in the season with Sacramento Thornton matched his career-high with a 42 point outburst against Indian on January 24 when he made seven three-pointers. Thornton has appeared in 341 career games between Brooklyn, Sacramento and New Orleans and has career averages of 13.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

“Jarrett is a proven NBA veteran who will add versatility to our backcourt,” said General Manager Billy King. “The team had a need in that area and we are excited that we were able to secure Jarrett to fill that role. Sergey is a player who we have followed closely for several years. He is a versatile forward and will be a welcome addition to our roster.”

Jack, a nine-year NBA veteran, played 80 games (31 starts) last season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he averaged 9.5 points, 4.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game. The 6’3″ guard has played in 691 career games for Portland, Indiana, Toronto, New Orleans, Golden State and Cleveland with career averages of 10.9 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. Originally drafted by Denver with the 22nd pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Jack began his career in Portland, where he played his first three NBA seasons. The Georgia Tech product had his best statistical season in 2011-12 with New Orleans when he averaged career-highs of 15.6 points 6.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Jack has twice helped his team reach the postseason, playing in 18 total playoff games. As a member of the Golden State Warriors, Jack played in 12 postseason contests in 2012-13, making four starts. En route to helping the Warriors reach the Western Conference Semifinals, Jack posted averages of 17.2 points, 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Karasev was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 19th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. The 6’7″ swingman out of Russia played in 22 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 1.7 points in 7.1 minutes per game. Karasev also appeared in 18 games for the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League last season, where he posted averages of 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. A member of the Russian national team, Karasev won bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and was a member of the gold medal winning team at the 2013 World University Games in Kazan. Prior to joining the NBA, Karasev played three seasons internationally with BC Triumph in Russia.

Cavs will reportedly trade Jarrett Jack to Nets

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on a trade that absolutely does matter, because it helps the Cavs clear salary room in their quest to try to bring LeBron James back to Cleveland:

The Cleveland Cavaliers will trade Jarrett Jack to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday as part of a three-team deal with Boston to create more salary-cap space for the pursuit of LeBron James, according to sources close to the process.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Nets have agreed to take on the contracts of Jack and youngster Sergey Karasev from the Cavaliers in a swap that will also see the Celtics acquire Brooklyn’s Marcus Thornton, Cleveland’s Tyler Zeller and a protected 2016 first-round pick from the Cavaliers.

“I’m very, very excited. Obviously, playing in New York is a compliment in and of itself,” Jack told ESPN’s Josina Anderson. “The opportunity to play at the Barclays every night, I couldn’t be happier.”

Cleveland will take back the draft rights to Ilkan Karaman and Edin Bavcic from the Nets to complete the transaction, a league source told ESPNNewYork.com’s Ohm Youngmisuk. The moves will give the Cavaliers significant financial flexibility by shedding the contracts of Jack, Zeller and Karasev.

Andrew Wiggins is first overall pick in 2014 NBA Draft

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Andrew Wiggins with the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. The team also selected Joe Harris (33rd overall pick) in the second round.

Wiggins, 19, was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-League in his only year at Kansas. The Ontario, Canada native was selected to the John R. Wooden All-American Team, and a Second Team All-America choice by the AP, NABC, USBWA, SI.com and Sporting News. In 35 contests with the Jayhawks, the 6-8, 200-pound guard averaged 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 block in 32.8 minutes per game. He set Kansas freshman records in scoring average (17.1 ppg), points (597), field goals attempted (422), free throws made (176) and free throws attempted (227), while connecting on .775 from the free throw line and .341 from the three-point line.

Wiggins led Kansas in steals with 41 and was second on the team with 34 blocked shots. He posted a career high and freshman record 41 points at West Virginia on March 8 (first Jayhawk to break the 40-point barrier since Terry Brown on Jan. 5, 1991). He has represented Canada in FIBA play and averaged 15.2 points with 7.6 rebounds at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, helping Canada finish third.

Harris, 22, spent four years at Virginia where he ranks first all-time in school history with 135 games played. The 6-6, 225-pound guard averaged 12.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 30.3 minutes for his career at Virginia. He also connected on .407 from the three-point line and owns the second-most three-pointers made in school history (263). Harris was named Second Team All-ACC as a senior and First Team All-ACC as a junior. The Chelan, Washington native also averaged double figures in scoring in each of his four years at Virginia and ranked 11th all-time in school history with 1,698 points scored.

Last season, Harris helped lead Virginia to its second ever outright ACC regular season title, with a 16–2 conference record, as well as only their second ever ACC Tournament title.

Andrew Wiggins selected first in 2014 NBA Draft

With the first pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected… Andrew Wiggins.

Hopefully Cavs star Kyrie Irving is pleased with the selection. Wiggins was expected to go in the two few picks, and was a strong favorite to go first overall, so this is not a surprise.

Here’s Wiggins, in the black/white blazer, black bow tie and a smile:

Cavs are expected to pursue LeBron James in free agency

Here’s the Akron Beacon Journal reporting on LeBron James free agency and the Cleveland Cavaliers:

The Cavs, of course, are expected to aggressively pursue James. They’ll have the cap space to sign him and potentially other free agents and still retain Kyrie Irving — although doubts remain about how much the Cavs’ former and current stars want to play together.

The Cavs have a number of non-guaranteed contracts for next season, including Anderson Varejao’s partially guaranteed deal. General Manager David Griffin said after the season ended the Cavs could clear $26 million this summer with little maneuvering and could easily get that figure over $30 million, so cap space won’t be a problem.

Convincing James to return, however, might still be tricky. The relationship between James and the Cavs is markedly better than it was in the days after he left four years ago, but one league source with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of negotiations, said James still harbors resentment toward owner Dan Gilbert over the infamous letter he wrote in the hours after James departed. The Cavs also might not have a roster ready to contend for a championship immediately, even with the addition of James.

“LeBron doesn’t want to play with a bunch of kids,” one source with knowledge of James’ thinking said in recent weeks. “He wants to win.”

Cavs hope to meet with Dante Exum

The 2014 NBA Draft is tomorrow, and teams are attempting to finalize their list of players they hope to select. And with the first pick, the Cavs will pick… somebody. Could Dante Exum be in the mix for that very top spot? Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

The Cleveland Cavaliers are making an 11th-hour push to get Australian guard Dante Exum into Cleveland for an interview and a possible workout, a source with direct knowledge told ESPN.

Exum, in New York on Wednesday for Thursday night’s NBA draft, said he has worked out for the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, who have picks No. 2-4, respectively.

The Cavaliers, who already have All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, are unlikely to take Exum with the No. 1 pick, but he could be an option for the team if it trades down in the draft.