Cleveland Cavaliers Blog – Page 73 – NBA Blog

Cavs assign Christian Eyenga to D-League

The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned guard/forward Christian Eyenga to the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers exclusively owned and operated NBA Development League team, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.

Eyenga has appeared in one game with the Cavaliers during the regular season, playing one minute against Charlotte on January 3. He appeared in one preseason game, totaling two points, five rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes.

The 6-foot-7 210-pounder played in 44 games (18 starts) last season for the Cavs and averaged 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.8 steals in 21.5 minutes per game. He also appeared in 15 games (13 starts) for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League (and the Cavaliers former affiliate) last season, averaging 12.3 points on .531 shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 26.0 minutes per game.

Kyrie Irving to start for Cavs

Kyrie Irving will start at point guard for the Cavs tonight in the season opener against the Toronto Raptors. Irving came off the bench during the two preseason games, but coach Byron Scott said he wanted Irving with the veteran starters and Ramon Sessions to provide a veteran presence to a young second unit.

“We need somebody with some experience with that ball. That is perfect for Sess,” Scott said. “Sess understood. Obviously Kyrie on the first team is surrounded by veterans, which is going to help him. I really think it’s going to work out for the best.”

Scott still wants Irving to improve defensively and believes surrounding him with good defensive communicators like Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker will help him get there.

— Via Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal

Cleveland Cavaliers waive Baron Davis, via NBA amnesty clause

The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived guard Baron Davis and designated him as the team’s amnesty player, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

“We would like to thank Baron for his contributions to the team during his time in Cleveland,” said General Manager Chris Grant. “He has been an absolute professional since the day he joined the Cavs and we now wish him the best in the future.”

Davis, 32, was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 24th along with a first round pick in exchange for guard Mo Williams and forward Jamario Moon.

Dallas Mavericks sign guard Delonte West

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have signed free agent guard Delonte West. The deal is reportedly for one year and the league veteran’s minimum.

West (6-3, 180) is a seven-year veteran who owns career averages of 9.7 points, 3.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 388 games (225 starts) for Boston, Seattle and Cleveland. In 2008-09, West played alongside LeBron James in Cleveland and started each of his 64 games and averaged 11.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the foul line.

Originally the first round draft pick (24th overall) of the Boston Celtics in the 2004 NBA Draft, West played in just 39 games his rookie season before becoming the starting shooting guard in his second year. That season, West started each of his 71 contests for the Celtics and averaged 11.8 points, 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game.

The Washington D.C., native attended St. Joseph’s University where, as a junior, he teamed with Jameer Nelson to lead his school to an undefeated 27-0 regular season and an Elite Eight appearance. He was named Honorable Mention All-America by Associated Press and All-Atlantic 10 First Team.

Cavaliers re-sign Anthony Parker

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard/forward Anthony Parker to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, it’s a one-year deal.

“Bringing back Anthony was a high priority for us. We place great value on the leadership, professionalism and veteran presence he brings both on the court and in the locker room,” said General Manager Chris Grant. “His high basketball IQ, ability to shoot with range and play solid perimeter defense made re-signing him extremely important for us.”

Last season, the 6-foot-6, 210-pounder averaged 8.3 points on .399 shooting, including .379 from three-point range, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists (the second-highest average in his career) in 29.0 minutes in 72 games (65 starts). He scored in double figures 27 times, including setting season highs in scoring (21) and rebounds (seven) while adding seven assists in 39 minutes versus Minnesota on Dec. 26 and scoring 20 points on 7-9 (.778) shooting, including 4-4 from three-point range, and grabbing seven rebounds in 29 minutes versus Miami on March 29.

Parker originally signed with Cleveland on July 13, 2009. Over the past two seasons with the Cavs, he has started 146 of the 153 games he has played in and posted averages of 7.8 points on .415 shooting, including .398 shooting from three-point range, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28.6 minutes per game. His 2.48 assists-to-turnovers ratio ranked 14th in the league while his 0.86 steals-to-turnovers ratio ranked 13th among all players over the past two seasons (min. 150 games).

Among all active players with a minimum of 1,000 three-point attempts, the eight-year veteran ranks sixth in the NBA in three-point percentage (.409) behind only Jason Kapono, Steve Nash, teammate Daniel Gibson, Matt Bonner and Kyle Korver. Parker played five seasons with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2000-02, 2003-06) and one season with Virtus Roma (2002-03), winning five Israeli Premier League championships, five Israeli Cups and three Euroleague titles. Parker was named Euroleague MVP and first-team All-Euroleague in 2005. He averaged 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 148 career Israeli Premier League games and averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals in 90 Euroleague contests.

Baron Davis misses second day of Cavs practice

Cavaliers guard Baron Davis received treatment on his sore back and sat out the second day of practice with the team. Davis has been rumored to be on his way out of Cleveland either via the amnesty clause or a buyout, although club officials have said they have not made a decision on his future with the team. He also could serve as a mentor to rookie point guard Kyrie Irving.

Center Semih Erden also didn’t practice because of his broken right thumb. In addition, rookie free agent forward J.P. Prince of Tennessee bumped knees with another player and sat out the last 15 or 20 minutes of practice.

— Reported by Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cavaliers announce coaching staff additions and promotions

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced two promotions and two additions to their coaching team today. While Paul Pressey will remain Head Coach Byron Scott’s lead assistant, Assistant Coaches Jamahl Mosley and Joe Prunty have been promoted and will now expand their roles and take on additional responsibilities. New to the coaching staff for this season will be Assistant Coach Nate Tibbetts and new player development assistant/video coach Aubrey McCreary, who will join returning player development assistant/video coach Jordi Fernandez. The announcement was made by Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant and Head Coach Byron Scott.

Tibbetts joins the Cavaliers from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, where he had served as head coach for the past two seasons. The 66ers are the exclusive affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Last season, he led Tulsa to its second consecutive trip to the NBA D-League playoffs, where they reached the semifinals, after compiling a franchise-best 33-17 record (.660). Under his leadership, Tulsa had three of its players earn Gatorade Call-Ups during the season, the most in the D-League, while finishing near the top of the league in several key defensive categories. Tibbetts also earned the honor of being selected to lead the Western Conference in the 2011 D-League All-Star Game and was selected this past fall as the head coach of the 2011 Pan American Games, which earned a bronze medal, the first medal for the United States since 1999.

“I feel great about the coaching group we have in place now. Paul Pressey will continue to be my lead assistant, while Jamahl and Joe have both worked very hard, done a good job and deserved these promotions,” said Head Coach Byron Scott. “Nate comes from an organization that has developed a young core and a similar belief system in creating success with a defense-first mentality and Aubrey is an accomplished and respected player development coach that is going to be a great fit with all our coaches and our players. I am very excited for our group to get started with our team soon.”

Prior to joining the 66ers, Tibbetts spent four seasons with Sioux Falls, also of the D-League. Tibbetts, the 30th D-League Coaching Call-up, served as head coach of the Skyforce from 2007-2009, recording a 53-47 (.530) record after spending the two previous seasons as an assistant coach. Tibbetts’ coaching career started at the University of Sioux Falls where he was an assistant coach for four seasons (2001-2005) following a successful collegiate career at the University of South Dakota, where he ranks second all-time in career assists (678) and steals (215).

McCreary brings over 35 years of basketball experience to the team, ranging from high school to the NBA with a focus on skill development. He has served as a personal player development coach for some of the NBA’s top talents, including the Los Angeles Lakers’ Derek Fisher, Utah’s Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap and New Jersey’s Deron Williams. In addition to his player development background, McCreary has served as an assistant coach on staff with the Reno Bighorns of D-League (2010-11) and Louisiana Tech University (2008-09). He has participated in various capacities with Adidas Nation since 2004, most recently serving as an assistant coach in 2011 for their Global Nations Championship, which is comprised of the world’s top 18 and under players.

Kyrie Irving hopes to start for Cavs

With all due respect to Baron Davis, Kyrie Irving wouldn’t mind taking over the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting point guard job in training camp.

The Cavs have the option of using their amnesty clause on Davis to waive him and remove the $28.7 million he’s owed the next two seasons from the team’s salary for cap and tax purposes. If Davis stays, Irving said he’d welcome being mentored by the veteran. The Cavs could decide to start both in the backcourt with Irving, the No. 1 pick in the June NBA draft, at point guard.

“It would be a great opportunity, but a little hard to see Baron go just based on having a veteran point guard there to help you make your transition,” Irving told Yahoo! Sports. “That’s something that I’m going to lose. But having the keys to the franchise is something that I’m excited about if it does happen. Either way, it will be a great opportunity with Baron or without Baron.”

When asked specifically if he’d rather take the point guard job now or learn under a veteran, Irving said: “I’d rather try to have the ability to go. I’ve been waiting for so long that I just want to jump right in, learn on the fly and just see how it goes.”

— Reported by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports

LeBron, Wade, Melo, CP3 set up 4-game Homecoming Tour

LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony are going home — and bringing friends with them.

With no end to the NBA lockout in sight, the All-Star group is set to lead a four-game “Homecoming Tour,” starting with a matchup in James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio on Dec. 1, followed by a Dec. 4 game in New Orleans, a Dec. 7 game in Chicago and culminating with a Dec. 10 contest in East Rutherford, N.J.

James, Paul, Wade and Anthony are committed to play in all four games of the tour, which was announced early Monday. Proceeds from the tour — which will include events such as food drives, educational outreach programs and clinics in each city — will benefit the four headlining players’ charitable foundations, and tour sponsor Google Plus will stream each game live.

“It’ll be very neat,” Wade told The Associated Press. “First of all, this is something we talked about doing a long time ago as players. To have an opportunity to go to these different cities that we’re from, to bring basketball to them at a high level and also have a charitable component in each city and to be with the guys, it’ll be cool. It’s something we’re looking forward to.”

Tickets for the first three games go on sale Tuesday. Tickets for the East Rutherford game will be on sale Wednesday.

— Reported by the Associated Press

James, Wade and Bosh had initially been listed to participate in a world tour of NBA stars, which also was to include Paul and Anthony. That tour was to include stops in Puerto Rico, London, Macau and Australia before it was cancelled.

“It’s not anything that I’ve heard about since then,” Wade said, with the change of plans to a domestic tour. “I was excited about the opportunity to go, obviously to play basketball with some of my friends, some of the best players in the game, to travel to different places and given them kind of what we get over here, the excitement of the game. It’s unfortunate.”

Instead, the passports are off and the domestic games are on.

“You could see, I was there to the end,” Wade said. “I wasn’t going to pull out of it, I was going to keep going and I wanted to play.”

— Reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Shaq rejected entrance by NYC club

Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t power his way through the lane at a New York nightclub this weekend — getting TURNED AWAY at the door … all because he was dressed like a lumberjack.

TMZ has learned … Shaq rolled up to nightclub/restaurant Mars 2112 on Saturday night wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, tennis shoes and a beanie (pictured above with random fan later that night).

But according to the club promoter, Mike Mogul, Shaq’s attire wasn’t up to club standards … so security politely informed the retired NBA star that he would not be allowed inside.

— Reported by TMZ