Cleveland Cavaliers Blog – Page 79 – NBA Blog

Cavs talking trade for 2nd overall pick

Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine reports:

The Cavaliers are in discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons about a three-team trade that would give Cleveland the top two picks of next month’s NBA draft.

The Cavaliers would use the picks to select Duke point guard Kyrie Irving and Arizona forward Derrick Williams, the sources said.

In the trade being discussed, Cleveland would absorb Detroit’s Rip Hamilton into the $14.6 million trade exception it received in last summer’s LeBron James sign-and-trade with Miami, while also receiving the Pistons’ No. 8 pick. The Cavaliers would then send that pick, along with their fourth pick, to Minnesota for the Timberwolves’ second pick.

Cleveland would then buy Hamilton out of the two years, $25 million remaining on his contract, leaving the veteran shooting guard free to sign with another club as a free agent. Chicago would be one of the likeliest destinations.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Former NBA player John `Hot Rod` Williams arrested

The AP reports:

Police in Louisiana have arrested former NBA player John “Hot Rod” Williams on a misdemeanor count related to gunshots fired during a party at his home.

Gonzales police tell The Advocate of Baton Rouge that Williams and his relatives told officers about eight shots were fired by an unknown person attending Saturday’s party put on for members of Williams’ family.

The 48-year-old Williams was booked Tuesday with “letting a disorderly place” and was given a court date.

LeBron happy for Cavs landing No.1 pick

It makes perfect sense to ask LeBron James what his reaction was to the Cleveland Cavaliers winning the first pick in the 2011 NBA Draft in Tuesday night’s Draft Lottery. And as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:

Tuesday, while waiting for Wednesday’s Game 2 of these Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls, James watched as the Cavaliers again exited the 2011 lottery with the top overall selection.

“I’m happy for the franchise, I’m happy for the fans,” he said. “I think it is a good step for them.

“But I’ve got a lot more things to worry about now than the lottery.”

While the Cavaliers’ top pick isn’t expected to arrive as the next Chosen One, James appreciates there will be considerable expectations.

I doubt LeBron is thinking much about it right now, either. He’s a bit busy trying to help his Heat come alive against the Bulls after a very disappointing Game 1.

LeBron James apologizes for using the word `retarded` in a press conference

We live in an increasingly politically-correct public world, where celebrities, sports stars and other famous people have to be careful about what they say, for fear of pissing off at least some major group somewhere. And in this case, as the AP reports:

The Miami Heat star muttered the word after Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals as he and Dwyane Wade listened to a question about Wade’s takedown of Boston guard Rajon Rondo.

James had his hand covering his mouth when he said “that’s retarded” as a reporter asked Wade whether the play that dislocated Rondo’s elbow was dirty.

I’m glad that’s resolved.

Cavs TV ratings still rank in top 10 in league

Bob Finnan of the News Herald reports:

The good news is the Cavaliers’ 3.93 average television rating was the seventh-best in the NBA.

The bad news? The Sports Business Journal reported the Cavs experienced a 54-percent drop on Fox Sports Ohio, the biggest yearly ratings decrease in at least seven years. The Cavs were the local ratings leader in 2009-10 in the NBA.

The Cavs’ huge drop can be traced to their 19-63 record and the loss of two-time MVP LeBron James in free agency.

A Cavs spokesman looked at the positive aspect of the story.

“We feel great that our ratings are clearly in the top tier of the league,” he said.

Cavaliers Semih Erden, Samardo Samuels and Ramon Sessions all have surgery

Cavaliers center Semih Erden, forward Samardo Samuels and guard Ramon Sessions each underwent successful surgery yesterday, the team announced from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Erden had surgery on his left shoulder at Cleveland Clinic’s Strongsville Family Health and Surgery Center. The surgery was performed by Dr. Mark Schickendantz.

Samuels underwent surgery to repair a right wrist injury at the Cleveland Clinic main campus, performed by Dr. Thomas Graham.

Sessions had surgery to repair a hernia at Hill Crest Hospital – Cleveland Clinic. The procedure was performed by Dr. William O’Brien.

Each player will now undergo a period of rest, treatment and rehabilitation and their statuses will be updated as appropriate.

NBA suspends Charlie Villanueva five games for altercation with Ryan Hollins

Charlie Villanueva of the Detroit Pistons has been suspended five games without pay for initiating an on-court altercation with Cleveland Cavaliers’ Ryan Hollins and attempting to escalate the altercation by entering the Cavaliers’ locker room on two occasions following his ejection, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 5:47 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Pistons’ 110-101 loss to the Cavaliers at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Monday, April 11.

Villanueva will serve the first game of his suspension tonight when the Pistons play the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The remaining games will be served during the first four 2011-12 regular season games in which he is physically able to play.

Legendary Nike designer Tinker Hatfield does not like working with giant LeBron James entourage

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports:

Tinker Hatfield is the Michael Jordan of designers at Nike, a legend in the shoe design field and the guy who runs the company’s “Innovation Kitchen.” He also, apparently, is not a fan of LeBron James’ associates.

Hatfield rarely does interviews and guards his secrets closely. But he did a private appearance at a Miami shoe store last week in which he took some questions from customers. During the session, which was recorded and posted on YouTube, Hatfield said he stopped personally developing James’ signature shoes because he didn’t like dealing with those around James.

“I don’t like working with LeBron’s entourage,” Hatfield said. “It’s too many people, too many ideas, too many opinions.”

It is the second time in the last six months Hatfield has publicly taken a shot at James various friends and managers. During a similar event last October in Santa Monica, Calif., Hatfield told a group of listeners at a shoe store that “I used to work on LeBron’s, until his entourage kind of pissed me off.”

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

LeBron James reaches 2,000 points for 7th straight year

The AP reports:

Miami Heat forward LeBron James has now scored 2,000 points in seven straight seasons.

James entered Wednesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with 1,998 points this season. He made a pair of free throws with 2:12 remaining in the first quarter to reach the 2,000 milestone.

The NBA’s two-time reigning MVP is the eighth player to score 2,000 points seven times. At 26, he’s the youngest member of that club.

Kyrie Irving to enter 2011 NBA Draft

Duke freshman guard Kyrie Irving will enter the 2011 NBA Draft with plans to hire an agent, head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced Wednesday. The 2011 NBA Draft will be held on June 23 in New York City and Irving is expected to be among the top picks in the draft.

“Our whole program is overjoyed with having Kyrie here for one year and that he has the chance now to pursue a dream of being a high draft pick and a great player in the NBA,” said Krzyzewski. “We are totally supportive of Kyrie, his family and his decision. We look forward to continuing to work with him during the upcoming months leading to his entry into the NBA and afterwards while he is an NBA player. He is a great young man, a terrific student, and a truly amazing representative for our program and for Duke. We love him and are very happy for him and his family.”

Irving, a 6-2 guard from West Orange, N.J., played in just 11 games this season, sitting out 26 contests with a toe injury on his right foot. He averaged 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting .529 (55-of-104) from the field, .462 (18-of-39) from behind the three-point line and .901 (64-of-71) from the free throw line. Irving started the first eight games of the year, averaging 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game during that time frame. He returned to action in the NCAA Tournament and averaged 17.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in Duke’s three outings.

“I want to thank the entire staff at Duke, especially the coaches,” said Irving. “It was a great experience playing for Coach K. He taught me a lot about the game. Even when I was hurt, I learned a lot. Also a special thanks goes to the medical staff for getting me back on the court for the NCAA Tournament and my teammates for sticking with me throughout the entire year. Duke offered me an experience I could never have imagined.”

He scored a game-high 31 points to go with six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals against No. 6 Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It was just the fourth time in school history a freshman scored 30 or more in a game. He was selected the CBE Classic MVP after averaging 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals in the four games. He had 17 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals in the finals against No. 4 Kansas State. Irving also dished out nine assists against both Princeton and Colgate. In the NCAA Tournament, he scored team highs of 14 points against Hampton and 28 points against Arizona in the Sweet 16.

“This was a special year for me. I love everything about Duke and I’m going to miss it,” added Irving. ”Duke has a special place in my heart. Even though I’m leaving this year, Duke will always be in my mind and my heart. I’m going to miss putting on that No. 1 jersey.”

– Duke Sports Information