Cleveland Cavaliers Blog – Page 83 – NBA Blog

Leon Powe out six weeks after knee surgery

Cavaliers forward/center Leon Powe was examined at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health by Cavaliers Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker, where an MRI revealed a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Powe underwent successful surgery to repair the torn meniscus today (1/7/11). The surgery was performed by Dr. Parker.

Powe will now undergo a period of rest, treatment and rehabilitation and his return to play is currently estimated to be approximately six weeks.

Have opinions on the team? Share them on the Cleveland Cavaliers forum.

Cavaliers recall Christian Eyenga from D-League

The Cleveland Cavaliers have recalled guard/forward Christian Eyenga from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced Sunday.

Eyenga was assigned to Erie on Nov. 18 and played in 15 games (13 starts) with the BayHawks, averaging 12.3 points on .531 shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 block in 26.0 minutes per game. Over his last three games with the BayHawks, he averaged 17.0 points on .537 shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 31.7 minutes per game.

The BayHawks are the D-League affiliate of the Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors.

Cavaliers sign Alonzo Gee

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard/forward Alonzo Gee to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. Per league and team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

Gee, 23, has played with the San Antonio Spurs (five games) and Washington Wizards (11 games) this season, averaging 2.1 points on .433 shooting and 1.6 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game in a total of 16 games (five starts). He will wear No. 33 for the Cavs.

The 6-foot-6, 219-pound guard/forward was named the 2010 D-League Rookie of the Year and to the NBA D-League Second Team after averaging 21.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 38.2 minutes while shooting .509 (269-528) from the field and .393 (24-61) from three-point range during the 2009-10 regular season with the Austin Toros. The former University of Alabama star was called up to the Washington Wizards on consecutive 10-day contracts on March 7 and March 18, 2010 and appeared in 11 games (two starts), averaging 7.4 points on .475 shooting, including .778 from three-point range, and 3.0 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game.

Have an opinion on the team? Share it on the Cleveland Cavaliers forum.

Cavaliers assign Samardo Samuels to D-League

The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned forward Samardo Samuels to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.

Samuels has played in four games for the Cavaliers this season and has averages of 3.3 points on .571 shooting and 1.0 rebound in 4.5 minutes per game.

The 6-foot-9 rookie from Louisville will be available to play for the BayHawks in their game versus the Dakota Wizards tonight at 7 p.m. at the Tullio Arena in Erie. The BayHawks are the D-League affiliate of the Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors.

Cavaliers waive Jawad Williams

The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived forward Jawad Williams, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.

Williams averaged 4.0 points on.325 shooting and 1.8 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game in 26 games (one start) this season. In three seasons (all with the Cavaliers), he had career averages of 3.8 points on .369 shooting and 1.5 rebounds in 90 games (seven starts).

“We would like to wish Jawad and his family the best in the future and thank him for his contributions, not only on the court but in the community,” said Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant.

The Cavaliers roster now stands at 14.

Have an opinion on the team? Share it on the Cleveland Cavaliers forum.

Warriors hire Lloyd Pierce as an assistant coach

The Golden State Warriors have hired Lloyd Pierce as an assistant coach, the team announced today. Pierce joins the Warriors after spending the previous three seasons as the player development coordinator for the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he worked closely with the team’s players on individual skill development.

A Bay Area native from San Jose, Pierce attended Santa Clara University from 1994-1998, where he was a four-year letterman and helped lead the Broncos to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. Following his college career, Pierce played professionally in Mexico, Australia and Germany before returning to Santa Clara to join the team’s coaching staff under Dick Davey.

Pierce, 34, fills the vacancy on the Warriors coaching staff that was created when assistant coach Stephen Silas left the team to join his father Paul’s staff with the Charlotte Bobcats. Paul Silas was named interim head coach of the Bobcats on Wednesday.

LeBron James OK with idea of NBA contraction

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 13: Lebron James attends an after party following the 'Home & Home' concert at the 40 / 40 Club on September 13, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

By Jeff Lenchiner

It’s simple logic. Fewer teams in a sports league would mean more stars getting to play together, which presumably would make those teams better, and make for better basketball.

I know plenty of NBA fans who would love to see the NBA reverse directions and knock some teams out of the league, but even with David Stern suggesting that the idea is not to be totally ruled out, no one expects it will ever happen.

And, of course, no fan wants to see their favorite team cease to exist. So, the very idea of contraction is bound to frighten those whose local squad tends to not produce much in the wins, attendance or jersey sale departments.

But, count Miami Heat superstar LeBron James as a player who would support NBA contraction (eliminating some teams from the league) if it was to occur.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports:

“Hopefully the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the ’80s where you had three or four All-Stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team,” James said. “The league was great. It wasn’t as watered down as it is [now].”

In fact, James seemed to have a couple of ideas of which teams could go and some players that would make other teams better right now.

“[Contraction] is not my job; I’m a player but that is why it the league was so great,” James said.

“Imagine if you could take Kevin Love off Minnesota and add him to another team and you shrink the [league]. Looking at some of the teams that aren’t that great, you take Brook Lopez or you take Devin Harris off these teams that aren’t that good right now and you add him to a team that could be really good. Not saying let’s take New Jersey and let’s take Minnesota out of the league. But hey, you guys are not stupid, I’m not stupid, it would be great for the league.”

Personally, I’d be quite happy if there were 20 teams instead of 30. Unless one of the teams that would cease to exist happened to be based near me, of course. Because then the idea is crazy and evil.

What’s your opinion? Share it with other fans in this forum topic.

Byron Scott considering Cavs lineup changes

May 13, 2010 - Boston, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES - epa02156290 Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams reacts after being called for a foul in the second quarter of their Eastern Conference Semifinal round playoff game at the TD Bank Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 13 May 2010. The Celtics lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and the winner will go on to face the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

Byron Scott admitted he was considering lineup changes from top to bottom in the wake of the Cavaliers’ struggles.

“I’m at a point of a lot of things right now,” he said. “Yeah, I’ve considered [changes], but I think I’m going to wait a few more games to see what happens.

“I’ve been thinking about a lot of things, and the one thing about me is that when I do think about these things I don’t take them lightly. I don’t rush at them because of a loss like [at Minnesota] or the last three games. I try to think about it and consider everything before I make a move like that because I want to feel extremely comfortable when I do it.

“I don’t want to do it because of a reaction. So I’m going to take some days before I do anything.”

What’s your take? Share it on the Cleveland Cavaliers forum.

Phil Jackson describes Cavaliers home game atmosphere as “obnoxious”

In today’s edition of “Phil Jackson says fun stuff,” the Lakers coach chimes in on Cavaliers home games.

Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports:

Many NBA followers are eager to see LeBron James’ return to Cleveland when Miami players there Thursday.

Not Jackson.

“That’s not of interest to me,” he said. “I hate to listen to the Cleveland broadcast. Their announcers are so loud on the court. It’s just an obnoxious place.”

But almost everybody will be watching on Thursday.

“That’s my night off,” Jackson said, smiling.

The thing is, home crowds are supposed make the game “obnoxious” for the visiting team. So, it’s almost a compliment. Somewhat. Maybe. Or something.

As for the LeBron at Cleveland game, I’ll be watching. The boos Cavs fans hurl at LeBron may be of record-setting proportions. Also, basketball will be played, and that’s a nice supporting attraction.

Have an opinion on the Cavs? Share it on the Cleveland Cavaliers forum.

McGrady says LeBron, Wade do not mesh

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, forward Chris Bosh and forward LeBron James (L-R) wait at the scorer's table during a timeout in the third quarter of their NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in Boston, Massachusetts October 26, 2010. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

Can LeBron James and Dwyane Wade learn to play together and make each other and their other teammates better? Maybe, but in the opinion of Tracy McGrady, himself once a superstar, the two don’t mesh well.

Chris Iott of Booth Newspapers reports:

“It’s what I expected,” Tracy McGrady said of the Heat’s struggles Sunday after the Pistons suffered a double-overtime loss to the Knicks. “You’ve got two guys (James and Wade) that really don’t mix. I mean, they’re the same type of player. They just don’t complement each other.”

Some predicted that the Heat would win 70-plus games in the regular season and be the favorites to win the NBA title. But McGrady said he is not surprised they have struggled the way they have early this season.

“Not at all,” he said. “It’s tough to get that chemistry. You can’t just go somewhere and create that type of chemistry. (James) had that in Cleveland. He had everything going for him. Great energy in the building. He created a great atmosphere. I enjoyed going to Cleveland because the atmosphere was just unbelievable.

“The chemistry he had with his teammates was unbelievable,” McGrady continued. “You can’t just go somewhere and create that. You can see it on his face. He’s not having fun. I’m so used to him doing all his antics on the basketball court, and he’s not doing that. You can see that something is just not right.”