Category: Cleveland Cavaliers Blog

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Cavaliers assign Christian Eyenga to D-League

The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned guard/forward Christian Eyenga to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.

Eyenga has yet to make an appearance with the Cavaliers during the regular season. He played in six games during the preseason, averaging 4.3 points on .625 shooting and 0.8 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game.

The 6-foot-5 rookie from Congo will be available to play for the BayHawks in their season-opening game versus the Springfield Armor tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the Tullio Arena in Erie. The BayHawks are the D-League affiliate of the Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors.

Joey Graham can fly planes

Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

Joey Graham ignored his father’s advice and flew a date to the restaurant while a student at Oklahoma State. There wasn’t a second date.

”My father told me not to take dates because of what it could do,” Graham said. ”The sun was setting, it was a romantic little thing. What can you say? She was hooked. . . . I couldn’t do it anymore. I saw what that one did and I couldn’t have that on my hands.”

Graham is not the typical NBA player. He graduated from Oklahoma State with a degree in aviation management. He is a licensed pilot and a trained chef, he can play the saxophone, drums and piano and he even sings a little.

”There’s not too many things I can’t do,” Graham said. ”I was blessed with a great father and great mother. My father tried to make us as versatile and well-rounded as possible.”

Spurs sign Danny Green

Spurs sign Danny Green

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard/forward Danny Green.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Green (#4, 6’6”, 210, 6/22/87) appeared in 20 regular season games last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 2.0 points in 5.8 minutes per game. During the 2010 preseason, he averaged 3.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in four games with the Cavs before being waived on October 19, 2010.

Originally selected by Cleveland with the 46th pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft out of North Carolina, Green played in more games (145) and achieved more wins (123) than any Tar Heel player before him. He is the only player in ACC history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 three-pointers, 150 blocks and 150 steals. He had career averages of 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and a .455 shooting percentage from the field.


CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 07: Danny Green #14 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after hitting a three-point basket against the Virginia Cavaliers during the game on February 7, 2009 at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Delonte West, Von Wafer fight is resolved

Frank Dell’Apa of the Boston Globe reports:

delonte west

Celtics guard Delonte West said after practice yesterday that his conflict with teammate Von Wafer has been resolved. West and Wafer scuffled during a workout before Friday night’s game.

“It’s not that serious,’’ West said. “We’ve moved past that, you know. We’re competitive guys being competitive. I’m competitive, he’s competitive. Hopefully, it’s for the betterment of the team. There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition and pushing each other to get better. Things went a little too far but, at the same time, we’re able to move past that. We’re professionals and we’re on to something different, we’ve forgotten all about it. We actually laughed about it [yesterday].

“I read the reports and a lot of things were taken out of [context], and facts were made up that were not true, how things played out. Guys get into scuffles, or whatever you want to call it, but at the end of the day we’re brothers in here and we had a big laugh about it. We’re trying to win, we’re competitive, we have fiery guys in here and, you know, you’ve got to get to the next thing, next game, next challenge.’’

InsideHoops.com editor says: The rumor that Delonte showed up to practice next day dressed up like Rambo is false.

Father of Anderson Varejao having heart surgery

Anderson Varejao did not travel with the Cavaliers to Toronto following practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts this afternoon. He was excused from traveling in order to be with his father who is scheduled to have heart surgery tomorrow in Cleveland.

Anderson’s game status will be updated tomorrow afternoon, but he is currently listed as Doubtful for tomorrow night’s game vs. the Raptors.

Our thoughts and best wishes are with Anderson, his father and their family.

Who needs LeBron? Cavs have Jamario Moon

Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

Who needs LeBron? Cavs have Jamario Moon

The Cavaliers’ starting small forward last season scored 2,258 points. Their small forward this season has scored 1,534 points in his three-year NBA career.

Jamario Moon knows that he’s not LeBron James, nor will he try to be this season.

”You can’t replace a guy like that,” Moon said. ”He was basically everything. He scored, he passed, he rebounded and he played defense. We’re not trying to replace him. We’re trying to work with the guys we’ve got. We’re going to put the best guys on the court that is going to give us the best chance to win. That’s all we can do.”

As the Cavaliers begin the regular season Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics, Moon has the unenviable task of replacing the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. Coach Byron Scott chose Moon to start at small forward because of his athletic ability, but he’s not a physical freak like James.

Cavaliers exercise fourth-year option on J.J. Hickson

The Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised the fourth-year contract option on forward J.J. Hickson, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Hickson’s extension keeps him under contract with the Cavaliers through the 2011-12 season.  During the 2009-10 season, he more than doubled his scoring average from 4.0 points per game as a rookie to 8.5 points and increased his field goal percentage from .515 to .554 in 81 games played (73 starts). The 22-year old forward also averaged 4.9 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per game.  In eight games (seven starts) this preseason, Hickson averaged 14.3 points on .475 shooting, a team-leading 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 block in 24.5 minutes per game.

The 6-foot-9 forward was selected with the 19th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft by Cleveland. He played one season at North Carolina State, earning ACC All-Freshmen Team honors after averaging 14.8 points on a conference-best .591 shooting and 8.5 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game in 31 games.

Cavaliers radio announcer Joe Tait recovering from pneumonia

Cavaliers radio announcer Joe Tait experienced discomfort and chest pains during and following the Cavaliers game vs. the Rockets in Houston last night. Following the game, he was transported to The Methodist Hospital in Houston and accompanied by Cavaliers head athletic trainer Max Benton. Joe was admitted, treated and kept overnight for observation and testing. A diagnosis of pneumonia has been made. His condition is stable and he is receiving additional treatment and now resting more comfortably.

Joe is expected to remain at The Methodist Hospital for an additional day or so before returning to Ohio. Further updates on Joe’s condition will be provided as appropriate. With no FS Ohio TV broadcast of tonight’s Cavaliers game in Dallas vs. the Mavericks, Cavs TV play by play announcer Fred McLeod will fill in for Joe and handle the radio call of the game on WTAM 1100 AM.

Nuggets hire Melvin Hunt as assistant coach

The Denver Nuggets announced Monday that they have added Melvin Hunt as an assistant coach.

Hunt, 40, brings a winning pedigree and 11 years of NBA coaching and scouting experience to Denver, most recently serving as an assistant for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-10.

“That’s a very good hire this late in the season,” Nuggets head coach George Karl said. “I’m very excited about it. I’ve got John Welch, Adrian Dantley and Chad Iske, who I have tremendous confidence in. Melvin will fit into that group very well. We have Stacey Augmon backing us up. We’re one of the top-five scouting teams, led by advance scout Jesse Mermuys. You’re going to see us continue to try to be one of the best staffs in basketball.”

While in Cleveland, Hunt helped lead the Cavaliers to one of the most successful stretches in franchise history. In 2008-09, the Cavs won a franchise and NBA-best 66 games, while Hunt and the coaching staff earned the honor of coaching the Eastern Conference in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix.

Cleveland also enjoyed great postseason success during Hunt’s tenure, reaching the 2007 NBA Finals, the 2009 Eastern Conference finals and four consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference semifinals from 2007-10.

Before joining the Cavaliers staff, Hunt spent one season (2004-05) as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers and five seasons with the Houston Rockets (1999-2004). While with the Rockets, he served two years as a video coordinator/scout and two years as an assistant coach before spending his final year as the team’s college and international scout.

Hunt was a four-year letterman at Baylor University from 1987-91 and played professionally in the Caribbean and Mexico before beginning his coaching as an assistant coach at Temple High School (TX). He later moved to the college ranks, where he was the lead assistant coach at University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.