Matthew Dellavedova now has huge role in NBA Finals

Matthew Dellavedova now has huge role in NBA Finals

The Golden State Warriors lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 1-0 in the 2015 NBA Finals. Game 2 is Sunday night in Oakland. Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle reporting on the Cavs’ guard situation:

Kyrie Irving’s series-ending fractured kneecap instantly vaulted Dellavedova into a prominent role. He’s expected to step into the starting lineup at point guard, no easy chore given his Warriors counterpart at the position: Stephen Curry, the league MVP.

Not surprisingly, Dellavedova’s teammates took turns expressing their faith in him before Saturday’s practice at Oracle Arena.

“Delly does a great job of keeping the train on the tracks,” guard Iman Shumpert said. “He’s one of those guys who’s going to scratch and claw until we win.”

Cleveland did win twice with Dellavedova starting in the Eastern Conference finals against Atlanta. He collected 11 points, six rebounds and four assists in Game 2 (a 94-82 victory for the Cavs), and then he had 17 points, three rebounds and two assists in Game 3 (a 114-111 overtime win for the Cavs).

Knicks to work out Willie Cauley-Stein

Knicks to reportedly work out center Willie Cauley-Stein

With the NBA Draft coming later this month, much of the fun will be to analyze how important it is that certain teams worked out certain players. Some workouts suggest teams may consider trading up or down, or sending their pick away altogether. Or shocking the world by drafting someone at a completely unexpected spot. Anyway, here’s ESPN NY reporting on the Knicks:

The New York Knicks will host Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein for a workout on June 16, a league source confirmed.

The Knicks have the fourth pick in the draft.

Most draft observers project Cauley-Stein to be taken outside of the top four picks.

The Knicks could go against popular sentiment and take Cauley-Stein with the fourth pick or they could trade for a lower first-round pick and select Cauley-Stein there.

New Milwaukee Bucks uniforms revealed

The Milwaukee Bucks unveiled their new home and road uniforms this afternoon at the team’s inaugural Summer Block Party event on the grounds of Schlitz Park. The jersey unveiling continues an updated visual identity for the franchise that began in April when the team presented a new color palette and three unique Bucks basketball logos.

Members of the current Bucks roster and franchise greats were on hand as fans joined together to enjoy local musical acts, food, drink and Bucks chatter at the tipoff to the summer festival season, but the attention turned to the future during a special ceremony in which the new uniforms were revealed. Bucks All-Stars Bobby Dandridge and Vin Baker joined Head Coach Jason Kidd and current players Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Henson, Damien Inglis and Jabari Parker to span the timeline from the team’s championship history to its future.

According to the Bucks: White remains the base color on the new home uniforms with lettering and numbers presented in Good Land Green outlined in Cream City Cream. Good Land Green is the base color of the new road uniforms with lettering and numbers presented in white outlined in Cream City Cream. Great Lakes Blue is featured as an accent color on both uniforms.

“Our new uniforms will serve as a showcase of our franchise’s proud heritage and bright future on the NBA’s global stage,” Bucks Vice President of Strategy and Operations Alex Lasry said. “The new look is a perfect representation of the city and state we call home – honoring our blue-collar community values in a modern design that speaks to the exciting future for the team and region.”

Glancing at the near-future of the West

Glancing at the near-future of the West

Here’s the Dallas Morninig News with an early overall glance at the Western Conference for next season:

While the East remains the domain of whatever team James plays for in any given season, the West is as wide open as ever because of the wealth of strong teams. Next season, it wouldn’t take a lot for any of them to be where Golden State is now.

The Warriors have a great nucleus and a bright future, not to mention being favorites to win the finals in the here and now. But they are not head-and-shoulders better than a lot of their competition.

The Los Angeles Clippers lurk as contenders, as do Houston, Oklahoma City and Memphis. New Orleans is on the verge of becoming a major force, thanks to Anthony Davis. San Antonio isn’t going to shrivel up and die. Portland is tough. And we haven’t even mentioned the possibility of George Karl turning Sacramento into something big.

Which brings us to the Mavericks, who at this point aren’t far removed from any conversations about the Western Conference that include the Lakers and Utah.

Losing in the first round, which the Mavericks have done three times since winning the title, is not something they take a lot of pride in. The only thing it’s better than is not making the playoffs at all, which happened in 2013.

Kyrie Irving injury update: fractured kneecap

Kyrie Irving injury update: out 3-4 months with fractured left kneecap

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The Cleveland Cavaliers injury hits keep coming, and the latest is a huge blow that should spell the end to their championship hopes this season as they face the Golden State Warriors in the 2015 NBA Finals. The Warriors lead the series 1-0.

Cavs guard Kyrie Irving left last night’s NBA Finals game one in the overtime period with a left knee injury. He received an MRI today at Stanford Sports Medicine Clinic, which revealed a fractured left kneecap.

He will have surgery to repair the knee in the coming days at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland by Cavaliers head team physician Dr. Richard Parker.

His recovery time is projected to be three to four months and his status will be updated as appropriate.

This leaves LeBron James in the Finals without Irving or injured forward Kevin Love.

Pondering some Suns draft prospects

Pondering some Suns draft prospects

It’s extremely hard to predict which exact players will get drafted by which exact teams, but knowing which players actually did work out for a team prior to the draft can provide a clue. Here’s the Arizona Republic pondering some Phoenix Suns draft possibilities:

There is the NBA trend of “stretch fours,” the tall power forward who can shoot 3-pointers proficiently to drag a big man out of the paint and create space for an offense.

The next level of that trend is to have a “stretch four” who also is a playmaker for when defenses chase him off the line.

Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker and Arizona’s Brandon Ashley are June 25 draft candidates for that job, and they participated in Wednesday’s Suns pre-draft workout. The Suns could consider Dekker at No. 13 and Ashley at No. 44, although he holds out hope to be a first-rounder.

As Ashley knows all too well from an Elite Eight meeting, Dekker showed the athleticism and shooting to be that type of player during the NCAA tournament. Dekker’s stock bolted to lottery range once the 6-foot-9 junior turned aggressive for a 19.2 tourney scoring average with 42 percent 3-point shooting.

Former Knicks J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert now key NBA Finals players

Former Knicks J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert now key NBA Finals players

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on a pair of former Knicks who are now key members of the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers:

LeBron James and Stephen Curry — league MVPs, past and present — obviously will dominate much of the discussion when the NBA Finals finally commence between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night at Oracle Arena.

But the local flavor is undeniable, as well, as former Knicks J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert are riding shotgun alongside James in search of a championship barely five months after Phil Jackson dumped them for almost no return in January.

“It’s a dream come true, to be in the Finals and be in this situation,” Smith said before Cleveland’s practice on Wednesday. “Going from the worst team to the best team, or one of the best teams, it’s unbelievable. It’s hard to put into words.

“But we talk about it often. We just hope we make the best of the situation…You have to take advantage of it.” …

Shumpert, who figures to draw the primary assignment of guarding Curry with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving nursing multiple injuries, added that he feels “blessed” for the opportunity to play “on the big stage” of the Finals.

Warriors do not back down from challenges

Warriors do not back down from challenges

The Cavaliers vs Warriors NBA Finals begin tonight with Game 1 at Golden State. Here’s the Bay Area News Group reporting:

The Warriors don’t back down from any challenge. [Draymond] Green won’t let them. Whether he’s barking encouragement to his teammates or setting an example of resilience and defiance, the Warriors are game.

That belief is the foundation of a defense that has shined for the better part of this postseason. The Warriors conquered the brutal Western Conference during the regular season. They corralled the exceptional talent of Anthony Davis. They survived the physicality of Zach Randolph (Michigan State) and Marc Gasol. They contained the explosiveness of James Harden and Dwight Howard.

Now the only thing between the Warriors and the NBA title is King James, who is motivated to cap his storybook return to Cleveland with the franchise’s first title.

The Warriors have the better team. They should win this series. If they don’t, the most likely reason will be that LeBron’s greatness negated the Warriors’ superior depth and advantage at multiple positions. So the Warriors need to keep James in check.

Raptors could be team in transition

Toronto Raptors could be team in transition

The Toronto Raptors finished the regular season with an impressive 49-33 record, only to be swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Washington Wizards. Here’s the National Post with more:

One of the most frustrating aspects of last year’s Raptors season, other than the post-February collapse, was sending Caboclo down to Fort Wayne, a team shared with 12 other teams, only to watch him languish on the bench.

It is clear that the Raptors’ current position might change by opening night in October — or even by July. Amir Johnson and Lou Williams are free agents, while the team’s core was wholly disappointing in the post-season, with no exceptions. The composition of the Raptors’ roster today is guaranteed a makeover. The only question is how extreme it will be.

Arizona swingman Rondae Hollis Jefferson, a defensive terror without a jumper, and Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant, a true point guard who struggles to finish around the rim, headlined the Raptors’ first workout on Wednesday. Both are projected to be selected around where the Raptors will pick, and it is hard to say one is a much superior fit for Toronto. The Raptors do not have one specific obvious need, because a single move could address something while opening up another hole. And if you are looking for immediate answers with the 20th pick, you will probably still be looking when training camp opens.