Cavs: the Blog - Cleveland Cavaliers TrueHoop Blog

Shaping up to be an interesting night of basketball for the Cavs’ offseason plans.  If the Cavs lose to Charlotte tonight, they will be in sole possession of the 3rd most lottery balls in the NBA.  If the Cavs win and the Suns lose, there will be a coin flip.

SBNation breaks down all the playoff and lottery situations, here… well, except for the fate of the Cavs’ draft pick.

If the Memphis (at home) beats Utah at 8:00, then the Lakers are in, and the Cavs get their draft pick.  If Utah wins, then LA can still make the playoffs by beating Houston in LA at 10:30.  Both games are on ESPN.

In the Cavs world, Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal reports that the decision on Byron, one way or another, will be made quickly after the season ends.

The Plain Dealer’s Bud Shaw defends Byron, and Terry Pluto moralizes that Kyrie “still has room to grow.”

ESPN reports that the Cavs are expected to be one of the potential suitors if Phil Jackson decides to return to coaching.

In Lloyd’s Cavaliers’ notebook, he notes that Zeller and Waiters will report to summer league along with the Cavs’ rookies, and that Tristan Thompson will have the option.

Speaking of Canadian Dynamite, Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie, has a fantastic expose on Tristan. Much of Dwyer’s work is based on this report by the WSJ’s Stu Woo.  Woo notes that Tristan was on pace to become the most blocked player in NBA history.

For most of the season, nearly 17%, or one in six, of Thompson’s shots had been blocked. That’s well above the 6.3%, or about one of 16, average for the league, according to NBA.com’s statistical website, and it threatened Danny Fortson’s 16.7% rejection rate in 1997-98, which is the highest for anyone who has attempted at least 500 field goals in a season since 1997, the earliest for which NBA.com has data.

But then Zydrunas Ilgauskus worked with TT to develop some touch and the rest was (or hopefully will be) history.  Woo adds this gem of a quote from TT.

“I got a girlfriend,” said Thompson, who added that he asked her out only once. “Most women are interested in me, because I have dimples and I’m Canadian.”

First member of the commentariat that can come up with a good dimple themed nickname for TT gets a free year’s subscription.

Finally, Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer notes that Gee and Thompson are poised to play all in 82 games this season for the Cavs, as long as they log 1 second tonight.  So they’ve got that going for them.  Which is nice.

As never before, Go Grizzlies!  Go Lakers!  It’s the final countdown!

According to reports, Byron Scott will be fired. WFNY has the roundup.

“Scott did give the media pause after the final home game Monday night when he said, “I am going to be back to coach ’em next year.” Asked if he’d been told that, Scott said, “I’ve got a year left on my contract, that’s how I figure it. Unless I’m told differently, that’s the way I approach it.”” [Marla Ridenour - ABJ]

“But has such success as Irving has already experienced changed him? Irving treated the All-Star Game, which he reached in his second season this year, as if it were a basketball beatification ceremony.” [Bill Livingston - PD]

“Moving from left to right on the floor, a 19 point fourth quarter which began with an explosive 3 straight connections in the first 2 and a half minutes of the quarter and culminated with a backbreaking shot from the far parallel line which ended the run of success by the Pistons clinched the greatest moment in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise.” [Cleveland Jackson - Stepien Rules]

“I want to personally apologize to all the Cavs fans for my actions yesterday, it was truly unfair to you guys” [Kyrie Irving Tweet]

“It came on “Fan Appreciation Night,” when Cavs fans do what they always do.  They packed the building and went crazy in support of the home team — then left disappointed.” [Sam Amico - FoxSports]

“More disturbing is young All-Star Kyrie Irving, who has played with a late-season malaise that’s reminded everyone that despite his immense talent, he is still very much a 21-year-old. He admitted earlier this season he sometimes doesn’t give his all in games, and that seems to have been an issue lately as well.” [Brian Windhorst - ESPN]

Grantland’s Zach Lowe names his “how is this guy relevant” all-stars, also know as the “Luke Walton All-Stars“.

[On Walton...] His chemistry with Livingston has been legitimately entertaining, and the Livingston–Walton–C.J. Miles–Marreese Speights–Wayne Ellington bench mob has poured in better than 107 points per 100 possessions — the equivalent of a top-five overall mark.

Congrats, Luke, to have your own team of effective yet highly unexpected contributors named after you is a fantastic thing.  But, come on Zach, no Herculoids love?

Tristan Thompson is a finalist for the J. Walter Kennedy Award “given annually by the Pro Basketball Writers Association to the player, coach or trainer who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community.”  Go on, Tristan.  Link here.  (Really, though, that is fantastic from the team that once employed Ricky Davis and Darius Miles).

Shaun Livingston plans to reach out to fellow gruesome leg injury sufferer Kevin Ware of Louisville.  The Plain Dealer’s Mary Schmitt Boyer has the story, here.

Steve Nash out tonight in a hugely important match up for Drafty.  Yeah, “Drafty:” my nickname for the second of the Cavs’ two first round draft picks this year. The Lakers play Dallas tonight who are only a game and a half behind them for the 9th spot in the Western conference.  The Lakers are half a game behind Utah for the final spot in the playoffs.  The game is on tonight TNT tonight at 10:30.  Random unvetted blog site game preview here.  (Also, in case you were wondering, the other 2013 picks are named Blue Chip, Stashy, and Tradey).

This one’s a little late, but it’s for Stashy and Tradey.  Last week, DraftExpress profiled Nate favorite, intriguing prospect, and NCAA tournament first round disappointment, Mike Muscala of Bucknell, here. 

[Doc Rivers on naming Austin Rivers] “I used to go to basketball camps here in Ohio when I was a kid, to Austin Carr’s camps. He would come in and start shooting. I remember him making like 40 jumpers in a row. I was just in awe of him. So when we had the other two [children] . . . I decided to name Austin after Austin Carr. Austin James. His middle name is after Jim Brewer. So I put the whole Cleveland Cavaliers thing together.” [Mary Schmitt Boyer - The Plain Dealer]

“That’s [expletive]. If we were going to the playoffs, that’d be one thing,” he said. “We’ll have six months to rest. Shut up and play.” [Jason Lloyd - ABJ]

“Now check out the Cavaliers’ record in 2008-09. That team, which ultimately lost to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals (despite James’ averages of 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game), won a league-high 66 games. Miami, 26-game winning streak and all, three stars and all, will have to go 8-1 the rest of the season just to match that total.” [Kevin Pelton - ESPN Insider]

“So. What have we learned? First, Tim Duncan and Dwyane Wade were beasts in college (go figure, Hall of Famers are great in college too). Second, most of the eventual All-Stars played pretty well in their final collegiate runs. Third, even the guys who did play (or rather, shot) poorly, most of them did other things to fill up the stat sheet. They still made an impact on the game. I didn’t come across any “2-15, 1 rebound, 3 assist” type games.” [Ben - WFNY]

“What both like: Porter’s all-around game will ease his transition to the NCAA. Compared to other small forwards in my database, Porter is among the top 25 percent in six key categories and does not have a single statistical weakness (among the bottom 25 percent). Plus Porter is nearly seven months younger than Muhammad.” [Kevin Pelton on Otto Porter]

“Why the stats like him: Coming off the bench, Dekker made 57.1 percent of his 2-point shots and 39.1 percent from beyond the arc. Ken Pomeroy’s similarity scores say the best match for his freshman campaign is lottery pick Ben McLemore. Why scouts are skeptical: Dekker is seen as a better college player than a pro. Before he can even think about the NBA, he’ll have to crack Bo Ryan’s starting five first.” [Kevin Pelton on Sam Dekker - ESPN Insider]

Tweets to the Present:
TCU took a commitment from small forward Hudson Price. Yes, that would be Mark Price’s son. [Dave Telep]

Sorry, King, Chris Quinn trumped you today.

Well, on the eve of another return to Cleveland for the Miami Heat’s #6, our old friend Brian Windhorst has published a rather long piece on the next decision.  It’s rife with speculation on the options and thought processes of a certain former Cleveland Cavalier.  So people might be talking about that for the next couple days or so.

As a followup, Fox Sports Florida looks back on LeSeis’s rise in Cleveland, and recaps the heady days of 2003-2004, when Paul Silas led the Cavaliers.  They even go back to Ira’s Newblehood for a look into the future…

Newble was James’ teammate for 4 ½ seasons, the longest anybody ever has played with James in the NBA with the exception of Ilgauskas and current Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao.. He also sees a chance James could go back to Cleveland.

“Maybe,” Newble said. “It’s 50-50. If he’s in Miami and they’re winning championships, it would be hard to leave. But that being said, it is your hometown. He enjoyed being there. He liked the organization. There’s no doubt in my mind that if he ever returned, the fans would accept him.”

Meanwhile, the Cavs have signed 29 year old, five season NBA vet, Chris Quinn from the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League to fill in for all the injured guards on the Cavaliers’ roster.  Cavs.com breaks the news, here, and The Plain Dealer’s Mary Schmitt Boyer profiles Quinn here.

The Plain Dealer’s Branson Wright has a fun video interview with Wayne Ellington at Dylan’s Barber Salon at 1370 West 9th Street in Cleveland.  Topics include North Carolina’s run, his secret favorite NBA player, and Philly cheesesteaks.

In one of a million LeStreak and LeReturn related articles on Cleveland.com, Jodie Valade wonders, If David beat Goliath, why can’t the Cleveland Cavaliers halt the Miami Heat’s 23-game winning streak?

Indeed, Jodie.  Indeed.