Cavs Sign Austin Daye to Training Camp Roster

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With the eve of training camp upon us, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed their probable final training camp invitee by agreeing to terms on a one-year non-guaranteed deal with forward Austin Daye per Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports.

Drafted by Detroit Pistons with the 15th pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, Daye has never found his niche in the NBA, playing for five teams in six seasons, despite some intriguing attributes. A huge small forward at 6’11”,  Daye is a solid three-point shooter with a career mark of 35.1% from beyond the arc, and he has also 9.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per 100 possessions for his career. Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ends. Daye is rail-thin and lacks the quickness to defend wings and the strength to defend power forwards. He also fouls way too much, with a career average of 6.2 fouls per 100 possessions. On offense, Daye has shot only 43.3% on two-point attempts for his career, dragging his True Shooting percentage down to 50%. His lack of strength and quickness also hamper his ability to create separation to attack on offense, limiting him to spot-up attempts.

Daye will compete against Jared Cunningham, Nick Minnerath, Quinn Cook, and D.J. Stephens for the 15th and final spot on the Cavaliers’ roster. Daye is the only small forward of the group, which may work to his advantage if Richard Jefferson, projected to be the primary backup to LeBron James, shows his age after a solid season with the Dallas Mavericks. He also has far more NBA experience than the other players invited to camp, and was a member of the Spurs when then won the NBA Championship in 2014. Still, Daye probably has fewer chances left to prove himself in the NBA than the other players, and if the Spurs couldn’t make a productive player out of him, then it’s possible he may be a lost cause.

While it’s not likely to have a significant impact on the Cavaliers’ season, the battle for the final roster spot will be another storyline in a training camp and season that promises to be full of intrigue from October through June.