[BREAKING]: The Ninja Makes the Cut

The battle for the 15th roster spot for this year’s Cavs team has been decided. It came down to the final two combatants, The Mighty Quinn vs. Much Danger Ninja, but in the end, Jared Cunningham showed just a little bit more of a skill set the Cavs required at this stage.

As reported by Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group, Cunningham made the final cut today, as the Cavs ultimately decided to waive former Duke point guard, Quinn Cook. Cook, who appeared in five preseason games, and averaged 3.6 points and 1.8 assists a game, was well-liked by the Cavs. However, his playing time in recent days had decreased, in part because Cunningham began to flash an ability to also handle the point and distribute the ball.

Cunningham’s performances in the preseason, including a 31 point outburst against the Sixers, distinguished him from the pack of camp invitees that included Cook, Austin Daye, DJ Stephens, Dionte Christmas, Nick Minnerath and Chris Johnson. He scored in double figures off the bench in four of the preseason games he played, and showed a real knack for getting to the line (50 trips combined in the seven games). Overall, the 6’4″ combo guard averaged 12.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 25 minutes per game. He only shot 36.2% from the field, but aside from his many trips to the charity stripe, Cunningham also displayed a very solid defensive game, drawing several fouls and charges.

With Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert sidelined with injuries, Cunningham became the obvious choice to lock up the final roster spot. While they recover, he may even see a bit of court time early on. His contract is non-guaranteed, which means the team can still release him at any point during the season without penalty.