League Unhappy With Cavaliers For Resting Stars
Cavaliers GM David Griffin got a call from the league office shortly after the team announced its decision to rest three stars for Saturday’s nationally televised game, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were all held out of the contest with the Clippers, which was shown in prime time on ABC. The Cavs made the move because they are facing a back-to-back situation with a game tonight in Los Angeles against the Lakers.
It was the second straight game that the network was missing star power, as the Warriors rested Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala last week, while the Spurs were missing Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge for medical reasons.
Griffin said an NBA representative called him “seven minutes after it was announced” to express displeasure with the decision (Twitter link).
The game turned into a rout early as Los Angeles pulled away for a 108-78 victory on a night where ABC was competing with the NCAA Tournament for the attention of basketball fans. The network’s broadcasting crew ripped the Cavaliers throughout, with Mark Jackson calling the mismatch “an absolute joke” and Jeff Van Gundy labeling it “a prosecutable offense.”
Shelburne passed along Griffin’s explanation in a series of tweets:
- “The decision made itself. Kyrie left the last game with a knee injury so we weren’t going to have him play both games of a [back-to-back].” (Twitter link).
- “Kevin Love is rehabbing from knee surgery so he’s not going to play both ends of a back to back.” (Twitter link).
- “[Kyle] Korver is legitimately injured so u pick the game ur going to be the most competitive in and that’s the one Bron needs to play in” (Twitter link).
- “I can’t make [Bron] drag himself through this tonight by himself and then have everybody else play tomorrow and still not win.” (Twitter link).
Griffin added that he sympathizes with the league, but injuries dictated the Cavaliers’ actions (Twitter link). When asked about the $24B in television rights being paid by ABC, ESPN and TNT, he responded, “Yeah, and they’re paying me to win a championship.” (Twitter link).
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/18/17
Here are the D-League transactions for Saturday:
10:45pm:
- The Knicks have assigned forward Maurice Ndour to their Westchester affiliate, the team tweeted.
- The Grizzlies have recalled center Deyonta Davis from Iowa, the team announced in an email.
2:17pm:
- The Raptors have assigned forward Bruno Caboclo and center Pascal Siakam to their D-League affiliate, the team’s media department reports on Twitter. Caboclo has seen limited action in just seven games with Toronto this season while Siakam has averaged 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 52 contests at the big league level.
- The Thunder have assigned forward Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Huestis has played 27 games with the OKC Blue already this season.
- The Cavaliers recalled rookie guard Kay Felder from their D-League affiliate, the team reports on its official site. Felder has played 37 games with the franchise already this season.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/17/17
Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Warriors assigned Kevon Looney to Santa Cruz, the team announced on its official website (link). The assignment will allow Looney to soak up minutes against the Texas Legends in tonight’s game. Looney’s presence has been diminished in Steve Kerr’s rotation lately, averaging 5.2 minutes with six DNPs over Golden State’s last 12 games.
- The Pelicans recalled Cheick Diallo from Greensboro, the team announced on its official website (link). Diallo will be available for tonight’s match-up with the Rockets. Diallo has impressed in the D-League this season, averaging 14 points with 8.2 rebounds over 23 games.
- The Cavs assigned Larry Sanders to the Canton Charge, where he’ll be available for tomorrow’s game against the Windy City Bulls (press release). Sanders will likely have a one-game assignment, as the Charge don’t play again until the 23rd after Saturday’s game. While Sanders is expected to bolster Cleveland’s playoff run, he’s still a bit of a project after sitting out the entire 2015/16 season.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/16/17
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
9:59pm:
- The Raptors recalled small forward Bruno Caboclo and power forward Pascal Siakam from their D-League affiliate, the Raptors 905, the team’s media relations department tweets. Siakam wound up playing in the Raptors’ 123-102 loss to the Thunder on Thursday, contributing seven points in six minutes. Toronto assigned the same players to their D-League affiliate for practice purposes earlier in the day.
2:48pm:
- The Cavaliers have recalled newly-signed big man Larry Sanders from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The Canton Charge are in action tonight, but it appears that Sanders will be with the Cavs for their game against Utah instead.
- The Knicks have recalled forward Maurice Ndour from the D-League, according to the team (Twitter link). Ndour has appeared in 13 games this season for the Westchester Knicks, averaging 13.8 PPG and 6.8 RPG.
- Rookie guard Demetrius Jackson has been recalled from the D-League, while Jordan Mickey has been assigned to take his place on the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics announced today (via Twitter). It’s the fourth NBADL assignment of the season for Mickey.
Kevin Love Eager, Ready For Action
Kevin Love has been activated and will be back in action on Thursday, according to team’s official Twitter feed. The Cavaliers have played without their starting power forward for over a month, as he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on February 14th. Love told reporters, including Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that he was anxious to return after practicing on Wednesday. “I’m 28 years old, I feel like I’m just coming into the league again because I’m so antsy to get back,” Love said. “It’s good. You’ve got to trust the process, respect the process and give that leg time to heal, give injuries time to heal. But it’s not for lack of wanting to be out there.”
- The Bulls can hit the reset button if Dwyane Wade opts out of his contract, ESPN.com’s NBA analyst Kevin Pelton opines. The club could have significant cap space this summer if Wade, now out for the remainder of the regular season with a fractured elbow, turns down his $23.8MM player option and becomes a free agent again. That cap space could grow to approximately $50MM if the Bulls waive Rajon Rondo and stretch out his guaranteed money while also renouncing the rights to their other free agents, Pelton explains. Wade would probably have to settle for much less on the free agent market but opting out would allow him to join a contender such as the Cavaliers or Clippers, Pelton adds. The Spurs or even Warriors could be other possible suitors if Wade goes that route, according to the Sporting News’ Sean Deveney, and the Bucks and Nuggets would also check in on him since they showed interest last summer.
- Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue had to get permission to play newly-signed center Larry Sanders on Wednesday, according to Joe Vardon of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Lue sent a ball boy into the stands during the team’s blowout victory over the Pistons to ask GM David Griffin if it was OK to play Sanders, who was supposed to get some work in the D League before making his Cleveland debut. Sanders wound up playing two minutes. “I really just wanted to introduce him to the crowd and have him get in, give him a chance to have a standing ovation,” told reporters including Vardon. “I thought it was good for him.”
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/14/17
Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
10:12 pm:
- The Cavaliers have assigned Larry Sanders to the Canton Charge, according to the D-League Digest (Twitter link). Cleveland signed Sanders on Monday.
- The Hawks have assigned DeAndre’ Bembry to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s website. Atlanta doesn’t have its own D-League affiliate, so the rookie will play for Utah’s affiliate, per the league’s flex assignment rule.
5:32pm:
- The Cavaliers have assigned rookie guard Kay Felder to the Canton Charge, the D-League affiliate wrote in a press release on its official website. Felder has appeared in 9 games for Canton already this season.
3:58pm:
- The Clippers announced they have recalled Brice Johnson from the Salt Lake City Stars (press release). Johnson, the 25th overall pick in the 2016 draft, has largely been inactive this season due to a herniated disk in his back.
- The Pistons have recalled Henry Ellenson from the D-League, according to the team.
Kevin Love Eyes Possible Weekend Return
After missing over a month with a knee injury, Kevin Love could be back in uniform for the Cavaliers as early as their upcoming road trip beginning this Saturday, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes.
Love underwent arthroscopic surgery last month to clear loose bodies in his left knee. At the time, Vardon says, the forward was expected to be sidelined for six weeks.
The addition of Love – who has already returned to practice in some capacities – would be a welcome one for a Cavs team struggling to hold on to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In 46 games with the squad this season, Love has averaged 20.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
Though his return will hinge on how he feels following Wednesday’s practice and even today’s work out, the fact that general manager David Griffin is the one who told the media bodes well.
Vardon notes that as long as Love returns before the end of the four-game road trip that concludes on March 24, he’ll have beaten the initial six-week estimate.
Cavs Sign Larry Sanders, Waive Andrew Bogut
4:23pm: The Cavs formally confirmed Sanders’ deal today in a press release. The team also announced that Bogut has been waived.
8:21am: The Cavaliers have reached an agreement on a contract with free agent big man Larry Sanders, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Sanders, who will make his return to the NBA after two years away from the league, will likely get a second-year option for 2017/18 on his new deal, adds Charania.
As Charania explains (via Twitter), Sanders is in Cleveland today with agent Joel Bell to finalize his new contract with the Cavs. The former Buck will take a physical exam this morning, and the two sides are still working on nailing down a decision date for next year’s option. Based on a report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, it sounds like it will be a team option, with a guarantee date this summer — if Sanders is still under contract beyond that date, his salary for next season will become guaranteed.
In order for Sanders’ deal to become official, the Cavaliers will need to officially waive Andrew Bogut. The former first overall pick joined the team after being cut by the Mavericks, but suffered a fractured tibia just 58 seconds into his first game with the Cavs, ending his season. A report last week indicated that the club intends to release Bogut to open up a roster spot.
As for Sanders, he has been looking to make an NBA comeback this season after walking away from the game for personal reasons more than two years ago. Sanders, now 28, flashed promising upside during his initial stint in the NBA. In the 2012/13 season, the last time he was fully healthy, the former 15th overall pick averaged 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. Injuries and off-court problems limited him to 50 games over his last two seasons in the NBA.
[RELATED: Sanders to play games for Cavs’ D-League affiliate]
The cap-strapped Cavs can’t offer Sanders more than the minimum salary, so his cap hit will be modest, though the team will be charged an extra $2.50 in taxes for every dollar it spends on Sanders. Assuming he gets a two-year deal, Sanders will have a cap charge of $207,722 on the Cavs’ books this season, and the team would owe an additional $519,305 in taxes on his 2016/17 salary.
According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net (via Twitter), approximately half the teams in the NBA expressed some level of interest in Sanders, but the veteran center made it known two weeks ago that he preferred to join the Cavs. Because he hasn’t been on an NBA roster this season – and therefore hasn’t been waived at all – Sanders retains his playoff eligibility for Cleveland.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cavaliers Notes: Sanders, J. Smith, D. Williams
The Cavaliers reached an agreement today with free agent center Larry Sanders, who hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since December 2014. Although Sanders has been preparing this season to make a comeback, he probably isn’t ready to jump into the Cavs’ rotation right away, so the team intends to take it slow with him.
According to David Aldridge of TNT (via Twitter), the plan for Sanders is to have him play games with the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s D-League affiliate, for the rest of the regular season. Sanders would still practice with the Cavs, but the goal would be to get him in shape and ready to contribute for the NBA team in the postseason, per Aldridge.
As we wait to see how that plan works, let’s check in on a few more Cavs-related notes…
- Before reaching a deal with Sanders, the Cavaliers also talked to veteran free agent forward Josh Smith, says Shams Charania of The Vertical. Although there was contact between the Cavs and Smith, the club was focused on getting something done with Sanders, Charania adds.
- Sanders’ contract will reportedly include a non-guaranteed salary for 2017/18 that essentially functions as a team option. That option was “vital” for the Cavs, sources tell Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. As Amico notes, Cleveland wanted the ability to retain the big man for another year in case he flourishes down the stretch this season.
- Although Andrew Bogut‘s time in Cleveland will come to a premature end, the team’s other recent free agent addition is working out well. As Marla Ridenour of The Akron Beacon Journal details, backup point guard Deron Williams is drawing rave reviews from head coach Tyronn Lue and his Cavs teammates.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls 3/12/17
Here are Sunday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
11:58pm:
- The Warriors assigned Damian Jones to the D-League, writes Connor Letourneau of SFGate. Jones is expected to finish the D-League season with Santa Cruz.
5:00pm:
- The Raptors have assigned Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam to the Raptors 905, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Poeltl and Siakam are just two of the 2016 first-round picks who were sent down to the D-League this season, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors details.
- The Mavericks have recalled Manny Harris and Jarrod Uthoff from the Texas Legends, according to a team press release. Dallas is about to embark on a 4-game road trip and each of the 15 players on the roster will make the journey, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets.
- The Cavaliers have recalled Kay Felder from the Canton Charge, according to the team’s website. Felder has seen action in 37 games for Cleveland this year and he’s averaging 4.0 points per game