NOVEMBER 29: The signing is official, according to the Real GM Transactions Page.
NOVEMBER 28: Center Thon Maker is signing with the Cavaliers, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype tweets.
It’s a training camp deal, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). Maker became an unrestricted free agent when the Pistons failed to extend him a qualifying offer. He’ll look to make a strong enough impression to gain a spot on Cleveland’s 15-man roster.
The 23-year-old appeared in 60 game last season for Detroit, averaging 4.7 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 12.9 MPG. Maker began his career with the Bucks in 2016 after being selected with the 10th pick of the draft, but he never lived up to his lottery pick status. Detroit acquired him midway through the 2018/19 season.
Another center ?? Drummond on the move
He would only be the third center on the team. Thompson/Zizic are gone. Also I’m sure it’s not guaranteed.
Maker’s chances of making the team aren’t good.
I doubt very many players on training camp deals end up making the 15-man roster. And Love can already be their #3 center behind Drummond and McGee.
Yeah but if drummond is moved they would only have Love, Nance, and Dean Wade. If he was to make the team it would be solely for lack of depth.
And mcgee*
3 centers, yet the Cavaliers have 8 guards.Sexton,Garland, Exum,Delle,Porter,Windler,Dotson, and Mooney. Love is a relative pip squeak and Can’t play center when comparing him in size to Embiid or Gobert.
I would’ve taken him back at Milwaukee for the minimum to fill Robin Lopez’s 4mpg.
Glad to see he found a team though
Like the emphasis on D. This team has been unable to make stop since LBJ left.
It’s interesting to see that Thon Maker ranks at 182 in PER of qualified players last year (out of 350+). Not too bad.
If it were not for him always wearing a THON in the Locker Room…..
Lol groan!
It’s not a good sign for his career signing a training camp deal with Cleveland.
An only a training camp deal lol
**And only on a
It’s not a good sign by Altman that he believes in this loser.
Speaking of this loser, we have hwmvps, throwing his opinions out flatly like everyone should believe him or them. Nobody does. The Cavs have done more than the Rockets. Nobody but scrubs wants to be in Houston. The one “like” was a touch-screen error as I got in a rush to respond.
And what have the Cavs ever done without LeBron? I’ll wait….
Forget it, I’ll just make it easy. Five appearances in the Finals, and only one championship. And all of that was with LeBron James on the team. Without LeBron? One division title in 1976. That’s it. The Cavs will be nothing again now that he’s gone. Sorry.
And the Cavs have one championship, the Rockets have two. So how exactly have they done more than the Rockets?
Lebron counts. Especially being local. I don’t even see how this is a point… he played for the Cavs a lot and they won a lot, getting further than the Rockets have.
How many have the Rockets won without Olajuwon? And that was decades ago, when Jordan vacated.
1976 did rock, and so did the Price-Daugherty teams, until Mahorn clobbered Price in the head like he did all the top white players on each team in the division.
Training camp deals are for NBA players whose team has given up on their capabilities to add value to their team. Hence the goal for Maker is to prove himself as a viable NBA player. He is good enough and tall 7’0” and young 23 to have a position with the Cavaliers.
Please nobody say “but he’s only 23” . He’s older. The hospitals are not reliable about such things as proving birth in Africa; it’s remarkable they do it here; keeping track is not a profitable activity, and hospitals are known to resist governmental obligations.
Then there’s the Australian years. There was a wiki entry about the Thon Maker story.
His younger brother will be high in the draft, maybe that’s the draw for Altman. An espn note said Matur is shut down for the year.
Not like Matur really gets to chose where he’s drafted…
It’s like teams going after An’po brothers to get on the good side of Giannis…supposedly.
Easy to guess it would be a big deal to someone adjusting to America.
I’m just making excuses for Altman!
Another good reason is getting someone who can challenge Drummond, as I think McGee has breathing limitations.
Maybe Maker isn’t 23 as Bismarc Biyombo was older than listed. Yet he is legitimately 7’0” and is a decent athlete that will block shots, rebound, in my view,is equal to Narlens Noel.
Haha fair enough. I don’t know how much rope Altman has left tho.