In August, Cleveland Cavaliers backup point guard Ricky Rubio announced that he was stepping away from basketball to focus on his mental health.
The 32-year-old was expected to play for the Spanish National team in the FIBA World Cup this summer, but he stepped away from basketball.
At the time, there was no timetable for his return.
On Monday, the Cavaliers updated Rubio’s status, and at this point, it appears he will continue to be out for the foreseeable future.
“Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio publicly stated in August that he was stepping away from basketball to focus on his mental health,” the statement from the Cavs said. “We remain fully supportive of Ricky and his efforts which for now are best continued away from the team and have excused his absence from camp. We remain in regular communication and consultation with Ricky and will continue to assist him in any way possible. Out of respect for his privacy we will not have any further comment or be able to answer any questions. The Cavaliers organization wishes Ricky and his family well.”
Last season, the 12-year veteran, who returned in January from a torn ACL after signing with the Cavs last offseason, averaged 5.2 points on 34% shooting and 3.4 assists per contest.
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman was arrested and charged with driving while impaired on Friday night in Cleveland.
Altman is also being charged with committing a marked lanes violation, according to WKYC.
According to FOX 8 Ohio, just before 9 P.M., “troopers initiated a traffic stop and during their interaction with the driver indicators of impairment were observed. The driver was subsequently placed under arrest for OVI and soon after offered a breath test, which he refused.“
Altman, who turned 41 on Saturday, was cooperative and respectful, according to the report.
The Cavs issued the following statement on Saturday:
“We are aware of an incident involving Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman. We are currently gathering more information and have no further comment at this time.”
Before being named general manager in 2017, Altman had been a part of the Cavaliers’ basketball staff for five years, including being promoted to assistant general manager in September 2016. As a member of Cleveland’s front office, Altman has been an integral part of a team that reached four straight NBA Finals (2015-2018) and won an NBA Championship in 2016. He originally joined the Cavaliers as pro personnel manager in August 2012 and was promoted to director of pro player personnel in September 2013.
In 2022, Altman received a contract extension and was promoted to president of basketball operations. Last season, the Cavs made the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed Sharife Cooper, Pete Nance, and Justin Powell, the team announced on Wednesday.
With these additions, Cleveland has 20 players on its training camp roster.
Cooper, 22, appeared in 25 games (all starts) last season with the Cleveland Charge(Cavs’ G League team, averaging 21.3 points, 6.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 0.84 steals in 32.4 minutes. The 6-1 guard was named All-NBA G League Second Team and was also selected to the 2023 NBA G League Next Up Game during NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.
During the 2023 Summer League in Las Vegas, he appeared in four games (all starts) for the Cavaliers, averaging 13.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 21.5 minutes while helping the Cavs win their first Summer League Championship. Cooper was drafted 48th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks after one collegiate season at Auburn (2020-21).
The 23-year-old Nance, who reportedly signed an Exhibit 10 team with the team in June, went undrafted after one season at the University of North Carolina (2022-23) and four seasons at Northwestern University (2018-22), averaging 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.3 minutes in 137 games (104 starts) during his collegiate career.
A Cavaliers 2023 Summer League Championship team member, the 6-11 forward appeared in all six games, averaging 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 20.4 minutes. Nance is also the son of former Cavs star Larry Nance Sr., and the brother of Cavs forward Larry Nance Jr.
Powell, 22, also went undrafted after playing three seasons collegiately at Auburn, Tennessee, and Washington State, with career averages of 7.8 points, 2.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 25.0 minutes.
The 6-6 guard appeared in two games for the Miami Heat at the 2023 Summer League in Las Vegas and one game at the California Classic in Sacramento.
The Cavaliers have signed forward/center Tristan Thompson, the team announced on Tuesday.
According to reports, it’s a one-year deal.
Thompson, a vital figure on Cleveland’s 2016 championship team and a part of the Cavs’ teams that went to four straight NBA Finals, was selected fourth by the Cavs in 2011 and spent the first nine seasons of his career in Cleveland.
Last season, the 12-year veteran signed with the Lakers in April and appeared in six postseason games.
“Tristan embodies every trait we want as part of our team culture, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring his experience and character back into our franchise,” Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said in a press release. “His impact both on and off the court is immeasurable, and his history with our team adds a layer of familiarity, leadership, and physicality that will undoubtedly make a positive impact with our younger players. An integral part of our four consecutive NBA Finals trips and an NBA Championship in 2016, Tristan represented the organization with the utmost charm and professionalism during his nine seasons in Northeast Ohio. We are thrilled to reunite with Tristan and welcome him and his family back to the Cavaliers family.”
Thompson still ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in offensive rebounds (second, 2,115), total rebounds (third, 5,393), defensive rebounds (fifth, 3,278), blocks (sixth, 447), games played (seventh, 619) and minutes (eighth, 17,373). His 447 consecutive regular season games played from Feb. 10, 2012, to April 4, 2017, remains the longest streak in Cavaliers history. Additionally, Thompson holds the franchise record for most offensive rebounds in a single season with 306 in 2012-13.
Over his career, Thompson has played in 730 regular season games (478 starts) for Cleveland, Boston, Sacramento, Indiana, and Chicago, with averages of 9.0 points on .519 shooting from the field and 8.4 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per contest. Thompson is one of only four players in franchise history to accumulate at least 5,000 points and 5,000 rebounds, joining LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Brad Daugherty.
Thompson is a fan favorite and brings postseason experience to Cleveland, and he could give the Cavs solid minutes off the bench.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ season tips off on Wednesday, October 25, on the road against the Brooklyn Nets, the league announced on Thursday.
The team’s home opener is on Friday, October 27, versus Oklahoma City.
This season, Cleveland, who were 51-31 last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2018, will make 17 national television appearances.
-Three games on TNT (October 31 vs. New York, November 21 at Philadelphia, and February 1 at Memphis).
-Six games on ESPN (January 17 vs. Milwaukee, February 14 vs. Chicago, February 23 at Philadelphia, March 3 vs. New York, March 10 vs. Brooklyn, April 3 at Phoenix).
-Eight games on NBA TV (November 11 at Golden State, November 13 at Sacramento, December 14 at Boston, December 16 vs. Atlanta, December 29 vs. Milwaukee, January 11 vs. Brooklyn in NBA Paris Game, March 29 vs. Philadelphia, and March 31 at Denver)
Key Games at home:
The 2023-24 season includes a visit from the NBA-champion Denver Nuggets on November 19 and a pair of visits from the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat on November 22 and March 20.
Cleveland will also host the Chicago Bulls for a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day game on January 15. Additional marquee opponents coming to Cleveland only once this season include the Golden State Warriors on November 5, the Los Angeles Lakers on November 25, the San Antonio Spurs on January 7, the Phoenix Suns on March 11, and the Memphis Grizzlies on April 10.
The Cavaliers will also travel to Paris on January 11 to host Brooklyn at Accor Arena for the franchise’s first-ever game in Europe.
NBA In-Season Tournament
Cleveland will also participate in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, with Group Play games taking place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November.
The Cavaliers are set to compete in East Group A with four games against teams in their pool: November 3 at Indiana, November 17 vs. Detroit, November 21 at Philadelphia, and November 28 vs. Atlanta. Eight teams (four per conference) will advance from Group Play into the Knockout Rounds. The advancing teams will be the six group winners and two “wild cards” (the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group).
Back-t0-Backs
Fifteen sets of back-to-back games, including four home-home sets (Oct. 27-28, Nov. 25-26, Dec. 20-21, and March 10-11), five home-road sets (Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, Feb. 22-23, Feb. 27-28, March 5-6), four road-road sets (Dec. 11-12, Feb. 7-8, April 2-3 and April 6-7) and two road-home sets (Nov. 21-22, March 24-25).
Home Cooking
The Cavaliers will have a five-game homestand over nine days from Nov. 22-30, featuring contests versus Miami (November 22), L.A. Lakers (November 25), Toronto (November 26), Atlanta (November 28), and Portland (November 30). They also have a six-game homestand, which includes the NBA Paris Game on January 11 vs. Brooklyn, and games in Cleveland against Washington (January 3 and January 5), San Antonio (January 7), Chicago (MLK Day on January 15), and Milwaukee (January 17).
On the road again
Cleveland’s longest road trip spans five games over eight days from March 31-April 7. The team also has two four-game road trips (Nov. 8-15 and Jan. 20-26), three three-game road trips (Dec. 11-14, Feb. 7-10, and March 13-18) and five two-game road trips (Nov. 1-3, Feb. 1-3, Feb. 23-25, Feb. 28-March 1, March 22-24).
Holidays
National holiday games include Halloween (October 31 vs. New York), Veteran’s Day (November 11 at Golden State), Thanksgiving Eve (November 22 vs. Miami), New Year’s Day (January 1 at Toronto), MLK Day (January 15 vs. Chicago), Valentine’s Day (February 14 vs. Chicago) and Easter (March 31 at Denver).
March Madness
The Cavaliers will play 17 games in March, their most in any month during the 2023-24 season.
On Thursday, the NBA released the 2023-24 regular season schedule, which begins on Oct. 23 when the Lakers travel to Denver to face the world-champion Nuggets, and the new-look Suns head to San Francisco to face the Warriors.
The first five days of the 2023-24 regular season will feature 10 national television games, with two doubleheaders each on @NBAonTNT and @ESPNNBA and one on @NBATV.
Those games will showcase 14 teams and three rematches from the 2023 Playoffs (DEN-LAL, MIA-BOS and GSW-SAC). pic.twitter.com/D8mH5l4xdb
The regular-season schedule includes defined dates and opponents for 80 of each team’s 82 games and two games designated as TBD dates and opponents. Those two games for each team, to be played the week of Dec. 4, will be determined based on the results of Group Play games in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.
NBA In-Season Tournament
NBA-In-Season Tournament Group Play games for all 30 teams will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays in November, with TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV combining to televise 16 games. Eight teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds, which consist of single-elimination games in the Quarterfinals (Monday, Dec. 4 and Tuesday, Dec. 5), Semifinals (Thursday, Dec. 7), and Championship (Saturday, Dec. 9).
The national broadcast schedule for the Knockout Rounds will be announced later.
Christmas Day
The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day.
Bucks face the Knicks in New York (noon ET/ESPN).
The two most recent recipients of the Larry O’Brien Trophy will go head-to-head when the 2022 NBA champion Warriors visit the 2023 NBA champion Nuggets (2:30 p.m. ET ESPN/ABC).
Next, the Lakers will host the Celtics (5 p.m. ET/ABC) as the longtime rivals meet on Christmas Day for the first time in 15 years.
The Christmas Day schedule will conclude with two more games on ESPN, with the 76ers taking on the Heat in Miami (8 p.m. ET) and the Mavericks playing the Suns in Phoenix (10:30 p.m. ET).
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On Monday, Jan. 15, the NBA family will continue the tradition of honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The celebration will include four nationally televised games.
In a TNT doubleheader, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Spurs (3:30 p.m. ET), and the Grizzlies will meet the Warriors (6 p.m. ET) as Atlanta and Memphis continue their traditions of hosting games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
NBA TV will air two games: Houston Rockets at 76ers (1 p.m. ET) and Oklahoma City Thunder at Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET).
Election Day
For the second consecutive season, no NBA games have been scheduled for Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 7).
All-Star Game
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Final Day of Regular Season
All 30 teams will play on the final day of the regular season (Sunday, Apr. 14). The seven games between Eastern Conference teams will begin at 1 p.m. ET, and the seven games between Western Conference teams and the one cross-conference matchup will start at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Play-In Tournament/Playoffs/NBA Finals
The 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament will take place from Tuesday, Apr. 16 – Friday, Apr. 19, followed by the start of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Saturday, Apr. 20.
Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals is set for Thursday, Jun. 6.
National Television Games
-Golden State Warriors will have the most nationally televised games this season with 41. The Lakers are next with 40, Phoenix has 37, Celtics are fourth with 34, and the Bucks and Nuggets will have 30 apiece.
-2023 NBA Finals rematches between the Nuggets and Heat will occur on Thursday, Feb. 29, in Denver on TNT (10 p.m. ET) and Wednesday, Mar. 13, in Miami on ESPN (7:30 p.m. ET).
-The top two picks in the 2023 NBA Draft – No. 1 pick Wembanyama of the Spurs and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets – are scheduled to meet for the first time in the regular season when San Antonio hosts Charlotte on Friday, Jan. 12 on ESPN (10 p.m. ET).
Additional Schedule Highlights
-All 30 teams are scheduled to make at least one appearance on TNT or ESPN in the 2023-24 regular season. The NBA on TNT, ESPN, ABC, and NBA TV will present flexible scheduling throughout the regular season to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience.
-The team average for back-to-backs involving travel between games has been reduced to a record-low 9.0. The previous low was 9.6 last season.
-Primetime weeknight doubleheaders across TNT (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and ESPN (Wednesdays and Fridays) will again be played at 7:30 p.m. ET/10 p.m. ET except for one instance during the first week of the season.
-ABC will televise 16 games as part of its two weekend series, NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC (which tips off with the Jan. 27 tripleheader during NBA Rivals Week) and NBA Sunday Showcase (which begins with Celtics at Heat on Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. ET).
-NBA TV will feature Center Court throughout the season. In the season debut of the franchise, the Warriors will visit the Pelicans on Monday, Oct. 30 (8 p.m. ET).
-The 2024 NBA Finals and the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals will be exclusively televised by ABC and ESPN/ABC, respectively. TNT will exclusively televise the 2024 Western Conference Finals.
On Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced their schedule for the upcoming preseason.
The slate of games tips off at Atlanta (Oct. 10), followed by back-to-back games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse vs. Orlando (Oct. 12) and Maccabi Ra’anana of the Israeli National League (Oct. 16). Maccabi Ra’anana is Cleveland’s sixth international preseason opponent since 2009 and first since they faced off against San Lorenzo de Almagro of Argentina’s Liga Nacional de Básquet (LNB) in 2019.
The Cavaliers will conclude their preseason schedule at Indiana on October 20.
Last season, the Cavs finished 51-31 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2018. However, they would lose to the Knicks in five in the first round of the playoffs.
On Saturday, Cleveland Cavaliers backup point guard Ricky Rubio announced that he is stepping away from basketball to focus on his mental health.
“I have decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health,” Rubio said. “I want to thank all the support I have received from the [Spanish national] team to understand my decision. “Today #family makes more sense than ever. Thank you. I would ask that my privacy be respected so that I can face these moments and be able to give more information when the time is right.”
The 32-year-old was expected to play for the Spanish National team in the FIBA World Cup this summer.
Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said in a statement that the team will support Rubio.
“We were informed today by Ricky and his representation that he has decided to step away from his illustrious basketball career to focus on his mental health at this time,” Altman said. “We understand how difficult of a decision this was for him and will balance providing whatever support we can while simultaneously respecting Ricky’s request for privacy.”
At this point, there’s no word on when or if Rubio will return to basketball.
Last season, Rubio, who returned in January from a torn ACL, averaged 5.2 points on 34% shooting and 3.4 assists per contest.
On Wednesday, the NBA announced that The NBA Paris Game 2024 will feature the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers playing the league’s third regular-season game in Paris at the Accor Arena on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024.
The Cavaliers will be playing their first game in Europe, while The NBA Paris Game 2024 will mark the Nets’ second game in Paris, having played a preseason game in the French capital in 2008.
There have been more NBA players from France than any other country outside North America, including 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs).
Last season, the Cavs had a 51-31 record and the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
The San Antonio Spurs have waived forward Lamar Stevens, the team announced on Monday.
Stevens, 26, was acquired from Cleveland as part of a three-team trade with the Cavaliers and Miami Heat on July 6, when the Spurs also received Cedi Osman, two future second-round picks, and cash considerations in exchange for a future second-round pick.
Last season, the three-year veteran averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest for the Cavs.
For his career, Stevens, who went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft after playing four years collegiately at Penn State, played in 165 games (38 starts) during his three seasons with Cleveland (2020-2023), averaging 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16.0 minutes, as well as appearing in two postseason contests.
If Stevens clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent. He is a solid defender and a player who can help a team.
