Tag: CAVALIERS
Cavs’ Jerome out indefinitely with ankle injury
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on January 23 to treat a right ankle impingement that has sidelined him since October 28, the team announced on Thursday.
According to the team, after recent imaging, repeated evaluation, and rehabilitation by the Cavaliers medical staff confirmed that surgery was the best course to heal the affected area.
The 26-year-old Jerome, who signed with the Cavs last summer, will be out indefinitely, and his return to basketball activities will be updated as appropriate, according to the Cavs.
This season, the fourth-year guard averaged 2.0 points and 1.5 assists per contest.
Cleveland returns to action Friday night when they face the Bucks in Milwaukee.
USA Basketball announces finalists for 2024 Olympics
USA Basketball announced on Tuesday a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team. The players were selected by USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill and is subject to change.
The 12-member 2024 USA Men’s National Team, which will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, will be announced at a later date.
Featuring 28 players who have represented the USA in Olympics and/or FIBA Men’s World Cup and who together have collected 23 Olympic or World Cup gold medals, the 2024 USA Men’s National Team finalists the following:
Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, De’Aaron Fox, Paul George,
Aaron Gordon, Tyrese Haliburton, James Harden, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr., LeBron James, Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Trae Young.
“The United States boasts unbelievable basketball talent and I am thrilled that many of the game’s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games,” Hill said. “It is a privilege to select the team that will help us toward the goal of once again standing atop the Olympic podium. This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity.”
The 2024 USA Men’s National Team will be led by head coach Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), who is assisted by Mark Few (Gonzaga University), Tyronn Lue (L.A. Clippers) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat). Last summer, the quartet coached the 2023 USA Basketball Men’s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup in Manila. Kerr is a 2020 Olympic gold medalist after serving as an assistant coach to Gregg Popovich in Tokyo.
USA Basketball also announced that the 2024 USA Men’s National Team will host Canada at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena as part of the USA Basketball Showcase. The exhibition contest is set for July 10.
NBA suspends Tristan Thompson 25 games for violating Anti-Drug Program
This afternoon, the NBA announced that they had suspended Cavaliers F/C Tristan Thompson for 25 games without pay for violating the terms of the NBA/NBAPA Anti-Drug Program after he tested positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033, which are both banned by the league.
Later that day, the Cavaliers issued a statement regarding Thompson’s suspension:
“The Cleveland Cavaliers fully support the NBA/NBAPA Anti-Drug Program, and we are disappointed in the recent news surrounding Tristan Thompson,” the team said. “His time away from game action will have an impact on our team. We stand behind Tristan and offer our support throughout this suspension period.”
According to the team, Thompson will be able to practice, travel, and be present at the team facility, and on gamedays (home and road), he will be allowed to be at the arena up until two hours before the start of the game.
The 12-year veteran, who spent the first nine years of his career with the Cavs, re-signed with the team in the offseason. This season, the 32-year-old averages 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.
Cleveland is red-hot right now and is on an eight-game winning streak; they travel to Milwaukee to battle the Bucks on Wednesday night.
Hawks’ Young out indefinitely with concussion
Hawks Guard Trae Young was placed in concussion protocol, the team announced on Sunday.
Young left Saturday night’s game against Cleveland in the fourth quarter and did not return after getting hit in the head with an inadvertent elbow by Isaac Okoro while trying to take a charge.
Young will begin the NBA-mandated Return-to-Participation process per the league’s Concussion Policy. This process includes a series of steps designed to ensure an athlete exhibits symptom-free behavior before resuming basketball activities.
There is no predetermined timetable to complete the process.
Young is averaging a team-leading 26.9 points this season and 10.8 assists per contest.
Atlanta gets back at it on Monday night on the road against the Sacramento Kings.
Pete Nance signs 10-day contract with Cavs
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Pete Nance to a 10-day contract, the team announced on Thursday.
Nance, 23, has appeared in 22 games (17 starts) this season for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers G League affiliate, averaging 13.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.36 blocks in 30.7 minutes. He was also a recent Cavaliers 2023 Summer League Championship team member, appearing in all six games, averaging 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.4 minutes.
He 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.
Nance, the son of Cavs legend Larry Nance Sr., will wear number 8 for the Cavaliers.
Cavs, Rubio agree to buyout; Rubio retires from NBA
The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached a buyout agreement with guard Ricky Rubio, the team announced on Thursday.
Rubio, 33, has been away from the team since the start of the 2023-24 season after he walked away from the team due to mental health issues over the summer.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, if Rubio plays professionally again, it will likely be in his native Spain.
“Ricky Rubio embodied everything a franchise would want from such an accomplished player, who helped instill a confidence and leadership quality that still resonates within our team,” said Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman in a press release. “When you measure his impact, particularly during the 2021-22 season, Ricky was instrumental in our 22-win improvement that year. His willingness to mentor our younger players speaks to the gravity of his tenure in Cleveland and the success we are having with this current Cavaliers group. We wish Ricky nothing but the best and remain supportive of his decision to continue focusing on his mental health.”
Rubio posted this statement on X about stepping away from the NBA:
— Ricky Rubio (@rickyrubio9) January 4, 2024
Originally drafted by the Timberwolves with the fifth overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, the 12-year NBA veteran was a 2012 NBA All-Rookie First-Team selection.
A longtime member of the Spanish National Team, Rubio has played in three Olympics (2020, 2016, 2008), winning silver in 2008 and bronze in 2016. He also led Spain to a gold medal in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
In two seasons with the Cavaliers (2021-22, 2022-23), Rubio appeared in 67 games (10 starts) with averages of 9.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 22.9 minutes.
During the 2021-22, his best in Cleveland, Rubio appeared in 34 games (eight starts) with a career-high tying average of 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.44 steals in 28.5 minutes before missing the final 48 games with a season-ending ACL tear.
Before the injury, Rubio became one of 12 active NBA players to record 5,000 career assists.
Rubio was traded to Indiana on February 7, 2022, after his injury in a deal that brought Caris LeVert to Cleveland, but he did not appear in a game for the Pacers.
He resigned with the Cavaliers as a free agent on July 7, 2022, and appeared in 33 games during the 2022-23 season, making his season debut on January 12 at Portland, where he chipped in nine points and three rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench. It was his first game back since suffering the ACL injury on December 28, 2021, at New Orleans.
Rubio has appeared in 698 games (603 starts) with Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix, and Cleveland, holding career averages of 10.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.76 steals in 29.6 minutes. He currently has the 10th-most assists among active NBA players (5,160) and has also averaged more than 6.0 assists and at least 1.30 steals in 10 of his 12 NBA seasons.
Cavs’ Allen on win over Mavs: ‘We knew we could come back in the game’
Without Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs(18-13) seemingly had no shot to beat the Mavericks(18-13) in Dallas on Wednesday night, but in the game of basketball, anything can happen.
One thing that happened was Jarrett Allen. He was special against the Mavericks. Allen had 24 points (9-17 FG, 6-6 FT), a season-high 23 rebounds, six assists and two steals. With 24 points and 23 rebounds, Allen garnered his fourth career 20-20 game and second as a Cavalier.
Another person who stepped up was Caris LeVert, who scored a team-high 29 points off the bench. After trailing by as many as 20 points in the first half, Cleveland, who trailed 101-91 with just over seven minutes to go, closed the game on a 22-9 run, including a 15-0 spurt, to defeat the Mavs 113-110.
Allen and LeVert weren’t the only two to step up. Isaac Okoro had a season-high 22 points, and Georges Niang added a season-high 16 points off the bench, and Craig Porter Jr. had nine points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
“Guts, plain and simple,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said about the win. “It was the ability to dig down and go somewhere when things weren’t going your way. We were struggling defensively in the first half, but collectively we went out and just found a way. You don’t do that without heart, courage, and fortitude.”
The Cavs, who outrebounded the Mavs by 20, trailed by 15 points at halftime, but despite the deficit, Allen knew Cleveland had what it took to get back into the game.
“We knew we could come back in the game,” Allen said. “I know, before the half, we cut it to six at one point. I don’t think if that was after or before, but we just used that momentum to carry us through the game.”
LeVert said the comeback was about getting stops on the defensive end.
“Try to get a stop,” he said. “I think we were scoring pretty decently. We were getting great shots, though we weren’t knocking down at the rate we knew we could. It was just about getting stops, and I think we finally did that in the second half. I think we held them under 25 [points] both the third and fourth quarter, and that was huge for us.”
Dallas had one last chance to tie the game, but LeVert and Allen double-teamed Luka Doncic, which led to Doncic passing it off to Seth Curry, whose shot was partially blocked by Max Strus. LeVert explained what the Cavs did defensively on the final play.
“Yeah, we obviously knew that Luka thrives in those types of moments,” LeVert said. “We tried to make it tough for him. J [Jarrett Allen] did a great job of trapping him, and then Max [Strus] did a great job of contesting that Seth Curry jump shot.”
The Mavs had five players in double figures, led by Doncic’s game-high 39 points, who was not happy with how the team performed in the fourth.
“We played bad,” he said. “We missed a lot of good shots – that was on me in the fourth quarter.”
Dallas’ two-game winning streak was snapped with the loss, while the Cavs have now won two straight.
The Mavericks battle the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Thursday night; Cleveland returns Friday night when they host the Bucks at home.
Photo: Cavs/X
Cavs’ Garland(jaw), Mobley(knee) to miss extended time
On Thursday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost their third straight as they fell to the Celtics 116-107 in Boston.
In that game, Darius Garland ran into Kristaps Porzingis in the third quarter and was on the floor with blood coming from his mouth. He left for a short period and would return. However, on Friday, the Cavs got some bad news on Garland.
The Cavs announced that Garland sustained a fractured jaw.
According to the team, a CT scan administered this morning in Cleveland confirmed the injury. Garland will have a procedure to heal the affected area and will be re-evaluated in approximately four weeks.
This season, Garland is averaging 20.7 points and 5.9 assists per contest.
The Cavs also announced that forward/center Evan Mobley will have arthroscopic left knee surgery on Monday, December 18, to remove a loose body.
According to the team, recent imaging and a series of treatments and rehabilitation confirmed that surgery was the best option to alleviate the discomfort in the knee. Mobley has missed the Cavaliers previous four games and is expected to be out approximately six to eight weeks.
Mobley is averaging 16.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest.
Currently, Cleveland is 13-12 and is the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. Without two of their top players, this team could struggle. The East is very competitive, so with no Garland for at least four weeks and no Mobley for possibly eight weeks, Cleveland could take a dip in the standings.
