Three-day rests don't come along often in this lockout-shortened season, so the Cavaliers likely took full advantage of the time off they received this week. As the Cavs prepare to host Indiana tonight in their first game since Saturday, let's round up a few items out of Cleveland…
- Anderson Varejao's injury has given Semih Erden a "golden opportunity" to show what he can do, coach Byron Scott tells Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Erden will be eligible for restricted free agency after the season.
- Scott doesn't understand why people think Cleveland should lose games, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. The Cavs' coach would prefer to earn a postseason berth, even if it meant a quick first-round exit, because he feels his young players would benefit from the playoff experience.
- Amico fielded Cavs-related questions, including plenty on possible trades, in a chat earlier today.
- Kyrie Irving has been cleared by the team to return to action tonight after missing three games with a concussion, tweets Joe Gabriele of Cavs.com. Anthony Parker is also progressing and could return next week, but there's still no timetable for Varejao (Beacon Journal link).
The problem is the pre LeBron Cavs were just good enough to be bounced in the first round for many years – usually to the Bulls. i’d love to see them get into the playoffs, but in the long run they are better off getting back into the lottery.