Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs’ Dante Exum To Miss 1-2 Months

January 5th, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers guard Dante Exum is expected to miss 1-2 months with a strained right calf, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Exum suffered the non-contact injury during the first quarter of the team’s game against Orlando on Monday. He was writhing in pain and eventually hobbled to the bench, unable to put weight on his leg.

It’s a blow to the Cavs, as coach J.B. Bickerstaff had plugged Exum in a defensive stopper role.

“I think (Dante) is a heck of a defender,” Bickerstaff said over the weekend. “He’s extremely intelligent. He’s got great length. And he’s committed to trying to go out and get the job done.”

The injury could impact Exum’s future earnings. Exum, who is making $9.6MM this season, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He’s dealt with a number of health problems over the years that sidetracked his career. He hasn’t played more than 42 games in the past three seasons.

Cleveland has been hit hard by injuries and other issues this season

Exum was inserted into the lineup when rookie Isaac Okoro sprained his foot and then was placed on the league’s COVID-19 list. Kevin Porter Jr. has been out for personal reasons and his return is unknown, while Kevin Love is expected to miss most of this month with a calf strain. Matthew Dellavedova has been sidelined after suffering a concussion during the preseason.

Injury Updates: Exum, Hayes, Bogdanovic, Okogie, Towns

January 4th, 2021 at 9:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers guard Dante Exum departed Monday’s game against Orlando in the opening minute with a right calf strain, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He went down with a non-contact injury and eventually hobbled to the bench, unable to put weight on his leg. Cleveland players spoke with optimism regarding the injury after the game, Fedor tweets.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Pistons lottery pick Killian Hayes left Monday’s game against Milwaukee during the third quarter with a right hip injury, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. Hayes has started regularly during his rookie season. He’ll have an MRI on Tuesday, coach Dwane Casey said after the game.
Jazz swingman Bojan Bogdanovic has continually experienced soreness in his surgically repaired right wrist, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News writes. Bogdanovic put on a brace during Sunday’s game against San Antonio and it helped dramatically, as he scored 28 points. “I really hate to play with anything on my body, any tape, any brace, anything,” he said. “But I really needed it because my wrist is kind od sore whenever I follow through when I’m shooting.”
Josh Okogie is closer to returning than Karl-Anthony Towns for the Timberwolves, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. Okogie has missed the last four games with a left hamstring strain. Towns has only played two games due to a dislocated left wrist. Meanwhile, Jaylen Nowell is ramping up in practice and is close to making his season debut. He’s been sidelined with a left ankle injury.

Exum Getting Reputation As Defensive Stopper

January 4th, 2021 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have plugged Dante Exum into the role of defensive stopper, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. New head coach J.B. Bickerstaff used Exum to help hold Atlanta star guard Trae Young to 16 points on Saturday. “I think (Dante) is a heck of a defender,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s extremely intelligent. He’s got great length. And he’s committed to trying to go out and get the job done.” Exum, who is making $9.6MM this season, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Cavs Were Among Teams With Offseason Interest In Hartenstein

January 4th, 2021 at 10:13am CST by Luke Adams

Before he signed with the Nuggets as a free agent in November, Isaiah Hartenstein drew interest from the Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Pelicans, and Wizards, league sources tell Singer in a separate Denver Post story.

Cavaliers Notes: Okoro, Garland, Dellavedova, Porter

January 2nd, 2021 at 6:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

It didn’t take long for rookie Isaac Okoro to establish himself as a difference maker for the Cavaliers, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The fifth player taken in this year’s draft won the starting small forward job in training camp and was effective in his first two games before suffering a sprained foot. He was recently placed in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocol, so the Cavs aren’t sure when he can return, although they’re hoping he’ll be back before their road trip ends next Saturday.

“He makes you feel comfortable. He makes you feel like you can trust him because of the way he plays,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Okoro. “He’s safe with the basketball. He doesn’t mess up many assignments. He executes offensively where he’s supposed to, and he just does all the little things that make the game of basketball easy. He made us feel extremely comfortable that we can rely on him while he’s out there on the floor.”

Cleveland has started three different players at small forward in the three games since losing Okoro. Larry Nance Jr. got the assignment first, followed by Cedi Osman and then Dante Exum in what Bickerstaff called a “matchup thing” against the Pacers. Damyean Dotson may also be in the mix until Okoro returns, Fedor adds.

There’s more from Cleveland:

The Cavaliers are seeing significant improvement from second-year guard Darius Garland, notes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. After a rough rookie season, there were reports that Garland stepped up his game at the team’s voluntary mini-camp. He’s carried that over to the new season, averaging 19.0 points, 7.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds through five games.
The Cavs are being careful with veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion during the preseason, Pluto adds in the same piece. Dellavedova has experienced several concussions in his career, and the team wants to make sure he’s completely ready to play.
Kevin Porter Jr. is dealing with personal issues and Cavaliers officials aren’t sure when he’ll resume playing, sources tell Pluto. Charges against Porter from a November incident were dropped last month, but the front office remains concerned about his maturity level.

Bickerstaff Wants To See More Resolve

January 1st, 2021 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have lost two straight after starting out 3-0 and coach J.B. Bickerstaff believes his young unit is still learning to handle adversity, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “There was doubt as a unit. There was doubt as a team. And you can’t survive playing against good teams without that belief,” Bickerstaff said. “We have good players. … When they play together, with confidence and a belief, they can be a good basketball team. And that’s what we have to get to. But it takes time.”

McGee Adds Championship Experience To Cavs

December 31st, 2020 at 7:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New veteran Cavaliers reserve center JaVale McGee adds championship pedigree in Cleveland, writes Joe Gabriele of Cavaliers.com. “I didn’t realize how good of a passer he was, I didn’t realize the touch he has around the rim with the little floaters and the hooks,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff commented. “I think he’s definitely been a pleasant surprise all the way around.” The 7’1″ big man is averaging 10.5 PPG on 63% shooting from the field during the club’s 3-1 start this season.

Health Updates: Leonard, Trent, Okoro, Claxton, Gallinari

December 30th, 2020 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will return to the lineup tonight, five days after being struck in the face by an accidental elbow from teammate Serge Ibaka, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Coach Tyronn Lue made the announcement in a pre-game session with the media.

Leonard missed two games with the injury, which caused him to bleed profusely from his mouth and required eight stitches. L.A. split the games, defeating the Timberwolves Tuesday night and losing by 51 points to the Mavericks on Sunday.

A second-team All-NBA selection last season, Leonard is off to another strong start, averaging 23.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals in his first two games.

There’s more injury-related news to pass along:

The Trail Blazers will face the Clippers tonight without guard Gary Trent Jr., Portland coach Terry Stotts told reporters (Twitter link from Vardon). Trent suffered a strained calf in Monday’s game with the Lakers.
Rookie swingman Isaac Okoro didn’t travel with the Cavaliers as they start a six-game road trip, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The fifth pick in this year’s draft suffered a sprained left foot in Saturday’s game and was recently placed into the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocol. The league announced today that there have been no new positive tests since December 24, so Fedor believes Okoro likely came in contact with someone who tested positive, which limits his ability to travel. The Cavs hope he can join them before the trip ends January 9.
Nets coach Steve Nash said Nicolas Claxton is “steadily improving,” but remains “weeks away” from playing, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. The second-year center is dealing with tendinopathy in his right knee and hasn’t played yet this season.
Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari had to leave tonight’s game with a sprained ankle, according to Andrews (Twitter link). It was his first game since suffering a contusion in his left foot in last week’s season opener.

Cavs Allowed To Fill Arena To 10% Capacity

December 30th, 2020 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

However, that amount still falls well short of the team’s initial request. According to Fedor, the plan the Cavs originally submitted to government officials asked for an allowance of 4,596 fans, 23.65% of their arena’s capacity.

The Cavaliers received approval from the Ohio Department of Health to increase their crowd capacity for home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. As Fedor details, the franchise will now be able to host 1,944 fans per game, which is the equivalent of 10% of the arena’s capacity.

Ohio regulations currently limit attendance at indoor sports arena or entertainment venues to 300 people or 15% of the seating capacity, whichever is less. So an exception is being made for the Cavaliers, who will be able to host nearly 2,000 fans.

Poll: Which Team Will Remain Undefeated Longest?

December 29th, 2020 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re one week into the NBA’s 2020/21 season, and just four of the league’s 30 teams have yet to lose a game. A handful of Eastern Conference teams – the Pacers, Magic, Hawks, and Cavaliers – make up that unlikely foursome.

While all four of those clubs are 3-0, they may not be undefeated much longer. This NBA season has been an unpredictable one so far, with unexpected blowouts and upsets taking place on a nightly basis. And as good as these teams have looked so far, I don’t expect any of them to be a powerhouse this season — it seems unlikely that we’ll see a 10-0 run to start the season.

Here are the upcoming schedules for each of the NBA’s four undefeated teams:

Indiana Pacers: vs. BOS (12/29), vs. CLE (12/31), vs. NYK (1/2), at NOP (1/4), vs. HOU (1/6)
Orlando Magic: at OKC (12/29), vs. PHI (12/31), vs. OKC (1/2), vs. CLE (1/4), vs. CLE (1/6)
Atlanta Hawks: at BKN (12/30), at BKN (1/1), vs. CLE (1/2), vs. NYK (1/4), vs. CHA (1/6)
Cleveland Cavaliers: vs. NYK (12/29), at IND (12/31), at ATL (1/2), at ORL (1/4), at ORL (1/6)

We want to know what you think: Which of these four undefeated teams will be the last to lose a game?

While it may be tempting to write off the Magic and Cavaliers, given their modest preseason expectations, the Pacers and Hawks have tough games on tap — Indiana will have to beat a Boston team that it squeaked past by a single point on Sunday, while Atlanta will be facing a rested Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn tomorrow.

Of the four undefeated teams, the Cavaliers have the most favorable fourth game (at home vs. the Knicks), but they’re missing power forward Kevin Love. And even if they get past New York, they improbably have games on tap against the other three undefeated clubs.

A year ago, the Sixers were the only team in the NBA to win more than three consecutive games to start the season. Will multiple squads do it this year? And which will remain undefeated the longest?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to weigh in with your predictions!

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