Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Three-Week Minimum Anticipated For Training Camp

May 8th, 2020 at 8:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Commissioner Adam Silver believes a three-to-six week ramp-up period would be needed in order to resume the season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Silver was asked about the length of training camp during a conference call with players on Friday. A minimum of three weeks has been discussed around the league, Silver replied, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

With Silver indicating that no decision regarding the resumption of the season needed to made this month, that would suggest that play would resume no earlier than July.

The league is taking baby steps toward getting players back into training facilities. The NBA has given the go-ahead for teams to allow players back into their usual facilities under heavy restrictions. Only the Cavaliers and the Trail Blazers were able or willing to unlock their facilities on Friday, displaying the cautious approach many franchises and players have adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Marc Stein of the New York Times reports.

Larry Nance Jr., Kevin Love, Cedi Osman and Ante Zizic showed up at the Cavaliers’ practice facility. Nance spent approximately 90 minutes taking shots and doing weight work, while the others spend their time at separate baskets. All the players were subject to temperature checks before being allowed in the facility.

“They did a really good job of making sure we all felt great about being there,” Nance told Stein. “They could make it at 4 in the morning and I would be there.”

Other players around the league don’t share Nance’s enthusiasm. During the conference call with Silver, Thunder guard and Players Association president Chris Paul expressed the concerns of some players that they felt pressure to work out at their teams’ facilities, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. Silver reiterated that the workouts are optional and advised Paul to follow up with the league if any players had issues with their respective teams during the reopening of the facilities.

Cavaliers Consider Virtual Reality To Simulate Practices

May 7th, 2020 at 8:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to force teams to brainstorm innovative workarounds for internal player development, the Cavaliers are considering using virtual reality to simulate full practices, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor. Though Cleveland is reopening its practice facility tomorrow, social distance guidelines dictate that only one coach and one player, shooting at one basket, will be permitted at a time. “This is an opportunity to push the envelope and try to come up with some new and creative things,” Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff noted.

Larry Nance Jr. Plans To Work Out At Cavs' Facility

May 7th, 2020 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers big man Larry Nance Jr. tells Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter links) that he plans to visit the Cavaliers’ practice facility after it opens on Friday. As Stein explains, that’s significant because Nance deals with Crohn’s disease, which is generally treated with immunosuppressive medication that can make patients more vulnerable to infections. Nance has confidence in Remicade, the drug he takes to combat the disease, per Stein.

Multiple Teams Plan To Reopen Facilities On Friday

May 6th, 2020 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

3:29pm: The Rockets have now postponed the target date for reopening their facility to May 18, according to Medina (via Twitter).

2:03pm: Although the NBA is still expected to allow teams to reopen practice facilities for individual voluntary workouts this Friday, only a small handful of clubs are expected to take advantage right away. The Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Nuggets intend to reopen their facilities on May 8, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina. The Cavaliers will do so as well, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Not all players have remained in their teams’ respective cities since the NBA suspended its season in March, so some Rockets, Blazers, Nuggets, and Cavs players may have to return from out of state before they can resume working out at their clubs’ facilities.

As Zillgitt and Medina detail, several other teams – including the Hawks, Heat, and Bucks – could reopen their facilities as early as next week. However, clubs like the Celtics, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves haven’t shared details on their plans, and many other teams will remain in limbo for the foreseeable future, deferring to local government ordinances and health experts.

The Warriors, for instance, are following the City of San Francisco’s lead, as Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. USA Today’s report suggests that Golden State is unlikely to reopen its facility until at least June, since the city’s stay-at-home order runs through May 31.

As for the teams that are opening this Friday, they’ll face strict regulations on the number of players who will be permitted into their facilities at a time (four), and how their workouts will be conducted (no group activities are allowed). The league recently issued a long, detailed memo outlining the safety measures that teams must put in place to reopen their buildings.

“This isn’t a hangout session for the guys,” a Cavaliers source told Fedor. “We’ve read the riot act – so to speak – to these guys. I think they are appreciative of us trying to find the right way to get the building open because they need the outlet and want to work out and this is the safest place for them to do it.”

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links), the NBA informed teams this week of updated measures on cardiac screening for certain players prior to their voluntary workouts. Clubs have also still been told not to conduct COVID-19 tests on asymptomatic players, since the league is sensitive to an ongoing shortage in some areas of the country. If and when the NBA is able to open camps for a resumption for the 2019/20 season, there’s an understanding those testing protocols would change, Woj adds.

Eastern Notes: Ntilikina, Bryant, Cavs, Lowry

May 3rd, 2020 at 5:37pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Frank Ntilikina hasn’t lived up to the hype of being the Knicks‘ No. 8 overall pick back in 2017, but some around the league believe the 21-year-old still has a future in the NBA — even if it’s not with New York.

“If (the) Knicks move him or let him walk, teams will take a chance,” one Western Conference scout tells Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “… Maybe his role moving forward is a high-level defender off the bench that you can stick him in the corner. That could be his calling … Depends on coach and system to find the right place to play.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Thomas Bryant‘s value on the trade market could be limited, John Hollinger writes in a piece on The Athletic. The former executive believes the Wizards would have a hard time landing a first-rounder without taking back a bad contract, though multiple second-rounders may be in the cards.
The Cavaliers may be wise to explore moving down in the draft, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com explains. The top of the draft is loaded with guards and bigs, while Cleveland is badly in need of a long-term option at the wing.
Blake Murphy of The Athletic wonders how long 34-year-old Kyle Lowry can remain as productive for the Raptors. LeBron James and Chris Paul are the only 33-and-older players who had more win shares this past year than Lowry.

Beilein Not A Candidate In Wake Forest’s Coaching Search

April 27th, 2020 at 10:11am CST by Arthur Hill

APRIL 27: Wake Forest is moving forward with its head coaching search and has identified at least five potential candidates, according to Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com, who hears from multiple sources that Beilein is not a candidate (Twitter links).

APRIL 25: Wake Forest announced the dismissal of head coach Danny Manning earlier today, and former Cavaliers coach John Beilein has emerged on the rumor mill as a popular candidate to take over the program.

Beilein’s transition to the NBA didn’t go as planned after decades of success at the college level, particularly at Michigan, where he turned the Wolverines into one of the best programs in the nation. Beilein compiled a 14-40 record in Cleveland and experienced frequent problems relating to players before resigning in February.

He was reassigned to another job with the organization and still has a five-year contract with the team, but the Cavs are considered very likely to let him go if he gets another NCAA opportunity.

The Demon Deacons need a quick turnaround, writes Jeff Borzello of ESPN. Wake Forest never able to post a .500 record in the ACC under Manning and finished 12th or worse in the conference in five of his six seasons. He leaves the school with an overall record of 78-111.

The need for a big-name replacement makes Beilein the best available candidate, according to Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News. Beilein would bring instant respect to the program, DeCourcy contends, and he could once again team up with his son, Patrick, who was hired at Niagara last year but resigned before the season began.

However, in his ratings of the top candidates, Borzello doesn’t see Wake Forest as the best situation for Beilein. He notes that Beilein may not want to step into a rebuilding situation at age 67, and the university may not be able to meet his salary demands after reaching a buyout agreement with Manning. Beilein made $4MM with the Cavaliers this season and $2.5MM during his final year at Michigan.

Drummond Says He Hasn't Considered Option Decision

April 23rd, 2020 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Although there has been widespread speculation that Andre Drummond will pick up the $28MM+ player option on his contract for 2020/21, the Cavaliers center tells Michael Pina of SB Nation that he hasn’t finalized any decisions on that front. “For me I haven’t really thought too deep into my next decision yet because obviously we can’t really do anything yet,” Drummond said, referring to the NBA’s hiatus and moratorium.

Knicks To Hire Brock Aller To Front Office Role

April 21st, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are hiring Cavaliers capologist Brock Aller to be a high-ranking basketball official in their front office, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who adds that Aller will be the chief strategist for new president of basketball operations Leon Rose.

Frank Isola of SiriusXM NBA Radio reported earlier today (via Twitter) that the Knicks and Aller were moving toward a deal, while Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, who first reported a few weeks ago that Aller had interviewed with New York, tweeted that he’d be getting a “high position” within the organization.

A deal is expected to be finalized within the next week or so, according to Begley, who hears that the former Cavaliers executive will be one of Rose’s “right-hand men.”

As Begley details, Aller is expected to help Rose – a longtime player agent – navigate the management side of things, strategizing on how to build out the front office and coaching staff. While Aller is known for his salary cap work, he’ll have input in player personnel moves as well, Begley writes.

Aller played a role in building the Cavs team that won the NBA championship in 2016 and is highly respected in league circles, Begley adds.

Cavs Interview Virginia's Mamadi Diakite

April 20th, 2020 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Within a mailbag, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com explores the Cavaliers‘ long-term outlook at small forward and considers which prospect they’d draft if they land the No. 1 pick. Fedor also reports that the team recently conducted a virtual interview with Virginia big man Mamadi Diakite, a possible second-round target.

Cavaliers Notes: Drummond, Thompson, Shumpert

April 16th, 2020 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Andre Drummond‘s option decision will be the move that ultimately controls the Cavaliers‘ offseason, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who hears from multiple sources that Drummond exercising that option remains the most probable outcome. With that $28.7MM option on their books, the Cavs almost certainly wouldn’t open up any cap room, limiting their potential offseason moves.

The Cavaliers are “fully prepared” for Drummond to opt in and felt when they acquired the veteran center that there was no better player – among those would be available and realistically attainable – to spend that money on, according to Fedor. As Fedor explains, Cleveland considers Drummond’s skill-set, including his ability to protect the rim on defense and roll to the rim on offense, a good match for the young guards the team is developing.

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

In a mailbag for Cleveland.com, Fedor addressed a handful of topics, including Tristan Thompson‘s possible future with the Cavaliers. Fedor says he was convinced following the acquisition of Drummond that Thompson wouldn’t be retained, but now feels that there could still be a place for the big man in Cleveland if the price is right.
Speaking to Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link), Iman Shumpert discussed the gradual dismantling of the Cavaliers team that won the NBA Finals in 2016, noting that he has talked to Kyrie Irving about the subject since they left Cleveland. Shumpert expressed some regret that the roster didn’t remain fully intact for another year or two, given the success the club had.
In case you missed it, the most recent installment in our Salary Cap Preview series focused on the Cavaliers’ 2020/21 cap outlook.