Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Notes: LeBron, Lue, Irving

June 10th, 2018 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Major changes are coming to the Cavaliers this summer regardless of what LeBron James decides, writes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. Pluto observes that James is fatigued from carrying such a heavy load all season, much as he was at the end of his tenure in Miami, and will seriously consider leaving the organization for the first time since he returned four years ago.

Pluto expects James to opt out of his $35.6MM salary for next season by the June 29 deadline, even if he decides to remain with the Cavs. Whether or not James stays on, Pluto foresees a major roster shakeup as the front office tries to rebuild a team that has accumulated too many old players.

There’s more this morning out of Cleveland:

After the Finals ended Friday, Tyronn Lue said he intends to return as coach next season, but Pluto isn’t convinced that will happen. Pluto notes that Lue looked as tired at the end of the year as he did when he took a medical leave of absence in mid-March. Lue, who was diagnosed with anxiety, a rapid heartbeat and sleep deprivation, missed three weeks before returning late in the season. Pluto contends that Lue hasn’t been as quick with his decisions this year — citing the failure to call time out at the end of Game 1 as an example — and speculates that he may part ways with the Cavs and take a year off to recover.
James has dropped a lot of hints that he is planning to leave Cleveland again, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. After leading an undermanned roster to the Finals and turning in an MVP-level season at age 33, James has expressed a desire to play alongside more capable and basketball-savvy teammates. “I made the move in 2010 to be able to play with talented players, cerebral players that could see things that happen before they happened on the floor,” James said. “And your teammate can do the same throughout the course of a season, throughout the course of a game, throughout the course of a playoffs, throughout the course of a Finals. So when you feel like you’re really good at your craft, I think it’s always great to be able to be around other great minds, as well, and other great ballplayers.”
Kyrie Irving did the same thing to James that LeBron did to Dwyane Wade in Miami, contends Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. After a string of Finals appearances, James left the Heat in 2014 to have the spotlight to himself in Cleveland, just as Irving expressed a desire to do when he asked for a trade last summer. Winderman also notes that the Heat had free agent meetings with James in both 2010 and 2014, so it’s reasonable to assume they could be on his list again.

Draft Updates: Porter, Young, Simons, Sexton

June 9th, 2018 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Michael Porter Jr. was impressive at Friday’s pro day in Chicago, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Although there’s no question about his talent, several teams are concerned about Porter’s physical condition in the wake of back surgery that cost him nearly his entire freshman season at Missouri. Porter’s representatives will decide over the next few days which teams they plan to hold meetings with and who will receive his medical records.

Kyler adds that most scouts view Porter as a top three to five talent in the draft (Twitter link), but the back problems may scare some teams away. Even so, Kyler speculates that he won’t fall lower than the Bulls at No. 7 (Twitter link).

There’s more news as the draft draws closer:

The Knicks are among several lottery teams that will travel to Chicago next week to meet with Porter, a league source tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog (Twitter link).
The Suns are trying to arrange a workout with Oklahoma’s Trae Young, tweets Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. Team officials are expected to meet with Young before the draft, but scheduling conflicts may prevent the Suns from working him out. Because Phoenix holds the No. 1 pick and Young is unlikely to be taken that high, Wasserman cites the report as evidence that the team is trying to acquire a second top 10 selection.
Anfernee Simons, who worked out today for the Magic, has been among the most active pre-draft prospects, tweets Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Simons has already been to sessions with the Bulls, Suns, Trail Blazers, Lakers and Jazz and has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Knicks, Cavaliers, Grizzlies and Bucks.
The Cavaliers brought in Alabama’s Collin Sexton for a workout today, tweets ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
The Nuggets have six players scheduled for a session on Monday, according to a story on the team’s website. Expected to attend are Idaho’s Brayon Blake, Georgetown’s Marcus Derrickson, UNLV’s Brandon McCoy, USC’s Jordan McLaughlin, Wake Forest’s Doral Moore and Northern Colorado’s Andre Spight.
Seton Hall’s Desi Rodriguez will work out tomorrow for the Spurs, Zagoria writes. The Mavericks will see him Tuesday, followed by the Raptors, then then Lakers on June 20. Rodriguez has also worked out for the Knicks, Nets, Suns, Thunder, Celtics, Bucks and Kings.
The Nets have already held sessions with about 60 players, roughly the same amount the team saw through the entire pre-draft process last year, according to a story on NetsDaily.

Latest On LeBron James

June 9th, 2018 at 5:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James would still like to finish his career in Cleveland, but the events of the past year have him wondering if he can ever win another title there, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

A second straight lopsided Finals is only part of the picture, Windhorst notes, as the past 12 months have seen the loss of GM David Griffin, the trade of Kyrie Irving, a health scare for coach Tyronn Lue and two extreme roster makeovers. Mental mistakes from teammates in the Finals, highlighted by J.R. Smith‘s error at the end of Game 1, led to James wonder this week, “How do you put together a group of talent but also a group of minds to be able to compete” with the Warriors.

Cleveland enters this summer with no cap room and a once-promising draft pick that landed in the middle of the lottery. The Celtics and Sixers both took huge steps forward this season and appear to be the powers in the Eastern Conference for years to come, presenting a significant obstacle for James to ever reach the Finals again if he stays in Cleveland.

On top of that, Windhorst notes, there’s a trust issue with owner Dan Gilbert and a limited relationship with GM Koby Altman, who is barley older than James. In theory, the Cavs have the advantage of being able to offer a longer and richer contract than anyone else — five years at more than $200MM. However, James hasn’t inked a deal longer than two years since returning to Cleveland and seems to prefer the power he holds with short-term arrangements.

There’s more on LeBron as free agent speculation heats up:

Expect the Cavaliers to see what they can get for a package of Kevin Love and the No. 8 pick in an attempt to convince James to stay, reports ESPN’s Zach Lowe. The team passed on chances to deal Love at close to maximum value and will have a hard time obtaining even half of that at this point, Lowe adds.
Matt Goul of Cleveland.com is running through several potential scenarios involving James and the team’s future. His first story involves James staying in Cleveland and the Cavs trying to improve by drafting a starter at No. 8 and adding a free agent with their $5.4MM mid-level exception. Goul identifies several unrestricted free agents 30 or younger who may be available at that price: Celtics center Greg Monroe, Nets center Jahlil Okafor, Suns center Alex Len, Mavericks center Nerlens Noel, Nuggets guard Will Barton and Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans.
Frank Urbina of Hoops Hype examines eight potential free agent destinations for James: the Clippers, Heat, Spurs, Warriors, Rockets, Lakers, Sixers and Celtics, as well as a potential future with the Cavaliers.

Tyronn Lue Plans To Return Next Season

June 9th, 2018 at 2:00pm CST by clarkcrum

Cavaliers’ head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed after his team’s Game 4 loss in the NBA Finals to the Warriors that he intends to return as head coach of the Cavs next season, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Whether his star player, LeBron James, plans to do the same remains to be seen.

Lue, 41, has three years remaining on the five-year contract extension he signed in the summer of 2016 when he was fresh off leading the Cavs to the city of Cleveland’s first professional sports championship in 52 years. However, Lue took a nine-game medical leave of absence earlier this season, putting it somewhat into doubt whether he was capable of continuing to coach through the 2020-21 season.

While it was reported at the time that Lue was suffering from chest pains and occasionally coughing up blood, it was later revealed by Lue himself that his absence was primarily related to anxiety, a relatively manageable condition compared to what could have been something much more threatening.

In additional to the aforementioned championship, Lue has led the Cavs to a regular-season record of 128-77 (.624) and a playoff record of 41-20 (.672) in his first two and a half seasons as head coach.

NBA Finals Roundup: James, Lue, Durant, Curry, West, Young

June 9th, 2018 at 11:56am CST by marksuleymanov

With the season now over, the focus turns to LeBron James and his pending free agency decision. James can opt out of the final year of his contract and hit unrestricted free agency for the third time. He has until June 29 to make a decision.

Following the Cavaliers‘ loss to the Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, which completed a sweep of Cleveland, James discussed his pending decision, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes. While James has not made up his mind, he said input from his family will be a major factor this summer.

“The one thing that I’ve always done is considered, obviously, my family,” James said. “Understanding especially where my boys are at this point in their age. They were a lot younger the last time I made a decision like this four years ago. I’ve got a teenage boy, a preteen and a little girl that wasn’t around as well. So sitting down and considering everything, my family is a huge part of whatever I’ll decide to do in my career, and it will continue to be that. So I don’t have an answer for you right now as far as that.”

James has left Cleveland once before, signing a deal in 2010 with the Heat, where he won two championships in four seasons. The 33-year-old returned to the Cavaliers prior to the 2014/15 season, leading the organization to a championship the following year.

Check out more news to come out of the NBA Finals below:

As we relayed earlier, James suffered a self-inflicted injury to his right hand after he punched a whiteboard out of frustration following the Cavaliers’ loss in Game 1.
After battling some health issues throughout the season, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue intends to return next year, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. “Yeah, I do,” Lue said of his intentions. “I had some tough problems going on throughout the course of the season, and … I probably could have folded myself, but I wasn’t going to do that.” Lue previously told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that was treated for anxiety this season.
Kevin Durant became the 11th player to win two NBA Finals Most Valuable Player awards, per The Associated Press. With back-to-back championships and Finals MVPs to his credit, Durant’s focus will now turn to his contract situation. He intends to remain with the Warriors, but will likely sign a new deal.
Stephen Curry has two regular season MVPs to his credit but Durant has taken home that honor the last two NBA Finals. However, Curry prioritizes the team success over his individual accolades, Mark Medina of the Mercury News writes. “K.D.’s been amazing these last two years, especially in The Finals, and so deserving of back-to-back Finals MVPs,” Curry said. “I’m going to be his biggest fan in there with what he’s able to do. I think the biggest thing we appreciate in the locker room is, again, what everybody brings to the table and we kind of unlock the greatness out of each other.”
One of the most visibly excited players to win his first championship was the Warriors’ Nick Young, per Alysha Tsuji of USA TODAY. ‘Swaggy P’ only played 38 combined minutes in the NBA Finals but he helped the team off the bench during the regular season. “I went from getting snitched on to putting a ring on!” Young told reporters.
Warriors veteran David West said the team’s championship victory is even more remarkable given various behind-the-scenes issues the public is not aware of, tweets The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears. “Y’all got no clue. No clue. That tells you about this team that nothing came out,” West said.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has now coached the club to three championships in four seasons. We noted earlier that Warriors ownership believes Kerr will sign an extension with the team this summer.

LeBron James Suffered Serious Hand Injury After Game 1

June 9th, 2018 at 8:29am CST by marksuleymanov

LeBron James suffered a self-inflicted injury to his right hand after the Cavaliers‘ loss to the Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and Brian Windhorst reported.

James’ injury occurred after he punched a whiteboard in the Cavaliers’ locker room out of frustration, a source told ESPN. The ESPN report noted that James underwent two MRIs during the NBA Finals and sported a cast when he was not practicing, playing or visible to reporters.

“I let the emotions get the best of me and pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand,” James said after the Cavaliers were defeated in Game 4.

A visibly upset James took issue with a controversial call that resulted in a charge on Kevin Durant being overturned into an offensive foul late in the fourth quarter. Also, teammate J.R. Smith lost track of the score, forcing the game into overtime, where the Cavaliers’ ended up losing 124-114. It’s clear that frustration carried over into the Cleveland locker room postgame.

The injury was reported after the Cavaliers were swept out of the NBA Finals. ESPN noted that the hand injury helps explain the decline in James’ outside shooting, as he went 5-for-19 on shots 10 feet and out in the remaining three games.

Despite the injuries to his hand and his eye, the 33-year-old James had a strong series statistically, averaging 34.0 PPG, 10.0 APG and 8.5 RPG.

Lakers Rumors: Lopez, Clarkson, Draft Workouts

June 8th, 2018 at 10:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Brook Lopez‘s ability to space the floor would make him a good match with the Bucks, according to Frank Urbina of HoopsHype. Lopez’s 3-point shooting would open up the floor for Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, the Bucks are already over the projected salary-cap limit and would thus only be able to offer the unrestricted free agent their non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Other potential landing spots for Lopez if he doesn’t re-sign with the Lakers include the Trail Blazers, who could lose restricted free agent Jusuf Nurkic, and the Nets, his former team.

We have more on the Lakers:

Jordan Clarkson‘s struggles in the playoffs make it clear that the Lakers got the best of their trade deadline deal with the Cavaliers, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report opines. Clarkson was benched in Game 3 after making only 23.1% percent of his shots attempts in the first two games and he shot just 30.9% in prior playoff games, Pincus notes. Clarkson also hasn’t been a playmaker, doling out just one assist over the last eight games, Pincus continues. The Lakers also gave up forward Larry Nance Jr. while getting back Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a first-round pick. The draft pick, plus Thomas’ expiring contract, sets up the Lakers for a potentially momentous summer, Pincus adds.
The Lakers will work out mainly second-round prospects on Saturday, according to a team release. Brian Bowen II, Jacob Evans (Cincinnati), Wenyen Gabriel (Kentucky), Tra Holder (Arizona State), Nick King (Middle Tennessee) and Theo Pinson (North Carolina) will pay a visit. Evans is the top-rated prospect in the group, currently ranked No. 29 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
What are the team’s biggest offseason questions? Hoops Rumors’ Luke Adams takes a closer look.

Family Pressure Is Cleveland's Hope To Keep LeBron

June 8th, 2018 at 6:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pressure from family members might be the only way that LeBron James stays with the Cavaliers after the NBA Finals, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times. James has more of an inkling what he’ll do this summer than he’s revealed publicly, Stein continues. Joining forces with close friend Chris Paul is a strong possibility, Stein adds, whether he goes to the Rockets or they sign with another team with enough salary-cap space to pull it off.
The Cavaliers are frustrated to be down 3-0 in theFinals against a more vulnerable Warriors team than they faced last year, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. One unnamed player even told Lloyd the series would be completely opposite if Kyrie Irving had not been traded to the Celtics. “We’d be up 3-0 if Kyrie was still here,” the player said. “I have no doubt.”

Mikal Bridges Hasn't Ruled Out Cavs Workout

June 7th, 2018 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite indications that Villanova wing Mikal Bridges wouldn’t visit the Cavaliers for a private workout, he said today that he hasn’t ruled out that possibility, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Andre Iguodala Will Play In Game 3

June 6th, 2018 at 6:59pm CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 6, 6:59pm: Iguodala will play in Game 3 tonight, per Haynes.

JUNE 6, 6:26pm: Per Chris Haynes of ESPN, Iguodala will participate in pre-game warm ups before determining if he’s able to give it a go in Game 3.

JUNE 6, 11:57am: Iguodala will be a game-time decision for Game 3, Kerr said today (Twitter link via Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News). It sounds more likely than not that Iguodala will play, with Kerr suggesting it’s “leaning in the right direction” (Twitter link via Slater).

JUNE 5, 12:40pm: Iguodala has been upgraded to questionable for Game 3, Steve Kerr told reporters today, including Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). If he can’t play on Wednesday, Iguodala would target a Game 4 return.

JUNE 4, 12:26pm: Already holding a 2-0 lead over the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, the Warriors may soon re-add a key piece to their lineup. According to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, Andre Iguodala‘s injured left knee has been pain-free over the last few days, and the veteran forward intends to return sometime during the Finals.

Iguodala, who has been battling a bone bruise in his left knee, hasn’t played for Golden State since Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against Houston. However, he went through a full workout on Saturday, sprinting for the first time since sustaining the injury, sources tell Haynes. While Iguodala’s status for Game 3 remains up in the air, he hopes to play in that contest.

“I aim to play in Game 3, but I’ve aimed to play in Game 2 and Game 3,” Iguodala told ESPN. “We’ll just have to see.”

Although the Warriors haven’t needed Iguodala to pull out wins in the first two games of the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers have played much better on their home court during the postseason, so the Dubs would love to have Iguodala back in their rotation as the series heads to Cleveland.

If he’s healthy enough to play, Iguodala would be tasked with helping to slow down LeBron James, who is averaging 40.0 PPG, 10.5 APG, and 8.5 RPG so far in the Finals.