Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

No Individual Workout For Cavs, Mikal Bridges

June 6th, 2018 at 1:33pm CST by Luke Adams

While Villanova wing Mikal Bridges won’t visit the Cavaliers for an audition, Cleveland’s front office attended an earlier workout for Bridges hosted by agent Rich Paul, per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.

Is Rodney Hood The Answer For Cavs In 2018 NBA Finals?

June 5th, 2018 at 11:23pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Rodney Hood hasn’t played meaningful minutes since early in the postseason, but with the Cavaliers backed against the wall, it appears they’ll make a lineup change, allowing the 25-year-old to see some additional court time.

“We’re going to give Hood a chance,” Tyronn Lue said Tuesday (via Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com). “He’ll get a shot, and see how he does. He’s been working, staying ready. So we’ll see.”

The Cavs acquired Hood mid-season in a three-team trade. In the deal:

The Cavs acquired Hood (from Jazz) and George Hill (from Kings) along with the draft rights to Arturas Gudaitis (from Kings).
The Jazz acquired Jae Crowder (from Cavs), Derrick Rose (from Cavs), and the right to swap 2024 second-round picks with the Cavs.
Kings acquired Iman Shumpert (from Cavs), Joe Johnson (from Jazz), the Heat’s 2020 second-round pick (from Cavs), cash ($2.1MM from Cavs; $1.1MM from Jazz), and the draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis (from Cavs).

Prior to the trade, Hood was playing well, making 38.9% of his three-pointers on nearly seven attempts per contest in Utah. He was sporting a player efficiency rating of 15.1 and appeared to be on his way to landing a solid second contract in the league, as he’ll be a restricted free agent this summer.

Once he arrived in his Cleveland, his performance took a hit. In 21 regular season games with the Cavs, he made just 35.2% of his shots from behind the arc and sported a player efficiency rating of 12.7. Among Cleveland’s five-man lineups that played at least 30 minutes together this season, none featuring Hood had a positive rating, per NBA.com.

Part of the issue could be fit. Hood has played 64% of his minutes at the three in Cleveland; He spent 63% of his time at the two spot in Utah, per Basketball-Reference’s positional data.

Hood has proven he can’t elevate the team while playing heavy minutes next to the Cavs’ rotation of guards with defensive liabilities, but perhaps Lue plays him alongside one guard, planting him next to LeBron James and a pair of frontcourt players. Maybe that’s enough of an adjustment to make the NBA Finals a competitive series. Or maybe there is no way for the Cavs to come close to beating the Warriors four times over the next five contests.

How many games will the Cavs win in this series? If Hood receives playing time, will it make a difference? What do the next few games mean for the future of Cleveland and Hood’s pending free agency?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to hearing what you have to say!

Heat Notes: LeBron, T. Johnson, Draft Picks, Leonard

June 5th, 2018 at 6:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are sometimes listed as a potential free agency destination for LeBron James, but team officials don’t believe there’s any chance he will return to Miami, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Among the entities that could see James back on South Beach is the WestGate Las Vegas sports book, which recently gave the Heat the fifth-best odds of winning next year’s title because of that possibility.

While Miami wouldn’t turn James away, there are too many obstacles to make the move realistic, Jackson notes. The Heat enter this summer with no cap space, so they would have to clear more than $55MM in salary while taking none in return to create the room to offer James a max contract. Cleveland could theoretically agree to a trade, but it’s hard to picture Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert working out a deal to ship James back to Miami.

Here are a few more Heat tidbits, courtesy of Jackson:

Tyler Johnson‘s contract will escalate to $19.2MM in each of the next two seasons, and the Heat are probably stuck with that deal. Jackson states that there is little optimism in the organization about moving Johnson, whose contract includes a 15% trade kicker that would be worth an extra $2.9MM. Miami matched a back-loaded offer sheet from the Nets in 2016 that was structured to make Johnson much more expensive in the final two years.
Also holding a trade kicker is Kelly Olynyk, who has a 5% bonus that would pay him $1.1MM if he’s traded. That money would be split over the next two seasons.
The Heat, who don’t have a pick in either round of this year’s draft, are trying to acquire a second-rounder, according to a Western Conference executive whose team has spoken to Miami about a potential deal. This year’s first-round choice was sent to the Suns in the Goran Dragic trade, and the second-rounder was shipped to Memphis in a 2016 deal to clear cap room.
Miami continues to monitor the Kawhi Leonard situation in San Antonio in hopes of pouncing if the Spurs decide a trade is necessary.

Cavs, Knicks, Bulls Working Out Kevin Knox

June 5th, 2018 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Potential lottery pick Kevin Knox worked out for the Magic today and confirmed that Orlando isn’t the only Eastern lottery team he’s auditioning for in the weeks leading up to the draft. According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), Knox worked out last week for the Cavaliers, and will visit the Knicks over the weekend. He’ll also earn a look from the Bulls next Tuesday.

The four teams working out Knox have picks ranging from Nos. 6 to 9, which is probably the high end of the former Kentucky Wildcat’s range. Knox ranks 15th on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, and while he has boosted his stock leading up to the draft, he isn’t a lock to be drafted in the lottery.

Knox could eventually add more workouts to his pre-draft schedule, but if he doesn’t, interested teams will get an opportunity to see him at his upcoming pro day, which is expected take place prior to his Knicks workout, per Robbins. The Hornets, who hold the No. 11 pick, are among the teams likely to attend that pro day, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.

A 6’9″ forward, Knox enjoyed a productive 2017/18 season at Kentucky, averaging 15.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG. His efficiency was somewhat lacking (.445 FG%), but that can be attributed – at least in part – to playing out of position, as Givony notes.