Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Contacted NBA To Express Concerns About Cavs’ Court

November 26th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat got in touch with the NBA’s league office to express their concerns about the drop-off on the sidelines of the Cavaliers‘ court at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, reports Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel confirms the Heat contacted the league, though he notes they didn’t file “a formal complaint, per se.”

The drop-off from the playing floor to the sidelines at the edge of the Cavs’ home court is about 10 inches, per Vardon, who says multiple sources confirmed there’s no other NBA arena with that sort of drop.

It came into play on Wednesday when Heat guard Dru Smith contested a Max Strus three-pointer along the sidelines and landed awkwardly near the edge of the floor (video link). Smith’s fall resulted in a season-ending ACL injury.

“I remember during walk-through, when I sat there to get ready for shootaround, just kind of thinking like, ‘Oh, this court’s kind of weird, the drop-off, just the separation between the bench and the court,'” Smith said on Saturday, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “But, you know, when you’re playing, you’re not thinking about where I was going to land or if I was going to miss the court.

“… When I flew by (on the shot contest), my left foot landed and my right foot went between the chair and the bench. As soon as it happened, I knew what happened. I knew I just fell into that little hole. … I would say I knew right away it wasn’t good. I didn’t know exactly obviously what was going on. But I just knew it wasn’t good.”

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke after Wednesday’s game about the dangers of the court design. And, as Vardon details, when the Lakers visited Cleveland on Saturday, head coach Darvin Ham and multiple players echoed Spoelstra’s concerns. Guard Austin Reaves said the sideline drop-off is “a little scary, to be honest,” while former Cavs star LeBron James said “they should address it.”

“It’s something that definitely needs to be looked at,” Ham said. “Any time … you have a situation where someone’s getting hurt and the potential to get hurt, and in this particular case it’s the floor, I think they need to take a look at it and see if there are ways things could be better.”

Of course, as Vardon points out, the design has been in effect since the arena opened nearly 30 years ago. Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said his players are “comfortable” around the sideline area and that there have been no incidents involving Cleveland players.

That’s little solace for Smith. And while he acknowledged that it’s good news that his $1.8MM salary – previously partially guaranteed for $425K – will become fully guaranteed as a result of the season-ending injury, that’s not his primary concern at the moment.

“That’s not really what I’m here for. I’m here to play basketball and prove that I belong in this league and that I can have an impact in this league,” Smith said, according to Winderman. “… I feel like I was in a good spot. I was just looking forward to just continuing to be trusted with the minutes here and there, wherever that was going to be. And I think the more I was playing, the more comfortable I was getting. So I was just really comfortable with that.”

“But that’s not how this year is going to go for me.”

Mitchell, Okoro Return From Injuries; Bickerstaff Defends Home Court

November 25th, 2023 at 7:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Donovan Mitchell and Isaac Okoro were cleared to return tonight for the Cavaliers, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Mitchell has missed the past four games with a strained hamstring, while Okoro has been sidelined since November 3 with soreness in his left knee. Both players were able to practice Friday afternoon without issue. They are on a minutes restriction in Saturday’s contest, a source tells Fedor (Twitter link).
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff responded to accusations from Heat coach Erik Spoelstra that the court at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse was responsible for Dru Smith‘s season-ending ACL injury, Fedor tweets. “Our guys are comfortable playing here,” Bickerstaff said. “We haven’t had any incidents because of how our floor is built. I could see how opponents who aren’t used to it could see it as a distraction, but we haven’t had any problems with it.”

Mitchell Misses Fourth Straight Game; Porter Gets First Start

November 23rd, 2023 at 3:13pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell missed his fourth straight game on Wednesday due to a hamstring strain, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (via Twitter). While there weren’t many positives from the Cavs’ blowout loss to the Heat, rookie guard Craig Porter Jr. got his first career start and continued his streak of strong performances, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link). Porter, who went undrafted in June and is on a two-way contract, recorded 16 points (on 6-of-12 shooting), five assists, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 35 minutes.

Fedor On Allen's Importance To Cavs

November 22nd, 2023 at 5:36pm CST by Rory Maher

A slow 2-3 start for the Cavaliers this fall coincided with the absence of center Jarrett Allen, who was dealing with a bone bruise in his ankle. As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com details in a subscriber-only story, the Cavs have started to climb the standings upon Allen’s return, going 6-3, including four straight victories, despite other players being injured. While he doesn’t always put up gaudy individual stats, the 25-year-old is the defensive anchor for Cleveland, according to Fedor, who notes that Allen did an admirable job slowing Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid the past two games.

Injury Notes: Embiid, Nets, Lyles, Fultz, LeVert

November 22nd, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers center Joel Embiid will be sidelined for Wednesday’s game in Minnesota due to left hip soreness, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While Embiid has been frequently impacted by injuries over the course of his career, there’s no indication at this point that his hip issue is a cause for any real concern. Wednesday’s contest is the second night of a back-to-back set and it will be the first game that the reigning MVP has missed this season. He played 41 minutes in Tuesday’s overtime loss to Cleveland.

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

Nets guard Ben Simmons (back nerve impingement) is making progress in his recovery and has begun “light individual court work,” but he’ll be sidelined for at least seven-to-10 more days, the team announced today in a press release. Brooklyn offered a more positive update on Cam Thomas, who has made “significant improvement” in his recovery from a left ankle sprain and has been cleared for increased on-court work. He’s expected to be integrated into team activities next week, according to the club. Guard Dennis Smith Jr., meanwhile, is day to day with a lower back sprain.
Kings forward Trey Lyles, who has yet to play this season due to a left calf strain, appears to be on the verge of his season debut. According to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee, Lyles is expected to be active on Wednesday vs. New Orleans, while Keegan Murray (lower back soreness) will likely be ruled out. Both players were listed as questionable in the NBA’s most recent injury report.
Magic guard Markelle Fultz is unavailable for a seventh straight game on Wednesday vs. Denver due to left knee tendinitis, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
In addition to missing Donovan Mitchell for the past three games, the Cavaliers have also been without Caris LeVert, who is dealing with knee soreness, for their past two contests, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs haven’t missed a beat without the two guards, however, and are currently riding a four-game winning streak.

Pacers, Lakers First Teams To Clinch Tournament Quarterfinal Spots

November 22nd, 2023 at 7:21am CST by Luke Adams

The first two quarterfinalists for the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament were determined on Tuesday, as the Pacers‘ win over Atlanta and the Lakers‘ blowout of Utah ensured that both clubs will advance to the knockout round of the tournament.

Indiana, the winner of East Group A, is 3-0 in round robin play and holds the tiebreaker over the 2-1 Cavaliers due to their head-to-head record. Cleveland remains in the hunt for the East’s wild card spot.

As for the Lakers, they’ve played their full round robin slate in West Group A and won all four games, with a +74 point differential. The club has secured home court advantage for the quarterfinals and is in strong position to claim the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed.

Only two other undefeated teams are left in the West and those two clubs – the Kings and Timberwolves – will have to face each other this Friday. If either Sacramento or Minnesota finishes with a 4-0 record in group play, point differential would be the tiebreaker to determine seeding — the two clubs are only +16 and +10, respectively, through two games and would probably need a pair of blowout victories to pass the Lakers.

By making the quarterfinals, the Pacers and Lakers have clinched per-player bonuses worth at least $50K. The value of those bonuses would increase to $100K if they advance to the semifinals, $200K if they make the final, and $500K if they win the entire tournament. The Lakers haven’t been shy about referring to that prize money as a motivating factor, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN notes.

“It’s not a run-of-the-mill regular-season game,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said after Tuesday’s win. “They’re well aware. That purse is pretty attractive. … Guys like money. … Not like it, they love it. That incentive right there — it’s huge.”

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and head coach Rick Carlisle said this week that they appreciate the fact that the in-season tournament has given a young club – which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020 – a chance to compete in meaningful games.

The Pistons, Wizards, Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, and Spurs have been eliminated from quarterfinal contention, but every other team technically remains alive. The full in-season tournament standings can be found here.

Central Notes: Bucks, Holiday, Pacers, Mitchell, Allen

November 21st, 2023 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Jrue Holiday was a key member of the Bucks team that won a championship in 2021. On Wednesday, he’ll be taking the court against his former club for the first time as a member of the conference-rival Celtics, following a pair of preseason trades that sent him first to Portland and then to Boston.

As Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, the current Bucks who were part of that 2021 team have faced plenty of former teammates over the years, but readily admit that their first matchup against Holiday won’t just be another game. Khris Middleton referred to it as “more personal,” while Giannis Antetokounmpo said it will be odd to see “one of my brothers” wearing a different jersey.

“He’s such a special person and means so much to me and obviously the team and the city,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said. “It’s definitely not going to be just like playing any other previous teammate. It’s definitely going to be different. … I’ll be excited to see him. … I miss him very much.”

“It’s kind of hard to get out your head, you feel me? It’s our brother,” Bobby Portis said. “When you play ball in the Fiserv Forum and we tip up and you look up at the championship, you can’t help but think about him, you feel me? Obviously it’s weird.”

Let’s round up a few more notes from around the Central…

A win over Atlanta on Tuesday night would clinch the Pacers‘ spot atop East Group A in the in-season tournament, securing their spot in the quarterfinals (Twitter link). Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers are welcoming the opportunity to play in games with bigger stakes than a typical regular season contest, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “The in-season tournament is probably the first time that I’m really competing to win a championship on the NBA level,” Haliburton said. “I’ve never made the playoffs or anything, so right here it gives me the chance to be able to do that, and that’s exciting for me.” Head coach Rick Carlisle believes making a run in the tournament would benefit his club more than just financially: “Opportunities to be on more meaningful stages is something that’s important for young teams.”
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell will miss a third consecutive game on Tuesday due to a hamstring strain, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
In a conversation with Sam Yip of HoopsHype, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen said that his ankle, which cost him the first five games of the season, feels “great” now, adding that he believes his minutes restriction has been lifted. Allen also discussed the impact of the Cavs’ offseason additions, his efforts to improve his play-making, and the improvements he has seen from his younger teammates.

Heat Notes: Strus, Bryant, Butler, Jovic, Highsmith

November 21st, 2023 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Heat wing Max Strus, who will face Miami on Wednesday for the first time as a member of the Cavaliers, admitted in a conversation with Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald that it will be “weird” to go up against his old team. He also acknowledged that it has taken him some time to get used to a new NBA home after spending three seasons with the Heat.

“It kind of took me a while, like when I was in Cleveland for the first couple weeks saying, ‘Well, we did this in Miami,'” Strus said. “You know, I’m not on that team anymore so I got to stop saying ‘we.’ It’s ‘they’ now. I think it was a hard adjustment getting over that.

“… Miami does things different than everybody and I don’t think you really know the extent of that until you go somewhere else,” Strus continued. “So it’s definitely been an adjustment, it’s been different. … There’s definitely some things I miss about Miami and there’s definitely some things I don’t miss. But overall it’s been a pretty easy adjustment. I think the traits and the characteristics that I learned by playing for the Miami Heat, it’s going to suit me very well for the rest of my career. I’ve come to notice that now that I’m in a different place.”

Although they would’ve liked to re-sign Strus when he reached unrestricted free agency this past offseason, the Heat had luxury tax concerns and the 27-year-old generated a level of interest that pushed him out of Miami’s price range. He was ultimately signed-and-traded to Cleveland on a four-year, $62.3MM deal.

“I talked to Spo (Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra) and we kind of knew early on that it wasn’t really going to work financially,” Strus said of his free agency, per Chiang. “It is what it is. You can’t really do anything else about it. The numbers don’t work sometimes. It’s a business at the end of the day and everybody’s got to do what they got to do for themselves.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

After opening the season as Bam Adebayo‘s backup at center, Thomas Bryant has fallen out of the Heat’s regular rotation. Bryant is attempting to be patient and do whatever he can to help the club – even if it’s just being “a cheerleader for my teammates” – as he tries to make his case for minutes, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “It’s just different than the last two places he was in,” Spoelstra said of Bryant’s adjustment to Miami’s defensive system. “And that’s fair. So you have to kind of retrain habits, and calls, and different responsibilities. That’s normal when players change teams. It’s probably even more dramatic for bigs, fives.”
Jimmy Butler traveled to Wisconsin on Sunday’s day off to watch the Sioux Falls Skyforce – Miami’s G League affiliate – face the Wisconsin Herd. According to Winderman (subscriber link), Butler explained on Monday that he wanted to support teammate Nikola Jovic, who was sent to the Skyforce to get regular minutes. “Got to go see my boy, man. I’m a huge Niko fan,” Butler said. “I think he’s going to help this organization well after I’m done here. That’s my dog, that’s my bro, I love him to death. So anytime I get a chance I go to watch him hoop, I will watch him hoop.”
A journeyman who played primarily in the G League and overseas before joining the Heat in 2022, Haywood Highsmith has emerged as a key part of Miami’s rotation this season, Chiang writes for The Miami Herald. The team has won eight of the nine games Highsmith has started, and in the one loss, he was a plus-20. “There’s just a lot of hard work behind the scenes that’s behind this,” Highsmith said. “Everything that I’ve went through to get to this point is well worth it. It’s made me stronger for anything.”

Central Notes: Bulls, LaVine, Lakers, Cunningham, Cavs, Walker

November 20th, 2023 at 4:35pm CST by Rory Maher

While Zach LaVine has been mentioned in several rumors this fall after it was reported that both he and the Bulls are increasingly open to exploring a trade, the two-time All-Star isn’t one of the two players on Chicago’s roster that rival teams have shown the most interest in thus far, reports Marc Stein at Substack. Six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan and two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic aren’t on the list either.

All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso is the Bulls player opposing teams are most intrigued by, per Stein, followed by forward Patrick Williams.

As Stein writes, the Bulls haven’t made Caruso available, but he would have a “double-digit list of suitors” if that were to happen. As for Williams, who was the No. 4 overall pick in 2020, Stein says rivals still find him intriguing despite a very poor start to the season. Williams is set to hit restricted free agency in 2024.

In the same article, Stein says he’s heard the Lakers‘ rumored interest in LaVine is “best described (at most)” as to be determined. According to Stein, L.A. hopes that Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) and Gabe Vincent (knee) will provide a “meaningful boost” once they return from their respective injuries.

Here’s more from the Central:

As a former No. 1 overall pick who was the top recruit in his high school class, plenty of hype has followed Cade Cunningham. But advanced stats are extremely low on the third-year Pistons guard, according to Zach Kram of The Ringer, who writes that Cunningham has trouble scoring efficiently from all over the court. Kram takes an in-depth look at Cunningham’s game and his advanced metrics, suggesting that he might be more of a No. 2 offensive option on a good team rather than the No. 1 option he’s been made out to be.
The Cavaliers had perhaps their best win of the season on Sunday, defeating the defending-champion nuggets without Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) and Caris LeVert (knee). However, the victory didn’t answer the two biggest questions facing the franchise, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic: Has Cleveland has improved enough to advance past the first round of the playoffs? And is Mitchell “happy enough” to sign an extension next year to stay long term?
Jarace Walker, the No. 8 overall pick in June’s draft, has only played 41 total minutes over four games for the Pacers to this point, mostly in garbage time. Head coach Rick Carlisle has told the young forward to stay ready, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “This is what being a professional is all about,” Carlisle said. “He’s probably always played at every level he’s played at from middle school to high school to college, AAU, you name it, but given the present circumstance, you gotta be a pro and work at your craft and you gotta be ready. I talked to him two days ago and let him know. I said, ‘I don’t know when it’s gonna happen but your time is coming. That’s how it works in this league.'”

Central Notes: C. Porter, Giannis, Dame, Pacers, Pistons

November 20th, 2023 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

Of the three players on two-way contracts with the Cavaliers, Evan Mobley‘s brother Isaiah Mobley and former five-star recruit Emoni Bates are the bigger names. However, it has been Cleveland’s third two-way player – point guard Craig Porter Jr. – who has been emerging as the one with the most important role in the short term.

As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes, Porter earned the game ball from Sunday’s upset win over the Nuggets by scoring 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 25 minutes of action. It was an impressive showing for an undrafted rookie who was expected to spend most of his first season in the G League getting acclimated to the pro game. Porter has received an opportunity to play because Ricky Rubio is absent for personal reasons and Ty Jerome is out with an ankle injury.

“That’s just one of the things they told me early in the year after training camp and stuff like that. ‘Just be ready, you never know when your number’s gonna be called,'” Porter said. “I took that to heart and it’s been working for me. … As the games go on and as some guys fall down with injuries and stuff, I’m going to keep getting my opportunity. Each game, the confidence just builds and builds. The coaches believe in me, and the guys are just pushing me to be better. I’m ready for it.”

According to Fedor, the Cavaliers had a verbal two-way offer on the table for Porter in the event he went undrafted, but the team wanted him badly enough to try to acquire an additional second-round pick after drafting Bates at No. 49. Cleveland ultimately didn’t find a trade partner, so the front office was relieved when Porter went undrafted. He reached an agreement with the Cavs on a two-year, two-way deal shortly after the draft ended.

“He’s mature,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of the 23-year-old. “He’s an older rookie, so to speak. You just feel like you can trust him and you don’t feel like he gets rattled in the moment. It makes it easy to put him on the floor. You know what he’s going to do. … A lot of guys come into the league as young rookies and they’re still searching for their game. Craig knows what his game is. Never over his skis. That’s how Craig has been for us since he’s gotten here.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

The chemistry between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard in Saturday’s win over Dallas looked like what the Bucks envisioned when they traded for Lillard, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The star duo combined for 67 points, 19 assists, and 18 rebounds in the victory, with Antetokounmpo racking up 40 of those points. Lillard said after the game that he’s happy to cede center stage to his two-time MVP teammate. “I think tonight, he’s the horse,” Lillard said. “I wanna see him be four-time MVP or five-time MVP and have those type of games.”
Sunday’s blowout home loss to Orlando was Tyrese Haliburton‘s worst game of the season and a reminder of how dependent the Pacers‘ success is on their star point guard, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, who suggests that the club will probably need a second star on its roster to establish itself as a consistent winner.
Due to a sprained left shoulder, Killian Hayes missed Sunday’s game for the Pistons, who started second-year guard Jaden Ivey for the first time this season. As Mike Curtis of The Detroit News (subscription required) writes, head coach Monty Williams said before the game that he has been considered bringing Hayes off the bench to add his play-making to the second unit, so Ivey may see more starts going forward. However, Detroit’s lineup remains in flux with so many players affected by injuries — it could continue to change in the coming days and weeks, Curtis notes.