The Cleveland Cavaliers are back at practice this week (Tues) and they appear to be even stronger than last year, when they got to the NBA Finals. Three injured starters are expected to be back on the court this fall and the team has added some talented new players. Ideastream’s Mark Urycki has details.
The Cavs’ former starters Anderson Varejao, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving are all back in uniform after surgery but it could take weeks before they play a lot. General Manager David Griffin added some good players in Richard Jefferson and former Cav Mo Williams. He also reunited Russian star Sasha Kaun with teammate Timofey Mozgov at the suggestion of their former coach, David Blatt.
“Well first of all I’m not trying through David Griffin to recreate the Russian National Team,. Although that was a pretty good team.”
Under this new roster, the Cavs count 6 players from the 2012 Olympics, (Love, James, Varejao, Dellavedova, Kaun, and Mozgov) representing 4 different countries. Blatt says they are deeper and more talented than last year.
General Manager David Griffin says some of the talented new players will get a chance to play early on.
“Because we’ve had so many guys coming back from surgeries and guys that are overcoming injuries I think you’re going to see us bring those guys along very slowly, very intentionally. I would not read too much into the appearances that those guys make or don’t make in the preseason. “
With that kind of talent, 30 year old LeBron James figures he can finally get a little rest this year.
“I’m going to be very smart with how many minutes I play per game and what I’m doing on the floor. And I think Kevin Love will allow me to sit a lot this year.”
The only missing piece for the Cavs is Tristan Thompson who is a holding out in a contract dispute. Griffin said he was confident the team would be able to work out a deal because the team loves Thompson and he loves them.
We're excited about moving forward with him into the future in whatever form that may take. Again I feel very good about where this is because of who Tristan is and because of the competitor he is and the relationship he has with his teammates."
James had a bad June when his Cleveland Cavaliers lost in the NBA finals to the Golden State Warriors. But he’s had a tremendous year as a businessman, TV producer, and actor. The Akron native starts a new season with the Cavaliers this week and told reporters all those other pursuits came to him because of his skills on the court.
“I know what the number one thing is and that’s the game of basketball. So everything comes second after that. If I’m able to give everything I can to the game and then I have enough to do other things then I’ll do that. But if it’s a situation where I feel like I’m cheating the game because I’m focusing on something else then I’ll give those things up.”
James was asked what he’ll tell some of the new players joining the Cavs this season. He replied they must have “championship habits” everyday, on and off the court.