The rigors of a long season and the toll of injuries caught up with the Cavaliers Sunday night in Miami, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs looked “disinterested, distracted and exhausted,” according to Fedor, as they trailed by 21 points at halftime and fell behind by as many as 45 in the second half. “We’ve asked these guys to do so much,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff … [Read more...] about Central Notes: Cavaliers, McDermott, Sasser, Bitim
Central Notes: Haliburton, Cunningham, Duren, Bulls’ D, Thompson, Garland
Tyrese Haliburton‘s offensive numbers took a dive this month, in part because he was still working his way back after a hamstring injury. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle believes his star guard is rounding back into form, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star tweets. “He’s making constant progress,” Carlisle said. “It may not be huge leaps, but he is making progress. Big … [Read more...] about Central Notes: Haliburton, Cunningham, Duren, Bulls’ D, Thompson, Garland
Central Notes: Okoro, Lillard, Giannis, DeRozan, Haliburton
Having averaged 41 starts across the last two seasons, Cavaliers swingman Isaac Okoro has locked in his qualifying offer for this offseason, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). As Marks details, the fifth pick in the 2020 lottery out of Auburn will now have a QO worth $11,828,974 this offseason. Should Cleveland extend that offer his way, he’ll become a restricted free … [Read more...] about Central Notes: Okoro, Lillard, Giannis, DeRozan, Haliburton
J.B. Bickerstaff Says He Was Threatened By Gamblers
Meeting with reporters before Wednesday’s game, Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff talked about receiving threats from gamblers last season, writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. After Bickerstaff reported the threats to the NBA, one of the people responsible was tracked down, but no charges were filed. “They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about … [Read more...] about J.B. Bickerstaff Says He Was Threatened By Gamblers
Thompson Campaigns For LeVert As Sixth Man Standout
Caris LeVert is making a case for the Sixth Man Award and Cavaliers teammate Tristan Thompson feels he needs to spread the word, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. “Gotta start the campaign,” Thompson said. “We don’t reward teams that are in seventh place. We don’t reward guys who start. Caris LeVert for Sixth Man. For real. Start pushing it.” LeVert is averaging … [Read more...] about Thompson Campaigns For LeVert As Sixth Man Standout