Cavs Sign Forward Joey Graham to Two Year Deal

Cavs have signed Joey Graham (twin of Cav Alumni Stephen Graham) to a 2 year $2.1m deal.

Twin #1 (Stephen)

Wayne Embry likes him… and he knows talent (or did).

I hope he does do well, but these seems very Ira Newble-ish to me.

Press release via Cavs.com below.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard/forward Joey Graham to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. Per league and team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

Twin #2 (Joey)

“We’re excited to add Joey to our roster. He adds a tough, veteran presence on the perimeter that will complement the pieces we have in place,” said Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant. “With his strong work ethic and discipline, we feel he is a great match with the culture we have built and continue to build.”

Prior to joining the Nuggets, the 6-foot-7 guard/forward played four seasons with the Toronto Raptors. In the 2008-09 season, Graham posted career highs of 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.8 minutes over 78 games (10 starts). In the 10 starts, he averaged 11.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 28.3 minutes.

“Joining Cleveland marks an exciting, brand new start for me,” said Graham. “This is a great opportunity and I’m excited to come in and help the team as much as possible.”

In his career, the five-year veteran has played in 338 games, including 76 starts, and averaged 6.0 points and 2.9 rebounds. He has shot .815 from the free-throw line and .485 from the field.“

Will add him to the site when he plays a game

R.I.P Former Cav Lorenzen Wright

Lorenzen Wright

Really sad to report that former Cavs Lorenzen Wright was first missing and now found dead in the woods in southeast Memphis.

I will always remember Wright as the person who reminded LeBron to thank his girlfriend to acknowledge his girlfriend in his first MVP speech.

He was a solid veteran NBA player, but didn’t see too much time with the Cavs due to our deep bench.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the story.

Cavaliers Send West and Telfair to the Wolves for Sessions and Hollins

via Cavs.com

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard Ramon Sessions, center Ryan Hollins and Minnesota’s second round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for guards Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. 

“In Ramon, we’re excited to add a young, multi-dimensional guard, and with Ryan, we’re adding a young, athletic center. We think both Ramon and Ryan are really good fits for this team. We’re also happy to add another asset for the future with the additional draft pick,” said Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant. “At the same time, we’d like to thank Sebastian and Delonte and wish them well in the future.” 

Sessions, 24, played in all 82 games (one start) during the 2009-10 season, averaging 8.2 points on a career-high .456 shooting, 2.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 21.1 minutes per game. His 3.1 assists per game ranked 8th among all reserves last season. Prior to signing with the Timberwolves before the 2009-10 season, the 6-foot-3 guard played his first two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. He posted career highs in scoring, assists and steals during the 2008-09 season, averaging 12.4 points on .445 shooting, 3.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.5 minutes per game in 79 games (39 starts). In the 39 starts, he upped his averages to 15.1 points on .444 shooting, 4.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 33.7 minutes per game. Sessions finished the 2008-09 season ranked among the league leaders in assists-to-turnovers ratio (8th at 2.97) and assists per game (18th at 5.7). 

The South Carolina native set the Bucks franchise record in assists with 24 while scoring 20 points against Chicago on April 14, 2008, also becoming the first player in Milwaukee franchise history to have at least 20 points and 20 assists in a game in the process. Sessions scored a career-high 44 points on Feb. 7, 2009 versus Detroit and on 17 occasions in his career has recorded double figures in assists. In his three-year career, Ramon, pronounced “ra-MAHN”, has averages of 10.0 points on .449 shooting, 3.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 24.4 minutes in 178 games (47 starts).

Hollins, 25, set career bests in nearly every statistical category during the 2009-10 season. The 7-foot center averaged 6.1 points on .558 shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 16.8 minutes per game in 73 games (27 starts). The 7-foot center scored a career-best 19 points on two occasions during the season (Nov. 25, 2009 vs. Denver and Jan. 29, 2010 vs. the Los Angeles Clippers) and averaged 9.2 points on .610 shooting and 3.7 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game in his 27 starts. Over his four-year career, he has averages of 3.9 points on .541 shooting, 2.2 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 11.6 minutes in 205 games (31 starts). 

West averaged 8.8 points on .445 shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 25.0 minutes per game in 60 games (three starts) during the 2009-10 season. In 150 career games (93 starts) with Cleveland, he averaged 10.3 points on .450 shooting, 3.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 29.7 minutes per game. 

Telfair, acquired by the Cavaliers on Feb. 17, 2010 from the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade, played in four games with Cleveland, averaging 9.8 points on .457 shooting, 1.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 19.5 minutes per game. Over his six-year career, he has averages of 7.9 points on .390 shooting, 1.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 23.6 minutes per game in 392 games (181 starts).

As per CavsHistory Rules – I will add them when they actually play a game.

New Cavaliers Court Design

The guys over at RealCavsFans.com found it first.

The Cavaliers have made a big update to the court design at the Q for the 2010-2011 season.  In the tradition of what we can trust from Dan Gilbert, we can expect him to never stand pat and keep investing in the team. From new seats, new colors, new training facilities and now a great new court design.  The guy just gets it.

New Court Design

I’m pretty excited about the court design because it shows two great things.

1. Really limits the amount of blue on the floor.  We are wine and gold (with a little blue), not BLUE, wine and gold.
2. We are starting to see less and less of the script Cavaliers logo.  Hopefully, in time, the Cavs will do away with it permanently and go back to the arching block letter “Cavaliers” that once made Bingo look so heroic.

I’ve always been a fan of teams that stick with traditional logos and jerseys.  The Cavs have probably been more active in following the fads than any other team (remember the 90’s?… wow). So, I think its promising we are seeing the gradual move back to our 70’s past.

Take a walk down memory lane and check out all of the Cavs court designs over the last 40 some odd years.

Cavaliers Sign Christian Eyenga

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard/forward Christian Eyenga to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. Per league and team policy, terms of the contract were not announced. 

Kid Congo

Eyenga, 21, was the Cavaliers’ first round selection (30th overall) in the 2009 NBA Draft. He averaged 3.9 points on .561 shooting and 2.0 rebounds in 12.0 minutes in 29 regular season games during the 2009-10 season with DKV Joventut Badalona of the Spanish League. The Spanish League is widely regarded as the second-best domestic league in the world behind the NBA. In 11 EuroCup games, the 6-foot-5 guard/forward posted averages of 3.4 points on .444 shooting and 1.2 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game. 

“We’re looking forward to having Christian continue his development on the court here with Coach Scott and our team,” said Cavs General Manager Chris Grant. “He has worked hard and we were very encouraged by his recent performance in summer league.” 

A native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eyenga most recently played in all five games of the 2010 NBA Summer League with the Cavaliers, reaching double figures in each of the games. In five games (all starts), he averaged 11.4 points on .435 shooting, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 block in 29.2 minutes per game. 

“I am happy to be here in Cleveland and excited to play with the Cavaliers this season,” Eyenga said. “This is a great opportunity for me and I look forward to playing for Coach Scott and learning from him, our coaches and my teammates.”

What They’re Saying…

David Aldridge of TNT talks about how Byron Scott is the guy to take us forward with what is left.  He paints a picture that Scott has the pedigree and the experience. But what how it all plays out is anyone’s guess.

The AP submitted a little story about how us broken hearted Clevelanders are taking out their anger in a constructive way.  By giving LeBron gear to homeless shelters in South Florida.

Joe Gabriele of Cavs.com wrote a story about the new shape of the Eastern Conference.  The Cavs and the Heat were dropped into the “Extreme Makeover” category. Something to consider if you bet on sports.

Britt Robson of Sport Illustrated wonders how some of the big signings are going to turn out.

Mark Stein doesn’t think Shaq will be welcome to join the Super-Heat in Miami.  Apparently, some of the bridges he burned while leaving for Phoenix are still burnt. But he still thinks the big guy is still the biggest name left on the FA market.

D-Block

Looks like our old buddy Darnell Jackson may be playing for the Kings and not with the King next year.

Remember how Penny Hardaway was coming out of retirement, maybe to play with the heat?  Well, that only took five days.

Is J.J. our Guy? Summer League Thoughts

How Big Will J.J.'s Role Be in '10-'11?

So the summer league is underway and by all reports J.J. is looking like he is thriving in the new fast paced offense.  Reportedly J.J. spent a lot of time since the end of the 2009-2010 season working on his mid range jump shot.  With his natural instincts to find cutting lanes, it is only going to help him produce more as other teams won’t be able to just “zone him up”.

Also of note is the surprising production of a certain”Pooh” Jeter – who is getting some love from witty interneters.  Regardless of how many fun things you can do with his name, the dude is putting up 15.5 over 2 games.

Christian Eyenga – drafted last year – is looking taller and longer than I remember.  All the promised athleticism is there – so regardless of his production overseas last year and with the roster changes Kid Congo just might suit up next year in the regular season.

Its early, and the competition is… slim.  Windhorst has described Hickson as looking like a man amongst boys this summer. Regardless, him learning to thrive without just living on drive and kicks from a certain #23 is important.  Cavs new season will be a dawn of a much more equal opportunity offense, shots earlier in the clock and a lot less standing.  All these things are tailor made for someone with J.J.’s game.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas Joins the Miami Heat

via the PD & @PDCavsInsider

MVP Rookie Challenge MVP

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the heart of the Cavaliers franchise for the past 14 years, is moving on.

Ilgauskas will sign with the Miami Heat to join former Cavs teammate LeBron James, Ilgauskas‘ agent told The Plain Dealer today.

Ilgauskas will accept the veteran’s minimum of $1.3 million for next season.

The Cavs offered Ilgauskas a guaranteed contract, but he elected to go to Miami, where his wife Jennifer has family, and attempt to win a championship with the re-stocked Heat.

“It was a hard decision for him,” said Herb Rudoy, Ilgauskas” longtime agent. “He has 14 years invested in the Cavs and he wants to win a championship. He’s going where he has the best chance to win a championship.”

Ilgauskas is the Cavs franchise’s all-time leader in games played (771), rebounds (5,904) and blocks (1,269) and

Stood Tall for 14 Years

is second in points (10,616). He made All-Star appearances in 2003 and 2005 after recovering from reconstructive surgery on his foot.

Last season was a difficult one for Ilgauskas as he moved to the bench for the first time to back up Shaquille O’Neal. Then he was traded in February as part of a deal for the Cavs to acquire Antawn Jamison. He took a buyout from the Washington Wizards and returned to the Cavs a month later but had lost his rhythm and his spot in the rotation and he did not play strongly down the stretch.

He averaged 7.4 and 5.4 rebounds in his final year with the team.

One of the better offensive rebounders in NBA history with 2,336 of them, Ilgauskas also still is effective with his mid-range jump shot. The Heat has been looking for big men after letting its starting center, Jermaine O’Neal, leave in free agency.

The Cavs and Heat were one of six teams to show interest in Ilgauskas. Both were believed to be willing to offer him the same contract.

Goodbye Z

Z Can Do Whatever He Wants

Rumors are abuzz that Big Z is likely going to Miami to chase a ring (follow @PDCavsInsider to keep up w/ it).

It would be awesome if he stayed for his last years in Cleveland. But he has more than earned the right to do whatever he wants and receive NO backlash from Cavs/Cleveland supporters.

He was supportive when the Cavs signed Shaq and took a smaller role.

He kept his mouth shut (for the most part) when Brown didn’t play him on his “most games played” record setting night.

He was humble when he was traded (so WE could win, mind you) and was even MORE humble to resign AND take a smaller role.

Great guy. Cavs for life.  Number 11 will hang in the rafters some day. No doubt.

Big Z

LeBron Retrospective In Numbers

CavsHistory’s Final Post on LeBron James.  Regardless of his departure, he is at or near the top in many career statistics.

(You can find Cavs All-Time Stats HERE)

All-Time Cavalier Career Stats (Red = 1st, Blue = 2nd, Green = 3rd):

Games: 7th (tied with Brad Daugherty) – 548
Points: 1st – 15,251
Minutes Played: 1st – 22,108
FGA: 1st – 11,403
FGM: 1st = 5,415
3pFGA: 1st – 2,344
3pFGM: 2nd – 771
FTA: 1st – 4,917
FTM: 1st – 3,650
OffREB: 14th – 678
DefREB: 3rd – 3,183
TotREB: 4th – 3,861 
AST: 2nd – 3,810
STL: 1st – 955
BLK: 4th – 482
PF: 15th – 1,012 
TO: 1st – 1802

All-Time Cavaliers Career Averages (Red = 1st, Blue = 2nd, Green = 3rd):

MPG: 1st – 40.3
PPG: 1st – 27.8
APG: 5th – 7.0
OffREBPG: 38th – 1.24
DefREBPG: 9th – 5.81
TotREBPG: 21st – 7.05
STLPG: 3rd – 1.74
BPG: 13th (Tied with Robert Traylor) – 0.88
TOPG: 2nd (Tied with Ron Harper) -3.29
FG%: 19th (Tied with Z) – .475