The Rookies

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed 2011 NBA Draft picks guard Kyrie Irving and forward Tristan Thompson to contracts, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. Per league and team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

Irving, who was selected number one overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, played in 11 games last season with the Duke Blue Devils, averaging 17.5 points on .529 shooting, including .462 shooting from three-point range, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 27.5 minutes per game. The 6-foot-3 point guard started the first eight games of the season, scoring 16 or more points in five of the eight games, including a 31-point, six-rebound and four-assist effort versus Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Thompson, who the Cavaliers took with the fourth pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year last season after averaging 13.1 points on .546 shooting, team highs of 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 30.9 minutes per game in 36 games. The 6-foot-9, 227-pound forward posted a season-high 26 points on 9-14 shooting (.643), 10 rebounds and three blocks in 37 minutes versus Kansas State and collected a career-best 15 rebounds and 17 points in 38 minutes versus Michigan State.

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

“Bringing back Anthony was a high priority for us. We place great value on the leadership, professionalism and veteran presence he brings both on the court and in the locker room,” said General Manager Chris Grant. “His high basketball IQ, ability to shoot with range and play solid perimeter defense made re-signing him extremely important for us.”

Anthony Parker

Last season, the 6-foot-6, 210-pounder averaged 8.3 points on .399 shooting, including .379 from three-point range, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists (the second-highest average in his career) in 29.0 minutes in 72 games (65 starts). He scored in double figures 27 times, including setting season highs in scoring (21) and rebounds (seven) while adding seven assists in 39 minutes versus Minnesota on Dec. 26 and scoring 20 points on 7-9 (.778) shooting, including 4-4 from three-point range, and grabbing seven rebounds in 29 minutes versus Miami on March 29.

Parker originally signed with Cleveland on July 13, 2009. Over the past two seasons with the Cavs, he has started 146 of the 153 games he has played in and posted averages of 7.8 points on .415 shooting, including .398 shooting from three-point range, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28.6 minutes per game. His 2.48 assists-to-turnovers ratio ranked 14th in the league while his 0.86 steals-to-turnovers ratio ranked 13th among all players over the past two seasons (min. 150 games).

Omri Casspi

Just before the bell rang and the doors locked, GM Grant and the Cavs snuck in a deal for lanky G/F Omri Casspi for a 1st round protected pick in 2012 and our beloved J.J. Hickson

J.J. still has huge upside, and the Cavs weren’t to keen on dealing him, but they needed a 2/3 and some wiggle room financially.  Plus J.J. may be to pricey to sign long term for what he gives.

Now we wait.  The doors are locked and no NBA to be played for a while.  Also, who knows if we’ll get to use that LBJ trade exception.  Get ready for a quiet summer.

(if you guys want something to do to fill the time this summer, try Googling “Omri Casspi Girlfriend”)

BEARD!

Point blank. We need draft picks. No way around it.

My Favorite "Mo"ment

But its hard seeing Mo go. Mo wanted to be in CLE and he took LBJ leaving harder than most Clevelanders. Because of that and his famous tweets, he really got a good fan base in CLE. If you say the right things and play on one of our sports teams, we rally behind you. He was a great fit in that respect. What makes this easier is he has been out with injuries a lot this year, so we’ve been almost prepping for what this would feel like.

Jamario was included in the trade as well.  He has had a very odd season, beginning as a starter, then relegated to the bench, then lately being a solid contributor.  But no doubt, he’s an athletic, constantly positive guy.  He should do well off the bench in LA.

Goosie Gone to LA

The goosie is gone.  Long live the Beard

Alonzo Gee

Check out some of his dunk skillz….

In a surprise move that is likely going to be interpreted as making room for someone else to be added to the roster, the

Hot Wad

Cavs have waived St. Edward and UNC star Jawad Williams.

Jawad just signed a new a 1 year contract for $1m on Sept 21, 2010.  Cavs had to waive him before January or they would be on the hook for the full amount.

The internet has been rumbling that the Cavaliers have been in touch with Cavs Alumni Sasha Pavlovic. I’m sure it will be rumbling that someone had to be cut to make room for him.

Jawad was a model citizen and a decent 9-10 backup.  We wish him well.

The New Booby

The Old Boobie

One thing that has really stood out this offseason (and preseason) is the evolution of Daniel Gibson. The most obvious is that apparently we had it all wrong and its “Shoot BOOBY, Shoot” not “Shoot Boobie, shoot”. For some reason, the redefinition of Boobie to Booby may be more that just a “IE” to a “Y”. Daniel Gibson is now married and a father. He came into the league as a baby-faced marksmen, but showed up to the 2010 camp “sleaved up” with tats and pushing the issue in the preseason by getting to the line and driving the ball. All of this things lead me to believe that the once quiet Boobie, living in the shadow of LeBron stardom and being a heads down team player has seen the loss of LBJ and the getting out from under the Mike Brown offense as the opportunity of his NBA career. Once willing to spot up behind the arc and not give any sound bytes has taken the new world of Byron as coach as an opportunity to stretch his legs both on and off the court.

He’s now an active and quite vocal twitterer (@1BooByD_Gibson) and is speaking his mind, even predicting a win vs. Miami (see the www.realcavsfan.com article here).

The biggest thing I’ve noticed about him is him “getting it”. i.e. what it takes to be adored by Cleveland fans (something the departed LBJ didn’t ever get).  He’s proud to be on the team (using the Cavs slogan of  ”All for one, one for all” often, in both interviews and tweets) and openly rooting for the Indians and Browns.

In other words:  I think he’s all grown up.

I don’t think he’ll start, but as a combo guard with dead-eye aim and a renewed freedom to hand the ball and the full endorsment of the new coach, Booby just might be the sleeper star off the bench on this team in 2010-11.

Dunkin' Over Crocodiles

declaring for the 2010 NBA Draft, averaging 13.5 points on .549 shooting and 5.9 rebounds in 27.1 minutes in 70 games (all starts). In his sophomore and final season with the Cardinals, he led the team in scoring (15.3) and rebounding (7.0) in 29.3 minutes per game. The 6-foot-9, 260-pound rookie played in five games (three starts) with the Chicago Bulls in the 2010 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and averaged 12.6 points on .571 shooting and 7.4 rebounds per game.“

He’ll get added to the database when he takes the floor.