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Kings

Australia&rsquo;s <a href="https://nbl.com.au/news/nbl-season-schedule-puts-fans-first" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Basketball League season</a> has been pushed back by two weeks and is set to open Dec. 3 with a debut home game for expansion team the Tasmania Jack Jumpers against Adelaide 36ers.
The NBL said the season start was rescheduled with the intention of having fans in the stadiums as Australia moves toward easing restrictions in place for the COVID-19 pandemic.
&ldquo;The new start date gives us a greater level of comfort and flexibility as we navigate through the current environment and prioritise having our growing number of fans courtside around the country and in New Zealand,&rdquo; NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said on Tuesday.
The New Zealand Breakers will be based in Australia at least until early 2022, when organizers are hoping borders will open and the competition can go back to a more regular format.
&ldquo;We are confident that as the country opens back up, our schedule will open up with it and we will get back to running the competition like we used to with all teams playing and traveling from their home bases,&rdquo; Loeliger said.
Defending champion Melbourne United will open against the Kings in Sydney on Dec. 5, with ex-Cavaliers point guard Matthew Dellavedova making his NBL debut for the title-holders.&nbsp;
Dellavedova helped the Cavs win the 2016 NBA title, ending a 52-year championship drought for Cleveland&rsquo;s pro teams. He is on a three-year contract with Melbourne.
Parts of Australia&rsquo;s two most populous states &mdash; New South Wales and Victoria &mdash; have been in lockdown for months because of surging coronavirus cases but are starting to ease restrictions for fully vaccinated people.
Loeliger said 99% of the league&rsquo;s players have received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve ensured that we&rsquo;ve delivered a really extensive education program for clubs and players to ensure that they are aware of the implications of not being vaccinated, both from a health perspective but also from a practical perspective and what that could mean in terms of crossing between state borders or international borders,&rdquo; he said.
The New Zealand Breakers and the Illawarra Hawks have each released a player who refused to be vaccinated.

The NBL start was rescheduled with the intention of having fans in the stadiums as Australia moves toward easing COVID restrictions.

Australia’s 2021-22 NBL season tip-off delayed until December

The Little Guy From Bendigo doesn&rsquo;t quite roll off the tongue like Just A Kid From Akron, but like LeBron James, G League Ignite guard Dyson Daniels is trying to make his hometown famous.
It&rsquo;s apropos that Daniels is channeling his childhood hero, though his country neighborhood in Victoria, Australia is more rural and smaller than that of LeBron&rsquo;s well-known abode in Northeast Ohio. It&rsquo;s also located on another continent in another hemisphere, a place that many people in the United States have never heard about.
From news articles to funding to general support, Daniels has felt the love from his local community. So what better way to return the favor than to make it to the NBA?
&ldquo;I try not to take it as pressure, but I'm trying to do everything to get Bendigo and Australia on the map,&rdquo; Daniels told BasketballNews.com in a Zoom video interview. &ldquo;Just be the best version of me I can and do my best."
He&rsquo;s chosen to do that with the Ignite in America, as opposed to committing to college or signing with the popular National Basketball League Next Stars program close to home, a route he was extremely close to picking.
&ldquo;I was almost certain on it before I got offered to go play on the G League Ignite squad. I was almost certain on going to the NBL,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;That's obviously a very good pathway as well. We've seen it with [Josh] Giddey and a few other players.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But I think just the overruling factor was talking, having a few Zoom calls with [former Ignite] head coach Brian [Shaw] and [G League president] Shareef [Abdur-Rahim], and them telling us about the development you're gonna get on and off the court. You're gonna be busy all day doing basketball things and helping to get better life skills and stuff like that. But yeah, I think I made the right decision and I'm ready to get started."
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Just over a week ago, Daniels made the trek to America to begin a new chapter of his basketball journey in California. He&rsquo;ll be one of the standout prospects joining the likes of Michael Foster, Jaden Hardy, Scoot Henderson, MarJeau Beauchamp and Fanbo Zeng as a part of a highly-regarded Ignite squad.&nbsp;
In one of his first workouts following his arrival, Daniels got to exchange pleasantries with Jason Hart, the team&rsquo;s new head coach following Shaw&rsquo;s departure to the Los Angeles Clippers.
&ldquo;It was good to catch up with him,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;That's the first time I've ever seen him in person, but he believes in me. You've gotta earn your playing time, so when training [camp] starts, I'm gonna put in [the work] and I'm gonna make sure I earn it."
Fans and even front office decision-makers may be unfamiliar with Daniels and his skill set, as there&rsquo;s little film and box-score research that can be done on the 18-year-old. For some, that unknown factor might be cause for hesitation. Daniels, however, sees that as a golden opportunity to show what he&rsquo;s made of.
&ldquo;I try not to get in my head [and be] too involved in the mock drafts and things like that, but I guess being there, people haven't really seen me as much as some of the other guys,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;That's good for me, and I'm just here to show 'em that I'm gonna put in the work and try to get my name up top once they see me more. But yeah, ultimate goal is to go No. 1.&rdquo;
Daniels describes his game as &ldquo;unlike anyone else&rsquo;s.&rdquo; He doesn&rsquo;t model it after anybody, instead taking bits and pieces from multiple pros. Using his favorite NBA player, Russell Westbrook, as a blueprint, Daniels emulates a similar mentality. He likes to interrupt passing lanes and intercept the ball to get out into transition as his fellow Aussies, Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle, often do.&nbsp;
Defense leading to transition chances, he relays, is a signature tool in his arsenal.
&ldquo;That's how I generate a lot of my offense. I like to think of myself as just 'smart' defensively, being able to get steals, being able to guard 1-through-4, some 5,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;Get steals, play smart, rotate and generate offense then. But I'm a playmaker, I'm a big point guard, 6-foot-6, so I like to make plays off the dribble for my teammates and myself. Get into lanes and use my floaters is one of my keys.&rdquo;
Basketball News Lead NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock provided his own scouting report on Daniels:
Dyson Daniels has positional size, can create with the ball in his hands and is a terrific slasher and capable outside shooter. He has a lot of upside and is a high priority on our watch list for this upcoming season.
Once Daniels acclimates to the Ignite environment in Walnut Creek by getting to know his teammates and running through a few practices, he&rsquo;ll set more short-term objectives for himself. For now, he&rsquo;s been in the gym with trainer Jordan Lawley in L.A. to address some areas of his game that can be refined.
&ldquo;Just become a more consistent shooter, just tweaking a few things in my shot preparation that I need to do better,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;But I'm sure that's gonna come. It's come along nicely already. But that, and then tightening up my handle. I'm a bit taller [of a] point guard... some of those little guards can get in underneath you, so I'm sure that's what's gonna happen this year in the G League. Just tightening up my handle and being ready for anything are some things I'm trying to improve on.&rdquo;
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While he may have solid size and length now, it wasn&rsquo;t always that way for Daniels. Now at 6-foot-6, he argues that having to pick up skills when he was little helped him become the player he is now.&nbsp;
Daniels remembers being a small six-year-old kid playing point guard for a Division III team in a U-10 league, erratically sprinting on the floor and turning the ball over frequently. But from the day he touched a basketball, Daniels knew he was &ldquo;made for it.&rdquo; He would watch the NBA, NBL and any other hoop programming that would hit his television screen.
His father, Ricky, played two years at NC State and starred for the Bendigo Braves when he was younger. While his mom, Brikitta, has gotten Dyson right in terms of manners and keeping him in line, Ricky has helped Dyson from a young age in the backyard.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Both my parents have helped me a lot just to become the person I am,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really good to have them and I get pointers off them... My biggest support system is my family, my close friends, close coaches and things that I have like that.&rdquo;
Daniels never stopped progressing, though, and began to make Division I teams in his pre-teens. Once that started happening, it caught the eyes of coaches near and far.
When he was 15, Daniels followed in his dad&rsquo;s footsteps by joining the Braves for a season at home in 2019. It was his first taste of semi-professional basketball, and matching up with bigger bodies was advantageous. But Daniels&rsquo; stock began to soar as soon as he moved to Canberra with the NBA Global Academy later that year.
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He&rsquo;s thankful for the entire staff, from NBA international director of basketball operations Chris Ebersole and content/program development lead Marie-Laurence Archambault in New York, to the coaches, trainers and everybody involved for the chance to be a part of the program. Competing in tournaments in Europe and America was paramount to his development, and he learned crucial off-the-court lessons in addition.
"I've changed so much &mdash; the person I am, the confidence I have now, the coaching that I was able to get there was phenomenal. We had the [Centre of Excellence] coaches as well. Going in there as well [at 6-foot-2], I was a little scrawny kid. Coming out, I've got a much bigger body... I had a huge growth spurt, 6-6. That helped me 'cause I was a point guard and already had those skills; it helped me, being 6-6, to still being a point guard.
&ldquo;So just building my body, building my life skills, building my basketball. They've helped me be able to see the floor better. I think IQ's something I've always had, but they've helped me to use it more and use it to my strengths. I've just learned so much from them.&nbsp;
Daniels is poised to become the second player in NBA Academy history to be drafted. The first was fellow Aussie Josh Giddey, whom he&rsquo;s been tight with since the duo&rsquo;s U-12 days playing for Victoria. They keep in touch and congratulate one another on their successes, so Daniels was thrilled when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Giddey at No. 6 in the 2021 NBA Draft.
&ldquo;It was huge, man. I've known Josh for a while and seeing him put in the work when I was with him in the NBA Academy and then, get the opportunity to play in the NBL with the [Adelaide] 36ers and he excelled there, and he deserves every bit of it. It was really good seeing him [get drafted] and it was really good being able to play alongside him as well. That's my boy and I'm happy for him.&rdquo;
The progression for Daniels at the Academy paid off this past February, as the Australian senior national team brought him in to be a part of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. In his only game, Daniels led the team over New Zealand with 23 points, 6 steals, 4 assists and 3 rebounds.
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🇦🇺 17-year-old <a href="https://twitter.com/DysonDaniels?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DysonDaniels</a> put on a show for the Boomers in their win over New Zealand <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAAsiaCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAAsiaCup</a> 📊 23 PTS | 4 AST | 3 REB | 6 STL <a href="https://t.co/5iuKo09tK7">pic.twitter.com/5iuKo09tK7</a>
&mdash; NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA_AU/status/1363271752948744193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2021</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;That was really big for me as well. Being able to play for the Boomers in the Asia Cup Qualifiers at such a young age, some people don't get that opportunity,&rdquo; Daniels said. So obviously to be able to play, but to be able to have a really good game, that got me world looks and it helped me get to [be noticed]. [I'm] grateful for the opportunity from Adam Caporn to be able to play for the Boomers."
His momentum didn&rsquo;t stop there, either. He was a critical contributor for the Boomers&rsquo; U-19 squad in FIBA Basketball World Cup play, averaging 14.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals over seven games.
Spending time with the Boomers, Daniels has developed a relationship with former NBA veteran Matthew Dellavedova. It&rsquo;s ironic because he remembers being eight years old attending a Peak event where both ended up doing basketball drills together. Fast-forward to today, and they&rsquo;re teammates representing Australia, and Daniels gets advice from the champion guard when he asks for it.
The Little Guy From Bendigo hasn&rsquo;t done too bad for himself, and the fun part has just begun. Daniels is preparing for his first season at the professional level, which is step one toward Daniels finding himself in NBA threads come this time next year.
&ldquo;I always want to be in the gym. I always want to be the best I can. I'm sure some people have them about 'em as well, but I don't want anyone to outwork me. I want to be the hardest worker there is,&rdquo; Daniels said.
&ldquo;It's a great feeling. I think in terms of feeling ahead of people, I wouldn't say I do. There's options for everyone that they can choose, like what they want to do with their careers and that. But choosing a professional career for me, I think was the right choice, and I'm ready for it. So yeah, I'm ready to get started and I'm very excited for it.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies chats with Dyson Daniels about the upcoming G League Ignite season, his development in Australia and more.

The Little Guy From Bendigo: Dyson Daniels is unlike anyone else

Five years after the NBA Global Academy opened its doors, Australian swingman <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/joshua-giddey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Giddey</a> is set to become the first graduate selected in an NBA Draft on Thursday night.
&ldquo;I give a lot of credit to the NBA Academy,&rdquo; Giddey said at his pre-draft media availability. &ldquo;They got me in there at an early age, when I personally thought that I didn&rsquo;t have a big future in basketball. They got me in and they believed in me when I didn&rsquo;t necessarily believe in myself. I was there for 18 months and they worked with me every day, so I give &lsquo;em a lot of credit.&nbsp;
&ldquo;They developed me and pushed me in the right direction and set me up to where I am today, essentially. So, the NBA Academy was big for me. It allowed for me to go overseas and get the exposure that I wouldn&rsquo;t have gotten if I stayed back home in Melbourne. It&rsquo;s a big honor and it makes me pretty happy to be the first NBA-Academy player to be drafted.&rdquo;
Chris Ebersole, the NBA's senior director of international basketball operations, worked closely with Giddey during his time at the NBA Academy and Basketball Without Borders (BWB), and he's watched as the son of two professional basketball players went from an off-the-radar prospect to a top-10 projected pick in rapid fashion.
Ebersole knew Giddey from an early age through Marty Clarke and members of the Academy's coaching staff. (Clarke was actually teammates with Giddey's father, Warrick, in the NBL.) Having shown promise at BWB Asia, Giddey found his way to the Academy in 2018.&nbsp;
When Giddey arrived in Canberra, Australia, he was around 6-foot-5 with a good amount of potential. When he left, he was a 6-foot-8 sensation who was highly coveted by NBA decision-makers. Even Ebersole couldn&rsquo;t predict that his ascent would happen this fast.
&ldquo;To be completely honest, I don't think any of us had potential lottery pick in the 2021 draft in our sights for Josh at the outset,&rdquo; Ebersole told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview.
To be fair, Giddey didn't see this coming either.
&ldquo;Up until I moved to the Academy, I was a good player, but nothing special,&rdquo; Giddey <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nbl-adelaide-36ers-josh-giddey-good-chance-ill-be-declaring-for-2021-nba-draft-prospects-australia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told our Matt Babcock back in March</a>. &ldquo;I was challenged every day by my teammates and my coaches, and at times, I struggled early on and didn't enjoy myself. But as I grew into it, I fell in love with wanting to get better, and my coaches never took it easy on me &ndash; and that was a massive part of my development.&rdquo;
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Giddey didn&rsquo;t make an Australian junior national team until he played for the U18 club. But as he grew literally, Giddey also grew skillfully. Between sprouting three inches to 6-foot-8, developing his perimeter skills, improving as a playmaker and asserting himself as a lead ball-handler, it was clear that his ceiling was rising as a player -- and that was before any draft buzz.
&ldquo;I think from that point [of making the U-18 squad], that was maybe when a switch sort of went off that he had a chance to be special in basketball,&rdquo; Ebersole said. &ldquo;I think it's always been a dream for him, but the fact that he went through some of that adversity at a young age and the disappointment of not making some of those teams probably fueled him. And by the time he was 18, he was not only making a state team, but he was excelling on it and leading those teams.
&ldquo;In basketball terms, in relative terms, you could sort of label him as a late-bloomer in terms of how quickly his stock has risen. I think a lot of those traits have been there the whole time, but a lot of times it's confidence, it's putting it all together on the court, and I think that's the part that's really blossomed.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s not just his size that stood out, either.
&ldquo;Beyond that, he's also developed his game, and that part is really the key. There are not a lot of 6-foot-8 people out there who are able to do what Josh can do on the court,&rdquo; Ebersole said. &ldquo;I mean the size certainly helps, but the development of his game in terms of growing into such a rare level of passer and leader of an offense on the court, I think that's the part that catches most people's attention &ndash; just how advanced he is in those areas of his game.&rdquo;
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The Academy traveled to different tournaments and took on varying levels of competition. Ebersole recalls the 2020 Torneo Junior Ciutat L&rsquo;Hospitalet, a tournament that featured the top junior teams around Europe. Giddey <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/au/nba/news/australias-josh-giddey-mvp-nba-global-academy-fc-barcelona-2020-torneo-junior-ciutat-de-lhospitalet/10xt6unne3wrg1b6j6ljrut7yc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">led the Academy to a win in Spain over the local FC Barcelona club</a> and earned MVP honors after averaging 11.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
Giddey saved his best performance for last, contributing 15 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in the tournament final.
&ldquo;He was never fazed,&rdquo; Ebersole said. &ldquo;He elevated his game... He makes those jaw-dropping plays look routine. Just an interesting part of his game is that he's able to make passes that no one else on the court, or watching the games, could see [coming]. And so, he'll make a pass and you're almost wondering where the ball is going, and it'll end up in the hand of his teammate right under the hoop. He does that multiple times a game (laughs). He can throw all different types of passes with both hands from any angle, and so he actually ends up making these extraordinary plays look very routine in his game.&nbsp;
&ldquo;There have been countless examples of that just watching him, whether it's games at some of our events [in the] States or overseas; you see him make those types of passes and you just kinda look at each other on the sidelines and you sorta shake your head. It's so advanced, it's so rare to see a player of his age with that understanding of all the moving pieces on the court.&rdquo;
Just two months later, instead of coming to the United States to prepare for the NBA via college or the G League Ignite, Giddey elected to sign with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League as a part of its Next Stars program (just like LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton). It turned out to be a brilliant choice, as Giddey boosted his stock even further.
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With the 36ers, Giddey won the NBL Rookie of the Year Award. He averaged the most assists in the league (7.6), and led Adelaide in rebounds per game (7.3). Giddey also scored the fourth-most points per game (10.9) on the team, while playing the second-most minutes per contest (32.1). The 18-year-old also became the youngest player in NBL history to record a triple-double (taking the record from LaMelo). Then, he did it again the very next night, making him <a href="https://nbl.com.au/news/night-of-sixers-celebrations-against-bullets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the only Australian to have triple-doubles in consecutive games</a>.
&ldquo;Obviously, his time in the NBL [was] a huge factor in developing his confidence,&rdquo; Ebersole said. "He was handed the keys in a lot of ways when he got to Adelaide. The fact that he was able to translate all those skills in a league of that caliber... the NBL is a league of grown men and really talented players. For him to go in and showcase his skills at that level and translate them so quickly at that level, I think, is a huge boost for his confidence. I think at each level, he's able to now realize that he can impact these games and he's not out of place and he can hold his own.&rdquo;
"Great kid, very nice," Giddey's 36ers teammate and former NBA pro Brandon Paul told BasketballNews.com. "I think he's more mature than his years the way he carries himself on and off the court, and he's just someone who's got a crazy ceiling."
Giddey&rsquo;s stint with the 36ers ended on May 16, when both parties agreed to allow him to begin preparing for the 2021 NBA Draft. He carried over the momentum from the NBL into this summer, joining the Australian team&rsquo;s pre-Olympic training camp as one of 24 invitees and giving him a chance to play with some fellow Aussies whom he'd looked up to. Many NBA scouts and executives were in attendance to observe the practices and exhibitions.
&ldquo;He's definitely garnering significant attention throughout this whole process,&rdquo; said Ebersole, who was present with Giddey in Las Vegas. &ldquo;And of course with his time in Adelaide in the NBL &ndash; although there was maybe some limitation on how many scouts could get there to see him just given some of the restrictions on travel &ndash; it was clear the buzz around him was picking up during that time frame... I think he's gotten somewhat used to it.&rdquo;
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Even though the Boomers left Giddey off their Olympic roster, they did name him as a replacement player and the experience was beneficial.
&ldquo;It was fun. Obviously, it sucks I didn&rsquo;t make that team, but I still got to be around the guys and be able to train and compete against them every day right up until they left,&rdquo; Giddey said. "So for me, it was great because I got to compete against guys like [Matthew Dellavedova], Patty Mills, Joe Ingles &ndash; and then learn and train against them every day. So it was such a beneficial kinda month, two months for me, being able to learn from those guys.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And then, it&rsquo;s such a good environment to me. I think for me going forward, it&rsquo;s gonna be critical to get this early taste of it because hopefully [in] the next 12-15 years, I&rsquo;m gonna have a long career playing with the national team.&rdquo;
Ebersole is a California native, and he describes Giddey's personality as similar to his own: laid-back and self-deprecating. He says that Giddey is always fun to be around and has great leadership qualities. He can lead by example, but he's also a good communicator with both teammates and coaches alike.
"I've seen him interact with people and [he's] always very welcoming, even when he's being hounded," Paul added.
Ebersole assures that Giddey is a &ldquo;hooper at heart.&rdquo; As for his off-court interests, the young Aussie is a sneakerhead.&nbsp;
When asked what kind of team or situation would be conducive to Giddey thriving as a rookie, Ebersole confidently said &ldquo;anywhere.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I don't think there's necessarily one team or type of team that sticks out,&rdquo; Ebersole said. &ldquo;I think he does have such a versatile game that he'll be able to have an impact anywhere he goes... He's sort of proven that he can be that primary ball-handler, lead operator out of the pick-and-roll. But if he goes to a team where he's asked to play off the ball and go into some of those secondary actions, I think he's fully capable of doing that as well. When he was with our Academy, he played both roles at different points, so I think he's fully capable offensively playing either role.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Defensively, I think that's one part of his game that people may be questioning. But I think he actually has a chance, just given his size, to be a multi-positional defender too and be able to guard multiple positions. He's versatile on both sides of the ball, and that's gonna allow him to thrive [in] whatever situation that may be. I think he's got a good chance &ndash; whether it's the primary guy or the secondary ball-handler &ndash; to impact offenses and keep the ball moving, which is his number one NBA skill at this point.&rdquo;
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"I love passing the ball and he loved shooting the ball" 🇦🇺 <a href="https://twitter.com/joshgiddey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@joshgiddey</a> on his friendship with <a href="https://twitter.com/Adelaide36ers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Adelaide36ers</a> guard and fellow NBA Academy alumni <a href="https://twitter.com/Mojaveee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mojaveee</a> and how they continue to push each other. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GiddeyUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GiddeyUp</a> Watch the 2021 NBA Draft, July 30 on <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNAusNZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNAusNZ</a> and NBA League Pass. <a href="https://t.co/IyEf9UQiyt">pic.twitter.com/IyEf9UQiyt</a>
&mdash; NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA_AU/status/1419103123092623360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Ebersole acknowledges that he's impressed with how Giddey has handled the pre-draft process and the hype surrounding him. The 18-year-old has approached it with humility, staying grounded and true to himself while &ldquo;keeping those blinders on.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I don't think it's easy for a young person to have this amount of pressure and success and expectation placed upon them in such a short amount of time, especially in Josh's case &ndash; where only a few years ago, he was not on anyone's radar in terms of the NBA-draft potential,&rdquo; Ebersole said. &ldquo;[It] speaks to the type of worker he is, the type of focus he has.
"And that, of course, bodes well for his future &ndash; because once he gets to the NBA, that noise only grows. The fact that he's been able to sort of stay on course through all of this and not get side-tracked or distracted, I think, speaks to that character he has.&rdquo;
In a day&rsquo;s time, Giddey will hear his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It's a dream come true for him to be drafted, and I think even for him growing up, this was obviously a dream, but only in the last two years has it really accelerated and evolved into reality,&rdquo; Ebersole said. &ldquo;I think for him, it's somewhat surreal &ndash; but I know he's really excited and probably somewhat anxious to figure out where he's going to end up, as is the case, I think, with every prospect in the draft. But I think he's just beyond excited to finally realize his dream.&rdquo;
And the moment that Silver utters those words, Ebersole will not only be happy for Giddey, but for those who will come after him in the NBA Global Academy.
&ldquo;We're definitely proud of him, obviously. To have our first graduate to be drafted be somebody like Josh &ndash; who's a selfless player, who has just a great approach to the game and approach to life &ndash; I think it makes it that much more special,&rdquo; Ebersole said. "I think it opens the doors to future breakthroughs.
"Our first draft pick in the 2021 draft will likely be Josh, and then you turn around and look at the door that&rsquo;s gonna open. In 2022, we expect to have multiple draft picks coming out of the NBA Academy program. We've now had NBA-Academy alumni in each of the first two years of the G League Ignite program (Princepal Singh and Dyson Daniels) and expect that to continue to grow... It's going to inspire future generations. There's a generation of young Australian players who are looking up to Dyson Daniels, young Argentinian players looking up to Francisco [Caffaro], young Indian players looking up to Princepal Singh. All of these individual successes are great in their own right, but they also open up the possibilities to so many others, so that's the part that really gets us excited. It's much bigger than any one player.&rdquo;
Giddey echoes those sentiments, and is honored to be a part of a global movement in basketball that is only getting stronger.
&ldquo;On the international scale, you see how big the game&rsquo;s growing worldwide, outside of America. I think it&rsquo;s good for players all around the world because they can look at role models in their countries and see how well they&rsquo;re doing, and it allows the next generation to come through," Giddey said. "So, it&rsquo;s exciting times for basketball all around the world. And I think it&rsquo;s evident now, with countries beating the States &ndash; when 10 years ago, it was America just dominating on a world stage. So, it&rsquo;s really good to see.&rdquo;
BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has Josh Giddey projected to go No. 7 overall to the Golden State Warriors in his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest 2021 NBA Mock Draft</a>.

Spencer Davies chats with NBA international basketball ops director Chris Ebersole, who witnessed Josh Giddey's meteoric rise firsthand.

In the blink of an eye, Josh Giddey ascended to top NBA Draft prospect

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) &mdash; Patty Mills really wants no part of the talk that he turns into a different player when he puts on the uniform of the Australian men&rsquo;s national basketball team. He almost rolls his eyes when he senses the question coming.
He&rsquo;s heard it for years.
&ldquo;I am who I am,&rdquo; he said.
Here&rsquo;s who he is: The leader of an Australian team that certainly has enough talent to end the country&rsquo;s 0-for-forever medal drought in major international competition, the quarterback of a team that came to Tokyo believing it could win a gold medal, and one of the two flagbearers chosen by his nation to carry the colors into these Olympics &mdash; the first indigenous Australian to have that honor.
He is Captain Australia.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s exceptional,&rdquo; Australian teammate Nic Kay said. &ldquo;The way he leads the group on and off the court, the stuff he does behind the scenes for everyone is unreal.&rdquo;
His play in the international game tends to be exceptional as well.
&mdash; Mills has three 30-point games in his NBA career, spanning 829 contests.
&mdash; He also has three 30-point games in the Olympics, all in the span of his last 11 games on sport&rsquo;s biggest stage.
&ldquo;Just give him the ball,&rdquo; Australia&rsquo;s Dante Exum said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an amazing player.&rdquo;
Mills scored a team-high 25 points in Australia&rsquo;s 84-67 over Nigeria to open the Tokyo Games; the Boomers play Italy on Wednesday as group play continues. He was the leading scorer in the 2012 London Olympics, the leading scorer for Australia again at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, the leading scorer for the Boomers in the 2019 Basketball World Cup as well.
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These numbers don&rsquo;t necessarily support his argument that he&rsquo;s doesn&rsquo;t become better in the international game.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just the different roles that I play,&rdquo; Mills said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the easy answer.&rdquo;
And it&rsquo;s not necessarily incorrect, either. Mills is usually an off-the-bench player in the NBA, but with Australia he&rsquo;s usually the go-to and in the starting lineup alongside fellow veterans like Joe Ingles, Aron Baynes and Matthew Dellevedova.
&ldquo;Patty is being relied upon more here,&rdquo; Australia coach Brian Goorjian said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got tremendous confidence. He&rsquo;s got the ball a lot more in his hands. ... He&rsquo;s a feature for us, for sure.&rdquo;
This very easily could be the last major international event for the Australian core featuring the likes of Mills and Ingles. Mills turns 33 next month and is already up to 11 NBA seasons, the last nine of them in San Antonio.
And they&rsquo;re still waiting for the breakthrough medal.
Australia has made the bronze-medal game in the Olympics four times; it is 0-4 in those games. In a 2016 contest against Spain, Mills was whistled for a foul with 5.4 seconds remaining &mdash; replays suggested the call was questionable &mdash; and the Boomers lost on the resulting two free throws.
The team also played for bronze at the World Cup two years ago, after losing in double overtime to Spain in the semifinals and then getting outscored 42-19 in the final 16 minutes against France and blowing a 15-point lead in the bronze-medal game.
In Tokyo, the goal is simple: &ldquo;Tunnel vision,&rdquo; Mills said, on a medal.
He refuses to concede that he becomes a different player in these games. There is no argument, however, that he wants a different outcome this time.

Patty Mills always seems to step up and play his best basketball with the Australian national team.

Olympics seem to draw out Patty Mills' best: 'I am who I am'

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Matthew Dellavedova is taking his game back Down Under.
The former Cavaliers point guard signed a three-year contract Friday with Melbourne United, the defending champion in Australia&rsquo;s National Basketball League.
Dellavedova, affectionately known as &ldquo;Delly&rdquo; to his teammates and fans, had two stints over six seasons with Cleveland, which signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
Dellavedova helped the Cavs win the 2016 NBA title, ending a 52-year championship drought for Cleveland&rsquo;s pro teams.
The 30-year-old signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks, but returned to the Cavs in a trade midway through the 2018-19 season.
Dellavedova's last two seasons were marked by injuries, including a concussion that limited him to just 13 games this past season. Although he was a mentor to young guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, the Cavs were not planning to re-sign him as a free agent.
Dellavedova will play in his third Olympics for Australia this summer in Tokyo.

The former Cavaliers guard signed a three-year contract with Melbourne United, the defending champion in Australia’s NBL.

Former Cavs G Dellavedova signs 3-year deal with Melbourne

The field for men&rsquo;s basketball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is set.
Following an unlikely victory over a Team Canada squad packed with NBA players, the Czech Republic defeated Greece and won a spot in Team USA&rsquo;s group in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament stage.
Canada&rsquo;s national team, which included Andrew Wiggins of Golden State for the first time, was eliminated by the Czechs 103-101 in overtime on Saturday night on a buzzer-beating game winner by Tomas Satoransky with 0.9 seconds left.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🇨🇿 <a href="https://twitter.com/satoransky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@satoransky</a> banks it to give Czech Republic the win over Canada in OT and advance to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIBAOQT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIBAOQT</a> Final! <a href="https://t.co/b6rrI4SFuu">pic.twitter.com/b6rrI4SFuu</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1411451753271152640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Then on Sunday, the Czechs won 97-82 over Greece. The Greeks cut their deficit to five points in the third before the Czechs outscored them 29-7 during the rest of the frame. Jan Vesely had 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.
The Czechs will be going to the Olympics for the first time since the formation of their country in 1993, and it's the first time it will be a part of the Games since 1980, when it was a part of Czechoslovakia.
"They're a veteran team that took advantage of us in a lot of different areas. They dominated us on the glass 35-23, their assists were 25-12. The effort was there, but the game wasn't. But that's due to the brilliance of the Czech Republic. They were just much better than us," Greece head coach Rick Pitino said.
Keep that upset in mind when the Olympic Games begin, because strange things happen in FIBA tournaments.
Slovenia, Germany and Italy also qualified for the Tokyo Games, which begin July 24. Gregg Popovich&rsquo;s loaded Team USA plays its first game July 25 against France. The Americans are locks to get to the knockout phase, set to play the Czech Republic and Iran in the Group Phase, and their side of the quarterfinal bracket will include opponents to be determined after a draw on Aug. 2.
Based upon the qualifying tournaments, Slovenia will be one of the toughest opponents simply because they have Luka Doncic. The Dallas Mavericks star took MVP honors in Kaunas, Lithuania on Sunday after putting up a triple-double of 31 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in front of 11,561 fans at the Zalgiris Arena in a 96-85 victory over Lithuania.
"We're making history for our country," Doncic said. "We can just go up from here."
Slovenia is going to the Olympics for the first time, knocking out a Lithuania team that has been qualifying for the Olympics and the World Championship/World Cup with regularity for three-and-a-half-decades. Doncic&rsquo;s teammates carried him off the court on their shoulders following the victory, which was fueled by a 14-0 run after Lithuania closed to 71-69.
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🎵 M-V-P, M-V-P, M-V-P! 🎵 A historic night for <a href="https://twitter.com/luka7doncic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@luka7doncic</a>, who helps 🇸🇮 book a ticket to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> with a triple-double performance! ✈️ 📊 31 PTS 11 REB 13 AST | 42 EFF <a href="https://t.co/QAXqv8AfwO">pic.twitter.com/QAXqv8AfwO</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1411765468545753092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2021</a></blockquote>

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"I don't care about the MVP," Doncic said. "We won here. We're going to the Olympics, the first time in our country. It's amazing. I think every kid dreams about being in the Olympics. I did, too. So, here we are. We fought really, really hard, and I think we deserve to be here."
Slovenia will play Argentina on July 26, Japan on July 29 and reigning World Cup champion Spain on Aug. 1. The top two teams in each group, plus two wild cards, will make the Olympic quarterfinals.
The qualifying tournaments were played in Canada, Lithuania and Croatia, and all of the home teams failed to qualify. Croatia did not even make it to the final game, getting eliminated by Germany 86-76 on Saturday before Germany defeated Brazil 75-64 on Sunday in the Olympic qualification game.&nbsp;
Brazil, which qualified for London 2012 and hosted Rio 2016, won its first three games by 26, 27 and 28 points, but Germany got 28 points from Moritz Wagner of the Orlando Magic and several crucial defensive possessions in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset. Isaac Bonga of the Washington Wizards did not play. Germany will be grouped with Italy, Nigeria and Australia in Tokyo.&nbsp;
The Aussies, aka the &ldquo;Boomers,&rdquo; have added Matisse Thybulle of the Philadelphia 76ers to a squad that already includes NBA players Aron Baynes, Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova and Patrick Mills.
In Belgrade, Achille Polonara, who plays for Fenerbahce in Turkey, picked up MVP honors after scoring 22 points with 12 rebounds, as Italy defeated home-team Serbia 102-95 in the final match. Italy will be heading to the Olympics for the 13th time, but the first since 2004 in Athens when it picked up the silver medal after losing to gold medalist Argentina.
The Serbians took the defeat hard.
"This is not a failure, this is a disaster. We wanted to make the people happy. I have to apologize for this. With this approach and this game, we do not deserve to go to the Olympic Games,&rdquo; said Nemanja Bjelica of the Miami Heat.
Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, the MVP of the 2021 NBA season, opted not to play for the Serbian national team this summer.
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With the qualifiers over, here is the Olympic field:
<ul>
<li>Group A: United States, Iran, France, Czech Republic</li>
<li>Group B: Australia, Germany, Italy, Nigeria</li>
<li>Group C: Argentina, Japan, Slovenia, Spain</li>
</ul>
The Olympic men&rsquo;s basketball tournament begins July 24, and Team USA&rsquo;s first game will come against France at 8 a.m. EDT on July 25. The Americans play Iran on July 28 and the Czech Republic on July 31. The quarterfinals begin Monday, Aug. 2, and the gold medal game is Aug. 7 at the Saitama SuperArena.&nbsp;
Team USA opens training camp Tuesday with one of its <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/usa-basketball-announces-us-olympic-mens-basketball-team-2020-tokyo-olympics-games-japan-fiba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strongest rosters ever</a>. Alphabetically, it is Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets, Jerami Grant (Detroit Pistons), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls, Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blzers), Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks) and Jason Tatum (Boston Celtics). Gregg Popovich of the Spurs is the head coach.
On Saturday, Nigeria will play Team USA at 8 p.m. EDT at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in the first of five exhibition games before leaving for Japan. If Booker, Middleton and Holiday go to a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, they will be flown to Tokyo by the American federation in time to be ready for the first game, outgoing <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/boredom-is-one-enemy-team-usa-must-fight-at-2020-tokyo-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo said last week</a>.

Chris Sheridan recaps this past weekend's qualifying round in FIBA men's basketball for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Team USA to face Czech Republic at Tokyo Olympics after stunner in Canada

Spencer Davies breaks down the Cavs' offseason and speaks to a source close to the team about what's next for the franchise.

Cavs banking on organic growth, supplementing talent to take next step

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has apologized for <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-something-has-got-to-give-with-kevin-love-cleveland-cavaliers-koby-altman-discipline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his on-court tantrum on Monday</a> night, saying his behavior was out of line and out of character.
&ldquo;That wasn't me,&rdquo; Love said.
The five-time All-Star spoke Wednesday following Cleveland's shootaround practice before facing the Orlando Magic. Love did not take any questions from reporters after speaking passionately for 13 minutes about the incident, his frustration in dealing with an injury this season and his continued struggle with mental health.
&ldquo;I (messed) up,&rdquo; Love said, using an expletive to open his remarks. &ldquo;Everyone knows that. My intent wasn&rsquo;t to disrespect the game, my intent wasn&rsquo;t even for the damn ball to go inbounds. It was a moment that I got caught up in."
Late in the third quarter against Toronto, a frustrated Love, who was upset with the officials for some non-calls, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEoQu4jBPTg">angrily tapped the ball back into play on an inbounds pass</a>. The loose ball was grabbed by the Raptors, who made a 3-pointer and went on to win <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-toronto-cleveland-cavaliers-isaac-okoro-matthew-dellavedova-ef4e2ecc093470aa4a413aa00c16f63c">112-96</a>.
Video of the tantrum went viral on social media, and Love was blistered by fans and media for behavior called &ldquo;childish&rdquo; and &ldquo;unacceptable.&rdquo;
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff called it a &ldquo;lapse in judgment&rdquo; and said Love, who didn't speak to the media following the game, apologized to his teammates.
Love said he didn't realize how bad the incident looked until after the game and he felt embarrassed and ashamed.
The Cavaliers were missing seven players with injuries for the game, and Love's outburst only compounded things for a young team stumbling to the season's end.
&ldquo;I put myself here,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;It wasn't about my teammates. It wasn't about the coaching staff. ... It shouldn't happen, but at the same time it was a little blown out of proportion.&rdquo;
Love said he has only respect for Bickerstaff and his teammates. He believes they've accepted his apology knowing how hard he has worked this season to come back from a calf injury that sidelined him for two months.
"I'll ride or die for J.B. and I'll ride or die for our guys," he said.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-news-something-has-got-to-give-with-kevin-love-cleveland-cavaliers-koby-altman-discipline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">For more on Love and his pattern of outbursts, check out Spencer Davies' recent column.</a>

Kevin Love has apologized for his on-court tantrum on Monday night, saying his behavior was out of line and out of character.

Cavaliers' Kevin Love apologizes for outburst: 'That wasn't me'

What Kevin Love did was unprofessional, inexcusable and frankly, immature.
Unless you&rsquo;ve been living under a rock or aren&rsquo;t a fan of the NBA, chances are you&rsquo;ve come across the viral clip of Love angrily batting a ball inbounds after a referee tossed it over to him. That&rsquo;s where we&rsquo;re going to start.
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That's some high IQ ball right there, <a href="https://twitter.com/iAmSJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iAmSJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y5N6ckYCgS">pic.twitter.com/Y5N6ckYCgS</a>
&mdash; Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) <a href="https://twitter.com/Raptors/status/1386850611593990149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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It&rsquo;s no secret that the louder national outlets and the talking heads are going to make this into something it&rsquo;s not, so let&rsquo;s provide some context as to why Love was fired up in the first place.
On the possession prior to the meltdown, the 32-year-old was attempting to box out ever-so-active Toronto Raptors big man Khem Birch, which resulted in a foul and Love&rsquo;s knee hitting the floor hard; he actually ended up with quite a floor burn. About a minute later, the equally-as-active Freddie Gillespie bumped him on a similar play, and his force sent Love into the stanchion underneath the basket as Malachi Flynn got a layup out of it. Love glanced over at the official on the baseline and was unhappy with a lack of a loose ball foul call. So to vent his frustration, Love decided to hand-deliver a free three points to Toronto by punching the ball in bounds, giving Stanley Johnson the easiest steal (and assist) of his professional career.
Now, let&rsquo;s lay out the reasons that this act was selfish and wrong. For starters, Love is the oldest, most seasoned player on this mostly young Cleveland Cavaliers team. He and Matthew Dellavedova are the only ones that are left from the championship years, and are considered the dependable veterans of this group to guide those inexperienced players and set an example. With that decision, Love showed that it is okay to pout and cost your team points and momentum when you don't get your way.
Speaking of which, that&rsquo;s the second point to make: the Cavs were *in the game*. With fewer than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Raptors were clinging to a six-point lead in a game where they had to stave off a feisty Cleveland bunch that was missing seven players, including Collin Sexton. That advantage ballooned to nine, and then 11, to close the period because of Love&rsquo;s mistake. One would think he&rsquo;d have a little more emotional maturity to center himself in a two-possession contest.
But that kind of leads to the third thing: this is not the first time Love has lashed out. This has been a pattern since he and the Cavs decided to continue their relationship post-LeBron James, when the two parties came to a four-year, $120 million extension agreement in the summer of 2018. While hindsight is 20-20 in both cases, that deal has not amounted well to either -- on the cap sheet or on the floor.
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Let&rsquo;s make this perfectly clear: Love hurting his toe in that preseason and having to step away four games into that contract absolutely sucked, and it was just the beginning of an incredibly unfortunate trend that he&rsquo;s dealt with since. Through no fault of his own, the veteran simply has not been able to stay on the floor. Anybody can imagine the mental toll that can take on somebody&rsquo;s psyche, especially if you&rsquo;ve played the game for as long as he has. He even talked as recently as March about how difficult this latest calf injury was to heal, strictly from the impact it had on his mind more than the physical aspect.
However, the situation is what it is. Love has played 96 games out of a possible 208, which equates to 46% if you&rsquo;re wondering. If we&rsquo;re being honest, that could be what he&rsquo;s frustrated about, which is understandable.&nbsp;
Still, getting into a shouting match with then-head-coach John Beilein and general manager Koby Altman in a practice wasn&rsquo;t the way to handle that. Throwing up your hands mid-game, clapping at a then-20-year-old Collin Sexton and chucking a ball for a &ldquo;pass&rdquo; to Cedi Osman wasn&rsquo;t the way to handle that. Showing up your teammates and head coach and deliberately turning the ball over in a winnable game because you got pushed around, even if you might&rsquo;ve been justified in your aggravation, is not the way to handle that.
(According to a <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-kevin-love-apologized-to-the-cavaliers-after-inbounds-play-161921633.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAN2xZ1KlOb25Q-73M0qf-qQbJ06Guw3Y7UkYv-TlNAwEIq9BLCNefOrDBoXRfIYCaT068yp_7fakV_jtV1wceA9emYXbK1PmfEjEK8y12BZk8xjwWA0bu5xiRXgJonGuzQwL16wJgIlLj_wxUh2vcW6YjlHYrUSlAfXW1zHaRIO9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports</a>, "Love&rsquo;s intent wasn&rsquo;t to slap the ball inbounds, sources said. Love was frustrated with officials and not his team&rsquo;s performance, sources said.")
Cleveland.com&rsquo;s Chris Fedor reported that a <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/04/kevin-love-is-supposed-to-be-one-of-cleveland-cavaliers-leaders-which-is-why-his-behavior-is-unacceptable-chris-fedor.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">source texted him that the behavior was "unacceptable."</a> Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff relayed that he apologized to his teammates; Love did not speak to the media following the game. It might&rsquo;ve been a good time to clear the air, however, cooling down before addressing the matter could have been a smart decision.
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In terms of discipline, the Cavs and general manager Koby Altman can&rsquo;t be soft here. They <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiKkqPa2p7wAhWoTN8KHdx0DtcQFjAFegQIAhAD&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fnba%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F25332090%2Fjr-smith-away-cavs-team-seeks-trade&amp;usg=AOvVaw1LupbzCDqCFFWfbY_VYii5">sent JR Smith home in 2018</a> due to his discontent. They came down hard on Kevin Porter Jr. with suspensions and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-cleveland-cavaliers-expected-to-move-kevin-porter-jr-locker-room-outburst" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ended up trading the blossoming guard following a heated argument</a>. They recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-andre-drummond-trade-possibilities-destinations-no-contract-buyout-toronto-raptors-dallas-mavericks-brooklyn-nets-sacramento-kings-new-york-knicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept Andre Drummond away from the team</a> to try and find a new home for him (though that was less of a punishment and more of a situation). The point is, with these examples: What should make Love immune from paying the price?
There&rsquo;s no demand to sit him down or release him; that would be way too reactionary. But a few games of an in-house suspension or DNP-CDs would be appropriate at the least. Haynes reported late this morning that the team is taking care of the matter internally, yet <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1387064877789765635?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"focused on turning the page"</a> after Love's apology.
If Cleveland wants to create the culture it desires, it needs to address this elephant in the room. Love has meant a great deal to this franchise, has stuck through thick and thin and continues to be important for the next generation of wine-and-golders. On the floor, the difference he makes is legitimate.
That being said, something has to be done to stop this juvenile pattern of habits. Every time Love has an episode like this, the immediate response is, &ldquo;Damn, he really hates Cleveland,&rdquo; or &ldquo;he doesn&rsquo;t get along with Sexton.&rdquo; Both are hardly anywhere near the truth, and guess what? He signed the contract, a fruitful one at that.
Instead of constantly looking for a reason why these things are happening, maybe we need to realize that there&rsquo;s only been one constant.
It&rsquo;s time to be the adult in the room.

Spencer Davies breaks down Kevin Love's latest incident, why this pattern is unacceptable and how the Cavs should handle it.

Something's got to give with Kevin Love

Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. broke his right thumb in Sunday's loss at Washington and likely will miss the remainder of the season.
Nance's injury was one of several suffered by Cleveland players and will leave the Cavaliers short-handed for Monday night&rsquo;s game against Toronto in Florida.
Guard Matthew Dellavedova is out with a neck strain and after receiving four stitches when he was accidentally head-butted. Also, center Isaiah Hartenstein and forward Lamar Stevens suffered concussions against the Wizards.
Leading scorer Collin Sexton missed the game with a concussion he got last week in Charlotte. He also has been ruled out again, and there's no timeline on a return.
The broken thumb is the latest medical setback for Nance, who missed seven games recently with an undisclosed illness and more than a month with a broken left hand.
The 28-year-old Nance is averaging 9.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 35 games.
Cleveland has 12 games left in a season that has been marred by injuries.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. broke his right thumb in Sunday's loss at Washington and likely will miss the remainder of the season.

Cavs' Nance breaks thumb, 2 others concussed against Wizards

In BasketballNews.com's latest roundtable discussion, we asked our staff the following question:
Which active NBA player would make the best coach someday?
Nekias Duncan: I think it has to be Chris Paul. His IQ is insane, he&rsquo;s a tremendous leader, and he has plenty of experience calling out sets on both ends. Heck, he already runs camps. It should be a pretty easy transition for him, if he ever wants to do it.
Alex Kennedy: Every offseason, the NBA does <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/2020-21-gmsurvey">an annual GM survey</a> where they ask executives a bunch of questions about the upcoming season, and they always ask this. Over the years, the GMs have made some good calls; for example, they correctly predicted that Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups could become solid coaches someday. This year, their pick was Chris Paul (who received 36% of votes). Rajon Rondo (29%) was their runner-up, followed by Udonis Haslem (7%) and Garrett Temple (7%). Paul is the obvious choice, but Haslem and Temple were the first names that popped into my head. Haslem has basically been a well-paid assistant coach on the Miami Heat in recent years, and players really respect him. Temple has an incredible basketball IQ and he&rsquo;s known for being a terrific leader, plus he has a ton of relationships with players, coaches and executives around the NBA. After Troy Brown Jr. was traded to the Chicago Bulls recently, Temple told me that he was excited to take Troy under his wing, sharing some veteran tips with him and working on his defensive angles. Haslem and Temple seem more likely to take on a coaching gig than Paul, but all three would probably thrive.
Spencer Davies: When you think of the great cerebral minds in this league, the first man that comes to mind is LeBron James. Seriously, just listen to him replay scenarios and situations that happened verbatim. However, he&rsquo;s already shot down the idea of any coaching future. Chris Paul is definitely up there, just for the sheer fact that he can process things mentally probably better than anybody else in the NBA. Harrison Barnes seems to fit the bill as well. Something that&rsquo;s pretty common, though, is players who aren&rsquo;t exactly in the spotlight nor have the flashiest numbers during their career turning into top-tier leaders on the sidelines. So because of that, I&rsquo;ll go with two role players who could be solid coaches: Garrett Temple and Matthew Dellavedova.
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Jonathan Concool: Knowing that the high-profile players usually don&rsquo;t pursue coaching in their post-playing career, I&rsquo;m going to go with Jared Dudley. The 35-year-old has played 14 seasons and is currently on the Los Angeles Lakers, though he is currently sidelined with a torn MCL. Even when healthy though, Dudley hasn&rsquo;t seen the floor much, as the value he provides goes beyond on-court statistics. The Lakers coaching staff has praised Dudley for the leadership and basketball knowledge he brings to the team, and I think he could transition to some sort of coaching role when he retires.
Moke Hamilton: Being successful as a coach is just as much about having the requisite personality traits as it is about knowing the game. This question is also really one that should be answered based on personal experiences with a player and/or having relationships with guys who have shared a locker room with him. So without knowing every player in the league well, for me, the answer is Ed Davis. Davis has never really been a household name, so to speak, but I got to know him well during his time in Toronto and Brooklyn. You never find him without his iPad mini. He&rsquo;s always studying. He&rsquo;s taken a number of younger players under his wing, and strikes an excellent balance between challenging guys and teaching them. Years ago, I recall one of his understudies telling me that Davis has everything he needs to be a head coach, and I second that sentiment. There&rsquo;s a reason he&rsquo;s always able to find a job in the league.
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Mark Gunnels: Give me Rajon Rondo. First he was groomed by the likes of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen at an early age and now he's widely recognized as one of the best floor generals of this generation.&nbsp;
Ethan Fuller: I think Kyle Lowry brings everything you could ask for in a potential NBA coach. He has loads of playoff experience, including a championship run, and has always shined the spotlight away from himself and made his teammates better. Lowry's energy and I.Q. have manifested on the court. I've also never heard a bad word about him as a person. He'd be an ideal mentor, tactician and leader once his playing days are over.
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Jannelle Moore: Draymond Green would make the best coach in the future because his approach to the game is so cerebral. Think of how he makes his impact. His attention to detail is incredible, and he knows exactly how to pick apart defenses with his playmaking and how to disrupt offenses. And he&rsquo;d be able to disseminate this information in a way that his players can comprehend.&nbsp;

Which active NBA player will make the best coach someday? Our BasketballNews.com staff weighs in.

Roundtable: Which active NBA player will make the best coach someday?

CLEVELAND (AP) — They've been teammates on a historic championship team and counted on to lead some really bad ones. Kevin Love and Matthew Dellavedova were also linked this season by injuries that kept them off the court for months.
They came back Thursday night — together.
“Kind of serendipitous,” Love said.
And, just maybe, in time to save the Cavaliers' season.
Love and Dellavedova made their long-delayed returns in Cleveland's 114-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Although it was the Cavs' fourth straight loss, fifth in six games and dropped them to 17-31, the game also felt something like a restart for a young team ravaged by injuries.
With Love spacing the floor, Cleveland's offense looked more in sync, even dangerous. He scored 13 points in the first quarter and played 20 minutes in just his fifth game this season.
And with Dellavedova diving for loose balls in his season debut and first game in more than a year, there was a level of needed toughness. Of course, there were some of the same usual problems — turnovers, forced shots and a third-quarter meltdown — that have plagued the Cavs. 
But with Love and Dellavedova out there, they looked better.
“They make their teammates better and they make their teammates comfortable,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "They know they can depend on them and they know they can lean on them. That makes us better as a group because they can make plays in critical moments.
“Obviously, we’ve got to get there, get their minutes up a little bit so they can play more in the third and fourth quarter, which will be helpful. But our guys are learning to play with them and watching two pros, two high-level pros at that.”
Love's return ended one of the most frustrating junctures of the five-time All-Star's career.
He severely strained his calf in late December, missed 33 games and returned in March only to suffer a setback, the result of scar tissue breaking down. Love could have stopped there, but he was determined to salvage his season.
He drained a 3-pointer on his first shot and made his next two. On each trip down the court, the 32-year-old rediscovered some of old joy.
“It just made me so happy to go out there and just play basketball," he said. "That was the first thing I said, after my first blow was just man, I just missed the game so much.”
His minutes are expected to increase in coming games.
“I felt a lot more like myself,” he said. “I’m obviously not there yet, but I knew that I was coming into this game. I felt confident that I could get in some sort of a rhythm.
Love will likely play more on Saturday night in Miami, where the Cavs have lost 19 straight. Now that he's back, Love insists he never lost confidence that he'd be able to return and contribute at a high level.
“I’m not gonna let that doubt creep into my head,” he said. “Adversity makes us stronger. Like, I truly believe that.”
Dellavedova does, too.
His hard-nosed play has resulted in a history of head injuries. And in December he sustained a concussion in Cleveland's exhibition opener. The 30-year-old's symptoms were so severe he was unable to attend games. His wife, Anna, had to put away some of their baby boy's noisy toys so as not to bother Dellavedova.
Once around his teammates again, Dellavedova became an extension of the coaching staff and helped young guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. He also underwent an appendectomy, further delaying his comeback.
As always, many of Dellavedova's contributions — zero points, five assists in 16 minutes — on Thursday didn't show up in the box score. He buckled down on defense, threw himself into a pile to force a jump ball and jawed at a couple of the Sixers.
“It just goes to show you his commitment, his dedication, but what intelligence can bring to the game,” Bickerstaff said. "His mind wasn’t off for 13 months. When you play the way that he plays and you think the game that way that he thinks it, you can have an impact. Toughness on the defensive end, leadership, he’s always a bonus.
“He’s the ultimate teammate and team player.”
Love called Dellavedova “the lifeblood of this team,” and now that the two remaining members from Cleveland's 2016 championship team are back, the Cavs — just three games behind Chicago for the final play-in spot — are feeling a little feisty.
“The East is pretty tight and we should have goals to at least get into the play-in games, get into the playoffs," Dellavedova said. "That’s the biggest thing we have to talk about now. There’s 24 games left, let’s make a run and have something to compete for.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

With Kevin Love and Matthew Dellavedova returning from injuries, the Cavs are hopeful they can fight their way into the play-in game.

Return of Love, Dellavedova gives Cavs hope for playoff push

Matthew Dellavedova's long wait to play again may finally be over.
More than a year since his last regular-season NBA game, the Cavaliers' popular veteran guard could make his season debut Thursday night after being out with a concussion and appendectomy.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Dellavedova practiced Wednesday, and as long as he gets final medical clearance, the 30-year-old will play against the Philadelphia 76ers.
&ldquo;My expectation is hopeful that there will be a Delly sighting tomorrow,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said.
Dellavedova, who along with Kevin Love is the only player remaining on the roster from Cleveland's 2016 NBA title team, hasn't played in a game since suffering a head injury in the club's exhibition opener in December.
Dellavedova had suffered previous concussions, so his recovery took longer as he had to pass league protocols. He had made major progress toward a return in February, but was sidelined again after having his appendix removed.
The Cavs have missed Dellavedova's experience, toughness and leadership.
&ldquo;Definitely seems like forever to think about how long he&rsquo;s been out and how many games he missed,&rdquo; said guard Collin Sexton. "But definitely excited to see him back out there in practice and going through the plays, it&rsquo;s amazing to see his full recovery. It&rsquo;s good. I&rsquo;m definitely glad to have him back.
"I said, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t go out there and give out six fouls in the first three minutes.&rsquo; He just laughed about it.&rdquo;
Dellavedova hasn't played in a regular-season game since March 10, 2020, the final one before the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the league's season and ended Cleveland's.
The Cavs have been ravaged by injuries all season, and not having Dellavedova hurt the club's depth and deprived the team of having a guard on the floor to help mentor Sexton and Darius Garland.
&ldquo;Delly is a guy that is going to do whatever the team needs,&rdquo; Sexton said. &ldquo;If that&rsquo;s to go lock someone up or play 94 (feet), he&rsquo;s going to do it. Delly is coming in and being that vocal leader and that vet that we need. ... With Delly coming back we know what to expect pretty much.&rdquo;
Dellavedova has served as something of a player/coach while he's been out, and Sexton said his input has been invaluable.
&ldquo;When he&rsquo;s out there, we&rsquo;re able to see what he sees as well,&rdquo; Sexton said. "But it&rsquo;s different when he&rsquo;s on the sidelines. He tells you what he sees from the bench. So, when he goes in the game, he will be like, &lsquo;Alright I see this play, so run this.&rsquo; Or he will make sure he has the plays in his back pocket.
"Delly is one of the smartest people I know when it comes to basketball, his IQ is really high up there.&rdquo;
NOTES: Bickerstaff said Love took part in practice and the team will see how he responds before deciding when he'll return. Love has been slowed by a calf strain since December and played in just four games.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Matthew Dellavedova's long wait to play again may finally be over.

Cavs hopeful Dellavedova will make long-delayed season debut

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova is still battling concussion symptoms from an injury sustained on Dec. 12. He may be considering retirement.
Source: <a href="https://theathletic.com/2368767/2021/02/04/matthew-dellavedova-fighting-to-save-his-career-after-serious-concussion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Vardon and Kelsey Russo/The Athletic</a>
ANALYSIS: Dellavedova has not played yet this season as he continues to work his way back from the injury. The 30-year-old has a history of concussions in his hoops career.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s taking steps, but they&rsquo;re small steps,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Jan. 16, when asked about Dellavedova&rsquo;s progress. &ldquo;With the history that he has, with the concussions, we&rsquo;re taking every caution that we possibly can to make sure that he&rsquo;s gonna be fully recovered first before we do anything with him.&rdquo;

Dellavedova sustained a serious concussion in a preseason game on Dec. 12.

Retirement 'on the table' for Cavs' Dellavedova due to concussion

This year, there were 107 international players from 41 countries on opening-night rosters for the 2020-21 NBA season.

NBA rosters feature 107 international players from 41 countries

Nekias Duncan previews the Central Division's five teams (the Bulls, Cavs, Pistons, Pacers and Bucks) ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.

2020-21 NBA Season Preview: Central Division

Matthew Dellavedova has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources told ESPN. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1330977363757326336?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it is a one-year veteran minimum deal</a>.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/OlgunUluc/status/1330966705623822336?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Olgun Uluc of ESPN</a>
ANALYSIS: A local hero in the city of Cleveland, Matthew Dellavedova rejoins Kevin Love as the only member of the 2016 NBA Championship team left on the Cavaliers. While his numbers don't stick out and he had a dreadful year shooting the basketball, Dellavedova's leadership and ability to organize on the floor -- especially with a young, developing team -- can not go unnoticed.

Dellavedova agreed to return to Cleveland on a one-year minimum contract.

Matthew Dellavedova agrees to re-sign with Cavaliers

Spencer Dinwiddie on the Steve Nash hiring: "I love it. I made a comment that I think at this level, a coach is like 80 percent psychological and being able to manage and deal with/work with the best players. So him already having that relationship with KD (Kevin Durant) and Kyrie (Irving) is big time. Everybody made statements about him not having coaching experience, but at the same time he is only one of the best point guards of all-time. So in terms of basketball credentials and credibility, there's not 50 other people with his type of resume."
Source: <a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/matthewdelly/status/1308904790164897793" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spencer Dinwiddie</a><a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/matthewdelly/status/1308904790164897793" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> and </a><a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/matthewdelly/status/1308904790164897793" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matthew Dellavedova</a><a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://twitter.com/matthewdelly/status/1308904790164897793" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> on The Delly Podcast (Twitter) </a>
ANALYSIS: Spencer Dinwiddie is excited to work with and be coached by one of the all-time greats at the point guard position. Dinwiddie is not buying the talks of Steve Nash not having any coaching experience and reiterated that the relationship that Nash already has with KD and Kyrie will only help the Nets going forward. Dinwiddie has become a premier scorer in the league and now with Caris LeVert playing like a rising star as well, Nash will have no shortage of offensive weapons at disposal in his first year with Brooklyn.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Spencer Dinwiddie said on The Delly Podcast with Matthew Dellavedova that he 'loves' the Steve Nash hiring.

Nets' Dinwiddie 'loves' Steve Nash hiring

Over six months removed from their final game of the 2019-20 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are raring to go. This week, they&rsquo;ll finally return to the court, as the franchise prepares to conduct its first organized team activity since the pandemic.
Currently, the Cavaliers&rsquo; players and staff are quarantining in their own hotel rooms downtown before their first scheduled group workout on Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Abiding by the same protocols as the NBA teams in Orlando, everybody must test negative for COVID-19 twice in order to attend. There will be six, two-and-a-half-hour late-morning programs and optional nightly shooting and workout sessions from Sept. 23 through Sept. 30.
According to a Cavaliers team source, the organization fought hard for this opportunity. It was anything but the perfect solution; Cleveland and the seven other teams left out of the NBA bubble in Orlando would&rsquo;ve loved to participate in the restart. These eight franchises lost a lot of footing compared to the teams that were able to continue their season in Orlando.
Despite missing the playoffs, the Phoenix Suns went 8-0 in the seeding games and built toward next season. The Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans had the chance to fight for a playoff spot. Perhaps the closest team to Cleveland process-wise is the Washington Wizards and, with Bradley Beal on the sidelines, they saw their future cornerstone pieces such as Rui Hachimura and Troy Brown Jr. improve and get reps versus other teams. The Cavaliers source described being left out of the Orlando bubble as an "extreme disadvantage." Each team in Orlando played a total of eight games and had three scrimmages.&nbsp;
While it seems minor, that type of progression is important and Cleveland had no way to replicate that. Instead, the Cavaliers will have to settle for this in-region, internal bubble of their own -- scrimmaging five-on-five and practicing within a team setting. Again, it isn&rsquo;t perfect, but it&rsquo;s better than nothing, even without the likes of Andre Drummond (personal matter), Cedi Osman (overseas), Tristan Thompson (unrestricted free agent) and Matthew Dellavedova (unrestricted free agent).
&ldquo;First of all, it's going to be some semblance of normalcy, which is great,&rdquo; the Cavs team source said. &ldquo;I think, more than anything, the team bonding and being together and enjoying each other and our presence is going to be awesome. I think that's going to be a big, big positive for us. It's going to be like a really cool retreat, if you will, with basketball. I think it&rsquo;s going to be a major plus and then Coach (J.B. Bickerstaff) getting to reaffirm some of the stuff he wants to put in from a defensive standpoint will be great. And just getting to play [is important]. We'll just continue to move forward, onward and upward, hopefully make some real strides during these next few days in our bubble, and then continue on to what's next.&rdquo;
Bickerstaff will return as head coach after his 11-game showing last season; it&rsquo;s the first time the Cavs have had the same coach in consecutive years since Tyronn Lue in 2018. That continuity is essential for a franchise that&rsquo;s focused on turning into a consistent winner. According to the team source, Bickerstaff was always going to be the coach to lead Cleveland into the future; it just so happened that former head coach John Beilein didn&rsquo;t make it through the year, so Bickerstaff got to grab the reins a bit earlier than anticipated.&nbsp;
The Cavaliers are thrilled to see how Bickerstaff can push their team forward. He&rsquo;s been in the NBA for 17 years, starting under his father, Bernie, as an assistant with the Charlotte Bobcats. He also had stints coaching the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies. His head coaching experience with the Rockets and Grizzlies is a huge reason why Cleveland believed in him as its long-term solution, per the team source.&nbsp;
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Bickerstaff has a unique ability to develop relationships with his players, on and off the floor. He&rsquo;s not afraid to be honest, he grinds and he&rsquo;s &ldquo;magnetic&rdquo; as a teacher.
&ldquo;He's the right guy for what we're doing right now,&rdquo; the team source said. "We have our head coach of the future. And we have some continuity moving forward.&rdquo;
Consistency is the next step for these Cavaliers. For that to happen, there has to be widespread improvement from top to bottom. That includes the front office providing the right pieces to the puzzle, players committing to get better in-house and coaches continuing to adapt their schemes to the roster. Bickerstaff&rsquo;s short takeover stint was a taste of what that looks like.
&ldquo;It has to be a multi-prong approach. There's not one solution to becoming better at that,&rdquo; the team source said. &ldquo;Post All-Star break, we were competing, we were playing hard. And the results show that; it&rsquo;s a small sample size, but [it was] 11 games against some real teams. We know we can do it.&rdquo;
Cleveland went 5-6 after the All-Star break, but there were plenty of positive takeaways from that stretch. There was a double-digit comeback win against the Miami Heat, a grind-it-out victory over the San Antonio Spurs, a 14-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers and a tough victory over the Denver Nuggets. Even in losses, there was a competitive spirit that had been missing.&nbsp;
Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman and his front-office staff have the chance to bolster the roster in multiple ways. First, there&rsquo;s the upcoming NBA Draft on Nov. 18. The Cavaliers currently hold the No. 5 overall pick. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the team will be active in trade conversations and <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2020/09/will-kevin-porter-jr-start-for-cleveland-cavaliers-this-coming-season-hey-chris.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could use the selection as bait</a> -- if the right short- or long-term piece is available. That is contingent on how the draft shakes out, though.
The 2020 NBA Draft is wide open in terms of where players are projected to land. Altman and his front office are still mulling things over. With plenty of time to do their due diligence, there have been debates over certain prospects; Cleveland.com reported Deni Avdija, Isaac Okoro and Devin Vassell as the <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2020/08/who-will-cleveland-cavaliers-pick-at-no-5-in-nba-draft-hey-chris.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three top wings in consideration</a>.&nbsp;
Per the Cavs source, this pre-draft process has been more difficult than usual considering teams can&rsquo;t meet any of the prospects in person to get a feel for their personality and establish a rapport. Also, there&rsquo;s less data available than in a typical year, so the team is just trying to watch as much game film as possible and hold virtual meetings with prospects. If Cleveland chooses to hang on to the fifth pick, the organization has an opportunity to add a good player who fits into the culture that&rsquo;s being established. Ideally, they&rsquo;ll find someone with the right attitude, a strong work ethic, toughness and a desire to be there.
Another way Altman and Co. can help Bickerstaff is through free agency. Much of their plan is hinges on Andre Drummond and whether he&rsquo;ll opt out. According to the team source, all signs suggest that Drummond &ldquo;probably will&rdquo; exercise his $28,751,774 player option. Drummond said as much during an appearance on ESPN&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.espn.com/espnradio/podcast/archive/_/id/26437808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Le Batard &amp; Friends Network podcast</a>.
&ldquo;Yeah, that&rsquo;s going to be pretty hard to give up, so you can count on me being in Cleveland still,&rdquo; Drummond said in June. Later in the interview, he added: &ldquo;I definitely will be in Cleveland.&rdquo;
Since they&rsquo;re no longer a luxury tax-payer, the Cavaliers will have the $9,258,000 mid-level exception on their hands; this can be used entirely on one free agent or split between multiple players. The Cavs source said that the team will be looking for &ldquo;defensive-minded players&rdquo; while also looking to add &ldquo;length and athleticism.&rdquo;&nbsp;
It is important to note that the franchise does hold Tristan Thompson&rsquo;s Bird rights, meaning if the Cavaliers decide to bring him back into the fold, they can go over the salary cap to sign him and still have their MLE. With that said, they&rsquo;re likely not going to spend a ton of money to the point of dipping back into the luxury tax, especially since they did all that work to clear up their cap sheet in the previous two years. At this stage, it&rsquo;s about hitting singles and adding those positives up -- Alfonzo McKinnie and his team-friendly contract is a perfect example of that.
The team source said that there&rsquo;s &ldquo;a lot of mutual interest&rdquo; between Cleveland and Thompson. In a sense, who the team drafts could play a significant role in that free-agency decision. Would it make sense for Thompson to return if Onyeka Okongwu is the selection at five? Though unlikely, if <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/james-wiseman-memphis-2020-nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Wiseman were to surprisingly slide</a> to the Cavaliers and they nabbed him, re-signing Thompson may no longer be a priority.
The Cavs could also try to improve the roster via trades, although league sources say that most trade talks around the NBA are on hold at the moment. Not many conversations were taking place while teams were in the bubble and everyone is waiting to see what the 2020-21 salary cap will be set at before making moves.
As for the cornerstone pieces already on the roster, Cleveland feels great.&nbsp;
Collin Sexton found his niche and, specifically under Bickerstaff, thrived. Over his five games in March, the second-year guard averaged 30 points, 4.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 40 minutes per contest. His true shooting percentage during that stretch was a career-best 66.4 percent. If you want a slightly larger sample size, look at his post All-Star break numbers when Bickerstaff slid into his head coaching role: 25.5 points and 4.2 assists with a 43.1 three-point percentage. Playing both as a ball-handler and off the ball, Sexton was as efficient as he&rsquo;s ever been, had the highest usage rate on the team and made teams pay.
The team source described Sexton as &ldquo;looking monstrous&rdquo; and &ldquo;huge&rdquo; after working on his body. The Cavaliers are excited to see where Sexton goes next in his development.
&ldquo;He's our cultural backbone and what we want to be about,&rdquo; the Cavs source said. &ldquo;He just puts his head down and goes. He got left off the initial team for Rising Stars, which is insane. He's an incredible kid in that way [that he keeps working].&rdquo;
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Last year&rsquo;s draft saw the franchise bring in three different talents: Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr. and Dylan Windler.&nbsp;
Garland had a case of the ups and downs, but the ups gave us a glimpse of his ceiling. Among rookie point guards, he ranked second in total assists (229) behind only Ja Morant. Despite his streaky shooting nights, he still knocked down 35.5 percent of his five triples per game. Coming off just four games of collegiate experience, reps at the professional level were paramount for Garland from the standpoint of running the marathon, so to speak.
According to the source, Garland&rsquo;s been throwing down alley-oops in 1-on-0 workouts, asserting the fact that he&rsquo;s healthy and has his legs under him without any limitations. He&rsquo;s also come back to Cleveland with a better physical frame.
&ldquo;We know there's so much more left, we know there's so much more there,&rdquo; the team source said of Garland&rsquo;s development. &ldquo;He's also been super locked in because he feels like he has so much more potential, so much more to offer. He also feels snubbed and disrespected by that All-Rookie team, which was absurd in a lot of regards. He's a wonderful kid, too. Great worker. We're excited about him and his potential. I think his best basketball is yet to come.&rdquo;
Can Sexton and Garland work in the same backcourt, particularly on the defensive end? That&rsquo;s a question the Cavaliers are hoping to get answered too. The source concedes that the two would benefit from a bigger and longer froncourt; however, they&rsquo;ll also have to get tougher, slide their feet better, power through screens and genuinely take charge of that side of the court as a duo.
They could always just talk to Larry Nance Jr. An unsung hero for the team, last season was the best of his career. He&rsquo;s a Swiss Army knife who offers the versatility that coaches dream of, both as an offensive weapon and defensive stalwart. Most notably for Bickerstaff, he was even used as a three in some lineups when the Cavaliers went bigger. Remember the double-digit comeback against the Miami Heat at home? That all started with Nance&rsquo;s tenacity on defense.
Of course, Porter might&rsquo;ve shown the most flashes as an individual defender among the young guards, and he showed much more than just that. Bouncing between the second unit and the starting lineup, the rookie swingman provided highlight-reel playmaking, impressive shooting and infectious energy. Though there&rsquo;s been curiosity about when he&rsquo;ll start at the three or supplant one of Sexton or Garland as a starting guard, the Cavs source has an inkling that Porter will continue to pack his powerful punch off the bench. Maybe that&rsquo;s because the organization would like to see what Year 2 looks like for its young pairing, and it&rsquo;s been reported that Cleveland views Porter more as a shooting guard rather than a forward.
Regardless of positional opinions and who&rsquo;s in the starting five, you&rsquo;re going to see all three of them playing together at the same time under Bickerstaff. You might see different combinations of those players alongside Windler, too.
The 24-year-old missed the entirety of his rookie season with a stress reaction in his lower left leg. The Cavaliers tried to bring him back slowly via a couple of stints with the team&rsquo;s G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, but it was to no avail. Since the January surgery, however, he has recovered fully. According to the team source, Windler is going to be 100 percent, full-go in the upcoming team workouts.&nbsp;
&ldquo;These next couple weeks are going to be just awesome for him, to get back to playing basketball again,&rdquo; the Cavs source said. &ldquo;We're excited to see what that looks like. But talk about a great fit along with the guards -- size, shooting, basketball IQ, cutting, really good rebounder for his position. We're pretty pumped about the possibilities, but we have to see it first.&rdquo;
A healthy, fresh Kevin Love will go a long way too. His gravity on the perimeter, effectiveness on the block and aggressiveness on the glass are game-changers. Cedi Osman has steadily improved as one of the team&rsquo;s all-around forwards. The length of the second unit with Dante Exum and McKinnie was one of the more intriguing parts of the latter half of the season.
The Cavaliers also converted Dean Wade&rsquo;s two-way contract into a standard deal and took a flyer on versatile big man Jordan Bell, so we&rsquo;ll see how they look in the next week.
The Cavs source said that the mood around the team is an eager one. Being on pause for this long has Cleveland wanting to get going. It hasn&rsquo;t been easy to sit at home and watch as much of the league continues without you.
Come 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning, they won&rsquo;t have to anymore.

Spencer Davies details what's next for the Cavs as they hold their first team workouts since March and enter a unique offseason.