Cleveland Cavaliers: Tristan Thompson Leads Another Successful Preseason Week
The Cleveland Cavaliers posted another 2-1 record this week, with wins against the division rival Pistons and the pathetic 76ers, while suffering a bad loss at the hands of the Pacers. Some of the shooting struggles carried over from last week, but Tristan Thompson led the team with strong performances in all three games.
Oct. 17 vs. Pistons, Win 96-84
The Pistons had an eventful offseason, signing high-profile free agents Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings, and drafting Georgia shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Cavs held the Pistons to only 38.7 percent shooting and forced 21 turnovers. Meanwhile, Thompson contributed 11 points and seven rebounds, while Anderson Varejao posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Kyrie Irving, however, did not look as sharp. His preseason shooting struggles continued. Despite leading the team with 15 points, he went 4-for-11 from the field and had a game-high eight turnovers.
Matthew Dellavedova, the undrafted guard out of Saint Mary’s, led the Cavaliers with eight assists. Dellavedova also contributed four points, including a nifty bank shot (0:55 mark in highlight video). The Australian guard is hoping to secure one of the team’s final bench spots as the preseason winds down.
Oct. 19 vs. Pacers, Loss 102-79
This game was just plain bad all around. The Cavs have struggled with shooting all preseason and here they hit a new low. They went 23-for-78 from the field for a horrible field goal percentage of 29.5 percent. Irving led the team in scoring again with 15 points, but it came on 5-for-13 shooting. On a positive note, Anthony Bennett posted his first double-double of the preseason, contributing 11 points and 10rebounds; however, he once again racked up six fouls, fouling out for the second time this preseason.
The Pacers dominated in most aspects of the game. They forced 22 turnovers while only committing 13 themselves. David West starred for Indiana, putting up 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Oct. 21 vs. 76ers, Win 104-93
OK, this game means absolutely nothing. The Sixers are terrible and they could not be prouder about it. The Cavs led most of the game, only trailing briefly in the opening minutes and then again early in the fourth quarter. Thompson and Irving posted their best games yet; Thompson went for 15 points and 16 rebounds, while Irving contributed 17 points and 12 assists.
The game’s best moment came midway through the first quarter when Kyrie had two epic crossovers on Sixers’ guards Michael Carter-Williams and Evan Turner. Carter-Williams’ and Turner’s bodies are still tangled from Kyrie’s moves. Poor Sixers.
Injury Update
Andrew Bynum on a basketball court? Really? (NBA.com photo)
Andrew Bynum has resumed basketball activities. No, this is not a joke. After doing nothing last season besides sitting on the end of the Sixers bench, this news is very encouraging to hear. We obviously should take it with a grain of salt, since this is Bynum after all, but still, this is a pretty big deal.
The Cavs will rely on Bynum heavily this year as they look to make the postseason for the first time since 2010. Bynum mainly shot around and worked on post moves during the workout and he’s hoping to start playing full contact five-on-five soon. He did, however, have two huge braces on his knees when practicing. Still, it’s Andrew Bynum on a basketball court. This is awesome to see.
Congrats Big Z
The Cavaliers announced this week that they plan to retire Žydrūnas Ilgauskas’ No. 11 jersey later this season. Ilgauskas played his first 12 NBA seasons in Cleveland after spending two years playing in Lithuania. Big Z made two All-Star Game appearances with the Cavaliers in 2003 and 2005 and helped lead the 2007 Cavs team to the only NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. During his time with the Cavs he put up 13.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Ilgauskas left Cleveland after the 2010 season to join former teammate LeBron James in Miami. He played only a single season in South Beach, where the Heat lost to the Mavericks in the Finals, before deciding to retire.
The Week Ahead
The Cavs only have two preseason games this week, and then ……. MEANINGFUL BASKETBALL!!!
- Wednesday, Oct. 23 vs. Wizards at U.S. Bank Arena
- Thursday, Oct. 24 vs. Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena
The Wizards game, which will take place in Cincinnati, should be an interesting matchup, as the two teams are both expected to compete for one of the lower playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference. However, while the Cavs have played very well this preseason, the Wizards have a meager 1-5 record. Meanwhile, the Bobcats, who are 3-3 this preseason, will also improve this season, but are likely a year or two away from making a serious playoff push.
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