Anhueser-Busch

2007-08 TRAINING CAMP PREVIEW: Invitees

September 27, 2007
RSS
The Cavaliers are less than a week away from tipping off Training Camp and have a tough act to follow after last year's exhilarating postseason run to the Finals. Today, cavs.com closes out with a list of Camp invitees ...

Hassan Adams – G – 6-4, 220 – Adams spent his rookie year in New Jersey, starting in six games and playing in 61. The former Arizona Wildcat averaged just under three points per contest while spelling Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter. The Nets selected the rugged guard in the second round (54th overall) of the second round in 2006.

Adams was First Team All-Pac-10 as a senior and was honorable mention in the two seasons before that. He finished his collegiate career as the basketball factory’s seventh-leading all-time scorer and is the only player in Pac-10 history to finish with 1,800 points, 700 boards and 200 steals in a career.

Adams got in some hot water as a senior at Arizona and injured his foot in pre-Draft workouts, but could be a diamond in the rough for the Cavaliers as they look to shore up their backcourt heading into Camp.

Darius Rice – F – 6-10, 215 – After a solid display with the Cavaliers’ Summer League squad in Vegas this year, the former Hurricane all-but guaranteed himself a Camp invite with the Wine and Gold. The nephew of NFL legend, Jerry Rice, the angular forward is the only player in U. of Miami history to lead the school in scoring all four years. He finished college as the fourth-leading scoring and first in games started at “The U.”

Rice had a cup of coffee with Miami back in 2005-06, but made his big impression in last year’s D-League Championship game when he scored 52 points – canning 11 three-pointers – for the Dakota Wizards in the 129-121 overtime win.

The 6-10 forward comes to Camp with a legitimate shot and hopes that his length, long wingspan and smooth shooting touch can propel him onto the roster. He’ll need to perform well, but the Cavaliers could certainly use the combination of his size and range.

Noel Felix – F-C – 6-9, 225 – Unlike Rice, Felix’ strong suit is on the defensive end of the floor. He’s spent his NBA tenure predominantly in the Western Conference – with tours of duty in Phoenix, San Antonio and Seattle. But the former Fresno State Bulldog has done stints all over the globe, with stops in China, Italy and the Phillipines. Felix has also played for Maccabi Tel Aviv (and was here when they took on the Cavs last preseason) and looks to replicate the success of Toronto’s Anthony Parker and bring his success Stateside.

But it’s not the globetrotting that makes him a Training Camp invitee. It’s his commitment to defense, a Mike Brown requirement. Felix was the CBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in the 2004-05 season and was the defensive MVP at MSU after leading the Bulldogs with 40 blocked shots as a senior.

Felix isn’t going to tear up the nets and, like most Camp invitees, is a longshot to make the club. But on a team in which his specialty is at a premium, Felix will have an opportunity to make his mark in the next two weeks.

Anthony Tolliver – F – 6-9, 242 – The Cavaliers third a la carte forward is unique from Rice and Felix – a banger who can step out and hit the jumper. The un-drafted Tolliver, who scored in double-figures in all but four games as a senior with Creighton, makes up for his lack of athletic ability with non-stop hustle.

Tolliver is a good passer in the post and averaged 13.4 points and 6.7 boards as a senior, shooting 50% percent from the floor. He made his bones with a 13-point, 11-board effort against No. 11 Southern Illinois in last year’s Missouri Valley Conference championship.

With the Cavaliers looking to add depth to their frontcourt, Tolliver has an opportunity to ply his wares with the Wine and Gold. It’ll take a big effort, but that seems to be the rugged forward’s strong suit.