**NOTE: The news clips and articles listed don't necessarily reflect the views or beliefs of the Cleveland Cavaliers or their Basketball Operations staff, partners, or sponsors.**
DeAndre Liggins' Cavs contract partially guaranteed; dialogue with J.R. Smith continues
Author: Joe Vardon
Publication: Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- DeAndre Liggins, an NBA journeyman and former D-League defensive player of the year who impressed the Cavs this summer, is coming to training camp today on a partially guaranteed contract.
Liggins, 28, is a 6-6 wing from the University of Kentucky who last played in the NBA with the Heat during the 2013-14 season. He's played 57 games in three NBA seasons. Last year with Sioux Falls of the D-League he averaged 13 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.
A small portion of Liggins' two-year, roughly $2 million contract is guaranteed, a team source told cleveland.com, and the second year of the deal is a team option. The significance is Liggins is the 14th player coming to camp with at least a portion of his salary guaranteed -- it means the Cavs think he has a better chance to make their 15-man roster than the players in camp whose contracts aren't guaranteed. - CLICK HERE to read full story.
Media day a time for NBA guys to say it right
Author: Sam Amico
Publication: AmicoHoops.net
It’s the fall of 2015, and LeBron James stands alone inside a dressing room at the Cavaliers’ practice facility.
James is smiling and shirtless, looking down at his Cavaliers uniform on the chair to his right. He grabs his jersey, gives it a shake, and slips it over his head.
Soon, he will hold a basketball — but only long enough to strike a pose.
“I love it,” James says of the annual day reserved for greeting the press. “I actually miss you guys sometimes.” - CLICK HERE to read full story.
#CavsRank: LeBron James is No. 1
Author: Daniel Rowell
Publication: Fear the Sword
It should come as no surprise that LeBron James finished as the top player in Fear the Sword’s #CavsRank. James is the most decorated Cavalier - a three-time NBA Champion, three-time Finals MVP, four-time regular season MVP, 12-time All Star, 10-time All-NBA First Team, the all-time scoring leader of the Cavaliers Franchise, the NBA’s 11th all-time scoring leader, 18th all-time in assists. He is the highest paid player in the league at $30.96 million. He is a living superlative. And, perhaps his crowning achievement, he ended Cleveland’s 52-year title drought this past June with the first ever Finals 3-1 comeback and a dominant series performance that led all players (on the Cavaliers and Warriors) in points (208), rebounds (79), assists (62), steals (18), and blocks (16).
James is a very talented basketball player, and I’d argue the best player on the planet. For as much as the 2015-16 season was a coronation for Steph Curry as the next-in-best, the NBA Finals were a reminder that it is still fairly difficult to snatch the crown. Don’t put James in the past tense just yet.
At the championship rally, James’s teammate and Fear the Sword’s second best Cavalier, Kyrie Irving, asked his teammates a question, “What’s Next?” For James, that is a difficult question to answer. He has spent most of his 13 year career in pursuit of one goal, a championship for Northeast Ohio. Thirteen years is almost an understatement. One could imagine that James has been putting up shots with a hometown championship in mind well before he even set foot on an NBA court as a Cavalier. At age 31, he is entering (if he hasn’t already) the last phase of his career. He brought a championship home. So, what is next? - CLICK HERE to read full story.
Cleveland Cavaliers 2016-17 Season Preview
Author: Basketball Insiders Staff
Publication: Basketball Insiders
The Cleveland Cavaliers ended their 52-year championship drought in remarkable fashion, overcoming a 3-1 deficit against the star-studded Golden State Warriors to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.
LeBron James was incredible in the NBA Finals, averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks while shooting 49.4 percent from field and 37.1 percent from three-point range. James led all Finals players in total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, becoming the first player in NBA history to do that in any playoff series. He also made a number of signature plays that will show up in highlight reels for years, such as his insanely clutch chase-down block against Andre Iguodala.
Kyrie Irving was also excellent against the Warriors, averaging 27.1 points, 3.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals while shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 40.5 percent from three-point range and 93.9 percent from the free throw line. He also had just 2.6 turnovers per game despite having the ball in his hands a ton. Irving outperformed league MVP Stephen Curry, who averaged 22.6 points, 3.7 assists and 4.3 turnovers and shot just 40.3 percent from the field for the series. He also came up huge down the stretch, hitting a crucial three over Curry in the final minute of Game 7. - CLICK HERE to read full story.