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Darius Garland participates in 5-on-5 scrimmage for first time Saturday
Author: Chris Fedor
Publication: Cleveland.com
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard Darius Garland participated in a portion of the team’s 5-on-5 scrimmage at the end of Saturday’s practice.
Head coach John Beilein did not address reporters after, as he had to leave quickly to attend to a personal matter, but a team spokesperson confirmed Garland’s participation to cleveland.com.
It’s the first time Garland has taken live contact in 5-on-5 since the rookies -- and camp invites -- gathered at Cleveland Clinic Courts for some extra work ahead of training camp. In the early portion of camp, Garland has been doing “dummy work" and other drills. He’s also taken plenty of shots, hoisting jumpers, both catch-and-shoot and off-the-dribble pullups. But soreness in his right foot has led to the Cavs being cautious with their prized fifth-overall pick.
“We do not know exactly what caused it, but we did all the imaging that we need to do and they said we just have to rest it for a few days,” Beilein said following Friday’s light practice that focused more on install. “As long as he’s not at 100 percent, we’re not messing with it right now. We want him to get to 100 percent, he’s probably at 90 percent, but we’re not messing with it.”
The lively scrimmage took place after drills and walk-throughs concluded.
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Kevin Porter Jr. flashing potential in training camp: ‘KP is good, but I think he has a chance to be great’
Author: Chris Fedor
Publication: Cleveland.com
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- The media members sequestered in a room adjacent to the practice facility could hear the gasps, cheers and exuberance. Those eruptions happened a few times at the end of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lively closed-door scrimmage Saturday.
According to sources that were able to witness the action, at least one of those moments belonged to rookie Kevin Porter Jr.
In one play that had many buzzing, Porter drove to the basket, soared to the rim and thundered down a vicious dunk, displaying the athleticism and pure scoring potential that first caught Cleveland’s attention about a year and a half ago at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland.
“He’s a gamer. I think that’s the best way to put it,” Larry Nance Jr. said of Porter. “You get him out there and we can be going through drills that don’t best suit him, then walking through stuff that doesn’t best suit him, but you roll the ball out and say, ‘Go get a bucket,’ he very well...I’d love to see a one-on-one game between him and Jordan Clarkson. It might never end. KP is good. But I think he has a chance to be great.”
Rarely has talent been the question with Porter. Around draft time, at least one member of the organization believed Porter was a top 10 talent. Others scoffed when he dropped all the way to the final pick of the first round. One source doubled down Saturday, stating that Porter will be the “steal of the draft.” That kind of determination is a long way from materializing, but Porter is fueling that level of belief in the early days of training camp.
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Larry Nance Jr. loving his ‘new’ position, worked on outside shot until he was ‘blue in the face
Author: Chris Fedor
Publication: Cleveland.com
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- At various points during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, Larry Nance Jr. found himself playing out of position at center -- a mix of necessity and the league-wide shift into a popular small-ball style.
Listed at 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds on the team’s official website, Nance said some will chuckle about those center days when his actual height gets revealed soon, as the NBA has cracked down and will be verifying accurate player measurements without shoes.
The good news for Nance: He shouldn’t have to worry about that anymore. Head coach John Beilein views him as a 4. The two talked about that in the off-season. Nance’s days of banging with 7-foot centers are over. And he’s thrilled about that.
“I don’t play anymore 5 really. Thank goodness,” Nance said with a huge smile. “I’ve been doing a whole lot of 4. A little bit in the post, a whole lot on the wing. The biggest difference between a 4 and 5 in this offense is kind of the freedom it gives you. I think with my playmaking ability that I kind of found last year I think that best suits me.”
In Beilein’s system the 4 is often asked to be an offensive hub, initiating from the top of the key or the post. Sometimes it means playing on the perimeter, spacing the floor and pulling defenders away from the rim, allowing Cleveland’s alluring backcourt tandem of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton to attack the paint.
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More Daily Press Links:
- (10/6) Training Camp Notebook: Day 5 Cavs.com
- (10/6) In offseason search for life balance, Cavaliers’ Kevin Love finds his ‘Parts Unknown’ Ohio.com
- (10/6) Delayed by foot injury, Cavs rookie Darius Garland participates in his first practice Theathletic.com
- (10/6) Wine and Gold ready to attack perimeter on offense and shut down paint on defense 923thefan.radio.com