2024 Preseason

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Cavaliers

Max Strus sustained a right ankle sprain during individual workouts on Thursday, October 17. An X-Ray and MRI confirmed the severity of the sprain. Strus will be reassessed after six (6) weeks of treatment and rehabilitation, and his status and return to basketball activities will be updated as appropriate. Strus missed two preseason games (vs Indiana & at Detroit) with a right hip contusion before the ankle injury that kept him out of the preseason finale in Chicago.

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Max Strus Status Update

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived Pete Nance, Jules Bernard, Zhaire Smith, and Jacob Gilyard, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

The Cavaliers will open the 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday, October 23 at the Toronto Raptors, followed by the home opener on Friday, October 25 versus the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The current roster stands at 17 players, including three two-ways.

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Cavaliers Waive Four Players

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*** Friday’s preseason finale in Chicago was definitely something different. The Cavaliers played their regulars for most of the night. The Bulls played everybody on their roster for most of the night. And the high-scoring game took an extra-session to settle – with the Bulls holding off the Wine & Gold, 139-137, as Jules Bernard’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was blocked by Chicago’s Chris Duarte to seal the deal. 

Only Dean Wade – who got the start at small forward – played fewer than 30 minutes among Cleveland’s starters – finishing with 14 points and five boards and a block in 26 minutes of work. 

The rest of the starting lineup was even more productive on Friday night. Three players – Jarrett Allen (25 points), Darius Garland (23) and Donovan Mitchell (22) – topped the 20-point plateau and both Allen (16 rebounds) and Evan Mobley (15 points, 10) notched double-doubles. Allen’s totals led both teams in each category; Mobley added a team-high eight assists and led both teams with three blocks. 

All five Bulls starters also notched double-figure scoring, along with Jalen Smith and Lonzo Ball off the bench. Nikola Vucevic doubled-up with 18 points and 12 boards.&nbsp;

*** The Cavs scored 31 total points in the second half of their Wednesday night loss in Detroit. On Friday in Chicago, the Wine & Gold piled up 30 points in each quarter of regulation – drilling 17 triples and making 37 trips to the stripe. 

The problem was that Chicago scored 76 combined points in the second half of Friday’s matchup, connecting on 19 three-pointers and shooting 58 percent from the floor after intermission.&nbsp;

*** Head Coach Kenny Atkinson talked about going with his starters for an extended run on Friday. 

“We needed a game like that,” said Atkinson. “We needed kind of a tough one to really blow it out from a get-in-shape standpoint. So that's why those guys played big minutes – let 'em get a real game feel. So, that's a real positive about it. And I liked our spirit. I thought we played together, we shared it. I wish we made a few more threes. We had a couple open ones that we missed. But I liked our spirit. I liked how we competed.”

*** The Cavaliers open the 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday night north of the border – taking on Scottie Barnes and the Raptors in Toronto before returning home for a Friday night matchup with J.B. Bickerstaff’s Pistons.&nbsp;

Cleveland hits the road for a pair from there – traveling to Washington and New York before closing out the month of October with a visit from Lebron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers.&nbsp;

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Cavs at Bulls: Preseason Game 4 Recap

The Cavs play in their final tune-up before the regular season starts, taking on the Chicago Bulls for the second time this preseason. The Bulls topped the Wine & Gold in Cleveland, 116-112, on October 6.

On Wednesday night, the Cavs dropped their third preseason game, this time coming in Detroit to the Pistons. In 26 minutes played, Jarrett Allen scored 19 and grabbed eight boards while Donovan Mitchell scored 13 and hit three threes.

Follow along with @cavs, @cavsnotes, and @cavsjoeg throughout the game to stay up to date with all that is happening!

Now we're on to the regular season! The Cavs start the campaign on the road against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, October 23 before returning home on the 25 for the home opener against the Pistons.

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Cavs at Bulls, Preseason Game 4 | Rocket Mortgage Game Preview

*** Coach Kenny Atkinson stated before Wednesday’s penultimate preseason matchup in Motown that his starters would get an extended run – and the starting five saw two-and-a-half productive quarters of action. The last quarter-and-a-half was not quite as impressive – with Cleveland’s reserves combining for just 31 points after intermission and dropping the 108-92 decision in Detroit.&nbsp;

Jarrett Allen was outstanding – leading both teams with 19 points and eight boards, going 7-for-9 from the floor, adding a block and an assist in 26 minutes of work.&nbsp;

Donovan Mitchell chipped in with 13 points, drilling three triples to go with four assists, and Evan Mobley added 10 points, blocking as many shots (4) as the Pistons did as a team. 

*** J.B. Bickerstaff – one of the NBA’s true good guys and the Cavs coach from 2019 until this past spring – will now look to turn the young Pistons around the way he did with Cleveland.&nbsp;

Jarrett Allen talked about seeing his old coach.&nbsp;

“He taught me a lot about where to be, helping me understand that I don’t always have to use super pressure and that I should use my body type to my advantage. He gave me confidence on that end, that I could guard anybody. We weren’t the same team that we were when he left. He definitely came in and changed the system, he definitely brought it to a higher place than when he started. It was good to see him.”

*** With Coach Kenny Atkinson looking to figure out his rotation heading into Wednesday’s opener, he liked what he saw from his reserves and how their spacing affected his big man combination.&nbsp;

“Our second group really changed the tone,” said Atkinson. “Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro came in and we started defending better and moving the ball better, so that was the key to that. I think it gives JA [Jarrett Allen] and Evan [Mobley] more freedom to handle it. Sometimes when they’re out there together it can get a little jumbled up, but I like it.”

Wade led both teams with a +/- number of +20 in 19 minutes off the bench, finishing with five points and five boards. Ty Jerome led Cleveland’s second unit with eight points on 2-of-3 shooting in 14 minutes of work.&nbsp;

Simone Fontecchio – who averaged 15.4ppg in 16 games for Detroit after being traded from Utah last year – led the Pistons with 18 points, going 5-of-10 from deep in 18 minutes of action off the bench.&nbsp;

*** The Cavaliers close out the preseason on Friday night in Chicago, taking on the new-look Bulls before a nice four-day break to prepare for Wednesday’s opener.&nbsp;

For the fourth straight season, the Cavaliers start their regular season on the road. And for the second time in three years, they open the campaign north of the border – tipping off the 2024-25 season on Wednesday against the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.&nbsp;

The Cavs open at home against these same Pistons next Friday night before getting back on the road for a pair – with stops in Washington and New York before wrapping up the month with a home visit from LeBron James and the Lakers.&nbsp;

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Cavs at Pistons: Preseason Game 3 Recap

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Cavs at Pistons: Preseason Through the Lens

In the second-to-last preseason game of the slate, the Cavaliers travel north to take on another Central Division team in the Detroit Pistons. The pistons are lead by former Cavs head coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, and signed veterans Malik Beasley and Tobais Harris in the offseason.

About a week ago, the Cavs played host to the Indiana Pacers for the second game of the preseason. Ty Jerome got the start and promptly scored a game-high 15 points and dished out eight assists as well. Craig Porter and Georges Niang were in double figures, too, with 14 and 12 respectively.

The preseason concludes on Thursday night in Chicago with a rematch of the first preseason game against the Bulls. The regular season tips-off next Wednesday in Toronto.

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Cavs at Pistons, Preseason Game 3 | Rocket Mortgage Game Preview

Next Wednesday, every man on the Cavaliers roster – plus their new head coach – will be geared up to get after it, tipping off the 2024-25 regular season in Toronto.&nbsp;

But ONE member of the squad might be just a little more amped up than the rest. And that’s veteran point guard Ty Jerome.&nbsp;

Jerome signed with the Wine & Gold as a free agent last summer. But after just two appearances and less than 15 combined minutes of action, he suffered an ankle injury that would sideline him for the duration of his debut season in Cleveland. 

But if he fell to the back of people’s minds last year, he’s made a statement heading into this one. At Cavs Training Camp in Sarasota earlier this month, the New York native was one of the Cavaliers' most aggressive, vocal and competitive players. He looked like the veteran leader he was brought here to be. 

And his performance in the Sunshine State didn’t go unnoticed by coaches or teammates.&nbsp;

“Ty's been hooping,” said Darius Garland, who was taken 19 picks ahead of Jerome in the 2019 Draft. “Ty's been one of the best players in Camp, in my opinion. He's been shooting the ball really well. He's getting downhill, finding his teammates and being a good leader. It's cool to have him back out here.”

Coach Kenny Atkinson, who coached Jerome as an assistant with Golden State in 2022-23, had similar praise for the 27-year-old guard midway through Camp.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“He's really been one of our top players,” said Atkinson. “He's been really good. He's shooting a heck out of the ball – I think shooting freely and without hesitation. I think I told him in Golden State, I used to say, ‘Ty, you're a really good shooter. You got to let that thing fly, right?’ That's the new NBA. So, he's letting it fly and he's making them.

“And I think he's really focused on his body. He had that bad injury. I told him, ‘How much get better are you going to get at basketball? You're smart, you can shoot, you can pass.&nbsp;&nbsp;You’ve got to move better, you got to get your body right. And so that's his development piece, and I think he's, he's really embraced that – and he has played really, really well.”

Jerome got the start in last Thursday’s loss to the Pacers and made his 23 minutes count – leading Cleveland with 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-7 from deep, leading both squads with eight assists to go with four boards.&nbsp;

As the Wine & Gold prepare to hit the road for their final two preseason contests, the 6th-year man from Virginia sat down with Cavs.com to talk about his tough 2023-24 season, his take on Coach Kenny Atkinson and his goals for a healthy season in Cleveland. 

You’ve been asked this question a lot this fall, but how does it feel to finally get back out there?&nbsp;

Ty Jerome:&nbsp;Man, it feels great!&nbsp;

It's been a long time, and you don't realize how much you miss just the day-to day-of it all. Just the little things – like the little workout pieces, the team camaraderie, the getting after it in practice. All that stuff is a lot of fun. So, it feels great to just get that going again.

You were one of the more competitive guys at Camp. Did it feel good to let your inner New Yorker come out in Sarasota? 

Jerome:&nbsp;Oh, for sure, man. I missed that!&nbsp;

That's the way I grew up playing – one hundred percent. You just get that mindset, man. You play outside, you play inside. I played high school basketball in New York, and New York City is one of a kind, man. You learn to get tough real fast.

Basketball is kind of like my outlet, it's a time where you really get to forget about everything and just compete. Talking sh*t is acceptable, putting everything aside and just fully competing.&nbsp;

So not having that for a year was rough, but it's back and it's awesome.&nbsp;

Jerome: It's just like you do something all your life and then, all of a sudden, you can’t. I signed here in free agency, I'm super excited to get going, and then Game 2, I get hurt and need surgery. So, it sucked. It just sucked.

But just seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, keeping that vision, and attacking rehab every day, I knew one day it was going to come eventually get back to where I started.&nbsp;&nbsp;So, I just couldn't act like it was the end of the world. I just kept working and took it day by day.

Despite being sidelined, were you able to observe the team and see how you’d eventually fit in?&nbsp;

Jerome:&nbsp;For sure. I think the unique thing about this team is how many different lineups that we can play with, and how many different styles we can play – with a big lineup, a small lineup. We can put George or Dean at the five and there’s a million different things you can do.&nbsp;

So, I think obviously my role is going to change differently based on who I'm on the court with, but I think just being that connector and being a calming presence for us.&nbsp;

You can always bring that every night – just being a competitor and a guy that's making sure everyone else is competing too.

What are you most looking forward to in your return?&nbsp;

Jerome:&nbsp;Like I said, being back is awesome. It's not even just the basketball stuff. I didn't get to travel last year either. I was back here doing rehab, so it's the plane rides and the bus rides with the guys, you know? The team dinners on the road. All that is awesome.&nbsp;

And I think just being who I am as a player, part of my strength is that I can fit in with so many different lineups. I can play on the ball, I can play off the ball, I can guard multiple positions. So, kind of just being, being kind of a Swiss army knife for this team, just filling the different roles that I may need to have.

Besides Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, you’re another guy who’s been coached by Kenny Atkinson. What are your impressions of him here with the Cavs?&nbsp;

Jerome:&nbsp;He's also from New York, so there’s just that competitiveness. He has it, man! He has it.&nbsp;

He's dialed it back a little bit right now, and he's making sure we're taking in what he’s building here.&nbsp;&nbsp;He's great, man. But I think just that competitiveness, it always comes out when you have it.&nbsp;

So, some guys will see it soon. And that’s not to say he hasn't been competitive up to this point, but just to say that it's going to continue to come out as this season goes on. And I'm excited to see it.&nbsp;

As a veteran, how would you describe your leadership style?&nbsp;

Jerome:&nbsp;I think it’s leading by example. You'll never see a day where I don't come in and get my lift in or I'm not on a treatment table or I'm not getting my work in after practice.&nbsp;

It's a long season, man. This is my sixth year at it. So, it's understanding that we didn't build this team and bring this staff in to peak in January.&nbsp;

So, just leading by example of just every day doing what you're supposed to do. And over time it adds up, man. Competing every day, too.&nbsp;

It's just being where I don't need to tell everyone what to do. I have a lot to learn myself. But the one thing that can stay consistent is how you show up to work, your daily habits.

Last question: Over the course of your career, two of your five top scoring games were against the Cavaliers. What did you have against Cleveland before you signed here?&nbsp;

Jerome:&nbsp;(laughs)&nbsp;I think it just happened to work out that way, man.

Two years ago, when I came here, I was in Golden State and Steph was out, Klay was out. So, it's like I got to play 41 minutes that night. Yeah, I remember that night.&nbsp;

I’d like to think if I play 41 minutes&nbsp;any&nbsp;night, that's how I'm going to play. I think it just happened to work out that way on that night in Cleveland.

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Ty Jerome is Ready to Play

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