Baron Davis still absent from Cavs practice, Byron Scott putting in offense slowly

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Baron Davis walks away after talking with reporters at NBA basketball training camp on Friday, Dec. 9, 2011, in Independence, Ohio. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

View Larger Version >>

Baron Davis missed his third straight day of practice while seeking a second opinion on his back as Friday's amnesty deadline looms.
Cavs coach Byron Scott said Davis is still away from the team and isn't sure when to expect him back. If he even comes back at all.
"I'm going to coach the guys who are here ready to play," Scott said. "If Baron is here, ready to go. If he's not, we move on."
Scott had initially thought he'd start installing concepts of his Princeton offense by today, but said after practice he hasn't done anything with it yet and will continue to keep it simple. Scott said it was likely the only time he would run plays out of the Princeton offense was coming out of timeouts when guys can line up properly.
Scott said the Princeton takes away some of the spontaneity and creativity of players on offense, so he's keeping the concepts simple. Besides, players were still struggling with the basics during a recent scrimmage.
"Guys were calling one play, but running a whole different play," Scott said. "I figured if it works, we might put it in. Since it wasn't, we wanted to make sure they understand exactly what they're doing."
Rookie Kyrie Irving said on Monday many of the plays the Cavs are running now are similar to what he ran at Duke. Scott said that is simply a coincidence.
"It's just something we felt would be real good with us," Scott said. "At the end of the day, if he's everything we think he can be, he'll have the ball in his hands plenty of times."
Other practice notes from Tuesday:
* Ryan Hollins took a broadcasting course at Syracuse during the lockout, then did some studio work as an analyst on UCLA men's basketball broadcasts. Hollins loved the experience and wants to get into the media full-time after his career ends.
* Hollins, now entering his sixth season in the NBA, said this is the first time in his career he's had the same head coach for consecutive seasons. Incredible.
* Samardo Samuels was a senior at St. Benedict's High School in New Jersey when rookie Tristan Thompson was a sophomore there. Now they've been reunited again as teammates in the NBA.
Samuels was the top player in high school his senior year and obviously a big star around school, but he entered the NBA as an undrafted free agent and Thompson was the No. 4 pick in the draft.
"It's weird, that's how the NBA works," Samuels said. "He's the No. 4 pick, but I still have the same talent that I did in high school, so I don't think that changes anything. We're both talented guys going after it, just like it was in high school."
* Omri Casspi missed practice with a bruised knee, but did some shooting afterwards. He's expected to miss a few more days.