Cavaliers news, features and notes
- Jason Lloyd: Lottery victory brings Cavs plenty of options through trades and draft
- Cleveland Cavaliers win draft lottery, will pick No. 1 again
- Cavs win draft lottery, will pick No. 1 in NBA Draft
- NBA Draft lottery: Cavs’ third-best odds have history of turning into top selection
- 2103 NBA Scouting Combine: GlenOak graduate C.J. McCollum hopes to be a lottery pick
- 2013 NBA Scouting Combine: Cleveland Cavaliers focus on drafting good players, not overall strength of draft
- 2013 NBA Scouting Combine: Otto Porter seems like perfect fit for Cleveland Cavaliers but no meeting on agenda
- 2013 NBA Scouting Combine notebook: Nerlens Noel won’t play until late December but still interests Cavaliers
- Projected top pick Nerlens Noel won't be ready for start of season, targeting Christmas
- Former Ohio State star Deshaun Thomas refuses to give NBA team his phone number at combine
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Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor worked out for Cavs, confident he can play either guard spot
CHICAGO: Kansas point guard Tyshawn Taylor worked out for the Cavaliers about two weeks ago. While Kyrie Irving is entrenched as the starter, the Cavs could still be in the market for a backup.
Besides, Taylor is confident he can play either guard spot.
Taylor averaged 16.6 points and 4.8 assists in leading the Jayhawks to the national championship game. He is listed at 6-foot-3 and believes he can defend either guard position.
"They made it clear they want to be a defensive-minded team," Taylor said Thursday at the NBA combine. "They understand that's something I can bring to the table. With me being able to play the '1' and '2,' they don't see any conflicts. I understand Kyrie is their guy right now and that probably won't change for a while. There's no conflict. I could back him up or play beside him."
Taylor worked out for the Cavs against Long Beach State guard Casper Ware, who was not one of the 60 players invited to this week's combine.
"I think I could've done some things better," Taylor said. "(Ware) is a tough little guard who is quick and strong. It could've been better. It wasn't my best, but it wasn't my worst, either."
Taylor started all four years at Kansas, which was the winningest program during his time there. He was a third team All-America selection and first team All-Big 12. He left KU with 1,580 career points to rank 14th on the all-time list.
His decision making has come under scrutiny at times, particularly during the title game loss to Kentucky, but Taylor believes his history as a winner stands out.
"I think it's proven over my basketball career from the time I started playing that I'm a winner," he said. "I've been on winning teams and I've been big parts of every one of them. If you see me in a workout setting, you'll see how competitive I really am. I don't think any teams question my competitiveness at all."
