Cavaliers news, features and notes
- 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
- Otto Porter, Cleveland Cavaliers won't meet during combine
- NBA Draft filled with mystery prospects; Otto Porter of Georgetown could be Cavs target
- Cavs notebook: Waiters, Zeller named to All-Rookie teams
- Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters named to All-Rookie first team; Tyler Zeller named to second team
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Pregame: Cavs at Timberwolves
Cleveland Cavaliers (3-3) at Minnesota Timberwolves (2-4)
Time: 8 p.m.; Venue: Target Center; TV/Radio: FS Ohio/WTAM, WAKR, WHBC
Cavs probables: PG Kyrie Irving (14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.3 apg), SG Anthony Parker (7.7, 1.8, 1.8); SF Omri Casspi (6.2, 2.8, 1.8), PF Antawn Jamison (17.2, 5.0, 0.8), C Anderson Varejao (8.7, 9.8, 1.0)
Timberwolves probables: PG Luke Ridnour (11.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 3.7 apg), SG Wesley Johnson (5.8, 2.2, 1.0), SF Michael Beasley (13.5, 6.2, 1.2), PF Kevin Love (25.7, 15.0, 2.0), C Darko Milicic (6.7, 5.7, 0.3)
Officials: Mike Callahan, Rodney Mott, Tommy Nunez Jr.
Injury report: Cavs -- Semih Erden (thumb) out; Timberwolves -- Jose Barea (hamstring) questionable, Malcolm Lee (knee) out, Brad Miller (knee) out, Nikola Pekovic (groin) questionable, Martell Webster (back) out.
Notes
* Samardo Samuels is back with the team after passport/visa issues prohibited him from making the trip to Canada. Samuels said he had to keep moving around during the lockout to find places to play and he got tired of packing and moving, so he kept giving his stuff away. "It probably got lost in that transition," Samuels said. "Every time I moved, I tried to lessen my luggage by giving away stuff. I probably stuck it it one of my shoes that I gave away."
* Cavs coach Byron Scott said Samuels' incident had nothing to do with basketball, therefore he wouldn't be further punished.
* Scott called the Timberwolves' Ricky Rubio a throwback point guard who thinks pass 90 percent of the time and shoots 10 percent of the time. But don't expect that trend to resurface across the league. Scott said guards these days like to score too much.
* Speaking of point guards, Scott likes the leadership Kyrie Irving is beginning to exert and wants it to continue. He said Irving likely still feels intimidated at times telling veterans like Anthony Parker, Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao where to go on the court, but Irving didn't have any problem hollering at Omri Casspi Wednesday in Toronto. Casspi was on the wrong side of the floor and Irving directed him the other way. "Omri is 23 and basically a rookie here as well," Scott said. "He doesn't have any problem saying 'Omri you need to get here.' I think he'd have a little bit more of a problem with guys like (Anthony Parker)."
* Irving and fellow rookie Tristan Thompson haven't played together yet this season, but Scott said that isn't intentionally trying to separate the rookies. It's just the way it has worked out with the success of the first and second units. "If there's a point in time where I'm not getting everything I need out of the second unit or the first unit, I'll start mixing and matching," Scott said. "But right now, both units are playing pretty well together. We're having success with the rotations right now, so I don't see anything changing in the near future."
