ATLANTA: Daniel Gibson is thrilled to be moving his way up the line in Cavaliers’ 3-point shooting history. But in order to reach the top, he’s going to need a lot more time.
“That’s going to take another contract with more years,” Gibson said with a chuckle Friday. “But I’m game. I would love to be here for my entire time and then see where I finish up.”
Despite battling a sore right elbow, Gibson entered the game Friday against the Hawks fourth on the Cavs’ all-time 3-point list with 544. He’s only six shy of Wes Person for third place, but then he’s going to need a few years to crack the top two. LeBron James is second in Cavs history with 771 3-pointers, and Mark Price remains the all-time leader with 802.
“It means a lot because the whole time has been in Cleveland,” Gibson said. “I just feel like I’m becoming part of the Cleveland history, and to me, that’s what it’s all about. It’s that longevity and being with that one team and building something there. I appreciate that.”
Now in his seventh season, Gibson is in the final year of his contract. He is making about $4.8 million this season and there certainly seems to at least be an avenue for a return — Cavs coach Byron Scott has long considered Gibson one of his best perimeter defenders and he’s usually one of the most consistent 3-point shooters on the team. Not to mention, the Cavs only have six players under guaranteed contracts for next season.
“I’d love to be here for my entire career,” he said. “I love it here. I’m a loyal guy, I’ve always been a loyal guy. If you’re going to smile when it’s going good, you’ve got to be able to go through it when it’s going bad. It means more to you if you’re able to go through the bad and get back to the good. That’ll be the most exciting part of it all. I definitely want to see it all the way through.”
Kevin Jones staying put
Although the Cavs re-signed Kevin Jones on Thursday, the team has opted to leave him in the Development League for now. The Cavaliers controlled only his D-League rights through their affiliate, the Canton Charge, which is why they needed to add him to their 15-man roster or risk losing him to another team.
In order to clear space for Jones, the Cavs released Luke Harangody, who is expected to miss about another month after knee surgery. The Cavs are on the hook for the balance of Harangody’s $1 million contract this season.
Scott said Jones would likely be recalled by the Cavs sooner rather than later, but expectations for him should be modest. Scott isn’t going to play him right away, because the Cavs view him similar to how they viewed Alonzo Gee two years ago. The hope is Jones can develop the way Gee has blossomed in this, his third season with the team.
“He has a bunch of guys ahead of him right now,” Scott said. “He understands the situation. This is an opportunity for him to come up here and learn, be in our system, play in the summer league and then next year we’ll see how he develops and go from there.”
Jones was sensational in the D-League, averaging 27 points and 13.7 rebounds in his first three games.
Spurs’ fines stun Scott
Scott was shocked upon hearing Commissioner David Stern had fined the San Antonio Spurs $250,000 for sending their stars home before their game Thursday against the Miami Heat, but he doesn’t believe it will really impact how teams do business in the future.
“I don’t know if it’s going to get to that point where you say, ‘We have to check with the league,’ ” Scott said. “I think most coaches are going to do what they feel is best for their players and their team.”
Scott was involved in a similar incident in the 1980s, when then-coach Pat Riley sent home a number of Los Angeles Lakers before the final game of the season. Scott was already home resting an injury, but the league fined the Lakers for sending players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar home early.
It didn’t really affect them — the Lakers still reached the NBA Finals.
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ. Follow ABJ sports on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
