Dec 31, 2001 12:22 PM EST
Cavaliers coach John Lucas expects forward Lamond Murray, who has missed
the past three games with a strained lower back, to return to the starting lineup Wednesday against Golden State. ``I would be really surprised if he doesn't play,'' said Lucas, who plans to return Ricky Davis to the bench. The Cavs yesterday lifted weights and did some light shooting. Murray stayed afterward to play some two-on-two games. His back hardly looked to bother him when he threw down a few dunks. Murray will have a full practice for the first time today since suffering the injury Dec. 22. ``I'll have to see how I do with contact, if I get hit in the back,'' he said. Murray said the back is still ``a little stiff,'' but he expects to play against the Warriors. Murray, from the San Francisco Bay area, has averaged 27 points in his past three games against Golden State.
BENCH BLUES -- Lucas is not pleased with the recent play of his bench. In Friday's 98-88 win over New York, the reserves were outscored 24-13. In Saturday's 103-83 loss at Chicago, the bench was outscored 49-23. In the first half, when the game was still in doubt, reserves were outscored 21-6. ``I'm very concerned,'' Lucas said. ``I need to get a steady rotation and a steady diet of knowing I'm going to get something every night.'' Murray's injury led to the bench being weakened in recent games, but Lucas doesn't want that to be used as an excuse. ``We have to come out with more energy,'' reserve point guard Bimbo Coles said.
SECOND-CITY STRUGGLES -- With Bill Cartwright coaching his first game, Lucas said it was a difficult time for the Cavs to face the Bulls. ``We walked into a lion's den,'' Lucas said. ``It was kind of a set-up. I'm sure they named (Cartwright) the day before a home game they thought they could win so they could get a bang out of it. Everybody cheered him when he walked into the arena.'' The win broke an eight-game losing streak for the Bulls, who still have the NBA's worst record at 5-23.
DIOP'S DOINGS -- Lucas said one of the few bright spots Saturday was the play of 7-foot rookie center DeSagana Diop. Playing 15 minutes, the same amount he played in his first four career games combined, Diop shot 2-of-4 for four points and had five rebounds. ``I like his length,'' Lucas said. ``He gave us a physical presence.'' With Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler playing for Chicago, it marked the first time that three rookies drafted straight from high school had appeared in the same NBA game.
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Dec 31, 2001 12:21 PM EST
When center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has played, the Cavaliers usually have won. When he has been injured, they usually have lost. Numbers have backed that up since Ilgauskas was drafted in 1996.
Then again, the stock market used to be a sure thing, and no longer is. Such is the case with Ilgauskas. He's back, but the Cavs (12-18) aren't winning.
Since the 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas returned Dec. 4 after missing the first 17 games to recover from off-season foot surgery, the Cavs are 6-7. Three of the wins have come over Chicago, Miami and Houston, which have the NBA's three worst records.
The Cavs' record with Ilgauskas still is better than the 6-11 that they were before he came back. But the Cavs had won four of the six games that they played before his return, which had created even more optimism.
``Yeah, I did,'' said guard and team captain Bimbo Coles, when asked if he thought the Cavs would have a better record so far with Ilgauskas. ``It's a learning process for us to play with Z. Everybody still has to understand how to play with Z.''
Playing with Ilgauskas traditionally has not been a problem. Before his latest return, the Cavs were 64-47 when he played and 115-169 when he was out with one of his many foot problems.
Cavs coach John Lucas, who vowed when Ilgauskas returned that he wouldn't be a ``savior,'' points out that many of those wins came when Ilgauskas had an in-shape Shawn Kemp playing alongside him. That's true. But Kemp wasn't around last season, and the Cavs still went 15-9 with Ilgauskas.
``That team had better veterans,'' Lucas said. ``That team had (Clarence Weatherspoon), (Chris) Gatling and Matt Harpring.''
That team also didn't have Ilgauskas playing limited minutes. Ilgauskas, before suffering a season-ending broken left foot, averaged 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.54 blocks and 25.7 minutes in 24 games. Ilgauskas this season is only allowed to play 24 minutes a game or 40 minutes in two games when the Cavs play on back-to-back nights.
Although Ilgauskas is averaging 18.4 minutes, he's actually putting up more points (12.2) and more blocked shots (1.69) per game than last season. His rebounding, though, is down to 4.5.
``I'm not going to win games by myself,'' Ilgauskas said. ``But I'm not myself. Not yet anyway. And I'm still getting used to playing limited minutes.''
So are his teammates. Lucas concedes that it hasn't helped that he has been inconsistent with how he has used Ilgauskas. First, he brought him off the bench for stints in the first and second half. Then he didn't play Dec. 22 in the first half against Indiana but came off the bench in the second half. Ilgauskas started last Wednesday against New Jersey, but he was out of minutes midway through the fourth quarter.
In the past two games, Lucas has brought Ilgauskas off the bench. That's how it figures to remain for a while.
``Until I get more minutes, I want to make sure that I don't lose him at the end of games,'' Lucas said.
Ilgauskas will be evaluated after he has played a month. Lucas is hopeful that top Cavs officials, who are taking no chances with Ilgauskas' health, will grant him a few extra minutes. But Lucas concedes that it's unlikely.
``Who's he going to ask, Santa?,'' said Ilgauskas, who said he feels good enough to play a bit more, but that it's ``out of my hands.''
With that in mind, Coles said the Cavs must take better advantage of the times that they have Ilgauskas. The Cavs have outscored foes 464-452 with Ilgauskas on the court and have been outscored 789-765 when he's on the bench.
``Right now, when he comes into the game, we're trying to force the issue a little bit,'' Coles said. ``Sometimes we pass up shots when we're open just to get the ball inside to Z. We've got to understand when to throw it in to him and when to take shots. Right now, it's still a learning process. We've got to play through it and keep plugging away.''
Lucas, who hopes to get 12-year veteran Tyrone Hill back next month from a back injury, said it also hasn't helped matters that he has been unable to ``put another veteran'' big man on the court at the same time as Ilgauskas. But leave it Ilgauskas to put matters in perspective.
``I'm sure (Lucas would) rather have me for 24 minutes a game than zero,'' Ilgauskas said.
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Dec 31, 2001 12:10 PM EST
No doubt there were hecklers on hand to razz James Naismith about the way he nailed up the first peach basket. It seems hecklers have always played a part in the game of basketball.
But the average heckler is that guy in the stands who uses opposing players and coaches as the punch lines to his jokes.
The average heckler does not have a seat on the bench and insider information to fuel his fiery lines. That's Cavaliers coach John Lucas, heckler extraordinaire.
"Since the first time I was on the court, I could hear Lucas over the crowd," said Houston guard Moochie Norris. "Lucas is like Gary Payton. His mouth is off the chain. I wasn't so surprised that he was talking junk because he's a funny guy, but I was surprised that he talked like that during games."
Talking is only part of Lucas' shtick.
When an opposing player goes to the free-throw line, watch for the "Lucas stomp" just before the player attempts his shot. Also, listen for Lucas to yell before a free throw is attempted. If an opponent has the ball near the Cavs' bench, this is a perfect time for Lucas to engage the player in a conversation or a time for Lucas to tap his feet on the court faster than a rock 'n' roll drummer.
Ask Lucas about his tactics and he'll give you that "Who, me?" look.
"Sometimes people give me more credit than I deserve for being a good heckler," said a smiling Lucas. "But I'm trying to win games. I'm trying to get a rise out of someone. I'll do anything to help a guy miss a free throw."
Forward Jumaine Jones wasn't sure what was going on during the Cavs' first preseason game. It was Jones' first time with the Cavs after a trade with Philadelphia during the summer. Lucas' antics caught him off guard.
"I thought it was so funny the way he talked to the guys on the other team," Jones said. "But he has a great relationship with so many players, so that allows him to talk noise and get away with it. He's the only one that can do it and get away with it."
Wes Person was also amazed the first time he experienced Lucas joking with opposing players. Now, it's something Person expects.
"Joking around is just 'Luc,' " Person said. "He's a fun guy to be around. He carries his same personality out on the court. His joking is all in fun. It gets him going when he can mess with someone. It makes you laugh and loosens you up a bit."
Norris said some of the players developed relationships with Lucas during the summer while working out in Houston.
"Lucas jokes around with us in the summer but I never thought he'd do it in games," Norris said. "He never says anything vulgar. It's things that make you laugh. He'll talk about my long socks, my Afro or he'll yell out to his team how to defend me. He's so much fun to be around.
"Lucas is one of those guys where it's hard for him to have any enemies."
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Cavaliers Dec 2001 Archive
-
| Dec 30, 2001
Chicago
- Maybe John Lucas was right.
-
| Dec 30, 2001
Dallas coach Don Nelson might not approve if an opponent sticks his head in during a pregame or halftime strategy session.
-
| Dec 30, 2001
Bill Cartwright has played for a No.
-
| Dec 29, 2001
CHRIS TOMASSON of the Akron Beacon-Journal reports: Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas once again is a candidate for the NBA's
Sixth Man Award.
-
| Dec 29, 2001
Music was blaring in the Cavaliers locker room.
-
| Dec 29, 2001
Tip-off: 8:30 tonight at United Center.
-
| Dec 29, 2001
Thank goodness John Lucas' postgame comments didn't indicate last night's final result.
-
| Dec 28, 2001
Fox Sports Net, WAKR-AM 1590
Knicks (13-15) Starters
No.
-
| Dec 28, 2001
Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson wanted to make a deal, and so did his Philadelphia counterpart, Billy King.
-
| Dec 28, 2001
Tip-off: 7:30 tonight at Gund Arena.
-
| Dec 28, 2001
If yesterday's practice was an indication of what's to come, then Tyrone Hill's return to the Cleveland Cavaliers is near.
-
| Dec 28, 2001
It was the day after the Cleveland Cavaliers finished with another one of those "moral victories" that drive coach John Lucas up a wall.
-
| Dec 27, 2001
Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who came off the bench his first 10 games
back after missing the first month recovering from foot surgery, returned to the starting lineup last night against New Jersey.
-
| Dec 27, 2001
You guess what's coming.
-
| Dec 27, 2001
The Cavaliers are becoming a fourth-quarter team, but that is not a compliment.
-
| Dec 27, 2001
Dan Issel resigned as Denver Nuggets coach yesterday.
-
| Dec 27, 2001
Ricky Davis shares the same view as his teammates when it comes to what the Cavaliers need to change at the start of their games.
-
| Dec 26, 2001
Bill Fitch spends part of his days coaching Abby, his border collie who does some amazing tricks.
-
| Dec 26, 2001
Ted Ginn heard the stories and then he had to see for himself.
-
| Dec 25, 2001
The two have yet to meet.
-
| Dec 24, 2001
Chris Tomasson of the Akron Beacon-Journal reports: John Lucas said yesterday that Zydrunas Ilgauskas soon will return as the team's starting center, possibly as early as Wednesday's game against New Jersey at Gund Arena.
-
| Dec 24, 2001
Offensive bursts by swingman Bryant Stith have resulted in two recent
dramatic comebacks by the Cavaliers that fell just short.
-
| Dec 23, 2001
Portland's Shawn Kemp is in the midst of changing the direction of his life and Cavs coach John Lucas is especially happy with the results.
-
| Dec 23, 2001
Some observers figured Michael Jordan acquired center Brendan Haywood last summer primarily because he went to North Carolina, Jordan's alma mater.
-
| Dec 23, 2001
Cavaliers coach John Lucas has gotten plenty of time this weekend on national
highlight shows.
-
| Dec 23, 2001
Jermaine O'Neal plays better against the Cavaliers than Shaquille O'Neal.
-
| Dec 23, 2001
Z plan for Z Cavs
Here's the plan for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, according to Cavs GM Jim Paxson:
The Cavs looked back at last season and noticed he was playing 34-36 minutes per game in the previous six games before he broke his foot -- again.
-
| Dec 22, 2001
Pick your poison.
-
| Dec 22, 2001
Radio
WAKR (1590-AM)
Pacers (15-13) Starters
No.
-
| Dec 22, 2001
When: 7:30 p.
-
| Dec 22, 2001
Miami - Tonight's game against Indiana marks the ninth time the Cavs will play on back-to-back nights this season.
-
| Dec 22, 2001
Miami
- John Lucas was so elated that his chest bump with Chris Mihm knocked Lucas flat on his bottom.
-
| Dec 21, 2001
When a player learns he has been traded to the Cavaliers, it often has not prompted high-fives and handstands.
-
| Dec 21, 2001
Cavaliers vs.
-
| Dec 21, 2001
Miami - Cavaliers guard Ricky Davis has heard so many taunts and so much lewd language directed his way that he can't wait until he receives the next verbal barrage.
-
| Dec 21, 2001
Tipoff: 7:30 p.
-
| Dec 20, 2001
http://www.
-
| Dec 20, 2001
Boston
- Cleveland Cavaliers guard Wes Person came into last night's game at the FleetCenter on a blaze.
-
| Dec 20, 2001
Boston
- The Cavaliers dug themselves in a hole so deep last night, that they didn't see the light until the final minute.
-
| Dec 19, 2001
Chicago forward Charles Oakley, a free agent after the season, said three
weeks ago that the Cavaliers are one of four teams he would consider joining for next season.
-
| Dec 19, 2001
There's no place like home for Charles Oakley, especially when the 17-year pro can play in front of friends and family at Gund Arena like he did last night.
-
| Dec 19, 2001
Cavaliers forward Brian Skinner had a pregame meeting with Coach John Lucas to discuss playing time.
-
| Dec 18, 2001
They didn't meet for milk shakes last night.
-
| Dec 18, 2001
Zydrunas Ilgauskas is the Cavaliers' $70.
-
| Dec 18, 2001
Tip-off: 7 tonight at Gund Arena.
-
| Dec 18, 2001
When DeSagana Diop, Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler get reacquainted today, they have every right to congratulate themselves.
-
| Dec 17, 2001
Chris Mihm was a highly touted center coming out of the University of Texas in 2000.
-
| Dec 17, 2001
It was cold and snowing 10 years ago tonight.
-
| Dec 17, 2001
It's gotten this bad for Chris Mihm.
-
| Dec 17, 2001
With 22 assists and nine steals Saturday against Philadelphia, Cavaliers
point guard Andre Miller had on paper one of the best performances in team history.
-
| Dec 16, 2001
Lamond Murray's old coach watches him with regularity on satellite television in his Texas home.
-
| Dec 16, 2001
Dan Issel plans to make a public apology to Denver's Latino community for racially offensive remarks directed at a heckler last week in Denver.
-
| Dec 16, 2001
Temptation Island is sup posedly reality television?
Try being John Lucas - with one eye on Zydrunas Ilgauskas' minutes and the other on games slipping away quicker than a cheating boyfriend.
-
| Dec 16, 2001
Andre Miller returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a fury last night behind season highs in assists (22) and steals (nine), and he topped it off with 14 points.
-
| Dec 15, 2001
It was easy for Cavaliers coach John Lucas to not play Andre Miller on Thursday.
-
| Dec 15, 2001
Chris Mihm is in the midst of his worst slump of the season and he's ready for a change.
-
| Dec 15, 2001
When: 7:30 p.
-
| Dec 14, 2001
In his best performance of an uneven season, Hardaway had 17 points and seven assists in a 102-82 bump-and-grind victory against Cleveland at the American Airlines Center.
-
| Dec 14, 2001
Chris Tomasson of the Akron Beacon-Journal reports: Cavaliers point guard Andre Miller, whose streak of playing in 185
consecutive games ended when he missed last night's game at Dallas after having dislocated his right shoulder, just might be able to play tomorrow against Philadelphia at Gund Arena.
-
| Dec 14, 2001
The Cavaliers' performance last night was lacking in hops.
-
| Dec 14, 2001
TV, radio
WUAB, Channel 43,
WAKR-AM 1590
Cavs (9-12) Starters
No.
-
| Dec 13, 2001
Marc Stein talks about Van Gundy's departure, how the East is still worse than the West, Lee Nailon and his contract with the Hornets, Dallas' problems at center, Dunleavy and the chance that he will become the next Knicks head coach, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
-
| Dec 13, 2001
The Cavaliers will do something tonight that they haven't done since Mike Fratello was head coach.
-
| Dec 13, 2001
- DeSagana Diop didn't have to look far when he faced the decision to attend college or submit his name into the 2001 NBA Draft.
-
| Dec 13, 2001
Tip-off: 8:30 tonight, American Airlines Arena.
-
| Dec 13, 2001
You have to give Andre Miller some credit, but this isn't the time for bravado and the Cleveland Cavaliers don't plan to take any chances.
-
| Dec 12, 2001
It looked very bad, as the Cavaliers were in the midst of blowing an 18-point lead and their star guard was being helped off the court with a separated shoulder.
-
| Dec 12, 2001
Cavaliers assistant coach Keith Smart tried to use every trick or advantage to help his players get NBA attention when he was a CBA head coach in Fort Wayne.
-
| Dec 12, 2001
Early in the season, Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich called Cavaliers
coach John Lucas, a former teammate of his on the Rockets.
-
| Dec 12, 2001
Though Mihm, 22, apparently has found a home with the Cavs and is thought highly of by John Lucas, who is in his first season as Cleveland's coach, being on the move is still a part of the Mihm lifestyle.
-
| Dec 12, 2001
Like pledges to a fraternity taking initiation swats -- thank you, sir; may I have another? -- they were blown out by the Cavaliers early, came back and then lost again, eventually falling 107-102 for their 11th consecutive defeat.
-
| Dec 11, 2001
It's a family affair at DeSagana's Diop home in Bratenahl.
-
| Dec 11, 2001
Tip-off: 8:30 tonight at Compaq Center, Houston.
-
| Dec 11, 2001
Houston
- Andre Miller broke out in a smile as he continued to wait for the punchline.
-
| Dec 11, 2001
Houston
- The Houston Rockets are in the midst of the longest current losing streak in the NBA at 10 games, but that's only a footnote to how much Moochie Norris has overcome in his career.
-
| Dec 11, 2001
John Lucas, the former president of the Westside Tennis Center and a former Rocket, fits the theme tonight as he returns to Compaq Center for the first time as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
-
| Dec 10, 2001
Cavaliers center Chris Mihm heads to his native Texas playing some of the
worst basketball of his two-year NBA career.
-
| Dec 10, 2001
Cavaliers coach John Lucas concedes that he historically has preferred an eight-man rotation.
-
| Dec 10, 2001
Speedy forward Ricky Davis figured to have problems with the return of Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
-
| Dec 10, 2001
The Cavaliers are on roll at home in Gund Arena, where they've won six of seven after opening the season with four losses by an average of 19.
-
| Dec 9, 2001
Sad is Michael Jordan being slowed by age.
-
| Dec 9, 2001
John Lucas took time out from his lovefest to lay a licking on his old team.
-
| Dec 8, 2001
The Cavaliers are getting healthier, which means they're getting deeper.
-
| Dec 8, 2001
Just call him point-a-minute Zydrunas.
-
| Dec 8, 2001
Even while going head-to-head with Larry Bird in the Eastern Conference playoffs and dropping 3-pointers from Lucas as a volunteer since the preseason.
-
| Dec 7, 2001
Chris Tomasson of the Akron Beacon-Journal reports: Cavs Head Coach John Lucas said yesterday he likely soon will discuss with Trajan Langdon, a shooting guard who has played sparingly this season, the possibility of trading him.
-
| Dec 7, 2001
Chris Tomasson of the Akron Beacon-Journal reports: The Cavaliers and Chuck Person, who arrived for training camp as a volunteer coach, finally have gotten the deal done.
-
| Dec 7, 2001
- The odd men out in the return of Zydrunas Ilgauskas are Trajan Langdon and rookies Jeff Trepagnier and DeSagana Diop.
-
| Dec 7, 2001
TV, radio
FOX Sports Net,
WAKR (1590-AM)
Cavs (7-11) Starters
No.
-
| Dec 7, 2001
These New Jersey Nets were prime time on TNT Wednesday night.
-
| Dec 7, 2001
The return of Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas this week has already made an on-court difference - look no further than the opposing shots suddenly being swatted in the opposite direction.
-
| Dec 6, 2001
Cavaliers coach John Lucas said he wants center Zydrunas Ilgauskas next season to have an ``MVP-type year.
-
| Dec 6, 2001
In recent years, guard Wesley Person often wasn't even in the game down the stretch.
-
| Dec 5, 2001
CHRIS TOMASSON of the Akron Beacon Journal reports: One game back.
-
| Dec 5, 2001
One of the reasons the Cavaliers drafted center DeSagana Diop in June
was because they couldn't be certain Zydrunas Ilgauskas would return from a foot injury.
-
| Dec 5, 2001
So far, Cavs point guard Andre Miller has had a season full of highlight-film material, but some team insiders say it can be even better - if Miller can be coaxed to watch more movies of his own.
-
| Dec 4, 2001
Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson and Coach John Lucas must have compared notes.
-
| Dec 4, 2001
Tip-off: 7 tonight at Gund Arena.
-
| Dec 4, 2001
With 7-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskas activated, the Cavaliers are looking at a future with two 7-footers in the lineup.
-
| Dec 4, 2001
Butch Davis and John Lucas are new around here, which explains, in part, why they've felt the need to plead for more fan support.
-
| Dec 4, 2001
Chris Tomasson of the Akron Beacon Journal reports: It was appropriate that Zydrunas Ilgauskas was putting up a Christmas tree at his Avon Lake home Sunday when he got a holiday gift.
-
| Dec 3, 2001
Cavaliers guard Bryant Stith, who tired Saturday while playing his first game in nearly a month, said his five minutes ``felt like 15.
-
| Dec 3, 2001
Jim Jackson's long wait finally has ended.
-
| Dec 3, 2001
Cavs guard Ricky Davis will never forget former teammate Bobby Phills of the Charlotte Hornets, who died almost two years ago in a car accident.
-
| Dec 3, 2001
Bill Walton is never one without an opinion.
-
| Dec 3, 2001
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: Jim Jackson, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard who has been off with his shot in recent seasons, became the latest 30-something to be added to Pat Riley's patchwork roster.
-
| Dec 2, 2001
It was suggested to guard Ricky Davis that he is the vice president of musical selection for the Cavaliers.
-
| Dec 2, 2001
Truth be told, the Cavs have been as bad as expected - yet slightly better than thought - so far this season, much to the frustration of first-year head coach John Lucas.
-
| Dec 2, 2001
The Cavaliers, who have set several negative records this season, nearly set a positive one last night.
-
| Dec 2, 2001
For the second straight weekend, the Charlotte Hornets have drawn a split in back-to-back games with Eastern Conference opponents after Friday’s 110-105 loss to Detroit.
-
| Dec 2, 2001
John Lucas stop short of praising the Cleveland Cavaliers, even after an impressive victory.
-
| Dec 1, 2001
Chris Tomasson of the Akron Beacon Journal reports: The Cavaliers have another sequel to My Left Foot.
-
| Dec 1, 2001
Coach John Lucas says he is toying with the idea of giving rookie first-round pick DeSagana Diop some time in tonight's game at Gund Arena against the Charlotte Hornets.
-
| Dec 1, 2001
It's old school vs.
-
| Dec 1, 2001
Tip-off: 7:30 tonight at Gund Arena.
-
| Dec 1, 2001
CHARLOTTE (7-8) AT CLEVELAND (5-11)
7:30 p.
|
