More from RealGM
 Cleveland Cavaliers WiretapCavaliers LinksNews Archive
NBA News
Cleaves signs 10-day contract with CavaliersCLEVELAND (AP) Mateen Cleaves signed a 10-day contract Monday with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who need help at point guard while Jeff McInnis is on the injured list. Cleaves, who helped Michigan State win the 2000 NCAA championship, participated in a shootaround with the Cavaliers in San Antonio. He was expected to be in uniform for Monday night's game against the Spurs. At 32-40 through Sunday, the Cavaliers were half a game behind the Boston Celtics in the race for the last playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. McInnis went on the injured list Saturday with a bruised right shoulder and can't return before April 6 against Toronto. Backup Kevin Ollie has struggled as a starter. Cleveland traded for Cleaves before last season, but the deal fell through because he had a foot injury. Cleaves later had a screw inserted into his left foot to prevent a stress fracture, and he was on the injured list for much of the season with Sacramento. Cleaves averaged 5.4 points and 2.7 assists as a rookie for Detroit, then spent most of the next two seasons on Sacramento's bench. He was released by Boston during training camp last summer and joined Huntsville of the National Basketball Development League, where he averaged 14.1 points, 5.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 47 games. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Cleaves ready to sign with CavsThe Cavaliers are expected to sign veteran point guard Mateen Cleaves to a 10-day contract today. Reports indicate Cleaves will meet the Cavaliers in San Antonio for tonight's game. Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson sent forward Jumaine Jones to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Cleaves on Sept. 10, 2002, but the former Michigan State star flunked his physical administered by Cavaliers team physician Dr. Richard Parker because of a foot problem. So, the trade was rescinded seven days later, which made things awkward for both players who had to return to their teams. With Jeff McInnis on the injured list with a bone bruise in his right shoulder, the Cavaliers felt they needed another point guard for the stretch run. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets What a night! James' 41 and 13 lift CavsCLEVELAND (AP) In a season of amazing achievement, LeBron James reached a new high. Put simply, he played his finest game when his team needed it the most. If the Cleveland Cavaliers go on to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1997, many will point to this performance as the reason why. Breaking out of a personal slump, James took over in the fourth quarter Saturday night and carried a team that had forgotten how to win, willing the Cavs past the New Jersey Nets 107-104. ``I had to turn it to another gear,'' James said after producing 41 points and 13 assists. How dominant was the rookie's performance against the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions? _He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, including the Cavaliers' final 10. _He either scored or assisted on all but eight of Cleveland's 32 points in the fourth quarter. _He scored six points in the final 39 seconds, snatching a victory after the Cavaliers trailed nearly the entire game. The win ended a four-game losing streak for Cleveland (32-40) and tied it with Boston for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, heading into the Celtics' game Sunday against the 76ers. ``To win a big game like this, after being down all game long ... has to do a lot for our confidence,'' Cavaliers coach Paul Silas said. He thought it clearly was James' best game _ and Silas wasn't the only one. ``I don't think 'surprised' is the word. We stay impressed with him,'' said Cavaliers forward Carlos Boozer, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds. ``We all, as basketball fans, admire what he is doing.'' The game marked several achievements for James: _He set career highs in points and assists, topping previous personal bests of 38 points and 10 assists. _He had the most points by a rookie since Jason Richardson scored 40 on April 16, 2002. _He scored the most points by a Cavaliers rookie, topping Ron Harper's 40 points on Feb. 4, 1987. _At 19 years, 87 days old, he became the youngest player to score 40 or more points in an NBA game. Clifford Robinson had 45 points for Detroit on March 9, 1980, four days before he turned 20, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. James had been struggling along with the rest of the Cavaliers after point guard Jeff McInnis went down with a bruised shoulder bone, shooting 32 percent in four straight losses. ``We were searching for offense on the four-game losing streak, and I know I was not picking it up,'' James said. He scored just two points in the first quarter Saturday, shooting 1-for-4 and looked like he could be in for a long night. But then James seemed to take it upon himself to turn the Cavaliers' fortunes around. Making drive after drive, he would split defenders and occasionally take hard fouls. James picked himself up off the court more than once and made all 10 free throws. His last 10 points came on a 19-foot jumper with 1:49 left, two free throws at the 1:23 mark and three straight drives in the final 39 seconds. He slammed the final basket in with two hands. ``He really took it to the hoop, made big shots, steals,'' Silas said. ``Whatever was needed, he provided for us.'' With McInnis on the injured list, James looks like the Cavaliers' best option at point guard down the stretch. The decision to move James over from shooting guard could be easier for Silas with the re-emergence of Kedrick Brown, who shot 5-for-5 for 12 points in a reserve role Saturday. Kevin Ollie started in place of McInnis on Saturday, but he had four turnovers in 14 minutes, leaving James to handle most of the point guard duties. ``I really felt comfortable,'' James said, ``and I was able to take their guys off the dribble and create for myself and my team.'' Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Cavaliers Mar 2004 Archive
|
