With less than six minutes remaining and his club trailing by seven points, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott replaced his most effective player with a rookie point guard searching for his rhythm and jump shot.

Without context the decision sounds indefensible, and it’s certainly one Miami’s Erik Spoelstra or Boston’s Doc Rivers won’t have to make anytime soon. But Scott’s objective is more complex, his balancing act more delicate than many of his peers this season.

The Cavaliers coach is simultaneously trying to win games and develop youngsters. Sometimes, those desires intersect to form peculiar moments like the one Monday night at The Q as Ramon Session, the game’s leading scorer, was subbed out for 19-year-old Kyrie Irving, who had hit 1-of-8 shots to that point.

It wasn’t an exhibition or a meaningless late-season game, but the opener in front of a sellout crowd. Scott said he’s sure some fans second-guessed the move in the Cavaliers’ 104-96 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

But it’s one the coach made after mulling it for more than two minutes.

“It’s a developmental thing right now,” Scott said. “I’ve got to get this young man (Irving) used to closing out games and I have to find out what he has, what he’s made of when the games are on the line in situations like that.”

In his 12th season as an NBA coach, Scott estimates it’s just the third or fourth time he’s replaced a hot hand – Session had 18 points and six assists – in favor of a player on the learning curve. It’s one thing for coaches to say they want to cultivate rookies. It’s another to do it with a game on the line a season removed from a league-record 26-game losing streak.

Of course, Irving isn’t some kid fresh from the NBA Development League. He’s the top pick in the June draft, and one of the Cavaliers’ future cornerstones. Irving finished the night with six points on 2-of-12 shooting, while adding seven assists.

“I can sit here and put two minutes on the clock (at practice) and say we’re down four,” Scott said. “It still doesn’t simulate what you are going to go through when the game is on the line and you’ve got 17,000 people in the stands as well. As many times as he can be put in that situation the better off he will be.”

How will it play with season-ticket holders or the veterans who hear the horn and see Irving or Tristan Thompson, 20, trotting onto the floor? Some wondered how Baron Davis would react to such a scenario. The injured point guard was waived two weeks ago and signed by the New York Knicks.

Sessions, who’s spent much of his four seasons as a reserve, said he understands what the Cavaliers are doing. He offered no objection Tuesday to Scott’s late-game decision.

“That’s what the Young Fella is here for,” Sessions said. “He started the game and he is going to finish it. The Young Fella is really talented. You guys have seen that. That’s his job.”

Almost immediately after entering the game with 5:28 left Irving launched a long jumper his coach termed a “rookie mistake.” Nevertheless, Scott liked that the point guard wanted the ball and wasn’t afraid of the moment.

Irving converted 1-of-4 shots down the stretch along with three assists, a turnover and a steal. After the game, he appreciated the coach’s show of faith and his teammates’ support. Session reminded him of his 7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and that 65 games remain.

Scott said once Irving gets accustomed to playing with the starters he and Sessions could see time in the same backcourt.

Irving wasn’t made available to the media Tuesday following a flurry of interviews the past few days. After patiently answering every question Monday night, he tweeted: “Learning process . . .”

His coach figures to give him many opportunities to learn on the court – sometimes at the expense of others.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Near the end of the Cavaliers’ 90-89 loss to the Detroit Pistons in the preseason finale Tuesday night at The Q, coach Byron Scott pulled backup center Ryan Hollins aside and let him have it.

Hollins fouled out of the game with 55.8 seconds left, sending Detroit’s Greg Monroe to the line for two free throws that pulled the Pistons within 87-86. After an active 11 minutes in the first half, Hollins had four fouls and three turnovers in the fourth quarter as his emotions seemed to get the better of him.

“When he picked up his sixth foul, I was yelling at him to relax,” Scott said. “I tried to tell him afterwards that he has to understand time and situations. You don’t want to stop the clock and give them two free throws and take yourself out of the game completely.

“So I was a little heated up about that. I think he understands, especially as a six-year veteran, you can’t make those types of mistakes. You’ve got to use your head a little bit more out there.”

With center Semih Erden still unable to play because of a broken right thumb, Hollins is battling Samardo Samuels for the backup center spot behind Anderson Varejao.

Scott said he had not made up his mind about that spot yet and joked that reporters might not know who the backup center is until Varejao comes out of the season opener against Toronto on Monday.

The rest of his rotation seems set, with starters Varejao, Antawn Jamison at power forward, Omri Casspi at small forward, Anthony Parker at shooting guard and, eventually, rookie Kyrie Irving at point guard.

The backups likely will be Samuels or rookie Tristan Thompson at power forward, Alonzo Gee at small forward, Daniel Gibson at shooting guard and Ramon Sessions at point guard.

The Cavs have until Saturday to cut their roster from 17 to 15. Rookie free agents Mychel Thompson and Kenny Hayes are the most likely candidates to go, but Manny Harris has yet to practice because of an ulcer on his right foot. As a nod to the shortened training camps and sped-up season, teams can dress 13 players per night this season as opposed to the usual 12 in past seasons.

But those final rotation spots likely will remain in flux until the season gets going.

So far, Hollins thinks he’s doing OK.

“I think I’m doing fine, right on pace,” he said. “There’s no way to really gauge what goes on. The season will come and we’ll be thrown into the fire.”

Luke Harangody made the most of the 56 seconds he played Tuesday. He grabbed a big defensive rebound and made two free throws down the stretch and could have won the game had he hit a wide-open 10 footer or gone to the hole as time expired.

“That’s a tough position. I think everybody on the bench, coaches included, were hoping and praying he would’ve made it [the winning shot] because it would’ve been such a great story for him just to come, in that type of situation, and be able to win the game. I put him in a tough situation, but I thought he did a wonderful job,” Scott said.

Erden remains a mystery to the Cavs. He has been hurt almost the entire time he has been in Cleveland since being obtained from Boston, along with Harangody at the trade deadline last season.

“There’s a big question mark with Semih,” Scott said. “I think he has tremendous potential, but we’ve not had the chance to see it when he’s healthy. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we’ll get the chance to see some of it.

“The injury part is a concern, yeah. He said it was bad luck when I first saw him that he keeps getting hurt. I said his luck has to change sooner or later. I’m thinking and hoping for his sake it does this year. Hopefully it’s the last injury he has for a while.

“He has to start drinking more milk. He needs to get those bones stronger.”

Irving improvement: Irving has done enough already to impress fans and teammates during the preseason.

“I really like his game,” Varejao said. “He’s a smart point guard. He’s sees things that other players don’t see.”

Irving had 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals against Detroit on Tuesday, and he has averaged 16 points in the two-game preseason. Although he has made just 9 of 26 shots (34.6 percent), Scott was pleased to see him cut down his turnovers from five in the first game to zero Tuesday.

“I thought he did a really good job,” Scott said Tuesday. “He got better from game one to game two and I just think he’ll keep improving. I’m really happy with the way he’s running the offense. The only thing that he has to improve is on the defensive end. I know he can defend a lot better.”

Irving said slowing down was the key to taking care of the ball.

“When I played at Detroit, there were a lot of jitters going in my first preseason game,” he said. “In this game, I changed up my pace. I just slowed the game down like I did at Duke. I had to make quicker decisions, which will be one of my biggest transitions to the NBA.”

The last word: From Varejao, on rookie Thompson, who is more energetic than effective at this point, “He reminds me of me.”

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mschmitt@plaind.com, 216-999-4668

On Twitter: @pdcavsinsider

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — For Anderson Varejao, it’s good to be back — in Cleveland, at the team’s practice facility, with a basketball in hand.

“I am so excited to be back and be playing again,” Varejao said Friday after working out with Cavaliers teammates Ramon Sessions, Luke Harangody, Samardo Samuels and Manny Harris.

Varejao, the Cavs’ popular power forward, declared himself 100 percent recovered from surgery on Feb. 12 to repair a torn tendon in his right foot. He suffered the injury during a running drill at practice Jan. 6, so he didn’t play basketball for 11 months.

Never before had he gone 11 months without playing.

“That was the first time,” he said.

After missing the final 47 games of last season, Varejao spent most of his time rehabilitating at home in Brazil over the summer. He was able to run and shoot, but he didn’t have any contact until returning to Cleveland about a month ago.

So nobody was happier to see the inside of the Cavs’ practice facility on Thursday than Varejao.

“It was good to be back there,” he said. “I feel like I’m at home when I’m there.

“I’m very excited. I’m really excited to see my friends and the fans. Everybody’s excited. I can’t wait for the season to start.”

Although NBA players were able to return to their team’s facilities this week, it will be another week until training camp officially starts — pending final agreement between players and management on the new collective bargaining agreement.

Varejao thinks most of his teammates will be back by Monday. He’s looking forward to that — and to getting to know rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson. He met them before the lockout, but he hasn’t been in touch since.

He closely followed the news of the lockout and always had faith there would be a season, which was why he tried to stay in shape in spite of the uncertainty. Now he’s eager to see what kind of condition he’s in.

He said his foot gets a little sore after a tough workout, but he wants to test it in practice.

“I need to go through a practice to see how I feel,” he said. “I won’t really know until I start running and doing drills.”

He envisions a much healthier and improved team from the one that went 19-63 last season.

“Without injuries, I believe we can do much better,” he said. “We’re going to try to get to the playoffs.”

Preseason schedule: The Cavs will host the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 20 in their only preseason game at The Q.

The Cavs also will host a free intrasquad scrimmage at The Q at 1 p.m. on Dec. 18. The Cavs will open the preseason with a game at Detroit on Dec. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

The preseason schedule, normally eight games, was shortened after the lockout caused the start of training camp to be pushed back to Dec. 9, and the start of the season to be pushed back to Dec. 25.

Ticket information for the preseason game and scrimmage will be announced next week. The full regular-season schedule will be announced Tuesday. It appears (unofficially) that the Cavs will open Dec. 26 against Toronto.

Christmas schedule: In what many Cavs fans will see as a gift, the Dallas Mavericks will hoist their 2011 NBA championship banner before their nationally televised game against the Miami Heat on Christmas Day. That game will be televised at 2:30 p.m. on WEWS Channel 5, followed by the Chicago Bulls at the Los Angeles Lakers. TNT will open the day with a game between Boston and New York at noon. ESPN will show Orlando at Oklahoma City at 8 p.m., followed by the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State.

Charge signings: The Canton Charge, the Cavs’ new D-League team, signed former Louisiana Tech guard Kyle Gibson and former Massachusetts forward Dante Milligan.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mschmitt@plaind.com, 216-999-4668

On Twitter: @pdcavsinsider

Scott Raab, the author of The Whore of Akron: One Man’s Search for the Soul of LeBron James and a writer for Esquire Magazine, joined Toucher & Rich to discuss stories involving Delonte West, the way the media covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and of course, LeBron James.

Raab covered the 2009-2010 Cavs team that included West, who moved on to play with the Celtics last season.

“Late that summer, he’d been arrested outside of D.C. strapped with three weapons including I think a shotgun and a guitar case. Just an awful series of events, a marriage that was falling apart and he was off his meds and it profoundly affected that team,” Raab said.

Several stories came out of Cleveland to try to make excuses as to why LeBron blew big games. Were they fabricated by people close to LeBron?

Raab also revealed that the Cavaliers partied the night before a 2010 playoff game and then fell to the Celtics in dramatic fashion.

Also, why does LeBron say it’s so easy to win when he never has?

Raab also discussed getting hate mail from LeBron’s die-hard fans and how LeBron has become one of the most hated athletes in sports.

Listen to the segment:

Toucher & Rich: Scott Raab On Delonte West & LeBron James

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