Read More: George Hill (G – IND), Kyrie Irving (G – CLE), Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers, Dec 30, 2011 6:00 PM CST

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off of a convincing road win against the Detroit Pistons and have a chance to win another in Indiana on Friday night.

Behind strong shooting from inside the arc, the Cavaliers have a 47-45 lead after the first 24 minutes.

While the Cavs have a two-point advantage at the break, they are shooting just 57-percent from the line and 1-of-9 from long distance. The Pacers outscored the Cavs 8-5 in the final 2:50 of the first half, too.

The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, Kyrie Irving, leads all scorers with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting with two assists and two rebounds for the Cavaliers. George Hill is the leading scorer for the Pacers with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting off the bench.

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

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Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers were treated to a nice surprise on Wednesday, December 28. After last year’s abysmal 19-win and 63-loss performance, we got used to the fact that wins were hard to come by. We hoped for an improved squad this season but knew there would be some growing pains. A solid victory always helps.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons by the score of 105-89, Cleveland improves to 1-1 on the season while Detroit falls to 0-2.

Ramon Sessions was the top performer of the game for the Cavs scoring 16 points with seven rebounds and six assists coming off the bench. While he led the team in scoring he was only 4-11 from the field, which is still cause for some concern.

For the Pistons, rookie Brandon Knight led the team with 23 points on the night paired with a rebound and six assists. Unlike Sessions he was 10-13 from the field. Ben Gordon scored 25 points on the night but Knight gave a better overall performance in the Pistons’ losing effort.

Rookie Kyrie Irving had a much better night scoring 14 points with four rebounds and seven assists on the night. He was 5-9 from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. After his disappointing opening night performance against the Toronto Raptors, he had nowhere to go but up. I was happy to see him show much improvement in this game.

Tristan Thompson played well yet again adding 10 points, four rebounds, and an assist coming off the bench. While he has only played in two games in his young career, I have no complaints the Cavs picked Thompson as high as they did in the draft.

Already this season has a different feel to it. Fans realize the Cavs are young and rebuilding. Last year was a season filled with anger and hostility. This year is a season filled with promise. There is the promise that comes with knowing Dan Gilbert is dedicated to building a team the right way this time around and the promise that while the team will surely take its bumps and bruises this season, they will get better.

Cavs’ fans have something to look forward to again.

Next up for the Cavaliers are the Indiana Pacers on Friday, December 30.

More Cleveland Cavaliers Commentary from this Contributor:

Cleveland Cavaliers drop opener to Raptors 104-96, Irving struggles: A fan’s reaction

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Omri Casspi shines in his preseason debut: A fan’s reaction

Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving defeat Detroit Pistons 91-87: A fan’s reaction

Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers is better for business: A fan’s perspective

Cleveland Cavaliers use amnesty clause, waive Baron Davis: A fan’s reaction

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Cavaliers fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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By Scott Schroeder

– Newsdesk contributor

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Dec 26, 2011 – The Cleveland Cavaliers poor season last year secured the ability to draft Kyrie Irving with the top spot in the NBA Draft, but one can bet Dan Gilbert is expecting better results than a lottery pick this season. The road out of the cellar starts Monday evening for the Cavs as they host the Toronto Raptors.

Byron Scott’s team represents an interesting mix of young and old, but the latter gets the nod in the opening night’s starting lineup as Cavs.com currently projects Ramon Sessions, Anthony Parker, Omri Casspi, Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao will be the first players on the floor for the season-opener. It wouldn’t be surprising if the young guns, particularly Irving, sneak into the starting lineup at some point during the season.

The Raptors aren’t projected to be very good this year, but they’ll try to prove the critics wrong with a team set to showcase DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani around an underwhelming supporting cast. The Raptors finished last place in their division last year with a 22-60 record.

Monday night’s game will tip off at 7 p.m. with the television broadcast coming from Fox Sports Ohio. For more on the Cavs, be sure to check Fear The Sword.

Read More: Anthony Parker (G – CLE), Andrea Bargnani (C – TOR), Antawn Jamison (F – CLE), Anderson Varejao (C – CLE), Ramon Sessions (G – CLE), DeMar DeRozan (G – TOR), Omri Casspi (F – CLE), Byron Scott (H – NOH), Kyrie Irving (G – CLE), Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers, Dec 26, 2011 6:00 PM CST

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Dec 22, 2011 – The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be inserted into the starting lineup right away. The Cavs made an opening for the starting point guard when they released Baron Davis last week under the new amnesty clause.

Head coach Byron Scott told the media on Thursday that he’ll make a decision whether to start Irving or incumbent Ramon Sessionss sometime over the weekend, according to the Plain Dealer.

The Cavaliers coach said he won’t decide whether to start Irving or Ramon Sessions until the weekend and won’t make it public until Monday when the club opens its regular season at home against Toronto.

“The one good thing is I have two good point guards and that’s a plus. Right now it’s a toss up. I will use (next two days) to figure out where I am.”

Sessions started the Cavs two preseason games, but Irving is obviously being looked at the future.

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Dec 16, 2011 – The Cleveland Cavaliers will play their first game of the season on Friday night against the Detroit Pistons in a game scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. on NBA TV. Due to the NBA lockout, the only other preseason game the Cavs will play comes next week at home against the Pistons.

The preseason isn’t typically an indicator of too many things, but the one thing to keep an eye on is the point guard position. Cleveland selected Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, but reports indicate that veteran guard Ramon Sessions will start the game at the point

Fear The Sword’s Conrad Kaczmarek wrote that he’s going to trust the team’s best judgement when it comes to the Sessions vs. Irving battle.

Truthfully, I have no problem with whoever Scott chooses to start. If he believes that Irving will be better suited off the bench as he learns the PG position in the NBA, then that’s fine with me. Sessions played quite well last season and it may be wise for the Cavaliers to showcase him along with various other veterans (Jamison, Varejao) if they intend to bump up their trade value and get young assets in return. In the long run, however, I believe Irving will be the starter and I expect that to be sooner rather than later.

Maybe Friday night’s game will provide some clarity, but that’s rather doubtful at this early juncture in the season.

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When the Cleveland Cavaliers went 19-63 during the 2010-11 season after a 61-21 season the year before, it was hard not to vilify “he who shall not be named” at least a little while longer. The franchise had grown accustomed to winning, with the buzz of Cavaliers basketball echoing in every restaurant and sports bar in downtown Cleveland. Overnight, the excitement was gone.

Last season, the Cavaliers were the second worst franchise in the NBA. It is hard to believe after the horrific season they had, the Minnesota Timberwolves were actually worse with a record of 17-65.

Their luck started to change when they traded the widely popular Mo Williams(notes) and Jamario Moon(notes) to the Los Angeles Clippers for Baron Davis(notes) and what would become the No. 1 pick in the draft. That pick would in turn bring rookie PG Kyrie Irving(notes) to the Cavs.

Cleveland is now in an interesting position where they can keep Davis, utilizing his skill and experience on the court as well as his ability to mentor young Irving, or use their amnesty clause to waive him and remove the $28.7 million owed to Davis over the next two years.

Outspoken owner Dan Gilbert is not tight with his pocketbook so for once a decision will be made on what is best for the team from a more broad standpoint over what is best for the bottom line.

With their own No. 4 pick in the draft, the Cavs selected a defensive powerhouse in PF/SF Tristan Thompson(notes). Many fans were left scratching their head after the announcement was made, preferring the likes of C Jonas Valanciunas(notes) or SF/PF Jan Vesely(notes) to Thompson. I do, however, think he will surprise a lot of critics with his contributions to the team right from the start.

Will Irving and Thompson lead the Cleveland Cavaliers back to the playoffs this season? It is unlikely, but they will become the foundation for a rebuilt franchise that was once centered on a single player that often dictated his demands. The team has learned its lesson and will likely make better decisions moving forward.

It is a year of rebuilding for the Cavs, but Irving and Thompson will surely add excitement to this year’s squad.

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Cavaliers fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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Physical condition was one of the concerns once the players returned from the lockout, writes News-Herald reporter Bob Finnan.

One player the Cavaliers don’t have to worry about is small forward Omri Casspi, Finnan writes. He suffered a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee in August while training with the Israeli national team.

The 6-foot-9, 225-pounder had two MRIs performed on his knee. The second one about three weeks ago gave him a clean bill of health.

“It came out extremely well,” he said. “My knee was fully recovered. I’ve been working out for the last two months and am ready to go.”

The Cavaliers acquired Casspi from Sacramento along with a conditioning first-round pick in June in exchange for J.J. Hickson.

More Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers schedule (Cleveland.com).

More on the upcoming schedule (Ohio.com).

Tyrell Biggs relishes role with Canton Charge (CantonRep).

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Read More: nba lockout, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Bobcats, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers

The first two weeks of the 2011-2012 NBA Season have been cancelled after the league failed to reach an agreement with the Player’s Association on Monday night (Oct. 10, 2011).

As a result, the following games on the Boston Celtics schedule have been cancelled:

Nov. 2: Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics
Nov. 4: Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks
Nov. 5: Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers
Nov. 9: Charlotte Bobcats at Boston Celtics
Nov. 11: Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics
Nov. 12: Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers

Unfortunately the work stoppage may continue after the two-week period expires as no new developments have been reported and the two sides are currently far apart on most (if not all) of the major sticking points.

The NBA and the Player’s Association are expected to meet at some point next week, which leaves them little time to save the remainder of the season if by some miracle the wrinkles are ironed out in time to play ball.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Omri Casspi(notes) is now the answer to two NBA trivia questions: Who was the first Israeli to play in the NBA? And who was involved in the final trade before the 2011 lockout got underway?

Now Casspi may become the answer to another trivia question: What NBA player went to work for another in France during the lockout? ESPN reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers small forward (who spent his first two seasons in the league with the Sacramento Kings) is “giving strong consideration to signing with ASVEL in France’s top division,” which just happens to be the same team that San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker(notes) co-owns and serves as the vice president of basketball operations for.

It had been thought that Casspi would sign a deal with Maccabi Tel-Aviv, but the two sides agreed that a deal couldn’t be made, the site reports.

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Source: ESPN

Related: Tony Parker, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs

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Moondog greets children from the summer program with the Boys & Girls Club of Lorain County during a back to school celebration hosted by The Cleveland Cavaliers and Walgreens at the Elyria Community Center in Elyria, Ohio on Friday, August 19th, 2011.  About 300 children K – 6th grade in the summer Boys & Girls Club program received book bags and school supplies.

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Cleveland Cavaliers Director of Player Personnel Wes Wilcox has been named general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers new NBA Development League franchise in Canton, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.

“Having Wes in this role is another reflection of the synergy and connectivity that owning and operating our own D-League team in Canton provides. As Wes has been an integral member of our staff for the past eight years, it enhances the opportunity for us to extend our team and organizational culture further into the player development process. Wes has been intricately involved in the D League evolution over the last several years and the Canton franchise has already and will continue to, greatly benefit from his knowledge and experience.”

Wilcox will oversee all of the Canton team’s basketball operations elements, as well as all team personnel and activities. He will also continue in his role as the director of player personnel for the Cavaliers.

“I am extremely thankful for this unique opportunity to have a leadership role in building a special franchise in the city of Canton,” said Wilcox. “Our organization places a very high value on player development as part of our culture and we are committed to building a successful environment both on the court and in this community. I’m excited to be a part of that and we look forward to earning the support of our fans here.”

After serving as the New Orleans Hornets’ video coordinator during the 2002-03 NBA season, Wilcox joined the Cavaliers prior to the 2003-04 season as the Cavs’ advance game scout, a position he held for four seasons. He then served as the team’s college and pro personnel scout for three seasons. He was named director of player personnel in September 2010. He has also served as the Cavaliers’ liaison with their NBA Developmental League affiliates over the last four seasons.

Wilcox is a graduate of Cal-State Fullerton and native of La Habra, California.

InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner has said that the Cavs made the right move in acquiring the team.

On July 7th, 2011 the Cleveland Cavaliers announced they will own and operate the new NBA Development League (the NBA’s official minor league) franchise in Canton, Ohio. As owner/operators, the Cavaliers will have exclusive control over all basketball and business elements for the franchise, which will begin play in the 2011-12 season at the Canton Memorial Civic Center, which is approximately 60 miles south of Cleveland. The Cavaliers acquired the former New Mexico Thunderbirds franchise, which ceased operations, and are only the 5th NBA team to currently own and operate their own NBA D-League affiliate (Golden State, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City and San Antonio).

That’s all the news for today.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver (left) congratulates Nick Gilbert, 14, the son of Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, after it was announced that Cleveland won the 2011 NBA basketball draft lottery Tuesday in Secaucus. Nick Gilbert was the on-stage representative for the team during the drawing announcement. / ASSOCIATED PRESS

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