Cavaliers News: Sanders’ D-League Run Short-Lived, Irving Hurt In Love’s Return
In Cleveland Cavaliers news, Larry Sanders is back from the NBA D-League. The center rejoined the team Thursday in a 91-83 victory over the Utah Jazz. Another player that returned to the roster was Kevin Love. Unfortunately, the injury bug continues to ravage the team, and one of the latest victims is Kyrie Irving.
As reported by the Cavaliers’ website, Sanders was called up from the D-League. This was a little surprising since he did not play a single game for the Canton Charge. When the Cavaliers signed him, team general manager David Griffin and head coach Tyronn Lue said he would spend time with the D-League squad to get ready for his NBA comeback.
It is common for returning players to see action in the D-League first before they become part of the main roster. This was especially needed by Sanders, who last played full-time in the 2014-15 season with the Milwaukee Bucks. Following this, he walked away from basketball to address personal issues.
Sanders spoke about this topic in a video from Uninterrupted. Here, the 28-year-old former 15th overall pick (2010) expressed confidence regarding the continuation of his career.
“I feel confident. I feel that I can simultaneously handle basketball and my life.” — @l8show_thegoat pic.twitter.com/XEGE86BhQi
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) March 14, 2017
In the game versus the Jazz, Sanders failed to get playing time. He was healthy, but Lue opted to sit him out together with Cavaliers veterans Deron Williams and James Jones.
As of this moment, it is uncertain what Sanders’ role is with the Cavaliers. Looking at the roster, he is third on the depth chart at the No. 5 position behind Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye.
If minutes continue to be elusive for Sanders, there is a possibility that another D-League stint is coming his way. When this happens, the Cavaliers could let him stay there for the remainder of the regular season. Then, they are going to recall him when the playoffs begin.
Sanders already had a taste of the 2016-17 regular season last Tuesday. In a 128-96 drubbing of the Detroit Pistons, he entered during the closing moments.
Speaking of Thursday’s game, the Cavaliers welcomed back Love, who was out for a month due to a knee injury. In his first outing since February, he almost recorded a double-double despite having limitations when it comes to his time on the court. The 28-year-old had 10 points, scoring eight in the first period, and nine rebounds.
This is terrific Cavaliers news because when Love underwent surgery last February 14, he was expected to miss six weeks. The good thing was his recovery went well, and earlier this week, he was cleared for contact, which allowed him to participate in three-on-three workouts.
If there is good Cavaliers news, there is bad news too. It seems like injuries will give the champs a hard time having a complete unit as Irving and Iman Shumpert deal with health setbacks.
According to ESPN, Irving and Shumpert were both unable to finish the game facing the Jazz. Irving experienced left knee tightness, which kept him on the bench in the fourth quarter. The star playmaker for the Cavaliers had 21 points before resting early.
Shumpert, on the other hand, suffered a left shoulder sprain in the third quarter and went out immediately, never coming back. He recorded nine points in 22 minutes of action. Lue sounded optimistic when talking about the recent injuries to his backcourt players and said both are “fine.”
Cleveland Cavaliers news about Sanders, Love, Irving, and other players on the team will surely be headline news over the next few weeks. Anything related to the champions is going to be a hot topic with the postseason less than a month away.
[Featured Image by Tony Dejak/AP Images]
