Tag: Darius Garland

Darius Garland had a priceless reaction to Caris LeVert’s stellar layup during Magic – Cavaliers

This reaction from Darius Garland was priceless.

During the Eastern Conference first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a fantastic sequence for two points against the visiting Orlando Magic.

On the basket, Cavs guard Darius Garland made a beautiful pass to fellow guard Caris LeVert, who made a falling layup despite tough defense from Magic forward Paolo Banchero and drew a foul in the process.

As Garland went up to LeVert to congratulate him on the play, he made the funniest gesture to express his disbelief in what his teammate pulled off.

Garland’s bewildered celebration really was just as enjoyable to watch as LeVert’s stellar play.

We’ll see how far the four-seed Cavaliers can make it in this year’s Eastern Conference gauntlet, but plays and celebrations like this from LeVert and Garland will keep the team incredibly entertaining for as long as they’re playing.

At the least, this is such a fun highlight so early in this year’s playoffs.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Darius Garland listed as San Antonio Spurs offseason trade target

Darius Garland was suggested as a San Antonio Spurs trade target for this offseason.

Building out their roster around Victor Wembanyama is the top priority for the San Antonio Spurs this summer. Wembanyama showed capable of leading a successful team in his rookie season, but if the Spurs want to make the playoffs with him at the helm, they need to get guys who can complement him on the court. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggested Darius Garland as a potential trade target.

“Darius Garland is my own preference as Option No. 1,” Buckley wrote. “He’s the more ambitious target, since the Cleveland Cavaliers, unlike the Atlanta Hawks, have not reached Defcon Break Up The Backcourt. But they could get there. This isn’t purely about the Cavs’ postseason fate. If Donovan Mitchell plans to re-sign, they may decide they’re better off not shelling out $80-plus million annually to a pair of smaller guards.

“The Spurs don’t quite have the personnel to ship them a wing of the future unless Devin Vassell is involved (which he shouldn’t be). But they have Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, all their own picks, extra firsts from Atlanta, Chicago and Toronto, a fake-ish first from Charlotte and second-rounders galore. If some combination of these assets doesn’t pique Cleveland’s interest, they collectively have the curb appeal required to rope in a third-party facilitator with #ThePlayer who does. So, yeah, the Spurs should target the talented 24-year-old with four years left on what ESPN’s Brian Windhorst aptly calls the “Fun Max” first and then adjust their expectations later—if even necessary.”

Adding Garland to the roster would be huge for Wembanyama and the Spurs.

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14 most surprising omissions (Tyrese Maxey!) from the 2024 USA Basketball men’s player pool

Unless these players denied invitations, these are some very shocking decisions by Team USA.

USA Basketball announced a 41-athlete player pool as candidates for the Paris Olympics roster. Eventually, 12 players will make the final cut.

Among the 12 names that we initially projected to make the roster after the 2023 FIBA World Cup, 11 appeared on the first list. Those players were LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Edwards and Mikal Bridges.

A few notable All-Stars to also earn invitations include Chris Paul, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, Trae Young, Jrue Holiday, De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Brandon Ingram, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jarrett Allen.

The other players were Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Brunson, Alex Caruso, Aaron Gordon, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Chet Holmgren, Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson and Derrick White.

Two players who we did not include in our surprising omissions were Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant. While both of these players may have helped the team on the court, they have faced off-court issues that made invitations unlikely — plus Morant is currently injured.

Otherwise, these were the most surprising omissions from the list:

Report: Bulls tried trading Zach LaVine for Darius Garland

According to a recent report, the Chicago Bulls tried to trade Zach LaVine to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland.

Though they’ve been winning more as of late, the Chicago Bulls are still looking to make changes this season. Recent reports indicated their desire to find a trade for Zach LaVine, noting that it’s been their main focus. LaVine is currently injured, and since he went down, the team has actually performed better.

Those two facts may not be completely related, but the point stands: Chicago is looking to move LaVine. The 28-year-old star has three more years on his current contract, including a player option in the final season worth roughly $48.9 million. The Bulls have been active in trying to deal him.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Bulls have been seeking a haul. They even attempted to trade him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland.

“The Bulls are still searching for the type of haul that a multi-time All-Star typically draws, which LaVine certainly is based on rĂ©sumĂ©: an established starter, plus a young player with upside and then first-round draft capital, according to league sources,” Fischer wrote. “Chicago has also attempted swapping LaVine for other All-Star players, such as pitching Cleveland on the concept of acquiring Darius Garland from the Cavaliers, sources said.”

Garland, a 23-year-old one-time All-Star, could help give the Bulls a new-look core moving forward. That said, it seems unlikely the Cavaliers would be interested in such a deal.

In addition, it was recently reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic that Garland will undergo surgery to fix a broken jaw that occurred in the Cavaliers’ December 14 contest against the Boston Celtics. He is slated to miss several weeks of action.

As the Bulls continue to search for a trade for LaVine, their asking price has remained the same: Sky-high.

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Jarrett Allen: We see the seeds being planted, so we’re gonna have something special here

As vital as Donovan Mitchell is for the Cavaliers’ success, Jarrett Allen is almost as crucial for the team. Now in his seventh year, the Texas native is hoping to help anchor the Cavaliers frontline to make a deep playoff run. After hosting 25 …

As vital as Donovan Mitchell is for the Cavaliers’ success, Jarrett Allen is almost as crucial for the team. Now in his seventh year, the Texas native is hoping to help anchor the Cavaliers frontline to make a deep playoff run.

After hosting 25 students at a recent home game, the 2022 All-Star talked with HoopsHype about his recent injury, the foundation of his team, his Thanksgiving event, and more.

Bryce Young gives NBA comparisons for himself, C.J. Stroud

Panthers QB Bryce Young revealed his NBA comparisons for himself and for Texans QB C.J. Stroud.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has gotten comparisons to Golden State Warriors guard (and Carolina Panthers fan) Steph Curry, even before he was a Carolina Panthers quarterback. But he may not necessarily agree with that evaluation, at least when it comes to actually playing basketball.

Young spoke with reporters this afternoon, just a few days ahead of meeting the Houston Texans and fellow rookie passer C.J. Stroud for their Week 8 showdown. The longtime friendship of the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks was, of course, a topic of discussion during the presser—which even ventured into the hardwood.

“He can hoop,” he said of Stroud’s basketball skills. “We have different games. I’m more of a point. He’s a shooter. He can shoot. He got a strap. He’s a shooter-off-the-catch type of player. I’m more on-the-ball. He can hoop, for sure.”

So, if he can hoop, who does he hoop like? Darin Gantt of Panthers.com tried to get to the bottom of it, asking Young about his NBA comparisons for himself and for Stroud.

“I’d like to say my comparison, is probably like a Darius Garland,” he replied. “And then C.J. . . . that’s a good question. Um, that’s a good question. Honestly, I’d say like a, low key like a Michael Porter Jr. Like, he can hit contested shots, like, not see contests. Just gonna let it go and it’ll go in. See, y’all start askin’ me basketball questions, that’s when I start gettin’ excited.”

Comparisons to an All-Star point guard and a reigning NBA champion? Yeah, we’d say he’s pretty excited.

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Ranking the NBA’s 10 best star trios (now including Dame, Giannis and Middleton)

Can anyone compete with the defending champs?

You need a lot of star power on your roster in order to win a championship in the NBA and several teams just added significant talent.

As the offseason ended, the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard while the Celtics added Jrue Holiday. Earlier this offseason, meanwhile, the Suns added Bradley Beal to a lineup that already had Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. But how do these revamped contenders stack up with the league’s top three-man lineups?

Many publications have ranked the best duos in the NBA — which you can read here, here, here or here. But we wanted to look at the best star trios in the league right now. Here is what we concluded:

Note: Net rating is how many points per 100 possession each team has outscored opponents when these three players are on the court at the same time.

Hornets’ Brandon Miller recently linked up with Darius Garland in the gym

Miller has had a productive offseason since joining the Hornets and recently hit the gym with Cavaliers guard Darius Garland.

Brandon Miller has had a productive offseason since joining the Charlotte Hornets, and the No. 2 pick was recently spotted in the gym with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland.

Miller debuted with the Hornets in summer league and averaged 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals in five appearances in Sacramento and Las Vegas. He scored in double figures four times, including a summer league-high 26 points on July 11.

The 20-year-old linked up with the former Cavaliers All-Star at Vanderbilt University and was pictured going through various drills with trainer Jamal Richardson. The group previously worked together throughout the summer in various locations.

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Miller established himself as the No. 2 pick after averaging 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 38.4% shooting from 3-point range at Alabama. He was a consensus second-team All-American and was also the SEC Player of the Year.

He is among the favorites to win Rookie of the Year and has the fourth-best odds. He is projected to see plenty of minutes this season with the Hornets and should emerge as one of the most productive rookies in the class.

Certainly, hitting the gym with an established player like Garland should only further ensure Miller is ready to hit the court running when the Hornets open the season on Oct. 25.

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Projected starting lineup for the Cavaliers with Max Strus after sign-and-trade with Heat

Max Strus has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Max Strus has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $63 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers after a sign-and-trade with the Heat, per ESPN.

Miami landed Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and two second-round picks in the three-team deal that involved the Spurs.

Strus is a 6-foot-5, 27-year-old wing who was an essential piece for the Miami Heat during their run to win the Eastern Conference in 2022-23. He started all 23 games that Miami played during the postseason.

The former undrafted free agent is a very smart pickup because Cleveland connected on the third-fewest 3-pointers per game (10.0) among all teams in the postseason, via NBA.com. Only four players in the league attempted more 3-pointers than Strus (135) during the playoffs.

Here is what the rotation will likely look like for Cleveland with Strus in the mix:

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Mock trade has Brooklyn Nets trading Cam Johnson for Darius Garland

A mock trade has the Brooklyn Nets trading Cam Johnson and others for Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland. Courtesy of James Piercey of the NBA Analysis Network.

The Brooklyn Nets have a lot to consider this offseason as they have to decide how they want to move forward as a franchise. The 2022-23 season was a rollercoaster ride for the organization as they started the season with championship expectations, but ended it getting swept in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Along the way, Brooklyn traded superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for various reasons and once the February trade deadline came and went, the Nets were a completely different team. After trading Durant and Irving, Brooklyn lost some viability as a title contender, but they also gained some much-need draft capital and young players to possibly build around.

At this point, whether Brooklyn wants to contend for a title or rebuild, they have to consider what players should be on the team. According to James Piercey of the NBA Analysis Network, if the Nets are looking to acquire star-level players, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland would be an option: