Posts Tagged ‘Donald Sloan’

PISTONS AT CAVALIERS, 7 P.M. ET

March 28, 2012  ·  6:22PM

TV: League Pass

  • Pistons shooting guard Ben Gordon (strained right groin) will miss the contest after being injured Monday at Washington, but shooting guard Rodney Stuckey (sore left big toe) is active and will start. Gordon was limited to six minutes in Detroit’s 79-77 win over the Wizards, but his loss wasn’t felt as it coincided with Stuckey’s return from a three-game absence — and saw the Eastern Washington product bury the game-winning basket with 0.2 seconds left.
  • After contending for a playoff berth throughout the first half of the season, the Cavaliers have lost four straight contests to slip to a season-low 13 games below .500. “It’s just a matter of being consistent in everything you do,” Cleveland shooting guard Anthony Parker said. “It’s easy to do the right thing one time, but it’s difficult to do it every time — and we’re struggling with that.”
  • Cavaliers shooting guard Manny Harris and point guard Donald Sloan — both recent signees from the NBA D-League — will see major minutes going forward after shooting guard Daniel Gibson (torn tendon in left ankle) was lost for the rest of the season. Gibson was hurt in New Jersey on March 19, but the extent of his injury was not diagnosed until Tuesday.
  • The Pistons’ starting lineup is center Greg Monroe, power forward Jason Maxiell, small forward Tayshaun Prince, point guard Brandon Knight, and Stuckey. Detroit is seeking back-to-back road victories for just the second time this season and is 5-20 away from The Palace of Auburn Hills.
  • Cleveland’s first five includes point guard Kyrie Irving, small forward Alonzo Gee, power forward Antawn Jamison, center Tristan Thompson, and Parker. The Cavaliers are riding a three-game home losing streak and are 9-15 at Quicken Loans Arena.
  • Cleveland coach Byron Scott turned 51 years old Wednesday, while Cavaliers power forward Luke Walton celebrated his 32nd birthday. “I guess it’s a pretty good day then,” Scott said, smiling.
  • The Cavaliers have won four straight games against the Pistons and are 11-2 in their last 13 meetings.

– Brian Dulik

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HAWKS AT CAVALIERS, 3 P.M. ET

March 18, 2012  ·  2:17PM

TV: League Pass

  • The Hawks are only dressing 10 players because of injuries to center Al Horford (left pectoral surgery), power forwards Marvin Williams (hip flexor) and Vladimir Radmanovic (back), shooting guard Willie Green (hamstring), and point guard Jannero Pargo (stomach virus). Center Jason Collins, who missed the previous 21 games with a sprained left elbow, will return to action. “I hope I can give Jason some minutes, but we’ll see how the game goes,” Atlanta coach Larry Drew said.
  • The Hawks’ starting lineup is point guard Jeff Teague, shooting guard Kirk Hinrich, small forward Joe Johnson, power forward Josh Smith, and center Zaza Pachulia. With the Hawks playing Monday against Boston, Drew said he will monitor Johnson’s court time as the 10-year veteran has battled left knee tendinitis of late. “I’ll certainly keep an eye on Joe because I know I can’t pile the minutes on him with the schedule we have coming up,” the coach said.
  • Cavaliers rookie Tristan Thompson will make his first NBA start, playing center, instead of his natural power forward spot. Ryan Hollins had gotten the nod in the previous seven games, but Cleveland coach Byron Scott said it was time “to get Tristan a good feel for the guys he’ll be going against like Zaza today.” Thompson — the No. 4 overall selection in the NBA Draft — is the second-leading rebounder (5.7) and third-leading shot blocker (1.11) among rookies.
  • The remainder of the Cavaliers’ first five is point guard Kyrie Irving, shooting guard Anthony Parker, small forward Alonzo Gee, and power forward Antawn Jamison. Scott said he plans on keeping that unit intact until center Anderson Varejao (right wrist fracture) is cleared to play. Varejao, who has been sidelined since Feb. 11, will be evaluated by the team’s medical staff this week. “Until Andy comes back, I’m going to start Tristan,” the coach said.
  • Cleveland point guard Donald Sloan, who was signed by the team Friday, appeared in five games with the Hawks earlier this season. Small forward Luke Walton — acquired Thursday in a trade with the Lakers — also is dressing for his first contest with the Cavaliers. Scott said he doesn’t plan on using either player against Atlanta, but added that Sloan is “farther along than Luke in terms of understanding our system.”
  • The Hawks lead the all-time series 107-93, but Cleveland holds a 59-43 edge at home. The Cavaliers have played more games against Atlanta than any other team since joining the NBA in 1970.

– Brian Dulik

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HORNETS AT CAVALIERS, 7 P.M. ET

February 22, 2012  ·  6:13PM

TV: League Pass

  • Cavaliers shooting guard Anthony Parker (lower back strain) is inactive for the 12th straight game, but might return to action immediately after the NBA All-Star break. “I don’t see any reason to have him play tonight — even if he could — with us having four days off after this game,” Cleveland coach Byron Scott said. Daniel “Boobie” Gibson will make his seventh start of the season in Parker’s spot, joining point guard Kyrie Irving, small forward Omri Casspi, power forward Antawn Jamison, and center Semih Erden in the lineup.
  • Hornets center Emeka Okafor (left knee soreness) and power forward Jason Smith (concussion) could be back on the court when the team resumes play Tuesday in Chicago, according to New Orleans coach Monty Williams. No timetable has been set for power forward Carl Landry (left knee sprain) and point guard Eric Gordon (right knee contusion) to return. “There is a chance Jason could be back then, and maybe Emeka, but Carl’s situation is a little bit different,” the coach said.
  • Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (right wrist fracture) continues to work out each day with his teammates, but is still 3-5 weeks away from being cleared for action. Varejao was having the best season of his career before he was injured against Milwaukee on Feb. 10, averaging 10.8 points and 11.5 rebounds while shooting .514 from the floor. “Andy is coming along and doing cardio every day,” Scott said. “Looking at the schedule, he could be back for our last 20-25 games.”
  • The Hornets will start center Chris Kaman, power forward Gustavo Ayon, small forward Trevor Ariza, shooting guard Marco Belinelli, and point guard Greivis Vasquez. Kaman is averaging 11.2 points and 7.3 rebounds on the season after being acquired from the Clippers in the Chris Paul trade. “Chris has been decent,” Williams said. “But defensively, that’s where he has to understand what we do.”
  • New Orleans guard Donald Sloan and forward Lance Thomas are on their second 10-day contracts with the team, while power forward Solomon Jones will have his first such pact expire Friday. “Unfortunately, we probably won’t keep all of them, but they’ve all given themselves a chance to come back or maybe come to training camp down the road,” Williams said.
  • New Orleans is completing a three-games-in-three-nights set after losing Monday at Oklahoma City (101-93) and Tuesday at Indiana (117-108 in overtime). “This is the ultimate test of how much you love the game,” Williams said. “It’s like I tell the guys, ‘You’re playing a game. It’s really cool to get to do this for a living. Always remember that.’”
  • The Cavaliers are seeking their first three-game winning streak since Nov. 5-9, 2010. They enter the evening 1 1/2 games behind Boston in the race for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

– Brian Dulik

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