Posts Tagged ‘Ramon Sessions’

BULLS AT CAVALIERS, 7:30 P.M. ET

March 2, 2012  ·  6:51PM

TV: League Pass

  • Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (illness) will not play. The No. 1 overall draft pick warmed up with his teammates upon arriving at Quicken Loans Arena, but was ruled out of the game after meeting with the team’s medical staff an hour before tipoff. “Kyrie has got some type of bug he caught in Orlando (during NBA All-Star weekend), and it finally caught up with him,” Cleveland coach Byron Scott explained.
  • With Irving sidelined, Ramon Sessions will run the point for the Cavaliers with shooting guard Daniel “Boobie” Gibson backing him up. Sessions is averaging 18.3 points and 12.3 assists in three starts this season. Also worth noting: When Sessions starts, power forward Antawn Jamison is averaging 27.0 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting .582 from the field.
  • Joining Sessions and Jamison in Cleveland’s lineup are center Semih Erden, small forward Omri Casspi, and shooting guard Anthony Parker. The Cavaliers’ inactives are center Anderson Varejao (right wrist fracture) and swingman Christian Eyenga (right little toe laceration). Officially, Irving is on their 13-man active roster, but he is not in uniform.
  • Bulls shooting guard Richard Hamilton (right thigh strain) will start in the backcourt alongside reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose. Hamilton, who missed 13 games with the injury from Jan. 27-Feb. 22, is averaging 3.5 points and 2.5 assists in two contests since returning. The remainder of Chicago’s first five includes center Joakim Noah, power forward Carlos Boozer, and small forward Luol Deng.
  • Rose sat out the Bulls’ last game in Cleveland with a left toe sprain, but Chicago still managed to hand the Cavaliers their worst-ever home loss — 114-75 on Jan. 20. “We addressed it (with the team),” Scott said. “We got our (expletive) kicked, and tonight, hopefully we come back ready to play. It’s time to man up.”
  • The Bulls have won four games in a row and are 6-1 in their last seven contests, while Cleveland has lost three straight to fall 3 1/2 games behind New York in the race for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

– Brian Dulik

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PACERS AT CAVALIERS, 7:30 P.M. ET

February 15, 2012  ·  6:52PM

TV: League Pass

  • Pacers small forward Danny Granger (left ankle sprain) will not play after being hurt Tuesday in a 105-90 home loss to Miami. “Our trainers were not optimistic, but he wanted to go to go out and give it a shot (during pregame warmups),” Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. Veteran Dahntay Jones makes his second start of the season in Granger’s spot. Vogel also said that power forward Tyler Hansbrough (strep throat) is active.
  • Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (concussion) returns to action after missing three games. The No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft was injured on Feb. 7 in Miami when he was accidentally kneed in the head by Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade. Cleveland coach Byron Scott said he plans on limiting the rookie to 30-34 minutes, but added, “There are no restrictions on Kyrie. He’s a full-go now that he’s back.”
  • With Irving medically cleared to play, point guard Ramon Sessions returns to backup duties for the Cavaliers. Sessions averaged 18.3 points and 12.3 assists over the last three contests, leading Cleveland to a 1-2 record while boosting his potential trade value. “Ramon has been fantastic,” Scott said. “His experience definitely helps in situations like this when we call on him.”
  • Indiana center Jeff Foster (sore lower back) and point guard George Hill (left ankle chip fracture) are out, as are Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (right wrist fracture) and shooting guard Anthony Parker (lower back strain). Center Semih Erden and shooting guard Daniel Gibson continue to fill in for the latter duo in Cleveland’s starting lineup.
  • The Pacers have lost four straight – dropping them into sixth place in the Eastern Conference – and are in the middle of a three-games-in-three-days stretch. “The schedule gives you gifts, and the schedule screws you sometimes,” Vogel quipped.

– Brian Dulik

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BUCKS AT CAVALIERS, 7:30 P.M. ET

February 10, 2012  ·  6:49PM

TV: League Pass

  • Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (concussion) will not play tonight against Milwaukee or Saturday against Philadelphia, but remains listed as “day-to-day.” The No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft was injured Tuesday in Miami when he was inadvertently kneed in the head by Heat guard Dwyane Wade. Former Bucks point guard Ramon Sessions makes his second straight start in Irving’s place. “Obviously, they’re a very different team without Irving, but Ramon will do a nice job,” Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said.
  • Also out for Cleveland is shooting guard Anthony Parker (lower back strain), who last played on Jan. 29 at Boston, but power forward Tristan Thompson will return to action after missing four games with a sprained left ankle. Daniel Gibson makes his third start of the season at shooting guard. Center Anderson Varejao, power forward Antawn Jamison, and small forward Omri Casspi round out the Cavaliers’ first five.
  • Skiles downplayed comments made by Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings, who said he was “doing my homework on big market teams,” but later tweeted, “Just because I said I’m keeping my options open don’t mean I’m leaving Milwaukee.” Jennings cannot become an unrestricted free agent until 2014. “It’s premature because Brandon is still in his rookie deal,” Skiles said. “He’s still got to become a restricted free agent (in 2013) before any of that comes into play.”
  • The Bucks will start center Drew Gooden, power forward Luc Mbah a Moute, small forward Carlos Delfino, shooting guard Shaun Livingston, and Jennings. Out for Milwaukee are center Andrew Bogut (left ankle fracture) and power forward Larry Sanders (illness), but power forward Ersan Ilyasova (back spasms) returns to action after sitting out one game.
  • For additional depth, the Cavaliers signed NBA D-League point guard Ben Uzoh to a 10-day contract. Uzoh was averaging 16.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The 6-foot-3 Tulsa product spent the 2010-2011 NBA season with the New Jersey Nets.
  • The Bucks are holding down the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, one-half game ahead of the Knicks and Cavaliers.

– Brian Dulik

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RAPTORS AT CAVALIERS, 7 P.M. ET

December 26, 2011  ·  6:03PM

TV: League Pass

  • Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, will start at point guard ahead of veteran Ramon Sessions. Though Cleveland coach Byron Scott didn’t announce the move until game day, he said starting Irving was “pretty easy, when you think about putting him out there with veterans who can help him adjust like A.P. (Anthony Parker), Andy (Anderson Varejao), and Antawn (Jamison).” Irving averaged 16.0 points and 3.0 assists in the preseason.
  • Raptors center Aaron Gray (rapid heartrate) traveled with the team, but is being held out of the game for “very precautionary reasons,” according to general manager Bryan Colangelo. Coach Dwane Casey said Gray’s heart “fluttered on him in practice” on two occasions during the past week, prompting Toronto’s front office to seek additional medical advice before returning him to the court. Gray was signed as a free agent on Dec. 11.
  • The Raptors’ starting lineup is center Amir Johnson, power forward Andrea Bargnani, small forward Rasual Butler, shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, and point guard Jose Calderon. Casey gave Butler the nod at the three over James Johnson because he was a “steady Eddie.”
  • The Cavaliers are starting small forward Omri Casspi with Irving, shooting guard Parker, power forward Jamison, and center Varejao.
  • When he enters the game, center Jamaal Magloire will become the first native Canadian to play for Toronto.
  • Inactive for Cleveland were center Semih Erden (right thumb fracture) and guard Mychel Thompson, while the Raptors did not dress forward Linas Kleiza (right knee surgery) and Gray.

– Brian Dulik

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MAGIC AT CAVALIERS, 7 P.M. ET

March 21, 2011  ·  6:17PM

TV: League Pass

  • Magic guard Gilbert Arenas (sore left knee) is expected to play after sitting out one game. “He went out to warm up tonight, so I’d assume he’ll try and go,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “We’ll watch him, though, because he hasn’t done anything physical since Friday.” Arenas has missed a total of three contests this season due to left knee problems. He is averaging 8.1 points while shooting just .349 in 41 games with Orlando.
  • Guard J.J. Redick (lower abdominal strain) will miss his sixth straight game for the Magic, while center Daniel Orton (left knee surgery) remains on the shelf. “J.J. is feeling better, but we’re just waiting for him to be fully recovered,” Van Gundy said.
  • Cavaliers guard Baron Davis (back spasms), who has appeared in four out of a possible 11 games since being acquired from the Clippers on Feb. 24, again will not play for the wine and gold. ”It’s not doing me any good and it’s definitely not doing the team any good for me to be out there,” Davis said. “I want to be out there when I can have an impact on the game.”
  • Also ailing for Cleveland, but continuing to tough it out, is point guard Ramon Sessions (hernia). “To be in this league is a dream come true, so I just try and play through it the best that I can,” the fourth-year pro said. “But heat and ice are my best friends most nights.” Sessions has played in a team-high 67 games, starting 33 times.
  • The Cavaliers’ inactives are centers Semih Erden (right adductor strain) and Anderson Varejao (right ankle surgery), and power forward Antawn Jamison (left little finger surgery).
  • Orlando has won five straight games over Cleveland, including two in a row at Quicken Loans Arena.

– Brian Dulik

 

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HORNETS AT CAVALIERS, 6:30 P.M. ET

March 6, 2011  ·  5:47PM

TV: League Pass

  • Hornets power forward David West (left ankle sprain) will start, but small forward Trevor Ariza (left adductor strain) is unlikely to play “because that’s an injury you don’t want to mess around with,” according to New Orleans coach Monty Williams. West made it through the morning shootaround without a hitch, giving him the go-ahead from his coach. “The thing about David is he’s a warrior,” Williams said. “No matter what the situation, he’s going to try and play.”
  • Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said point guard Baron Davis will not replace Ramon Sessions in the starting lineup just yet. Davis made his Cleveland debut Friday and scored 18 points off the bench in a 119-115 win at New York. “Baron is going to be (starting), it’s just a matter of time,” the coach said. “It could be four games from now, it could be six games from now, but I want him to get real familiar with our offense before I make the move.”
  • Hornets rookie Quincy Pondexter will assume Ariza’s spot at small forward, while swingman Willie Green also will see some time at the three. It will be Pondexter’s fifth professional start. He is averaging 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds on the campaign.
  • Center Semih Erden (right adductor strain) is a game-time decision for the Cavaliers. He was seen stretching with a trainer on the court, but Scott would not reveal if he would see his first action with Cleveland. Erden was acquired from Boston on Feb. 24.
  • Guard Marcus Banks and center D.J. Mbenga comprise the Hornets’ inactive list, while the Cavaliers did not dress guard Daniel “Boobie” Gibson (left quad contusion), forward Antawn Jamison (left little finger surgery) and center Anderson Varejao (right ankle surgery). Scott said he “probably could have played Boobie tonight, but my policy is you’ve got to get one day of practice in first.”

– Brian Dulik



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