Cavs lose to Sonics

 

 

The Cavaliers without LeBron James, Andy and Sasha could not muster enough scoring power to overcome a 17 point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, losing to the Seattle Sonic 101-95.  Larry Hughes led the Cavs with 28 points.
NBA BoxScore

Local Media Reaction

 LeBron sits out, so does the offense

 

Short-handed Cavaliers can’t quite rally, fall by 6 to SuperSonics

National Media Reaction

Sonics eventually get last laugh

  

 

LeBron may miss another game

Brian Windhorst from the Akron Beacon Journal tells us that despite dealing with a stiff ankle, LeBron James was in an upbeat mood as the Cavaliers returned home from their week-long West Coast trip after a loss to the Seattle SuperSonics.

The ankle, which James sprained Wednesday night in a victory in Portland, doesn’t figure to keep him out long. But that could include the home game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

”It’s not too bad, I’ll be OK,” James said. ”I don’t know if I’ll be back Saturday but I will probably be ready for the Celtics (next Tuesday).”

After flying home overnight Thursday, James spent Friday receiving treatment. The Cavs did not practice and, therefore, did not issue an update on his condition. They said they’ll know more today after the morning shoot-around.

Because James isn’t dealing with swelling as much as tightness, he might again be a game-time decision against the Clippers after testing it out pregame.

Source:  Ohio.Com

Varejao likely out until after All-Star game

According to Branson Wright from the Plain Dealer, Varejao will be out until after the All-Star break.  “The doctors said it was a pretty bad ankle sprain,” said Varejao.  “They’re not exactly sure how long it’s going to take because there’s still swelling.  They’ll have a better idea once the swelling goes down.”  The doctors told Varejao that it won’t be until sometime after the All-Star game which is on Feb 17 before he is able to return.

Kidd Wants Out of New Jersey

After weeks of rumors, Kidd finally cameout and told ESPN that he wants to be traded and that is probably the Nets best chance to start rebuilding.

“I’m not mad at anybody,” he said to ESPN. “Sometimes, when you ride a wave, you get to the end and that’s all there is. That’s where we are.”

“It used to be if I got a triple-double, that was an automatic win,” he said. “That’s just not the case now. We tried to make this work. We’ve found out it doesn’t. It’s time for us all to move on.”

According to sources, Danny Ferry has been in contact with the Nets to gauge their demands. But it is unlikely the Cavs will be able to pull this off because of a limited number of tradable assets.

Lebron James has shown interst in playing with Kidd back in the Fall. Kidd and James became close last summer while helping Team USA and talked about playing together for the Cavs.

Kidd admits that he and James daydream about contending for championships together in Cleveland. “There’s a little talk,” Kidd said. “But I told him, ‘What-ifs can get you in trouble.

So far, Dallas and Denver already have reached out in the last week according to ESPN.

Who do you think the Cavaliers will trade for before the trade deadline?

Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets) (26%)

Will not make any trade (25%)

Mike Bibby (Sacramento) (16%)

Andre Miller (Philadelphia 76ers) (13%)

Somebody else (11%)

Jamal Crawford (New York Knicks) (9%)

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Varejao sprains ankle

Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Anderson Varejao left Sunday’s contest versus the Los Angeles Lakers with an ankle injury.Varejao stepped on Lakers’ Sasha Vujacic’s foot and rolled his left ankle with 3:12 left in the third quarter. He was in obvious pain as he layed on the floor holding his ankle near the Cavs’ foul line for several minutes before being helped to the lockeroom.  He was able to put some weight on his foot as he neared the locker room.  He did  not return to the game. 

Suns Burns the Cavaliers

The Suns made one more play that cooled off the Cavaliers. That play came from the only shot Shawn Marion made all night. That shot was the one they absolutely had to have. It was a baseline floater with 1.1 seconds left.

After calling a timeout, Cleveland had trouble getting the ball inbounds before Damon Jones fired up a 3-pointer that was way off at the horn.

“A great, great win,” Phoenix guard Steve Nash said. “We didn’t get many calls or have many bounces go our way — until the end.”

Game Notes:

  • The Suns had season-high 17 3-pointers. That was an arena record and the most ever by a Cavaliers opponent.
  • Cleveland scored 69 points in the opening half, but only 39 after halftime on 15-of-42 shooting.
  • James scored 36 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Cavaliers.
  • That was the third lose for the Cavaliers in 14 games.
  • Larry Hughes finished with 25 points and was 10-11 from the free throw line. He added eight rebounds. This is his second-highest scoring output of the year.
  • Daniel Gibson tied his season high with six rebounds. He added seven points and five assists.
  • Over his last six games, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is averaging 15.3 points on .611 shooting and 8.0 rebounds per game.
  • Ira Newble started for Cleveland at shooting guard. He didn’t score in 12 minutes.
  • The Suns have won 15 of their past 18 against the Cavaliers.

Lebron James kicked a trash can in disgust on his way to Cleveland’s locker room.

NBA Recap | Box Score

News from local media:

Long-distance loss, Suns make record 17 3-pointers, stop Cavs (Akron Beacon Journal)

Newble gets surprise start (News-Herald)

News from national media:

Suns win on Marion’s floater (The Arizona Republic)