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Omri Casspi is the pit bull Byron Scott wants on the Cavaliers
By Bob Finnan
Published: Sunday, December 18, 2011
Some would say the Cavaliers were dog-awful last year.
Cavs coach Byron Scott is hoping to change that perception. One of the players who could make a difference is Omri Casspi.
The small forward has a nasty streak, and that's not necessarily a bad thing for a team like the Cavs.
"We need some guys like that," Scott said after the Wine & Gold Scrimmage at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday. "I always put it this way: We don't need Chihuahuas. We don't need poodles. We don't need German shepherds. We need pit bulls.
"It's good if you have a few of them. If you have a bunch of Chihuahuas, you might be in trouble."
Scott said the combination of personalities on last year's team was between a German shepherd and large poodle.
Casspi had been sidelined with a sprained right knee. He had nine points and two assists in the Gold team's 67-57 win over the Wine before 7,836 fans.
Rookie guard Kyrie Irving paced the Gold team with 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes. He turned the ball over five times.
The 6-foot-9, 225-pound Casspi was held out of the Cavs' preseason win over Detroit on Friday because of his knee injury.
"He's an intense competitor," Scott said. "I like that about him."
Casspi, 23, said his knee is doing much better.
"Kudos to our (medical) staff," he said. "They did an amazing job getting me back on my feet. This was the first time I've played five-on-five in quite some time."
He liked being compared to a pit bull.
"I'm trying to compete all the time, play tough and play hard," Casspi said. "I think I'm making strides.
"It feels good to be out there and playing. I was in Israel this summer, and the whole time I had something else wrong with me and couldn't play."
Scott is making a strong push to improve the team's defense.
"Coach said we need to play defense to earn minutes," Casspi said. "That's what I've been trying to do."
Casspi will be the starter at small forward.
"He's a little more athletic than people think," Scott said. "He gets up and down the floor. He moves real well. What's carrying him right now, he has very good basketball IQ.
"Having a 6-9 small forward who can get up and down the floor like that is a good thing."
Forward Samardo Samuels had 15 points for the Wine team, while forward Tristan Thompson added 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
"It was my first time being on The Q's floor," Thompson said. "It was very exciting."
Irving is becoming lethal with his lob passes.
"It's a basketball play," he said. "I've been throwing lobs since eighth grade, even though no one could dunk."
Irving marvels at Thompson's jumping ability.
"When you see Tristan go after a block, his hand is clearly above the white box (on the backboard)," Irving said. "He's got young legs."
http://news-herald.com/articles/2011/12/18/sports/nh4877898.txt?viewmode=default
Casspi’s intensity on display for Cavs
Coach Scott says he’s looking for ‘pit bulls’ to fight for points
By Jason Lloyd
Beacon Journal sports writer
CLEVELAND: Too many times last season, Cavs coach Byron Scott was stunned at his team’s lack of focus and intensity during games. The Cavs lost plenty of games by more than 20 or 30 points and too many of the players barely seemed affected or bothered by it.
It’s one of the reasons Scott is happy to have Omri Casspi on the team. Casspi’s intensity was on full display during Sunday’s Wine & Gold scrimmage.
Casspi missed Friday’s preseason win at Detroit with a bruised knee, but returned for the scrimmage with nine points. But it was his competitiveness that made him stand out.
He slammed the ball into the padded support under the basket after a foul call and knocked the ball away in disgust after missing a 3-pointer. His teammates have referred to him throughout training camp as a gritty defender.
“We need some guys like that,” Scott said, referring to Casspi’s demeanor. “We don’t need Chihuahuas, we don’t need poodles, we don’t need German shepherds. We need pit bulls, and it’s good if you have a few of them. I think he’s one of them. If you have a bunch of Chihuahuas, you’re going to be in trouble.”
Scott said last season’s team was mostly made up of players somewhere “between a German shepherd and the large poodles.”
That wasn’t meant as a compliment.
As long as he’s healthy, Casspi is the starting small forward. Alonzo Gee is probably second and Christian Eyenga is a distant third. While he’s easily one of the most athletic players on the roster, Scott said, Eyenga still has a lot of work to do if he’s going to start jumping over guys on the depth chart. A Development League assignment for Eyenga is not out of the question.
“Christian has to do a lot of other things before he plays,” Scott said. “There are a few guys in front of him he will have to beat out.”
One of those is Casspi, who averaged 9.5 points in two seasons as a spot starter with the Sacramento Kings before being traded to the Cavs hours before the lockout began. He has battled injuries to both knees, but he is assured of a starting role with the Cavs when healthy. He simply chuckled at Scott’s pit-bull analogy.
“Trying to compete all the time, trying to play tough and play hard. No easy baskets, stuff like that,” Casspi said. “I want to keep learning the system and our tendencies that we want to do defensively. We’re making strides.”
Also making strides is Kyrie Irving, who had another impressive stat line Sunday. Irving had 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds. At least three of those assists came on perfectly placed lobs at the basket that became dunks.
“I’ve been throwing lobs since I can remember. Even when no one could dunk in eighth grade, I was still throwing lobs,” Irving said. “I’ve been practicing my whole life. It’s just a basketball play.”
Tristan Thompson, the Cavs’ other top pick, had 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. He also had two blocks in Friday’s preseason game against the Pistons.
Scott believes both Irving and Thompson are a little ahead of schedule.
“[Irving] has grasped everything pretty quickly and so has Tristan,” Scott said. “Both are farther along than I expected at this time.”
Harris update
Manny Harris didn’t reveal much about the burn he suffered on his right foot while visiting Nike’s facilities last month. He didn’t really know how it happened, but said he would not pursue a lawsuit against Nike.
“It was like a freezer burn,” Harris said. “I didn’t know it was going to take this long [to heal].”
Harris hasn’t been able to practice yet because of the burn and he limped barefoot through the locker room Sunday with his right foot raised so it wouldn’t touch the carpet.
The Cavs’ team doctors were off limits during the lockout, so Harris said he didn’t immediately seek medical attention because he thought it would heal on its own. When it didn’t, a doctor in Detroit gave him a cream to rub on it.
The Cavs brought shooting guard Mychel Thompson into camp to take Harris’ place, but Scott said Sunday that Harris can still make this team without a training camp. He is on a nonguaranteed contract this season.
“I know what I’ve got in Manny. I know what he can do,” Scott said. “Not playing doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t make the team.”
Goodbye
The Cavs waived forwards Tyrell Biggs and Kyle Goldcamp before the scrimmage. Their roster stands at 17. The only camp invites remaining are guards Mychel Thompson and Kenny Hayes.
Buzzer beaters
Zydrunas Ilgauskas attended Sunday’s scrimmage as a special guest. He is now retired and considering a role somewhere in the league, but hasn’t determined anything. He said he has not talked to the Cavs about a front office role. … More than 800 toys were collected for underprivileged children in the Cavs’ and Lake Erie Monsters’ annual toy drive this year. After the scrimmage, Eyenga, Harris, Semih Erden, Anderson Varejao and Samardo Samuels distributed toys to children from the West Side Ecumenical Ministries.
http://www.ohio.com/sports/cavs/cas...lse&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
By Bob Finnan
Published: Sunday, December 18, 2011
Some would say the Cavaliers were dog-awful last year.
Cavs coach Byron Scott is hoping to change that perception. One of the players who could make a difference is Omri Casspi.
The small forward has a nasty streak, and that's not necessarily a bad thing for a team like the Cavs.
"We need some guys like that," Scott said after the Wine & Gold Scrimmage at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday. "I always put it this way: We don't need Chihuahuas. We don't need poodles. We don't need German shepherds. We need pit bulls.
"It's good if you have a few of them. If you have a bunch of Chihuahuas, you might be in trouble."
Scott said the combination of personalities on last year's team was between a German shepherd and large poodle.
Casspi had been sidelined with a sprained right knee. He had nine points and two assists in the Gold team's 67-57 win over the Wine before 7,836 fans.
Rookie guard Kyrie Irving paced the Gold team with 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes. He turned the ball over five times.
The 6-foot-9, 225-pound Casspi was held out of the Cavs' preseason win over Detroit on Friday because of his knee injury.
"He's an intense competitor," Scott said. "I like that about him."
Casspi, 23, said his knee is doing much better.
"Kudos to our (medical) staff," he said. "They did an amazing job getting me back on my feet. This was the first time I've played five-on-five in quite some time."
He liked being compared to a pit bull.
"I'm trying to compete all the time, play tough and play hard," Casspi said. "I think I'm making strides.
"It feels good to be out there and playing. I was in Israel this summer, and the whole time I had something else wrong with me and couldn't play."
Scott is making a strong push to improve the team's defense.
"Coach said we need to play defense to earn minutes," Casspi said. "That's what I've been trying to do."
Casspi will be the starter at small forward.
"He's a little more athletic than people think," Scott said. "He gets up and down the floor. He moves real well. What's carrying him right now, he has very good basketball IQ.
"Having a 6-9 small forward who can get up and down the floor like that is a good thing."
Forward Samardo Samuels had 15 points for the Wine team, while forward Tristan Thompson added 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
"It was my first time being on The Q's floor," Thompson said. "It was very exciting."
Irving is becoming lethal with his lob passes.
"It's a basketball play," he said. "I've been throwing lobs since eighth grade, even though no one could dunk."
Irving marvels at Thompson's jumping ability.
"When you see Tristan go after a block, his hand is clearly above the white box (on the backboard)," Irving said. "He's got young legs."
http://news-herald.com/articles/2011/12/18/sports/nh4877898.txt?viewmode=default
Casspi’s intensity on display for Cavs
Coach Scott says he’s looking for ‘pit bulls’ to fight for points
By Jason Lloyd
Beacon Journal sports writer
CLEVELAND: Too many times last season, Cavs coach Byron Scott was stunned at his team’s lack of focus and intensity during games. The Cavs lost plenty of games by more than 20 or 30 points and too many of the players barely seemed affected or bothered by it.
It’s one of the reasons Scott is happy to have Omri Casspi on the team. Casspi’s intensity was on full display during Sunday’s Wine & Gold scrimmage.
Casspi missed Friday’s preseason win at Detroit with a bruised knee, but returned for the scrimmage with nine points. But it was his competitiveness that made him stand out.
He slammed the ball into the padded support under the basket after a foul call and knocked the ball away in disgust after missing a 3-pointer. His teammates have referred to him throughout training camp as a gritty defender.
“We need some guys like that,” Scott said, referring to Casspi’s demeanor. “We don’t need Chihuahuas, we don’t need poodles, we don’t need German shepherds. We need pit bulls, and it’s good if you have a few of them. I think he’s one of them. If you have a bunch of Chihuahuas, you’re going to be in trouble.”
Scott said last season’s team was mostly made up of players somewhere “between a German shepherd and the large poodles.”
That wasn’t meant as a compliment.
As long as he’s healthy, Casspi is the starting small forward. Alonzo Gee is probably second and Christian Eyenga is a distant third. While he’s easily one of the most athletic players on the roster, Scott said, Eyenga still has a lot of work to do if he’s going to start jumping over guys on the depth chart. A Development League assignment for Eyenga is not out of the question.
“Christian has to do a lot of other things before he plays,” Scott said. “There are a few guys in front of him he will have to beat out.”
One of those is Casspi, who averaged 9.5 points in two seasons as a spot starter with the Sacramento Kings before being traded to the Cavs hours before the lockout began. He has battled injuries to both knees, but he is assured of a starting role with the Cavs when healthy. He simply chuckled at Scott’s pit-bull analogy.
“Trying to compete all the time, trying to play tough and play hard. No easy baskets, stuff like that,” Casspi said. “I want to keep learning the system and our tendencies that we want to do defensively. We’re making strides.”
Also making strides is Kyrie Irving, who had another impressive stat line Sunday. Irving had 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds. At least three of those assists came on perfectly placed lobs at the basket that became dunks.
“I’ve been throwing lobs since I can remember. Even when no one could dunk in eighth grade, I was still throwing lobs,” Irving said. “I’ve been practicing my whole life. It’s just a basketball play.”
Tristan Thompson, the Cavs’ other top pick, had 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. He also had two blocks in Friday’s preseason game against the Pistons.
Scott believes both Irving and Thompson are a little ahead of schedule.
“[Irving] has grasped everything pretty quickly and so has Tristan,” Scott said. “Both are farther along than I expected at this time.”
Harris update
Manny Harris didn’t reveal much about the burn he suffered on his right foot while visiting Nike’s facilities last month. He didn’t really know how it happened, but said he would not pursue a lawsuit against Nike.
“It was like a freezer burn,” Harris said. “I didn’t know it was going to take this long [to heal].”
Harris hasn’t been able to practice yet because of the burn and he limped barefoot through the locker room Sunday with his right foot raised so it wouldn’t touch the carpet.
The Cavs’ team doctors were off limits during the lockout, so Harris said he didn’t immediately seek medical attention because he thought it would heal on its own. When it didn’t, a doctor in Detroit gave him a cream to rub on it.
The Cavs brought shooting guard Mychel Thompson into camp to take Harris’ place, but Scott said Sunday that Harris can still make this team without a training camp. He is on a nonguaranteed contract this season.
“I know what I’ve got in Manny. I know what he can do,” Scott said. “Not playing doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t make the team.”
Goodbye
The Cavs waived forwards Tyrell Biggs and Kyle Goldcamp before the scrimmage. Their roster stands at 17. The only camp invites remaining are guards Mychel Thompson and Kenny Hayes.
Buzzer beaters
Zydrunas Ilgauskas attended Sunday’s scrimmage as a special guest. He is now retired and considering a role somewhere in the league, but hasn’t determined anything. He said he has not talked to the Cavs about a front office role. … More than 800 toys were collected for underprivileged children in the Cavs’ and Lake Erie Monsters’ annual toy drive this year. After the scrimmage, Eyenga, Harris, Semih Erden, Anderson Varejao and Samardo Samuels distributed toys to children from the West Side Ecumenical Ministries.
http://www.ohio.com/sports/cavs/cas...lse&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed