Questions for Cleveland Cavaliers center on bench
Published: Thursday, December 22, 2011, 12:07 AM Updated: Thursday, December 22, 2011, 6:53 AM
By Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Near the end of the Cavaliers' 90-89 loss to the Detroit Pistons in the preseason finale Tuesday night at The Q, coach Byron Scott pulled backup center Ryan Hollins aside and let him have it.
Hollins fouled out of the game with 55.8 seconds left, sending Detroit's Greg Monroe to the line for two free throws that pulled the Pistons within 87-86. After an active 11 minutes in the first half, Hollins had four fouls and three turnovers in the fourth quarter as his emotions seemed to get the better of him.
"When he picked up his sixth foul, I was yelling at him to relax," Scott said. "I tried to tell him afterwards that he has to understand time and situations. You don't want to stop the clock and give them two free throws and take yourself out of the game completely.
"So I was a little heated up about that. I think he understands, especially as a six-year veteran, you can't make those types of mistakes. You've got to use your head a little bit more out there."
With center Semih Erden still unable to play because of a broken right thumb, Hollins is battling Samardo Samuels for the backup center spot behind Anderson Varejao.
Scott said he had not made up his mind about that spot yet and joked that reporters might not know who the backup center is until Varejao comes out of the season opener against Toronto on Monday.
The rest of his rotation seems set, with starters Varejao, Antawn Jamison at power forward, Omri Casspi at small forward, Anthony Parker at shooting guard and, eventually, rookie Kyrie Irving at point guard.
The backups likely will be Samuels or rookie Tristan Thompson at power forward, Alonzo Gee at small forward, Daniel Gibson at shooting guard and Ramon Sessions at point guard.
The Cavs have until Saturday to cut their roster from 17 to 15. Rookie free agents Mychel Thompson and Kenny Hayes are the most likely candidates to go, but Manny Harris has yet to practice because of an ulcer on his right foot. As a nod to the shortened training camps and sped-up season, teams can dress 13 players per night this season as opposed to the usual 12 in past seasons.
But those final rotation spots likely will remain in flux until the season gets going.
So far, Hollins thinks he's doing OK.
"I think I'm doing fine, right on pace," he said. "There's no way to really gauge what goes on. The season will come and we'll be thrown into the fire."
Luke Harangody made the most of the 56 seconds he played Tuesday. He grabbed a big defensive rebound and made two free throws down the stretch and could have won the game had he hit a wide-open 10 footer or gone to the hole as time expired.
"That's a tough position. I think everybody on the bench, coaches included, were hoping and praying he would've made it [the winning shot] because it would've been such a great story for him just to come, in that type of situation, and be able to win the game. I put him in a tough situation, but I thought he did a wonderful job," Scott said.
Erden remains a mystery to the Cavs. He has been hurt almost the entire time he has been in Cleveland since being obtained from Boston, along with Harangody at the trade deadline last season.
"There's a big question mark with Semih," Scott said. "I think he has tremendous potential, but we've not had the chance to see it when he's healthy. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we'll get the chance to see some of it.
"The injury part is a concern, yeah. He said it was bad luck when I first saw him that he keeps getting hurt. I said his luck has to change sooner or later. I'm thinking and hoping for his sake it does this year. Hopefully it's the last injury he has for a while.
"He has to start drinking more milk. He needs to get those bones stronger."
Irving improvement: Irving has done enough already to impress fans and teammates during the preseason.
"I really like his game," Varejao said. "He's a smart point guard. He's sees things that other players don't see."
Irving had 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals against Detroit on Tuesday, and he has averaged 16 points in the two-game preseason. Although he has made just 9 of 26 shots (34.6 percent), Scott was pleased to see him cut down his turnovers from five in the first game to zero Tuesday.
"I thought he did a really good job," Scott said Tuesday. "He got better from game one to game two and I just think he'll keep improving. I'm really happy with the way he's running the offense. The only thing that he has to improve is on the defensive end. I know he can defend a lot better."
Irving said slowing down was the key to taking care of the ball.
"When I played at Detroit, there were a lot of jitters going in my first preseason game," he said. "In this game, I changed up my pace. I just slowed the game down like I did at Duke. I had to make quicker decisions, which will be one of my biggest transitions to the NBA."
The last word: From Varejao, on rookie Thompson, who is more energetic than effective at this point, "He reminds me of me."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
mschmitt@plaind.com, 216-999-4668
On Twitter: @pdcavsinsider