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Changing of the Guard


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The Cavaliers’ summer league squad got a well-earned day off on Wednesday, the day after blowing past the Phoenix Suns at the Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas.

I know it’s mega-hot back in Cleveland, so I won’t mention that the mercury is rapidly rising here in Vegas, too. But here are some quick observations from Tuesday night’s Summer League action …

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The biggest development in Tuesday’s game was watching rookie Dion Waiters run the point. He’ll obviously play across from Kyrie Irving once the season starts, but it was great to see that he really is a combo guard – vocally directing teammates, pushing the ball, forcing the action.

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Tyler Zeller has simply been the Cavaliers’ best player in this year’s Vegas invitational. He doubled-up on Tuesday night and led the Wine and Gold with a dozen boards. Yes, it’s only Summer League and he hasn’t gone against the NBA’s true big boys. But the kid looks completely comfortable holding his own. He’s a pure center, but he can really run the floor.

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After the Cavs game wrapped up, there was an excitement in the air that Michael Jordan was to show up and watch his Bobcats in Summer League action. But there was still no sign of Air Jordan as the Cavs bus pulled away from the arena.

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Talk about no love from the desert. Vegas has the odds of the Cavaliers winning the 2013 NBA title at 150/1. Only New Orleans and Charlotte have higher odds at 200/1. (Cavalier fans probably don’t want to know who’s the favorite at 9/5.)

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In other futures news, Indiana University (which features Tyler Zeller’s younger brother, Cody) is a 5/1 favorite to win the NCAA Championship, USC is a 3/1 favorite to win the BCS Championship, and the Browns ‘ odds – according the Sam Rothstein and the oddsmakers in Vegas – is 75/1. The over-under on Browns’ wins in 5 ½.

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Former Cavalier and current Pittsburgh Steelers fan, Donyell Marshall, sat with me during some of the Cavs game against Phoenix and said there’s no way the Browns would win six games. He’s still easily one of my favorite former Cavaliers and still has a home in Cleveland.

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Thunder Dan Majerle, who’s coaching the Suns summer league squad, looks like he could still play for the Suns summer league squad.

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If Zeller has been the Cavaliers best player and Dion Waiters has been the team’s most heavily-scrutinized, forward Samardo Samuels has been the biggest (and most pleasant surprise). Not only has he dropped weight – allowing him to run the floor and get off his feet faster. But his outside touch has been fantastic. He also showed off his deft shooting touch on Tuesday, confidently canning a pair of 18-foot face-ups and going 9-of-9 from the stripe.

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The Cavaliers will take on Derrick Williams and the T-Wolves on Thursday night and wrap up the week on Friday afternoon against the Knicks.

 


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