Cavs News: Not just a ‘comeback’ season, Andy back, Caris trade partners

Following his return to the floor on Thursday night at the Portland Trail Blazers for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ricky Rubio mentioned how he’s not just wanting to have this be a season where he gets back in there. Rubio’s long-awaited return for the Cavaliers led to him having nine points, three rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes of action.

He didn’t have a major role in the Cavs’ comeback victory, but it was terrific to see him back on the floor, and given his extensive road back from his prior ACL injury, it was fitting that Rubio was awarded the Cavs’ Junkyard Dog Chain after the contest.

Also in postgame, he expressed, via Bally Sports Ohio, how he wants to have a “strong season, not just a comeback season.”

The veteran essentially broke down how he wanted to be not just back, but to be stronger and better than before. It’s going to take time for him to be how he was before, and fans shouldn’t anticipate him to have nearly the production he had in his 34 appearances with Cleveland last season; that’s unrealistic. Having said that, he can still have a profound impact, both tangibly and intangibly, for this Cavaliers squad in the second half of the season and hopefully, beyond.

More Cavs news

Anderson Varejao is a name that will always resonate with Cavs fans, for his hustle, “Wild Thing” persona, defensive abilities and the flare he played with. With that in mind, it was cool to see the news that the Cavaliers announced that he was hired as a Player Development and Global Ambassador.

Varejao, who appeared in 13 seasons with the Cavaliers and had 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game with Cleveland, will be helping Cleveland’s on-floor efforts in-season. Additionally, Varejao, a native of Brazil, will be aiding the Cavs’ international outreach in his role.

As Koby Altman highlighted in the above press release, it’s tremendous to have Varejao and his family back with the organization.

With trade/rumor season upon us, with next month’s deadline in mind, here at KJG, Josh Cornelissen examined three potential teams that Caris LeVert could be dealt to. While he’s commonly been mentioned as being a logical trade candidate, with his expiring deal, and with other perimeter/wing pieces in mind, it’s sensible to foresee Caris LeVert possibly being moved by the Cavaliers.

Objectively, though, LeVert has been mostly healthy this season, and although there’s been some ups and downs, he has played well in recent weeks, and is always capable of 20-plus-point nights if he’s on.

NBA news

On Friday night, the San Antonio Spurs hosted the Golden State Warriors in the Alamodome, and it was a milestone outing, not for the game, but for the fan experience aspect. The Spurs ended up setting the NBA record for attendance in a game, which was 68, 323.

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The game itself resulted in a Warriors win 144-113, as Golden State shot 54.5 percent, and connected on 18 three-point attempts. They also tacked on 70 paint points.

However, the Spurs resetting the attendance record (excluding All-Star Games) and hosting that one in the Alamodome that go-round had to be a lasting memory for the Spurs’ fan base, at least to some degree, in the franchises’ 50th season. The previous attendance record stood for 25 years, when the Chicago Bulls played the Atlanta Hawks in March of 1998, which was played in the Georgia Dome (with 62, 046 fans).

Next up: On Saturday night, the Cavs will wrap up their current road trip at the Minnesota Timberwolves.