Written by Demetri Inembolidis

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Summer League Wrapup:

The Las Vegas Summer League has conluded for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  It was not what should be considered an overall success for the team.  The summer games were marred with injuries to the cornerstones of the franchise.  Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving fractured his shooting hand the night before the first game, 4th overall pick Dion Waiters sat out of the last two games with a sore left knee and it was capped off with second year power forward Tristan Thompson getting poked in the eye in the final game against the Knicks.  Thompson left the game and did not return. 

The Cavs took a page out of the regular season and beat the New York Knicks on Friday afternoon.  The Cavs had a well-balanced attack.  The Knicks were severely outmatched in most aspect of the game.  Tristan Thompson played well up until his injury.  He prematurely finished the game with 13 points and 2 rebounds.  Tyler Zeller had 12 points, 5 rebounds and two steals.  Zeller continues to show a strong ability to run the floor on the fast break.  Samardo Samuels once again impressed.  Samuels finished the game with 9 points and 13 rebounds.  The most exciting sequence of the game came at the conclusion of the third quarter when Samuels had an emphatic block which ignited a fast break that resulted in Justin Holiday banking in a floater at the buzzer. 

The Cavs finished the Summer League with a 3-2 record.  The team shot 41.7% from the field and an unimpressive 27% from beyond the three point arc.  The Cavs did not move the ball well which could explain the poor shooting.  They averaged 12.8 assists per game and a mind-blowing 15 turnovers per game.  It doesn't take a basketball mind of Red Auerbach's caliber to know that averaging more turnovers than assists is not a good thing.

Jon Leuer:

Shortly after the Cavs wrapped up their Summer League play, news came that they claimed Jon Leuer off of waivers.  He was recently let go by the Houston Rockets.  Leuer averaged 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 46 games with the Milwaukee Bucks.  He averaged 7.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 12 starts with the Bucks. 

Jon Leuer is considered a stretch four.  He has good range from all over the court.  He made 40% of the shots that he took between 16 and 23 feet.  Leuer will hopefully keep the defense honest and open up lanes.  His presence should relex defensive pressure on Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters.  This is the sort of low risk and high reward move that a team like the Cavs should be making.  He may be nothing but a 4th big man in the rotation, but if Leuer turns out to be anything more than that the Cavs have improved their team.