February 14, 2024

Cavaliers Sign Craig Porter Jr. to 4-Year Contract

Josh Cable / News Cavaliers, Cavs, cavs intel, Cleveland Cavaliers, Craig Porter Jr., news, sidebar / 0 Comments

The Cavaliers solidified their backcourt depth with the signing of Craig Porter Jr. on Wednesday.

The Cavs originally signed Porter on a two-way contract last July after the 6-2 point guard went undrafted out of Wichita State.

On Feb. 14, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced that the Cavaliers have converted Porter’s contract to a “standard NBA contract.” It’s been widely reported that Porter signed a four-year deal.

Unfortunately for Cavs fans, Porter was quickly assigned to the Cleveland Charge for tonight’s game at Grand Rapids.

In 32 games – including five starts – Porter hasn’t played like an undrafted rookie.

The poised point guard is averaging 6.5 points, 2.8 assists (sixth among NBA rookies), 2.5 rebounds, 0.53 steals and 0.38 blocks, while shooting .509 from the field in 14.7 minutes per contest.

Porter, who also was a member of the Cavaliers’ 2023 Summer League Championship team, has scored in double figures on nine occasions and handed out five or more assists eight times this season.

In a win over Denver on Nov. 19, Porter recorded a career-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field – including a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line – four rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 25 minutes off the bench.

His 21 points were the most by an undrafted Cavaliers rookie since Matthew Dellavedova on March 26, 2014, at Detroit.

Against New Orleans on Dec. 21, Porter dished out a career-high 11 assists, which were the most assists by an undrafted Cavaliers rookie since Dellavedova in 2014 against Detroit.

He also recorded the most rebounds ever by a Cavaliers undrafted rookie with 12 boards during a win at Dallas on Dec. 27.

For me, Porter’s signature moment came during the Cavs’ Nov. 22 overtime win at Philadelphia, with Porter driving into the chest of Joel Embiid with 54 seconds left in OT, hanging in midair and scoring to put the Cavs up 118-116.

Porter had 12 points and nine assists off the bench in that game.

January 26, 2024

What’s the Gameplan After Giannis Bulldozed the Cavs?

Josh Cable / Blog blog, Cavs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Craig Porter Jr., Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jarrett Allen, Milwaukee Bucks / 0 Comments

Wednesday’s night “showdown” with the Milwaukee Bucks unfolded just about the way I expected it to unfold.

To be clear, I did not expect the Cavs to win that game.

After a 40-point loss on Jan. 17 in Cleveland, you knew the Bucks would be loaded for bear on their home court, with Giannis back in the lineup. And they were.

To add to the perfect storm, emotions were running high after Milwaukee fired Adrian Griffin on Tuesday.

Blech.

The Greek Freak (are we still calling him that?) was absolutely dominant, bulldozing to the basket regardless of how many hapless Cavs defenders had the misfortune to guard him. His final stat line: 35 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists.

As well as Jarrett Allen has been playing – and he was terrific Wednesday night, all things considered – the Cavs really missed Evan Mobley. It was encouraging to see footage of him running sprints prior to tipoff. Giannis and Brook Lopez might be the best frontcourt in the NBA, and Dean Wade was no match for either of them.

So what’s the next move for the Cavaliers?

For starters, I think they need to treat Friday night’s rematch as a must-win game. They need to approach it with the same intensity that they had in their overtime win in Philadelphia.

A win Friday night would even the season series with Milwaukee. But more importantly, it would be a statement win. Let’s face it: Even as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs aren’t a top-tier team. They have a lot of talent, but they have yet to prove that they can hang with the Bostons and Milwaukees of the NBA (the aforementioned win over the 76ers being one of the few exceptions). And they’re a combined 0-4 against Oklahoma City and Indiana this season.

Find a way to win.

What Happened to Craig Porter Jr.?

Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of personnel moves that J.B. Bickerstaff can make to shake things up Friday night. Mobley and Darius Garland are out; Tristan Thompson is serving a 25-game suspension; and Ty Jerome is sidelined with the worst ankle sprain in human history.

What about Craig Porter Jr.?

Inexplicably, Porter logged just one minute of playing time Wednesday night, and many fans on social media have wondered why Porter has fallen out of J.B.’s rotation over the past few games. Count me among them.

Porter is an unflappable rookie who can score, rebound and defend. Would Porter have changed the outcome of Monday night’s game? Probably not. But he might have provided a much-needed spark off the bench – especially considering that Caris LeVert has been dealing with wrist soreness and doesn’t appear to be 100%.

Also – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – how about giving Damian Jones more minutes? Jones chipped in five points in 10 high-energy minutes off the bench. Against the Bucks’ formidable frontcourt, it might even make sense to pair Jones with Allen for a few minutes to see what happens.