In an attempt to fill the void left by J.R. Smith, who may be out for the rest of the regular season with a fractured thumb, the Cleveland Cavaliers send Mike Dunleavy Jr., Mo Williams, a 2019 first-round pick (top 10 protected) and cash considerations to the Atlanta Hawks for veteran sharp shooter Kyle Korver. The former all-star is averaging 10 points per game while shooting 43 percent from deep for his career. Korver made his debut earlier today in a road game against the Utah Jazz.
Korver would first step on the floor with 2:09 left to go in the first quarter and would miss his first shot attempt as a Cavalier. He would then convert on his only made shot with 43 seconds left in the first quarter on a catch-and-shoot jumper from 20-feet out. Korver played a total of 17 minutes in his Cavs debut, going for 1-5 from the field, including 0-2 from deep for 2 points. He also tallied 3 rebounds, 1 turnover and 1 foul. Entire play-by-play for this game is on ESPN.
The Cavs lead the game early but the Jazz answered with a run to pull even at the end of the first. Cleveland found themselves trailing by 15 points at the half after scoring only 12 points in the second quarter. They would outscore the Jazz by 6 in the third but could not get it done on both the offensive and defensive end down the stretch. The Cavs would end up losing the game by 8, despite the 29 points by Lebron James, as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love combined for only 9-32 from the floor for 32 points. See the complete stats for this game here, on the NBA official website.
In an interview on Tuesday, Lebron was asked what he'll say to Klye Korver. As per the video on Cleveland.com: "If you want to fit in, shoot the ball every time you get it. Soon as it touches your hand, shoot it. We don't care." - Lebron James. You can expect Korver to get more looks and take more shots even after a sub-par performance such as today, especially with the green light coming from King James. Hopefully, for the Cavaliers, Kyle Korver is able to find his groove with playing alongside Lebron and the Cavs' offensive sets.
