Links to the Present: Ukraine Train Edition — Now Updated with Dion Waiters Rap Video Links
2013-06-04
In case you’ve just emerged from a self imposed period of ludditry, the Heat are returning to the the NBA finals for the third year in a row. And no, I’M NOT BITTER. Now that that’s out of the way, some Cavs news.
DraftExpress.com has completed it’s latest mock draft and has Cleveland selecting Nerlens Noel #1, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope #19, Erick Green #31, and Ricky Ledo #33.
Cavs will be holding workouts this week with Caldwell-Pope, and, I’m sure, many others.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report checks in with a list of draft picks that would be “a perfect fit” for the Cavs.
Machine Gun Kelly apparently won a regional Emmy for his work on the Cavs intro video.
Oy. It’s a slow news day in Cavalier land.
Well, the Dion Waiters twitter feed is always prolific and fascinating. From what I’ve gleaned, he was working out at Cleveland Clinic courts late last night, has a charity bowling tournament coming up, and is running a basketball camp in NJ later this summer. I’m really excited about that first bit of news.
Finally, and most significantly, Vitaly Potapenko is returning to Cleveland. The pride of Wright State, and the Cavs’ 12th pick in the 1996 NBA draft, the “Ukraine Train” has been hired as a player development coach for the Cavs after a stint as an assistant in the D-League, most recently for the Santa Cruz Warriors. Potapenko played for the Cavs for a little over two years before he was traded to Boston for Andrew DeClerq and a first round pick.
Vitaly’s handle was always one of my favorite Cavs nicknames. Is it a top 5? Commentariat, give us your favorite Cavalier monikers.
— Update —
Thanks to Colin McGowan who found these Dion Waiters laptop rapping videos, and who noted, “I knew they existed. Not from any sort of source. I just sensed it. Somewhere in the universe, clips of Dion Waiters rapping in front of a webcam existed.”
Dion needs to stick to basketball. LOL That was bad. Ah He’s having fun.
I wrote a 1200 word blog on Vitaly Potapenko. I never thought I would do that… @Nate, it absolutely could be nothing. Vitaly doesn’t have a great coaching resume. Two stints in the NBADL and one year with the Pacers. He was part of Jim O’Brien’s 2010-11 staff and wasn’t retained by Vogel, who was a assistant with the Celtics when Vitaly played there. I found that a bit telling that he was let go. I’m just saying he wasn’t a guy in demand. Teams weren’t kicking down doors to bring him in. Len’s had a lot of trouble adjusting… Read more »
Don’t know if I buy that. Remember how much mentoring Ilgauskus did for Martynas Andriuskevicius? None. Just because they’re from the same country doesn’t mean much anymore. Plus, Len’s already been in the country a year. It’s not like he doesn’t know English.
Good work cory, was thinking along the same lines,
Skyenga. He didn’t do much when he was with the Cavs, but still a cool nickname.
You could be on to something Cory… Although I would rather get the Mavs pick and use it and pick 19 to trade up for him.
DINNER BELL MEL!
I coule be wrong, I’m wrong all the time…But the Ukraine Train returning as a player development assistant might have something to do with the draft. I assumed before the lottery that Alex Len was Grant’s guy at the 4th or 5th pick. Len is Ukrainian. I don’t think Grant will draft Len first overall, but a trade down might be a possibility. Vitaly could help Len get more acclimated and give him some familiarity. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.
Better yet, Trever Bauer and Dion teaming up for the intro.
Dion’s drive is impressive. Can’t wait to see him at summer league. He appears to be in better shape than he was during the season.
Dion slurs his words
The player development coach is an assistant. Player development coaches often don’t travel with the team and may or may not sit on the bench.
I’m slightly lost. Is Potapenko an assistant coach or just the player dev guy, or is one the other at the same time so both?
That might have been the most important update this site has seen. Get at it Dion!
I smell a D-Waiters and Machine Gun Kelly team up for Cavs intro for 2013-14.
World B Free
Bingo Smith
Hot Rod Williams
Tractor Traylor
Ukraine Train