Live Thread: Cavs vs. Grizzlies (Pre-Season)

Pre-season basketball might be boring and borderline unnecessary to some, but to the extended fanbases in cities that don’t get to see NBA basketball on the regular, it presents a tremendous opportunity to get involved in the action. And, not only by witnessing what happens on the hardwood, but also experiencing the unique community interactions that accompany these games. Yesterday, for instance, the Cavs continued their #AllforOhio tour in Columbus, hosting a basketball clinic for local students, before preparing to face off with the Memphis Grizzlies at The Schottenstein Center’s Value City Arena, tonight at 7pm EST.

On hand for the Cavs were roster guarantees Matthew Dellavedova and Joe Harris, along with most all of the training camp invitees vying for a spot on the 15 man roster, including: Quinn Cook, Jared Cunningham, Austin Daye, Chris Johnson, Nick Minnerath and DJ Stephens. The players guided the kids through various ball handling, shooting and defensive drills, and even Cavs’ mascot, Sir C.C., stopped by to help entertain.

Delly passes his defensive knowledge to the next generation…

Although the message of this ongoing tour is “We Are All Cavaliers,” it remains to be seen which of these guys will actually be able to say that when the pre-season comes to a close. For a progress report thus far, check out Mike’s in-depth piece. How they perform against a fairly deep Memphis team should continue to clarify the outlook of their chances, especially with both Mo Williams (rest) and J.R. Smith (left hamstring soreness) sitting out tonight (along with KLove, Kyrie, Shump and he who shall not be named). According to reports, Smith sustained the injury in practice a few days before the preseason opener in Cincinnati. He was held out of the game in Philadelphia on Thursday and hasn’t practiced since.

“It’s not a serious injury but on the other hand, it’s a tricky thing that you really have to be cautious about and that’s what we’ve been doing,” Cavs coach David Blatt said. “We haven’t pressed it and we haven’t pushed it.”

The probable starting lineup for the Cavs is: Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Harris, LeBron James, James Jones and Timofey Mozgov.

While the Grizzlies’ should counter with a probable starting lineup of: (former Buckeye) Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Jeff Green, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.

Meanwhile, as Delly, Joe and the training campers were practicing with the kids, across town, LeBron, on the heels of becoming the official spokesman for Blaze Pizza, treated several other veteran Cavs to some hot pies at the Columbus Blaze location on High Street near the OSU campus. J.R. Smith, Mo Williams and James Jones were the beneficiaries of the deliciousness.

Only right that I come to Columbus and enjoy a great pie @BlazePizza!! Love it. Thanks for the hospitality guys. pic.twitter.com/fJT76gsEkp

— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 11, 2015

If you can’t make it to Columbus for the game, you can check out the action on Fox Sports Ohio, or WTAM 1100.

GO CAVS!