Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced Saturday that rookie center Evan Mobley entered the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

As a result, Mobley will miss Saturday's game between the Cavs and Milwaukee Bucks.

Mobley, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft out of USC, is the likely front-runner for NBA Rookie of the Year honors so far this season.

In 25 games this season, all of which he has started, the 7-footer is averaging 13.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 blocks. He is also shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Mobley was already questionable for Saturday's game with a hip injury after sitting out Wednesday's win over the Houston Rockets.

While being without a player of Mobley's skill level hurts, the Cavs are well-equipped to deal with one of their bigs being out.

Mobley's absence means head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is likely to lean heavily on center Jarrett Allen and forward Lauri Markkanen in the frontcourt.

Allen is enjoying a career year with 16.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks per game, while Markkanen is putting up 14.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 three-pointers made per contest.

Veteran Kevin Love has also been a key big for the Cavs this season with 12.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.1 three-pointers made per game, and he figures to see increased minutes.

The Cavaliers will also look for production out of their guards and wings, including Darius Garland, Ricky Rubio and Cedi Osman.

Cleveland has not reached the playoffs since 2018, which was LeBron James' final season with the team and marked the Cavs' fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers have been among the NBA's most pleasant surprises this season, though, as they are tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 18-12.

They will face some stiff competition in the form of the reigning NBA champions on Saturday, but if Giannis Antetokounmpo is forced to sit again due to health and safety protocols, the Cavaliers have a solid chance to win even without Mobley.

The Indiana Pacers reportedly like Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton as a potential return in a trade for Caris LeVert, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Indiana reportedly sees the 22-year-old as a "terrific scorer, though the Pacers have not yet brought him up in the discussions they've had with Cleveland's executives."

Sexton is out for the season with a torn meniscus in his left knee, but the Pacers could take a long-term approach after a 12-16 start to the year. The team is reportedly considering becoming a seller before the Feb. 10 trade deadline while taking calls on LeVert, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, per Shams Charania and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic.  

Cleveland (16-12) is seeking its first playoff appearance since 2018 and could use a proven shooting guard like LeVert to replace Sexton in the lineup.

LeVert is averaging 15.5 points per game in his first full season with the Pacers, and he is always capable of taking over offensively. He scored 26 points in Indiana's latest win over the Dallas Mavericks, and he has topped 20 points in five of his 20 games this year.

He could provide a boost to a Cavaliers offense that ranks just 18th in the NBA in efficiency.

The 6'6" LeVert could also be a better fit for Cleveland in the backcourt than Sexton (6'1") alongside the 6'1" Darius Garland.

On the other hand, Indiana already has a bigger two-way guard in Malcolm Brogdon (6'5") but could use another perimeter scoring option. Sexton could fill that role after averaging 20.0 points per game for his career, including 24.3 points per game in 2020-21.

If the 2018 No. 8 overall pick can return to full strength from his knee injury, this suggested deal could be a win-win for both teams.  

The Police & Fire Retirement System pension fund in Detroit is suing Cleveland Cavaliers governor Dan Gilbert and accusing him of insider trading for selling them $500 million in Rocket Companies stock in March that quickly devalued, per Sean McDonnell of Cleveland.com.

The pension fund is claiming that Gilbert knew the stock price of Rocket Companies would fall after the sale, allowing him to avoid $165 million in losses by selling when he did. On March 29, the shares sold for $24.75 apiece. By May 13, they had dropped to $16.58 and sat at $16.31 apiece on Tuesday.

Per that report:

"Rocket had predicted 'blockbuster' growth in early 2021, but in May reported lower expectations that caused the stock price to fall, according to the lawsuit. The suit claims Gilbert would have been aware of Rocket's results in real-time, and that those results were discussed at a March 10 company meeting, more than two weeks before he sold the stock to the pension fund."

Rock Holdings, the parent company of Rocket Companies, denied the accusations.

"The claim that Dan Gilbert, the company's founder and chairman, acted using information not available to the public is false and preposterous," spokesman Aaron Emerson said in a statement.

"We will defend the strong reputation we have built for doing the right thing over the last 36 years and hold accountable anyone who makes false claims or attempts to tarnish our company, our founder or the hard work of our 26,000 team members," the statement added.

Gilbert, alongside Ron Berman, Lindsay Gross and Gary Gilbert, founded Rock Financial in 1985, a mortgage loan provider. It would later be named Quicken Loans in 1999 before going public in 2020 under the name Rocket Companies.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton will miss the rest of the 2021-22 NBA season after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear in his left knee, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

Cleveland announced Nov. 8 that the 22-year-old suffered the injury and would be out indefinitely. The team said his status would be updated after further evaluation.

Sexton got hurt in the second quarter of the 126-109 victory over the New York Knicks on Nov. 7. At the time of his injury, the Cavaliers were off to a surprising start to the season with a 7-4 record. They've since fallen to 9-8.

Sexton averaged 16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists in 11 games this season.

The eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Alabama alum averaged career highs in points (24.3), assists (4.4), minutes (35.3) and field-goal percentage (47.5) during the 2020-21 season. But he hasn't been able to turn the Cavaliers around, as Cleveland has finished with a record below .500 and missed the playoffs in each of the last three campaigns.

Despite his impressive numbers last year, Sexton and Cleveland failed to reach an agreement on a rookie-scale contract extension before this season's deadline in October. He is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

The Cavaliers employ a two-point guard system with Sexton and 2019 first-round pick Darius Garland, who is averaging 17.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. He is likely going to have to shoulder the scoring load in his teammate's absence.

Veteran point guard Ricky Rubio is likely to see an increase in minutes. When Sexton went down against the Knicks, the 31-year-old came off the bench and scored a career-high 37 points with a career-best eight three-pointers.

Cleveland's 2020 first-round pick, Isaac Okoro, is back from a hamstring injury that caused him to miss seven games. The defensive specialist could see some more time in the backcourt while Sexton is out.

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley will miss two to four weeks after being diagnosed with a right elbow sprain.

Mobley was injured in Monday's 98-92 loss to the Boston Celtics. He finished with one point, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

The Cavaliers will be happy Mobley avoided a major injury. The third pick in the 2021 NBA draft has set himself apart as the Rookie of the Year favorite in the early part of the season. He's averaging 14.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while making a pairing with Jarrett Allen work despite neither being a great floor-spacer.

Cleveland has been one of the NBA's most promising stories, entering Tuesday fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 9-6 record.

Lauri Markkanen will return soon from health and safety protocols, so he will slot into Mobley's slot in the lineup. Dean Wade may also see more action. 

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley will undergo an MRI after suffering an elbow injury during the third quarter of Monday's 98-92 loss to the Boston Celtics, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

The Cavs have initially diagnosed the injury as a sprained right elbow, per Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Mobley entered play averaging 15.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 2.3 assists per game in his rookie year for the Cavs, who took the ex-USC star third overall in the 2021 NBA draft.

The 20-year-old dominated for USC, leading the Trojans to a first-place finish in the Pac-12 regular season and an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA tournament.

The 7'0" big man from Murietta, California, played high school ball at Rancho Christian. He was named California's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018-19 after averaging 19.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 3.3 assists per game.

Mobley earned the honor once again in 2019-20 with 20.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.2 blocks and 4.6 assists per contest.

Losing Mobley would be a tough blow for the Cavs, who are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Cleveland may have to rely more on Jarrett Allen or perhaps even Tacko Fall in the frontcourt if Mobley is sidelined.

Regardless of what Cleveland does, losing the talented Rookie of the Year candidate during Monday's game was a tough blow for the rebuilding Cavs as they look to make the playoffs for the first time sans LeBron James since 1997-98.

Kyle Kuzma appears determined to join Joakim Noah on the short list of Cleveland's most hated athletes.

The Washington Wizards forward had a back-and-forth with fans during Wednesday's win over the Cavaliers, saying Cleveland "wouldn't be s--t" without LeBron James.

"They had a sign that said, 'LeBron won Kuzma his ring.' I said, you know, 'Without LeBron, Cleveland wouldn't be s--t.' They chose violence. I just kept going," Kuzma said.

Kuzma scored 22 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 11.4 seconds remaining, as the Wizards came from behind for a 97-94 victory over the Cavs. 

Cleveland is no stranger to being in the crosshairs of trash talk from NBA players. Noah famously said the city "sucks" and later doubled down: "I never heard anybody say, 'I'm going to Cleveland on vacation.' What's so good about Cleveland?"

Kuzma's next visit to Cleveland is Feb. 26, so we'll have to see if he comes up with an equally headline-worthy double-down. 

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Collin Sexton is out indefinitely after suffering a torn meniscus. 

Sexton is averaging 16.0 points and 2.1 assists this season while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 24.4 percent from deep.

The 22-year-old was quite durable in his first three seasons, missing just 12 games last season after playing every game in his first two years with the Cavs. 

With Sexton sidelined, Cleveland will rely on Darius Garland as its primary playmaker. Cedi Osman and Ricky Rubio also stand to see more playing time in Sexton's absence. 

Sexton could be traded before the February deadline, as he's set to become a restricted free agent after the 2021-22 season. He was included in trade rumors during the offseason, so it wouldn't be surprising to see his name pop up again. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly remain interested in signing Collin Sexton to a long-term contract despite failing to reach an agreement before the rookie extension deadline.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported talks fell apart over the Cavs' desire to add a fifth year to the deal. Sexton was looking for a four-year contract in the $100 million range.

It's unclear if Cleveland was willing to meet Sexton's $25 million annual asking price. Based on the start of his 2021-22 season, it's likely the team feels glad it didn't. Sexton is averaging just 16.0 points (down from 24.3) and 2.1 assists (down from 4.4) while shooting 24.4 percent from three-point range.

The Cavs have gotten off to a promising 7-4 start despite Sexton's offensive woes. Darius Garland is providing a steady hand leading the offense, and rookie Evan Mobley looks like a two-way anchor.

Sexton's trajectory in Cleveland has always been polarizing. While he's increased his scoring output in each of his first three NBA seasons, Sexton has faced trade rumors, accusations of being selfish and the idea that he would be better off as a sixth man than a starter. The Alabama product has done himself no favors this season, potentially costing himself tens of millions of dollars.

Sexton will be a restricted free agent next summer, which will also limit his pool of potential suitors.