Cleveland is coming of age
Raptors Achiuwa, Barnes late arrivals for all-star weekend
The NBA All-Star Game’s hosts aren’t just welcoming guests or showing off their renovated home arena this weekend.
Surprisingly, there are Cavaliers on the roster.
After an unexpected rise in the standings, the Cavaliers, who reached the break fourth in the Eastern Conference, will be represented in Sunday’s game by a pair of first-time all-stars: guard Darius Garland and centre Jarrett Allen.
It is the first time Cleveland has had two all-star selections since 2018, when LeBron James and Kevin Love played in Los Angeles — James was named the MVP — and the Cavs made their fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals.
Garland and Allen, who are reserves for Team LeBron, could get a chance to combine on one of those pick-and-rolls that have confounded opponents.
Cleveland, which won 60 total games over the past three seasons, is positioned to make the playoffs for the first time since James left four years ago.
Cleveland fans have embraced their selfless group of twentysomethings, who have connected on and off the floor.
“We’ve just got a whole group of young, new guys,” said Cavaliers second-year forward Isaac Okoro, who played in the Rising Stars Challenge with rookie Evan Mobley.
“We’re just hungry. We’ve got that grit, that toughness and we’re ready to show the league.”
For Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the selections of Garland and Allen. who is replacing an injured James Harden, signals more than his team’s rebirth.
It’s a chance to reward two players for hard work.
“The All-Star Game being in your city is a big deal,” he said.
“The NBA throwing its biggest party here in Cleveland is a big deal. I try to separate the two because I believe these moments are about those individual guys and their accomplishments.
“And we should highlight them in these moments, and not take away from that.”
Cleveland will also be represented in Saturday’s skills challenge as Garland, Mobley and Allen will form Team Cavs and compete against Team Antetokounmpos (Giannis, Alex and Thanasis) and Team Rooks (Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Oklahoma City’s Josh Giddey).
Mush ado about travel Where’s Drake and his private jet when you need him? The heavy winter storm that clogged roads and closed school in Toronto also delayed the departure of two rising Raptors stars.
“Due to weather and travel issues, Precious Achiuwa and Scottie Barnes will not be at Rising Stars practice this morning,” the Raptors public relations department tweeted Friday.
Achiuwa and Barnes were selected to the Rising Stars Challenge in Cleveland, a four-team tournament featuring 12 first-year players, 12 second-year players and four of members of the G League Ignite development team. They were in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse before the 9 p.m. start.
Fans were quick to suggest alternate travel plans for the pair on Twitter, with one posting a picture of Achiuwa and Barnes on a dog sled.
“Get the Megabus up for Scottie and Precious,” another tweeted.
The travel may have caught up to Barnes in the Clutch Challenge, when he and teammate Tyrese Maxey couldn’t sink a shot from the layup spot in the prelude to the Rising Stars final.