NBA professional basketball team season
| 2011–12 Cleveland Cavaliers season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Byron Scott | ||
| General manager | Chris Grant | ||
| Owner(s) | Dan Gilbert | ||
| Arena | Quicken Loans Arena | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 21–45 (.318) | ||
| Place | Division: 5th (Central) Conference: 13th (Eastern) | ||
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify | ||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | |||
| Radio | WTAM | ||
| |||
The 2011–12 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 42nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Key dates
- May 17 – The 2011 NBA Draft Lottery took place, and the Cavaliers got the first pick.
- June 23 – The 2011 NBA draft took place in Newark, New Jersey, at the Prudential Center. The Cavaliers picked Kyrie Irving (#1), Tristan Thompson (#4), Milan Mačvan (#54). They also drafted Justin Harper (#32), but immediately traded him to the Orlando Magic for two future second-round picks (2013 and 2014).
- June 29 – The Cavs exercise the third-year option on Christian Eyenga, keeping him under contract until the 2012–13 season.
- June 30 – J.J. Hickson is sent to the Sacramento Kings, for Omri Casspi and a protected future first round pick.
- July 7 – The Cavaliers set an NBA D-League team in Canton, Ohio. The Cavs announced that they will own and control all the operations of the former Albuquerque/New Mexico Thunderbirds. On October 13, the new name, logo, colors and court design are unveiled, the Canton Charge.
- December 9 – Training Camp begins. The Cavs also signed with rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson. They also waived Joey Graham.
- December 12 – Anthony Parker re-signed with the Cavaliers.
- December 14 – The Cavs decided to waive Baron Davis.
- December 16 – The Cavaliers opened their pre-season with a victory over the Detroit Pistons in The Palace of Auburn Hills.
- December 20 – The Cavs closed their pre-season with a loss against the Pistons in Quicken Loans Arena, with a 1–1 record.
- December 22 – Manny Harris is waived by the Cavs.
- December 26 – The Cavaliers opened their season with a loss against the Toronto Raptors in the Quicken Loans Arena.
- January 4 – Christian Eyenga is assigned to the Canton Charge.
- January 23 – The Cavs recall Christian Eyenga.
- February 10 – The Cavaliers sign a 10-day contract with Ben Uzoh, of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
- February 21 – Manny Harris sign a 10-day contract with the Cavs.
Draft picks
Main article: 2011 NBA draft| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kyrie Irving | G |  United States
|
Duke |
| 1 | 4 | Tristan Thompson | F |  Canada
|
Texas |
| 2 | 32 | Justin Harper | F | United States
|
Richmond |
| 2 | 54 | Milan Mačvan | PF |  Serbia
|
Maccabi Tel Aviv |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
InjuredPre-season
| 2011 pre-season game log | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pre-season: 1–1 (home: 0–1; road: 1–0)
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| 2011–12 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The original 2011 NBA Pre-season was canceled due to the 2011 NBA Lockout. After the lockout, the NBA created a new two game Pre-Season.
Regular season
Standings
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z-Chicago Bulls | 50 | 16 | .758 | – | 26–7 | 24–9 | 13–1 | 66 |
| x-Indiana Pacers | 42 | 24 | .636 | 8 | 23–10 | 19–14 | 9–4 | 66 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 31 | 35 | .470 | 19 | 17–16 | 14–19 | 7–8 | 66 |
| Detroit Pistons | 25 | 41 | .379 | 25 | 18–15 | 7–26 | 4–11 | 66 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 21 | 45 | .318 | 29 | 11–22 | 10–23 | 3–12 | 66 |
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z-Chicago Bulls | 50 | 16 | .758 | – | 66 |
| 2 | y-Miami Heat * | 46 | 20 | .697 | 4.0 | 66 |
| 3 | x-Indiana Pacers * | 42 | 24 | .636 | 8.0 | 66 |
| 4 | y-Boston Celtics | 39 | 27 | .591 | 11.0 | 66 |
| 5 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 40 | 26 | .606 | 10.0 | 66 |
| 6 | x-Orlando Magic | 37 | 29 | .561 | 13.0 | 66 |
| 7 | x-New York Knicks | 36 | 30 | .545 | 14.0 | 66 |
| 8 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 35 | 31 | .530 | 15.0 | 66 |
| 9 | Milwaukee Bucks | 31 | 35 | .470 | 19.0 | 66 |
| 10 | Detroit Pistons | 25 | 41 | .379 | 25.0 | 66 |
| 11 | Toronto Raptors | 23 | 43 | .348 | 27.0 | 66 |
| 12 | New Jersey Nets | 22 | 44 | .333 | 28.0 | 66 |
| 13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 21 | 45 | .318 | 29.0 | 66 |
| 14 | Washington Wizards | 20 | 46 | .303 | 30.0 | 66 |
| 15 | Charlotte Bobcats | 7 | 59 | .106 | 43.0 | 66 |
Game log
All the games through December 24 were canceled due to the 2011 NBA Lockout. A new schedule was created starting in December 25.
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyrie Irving | 51 | 51 | 30.5 | .469 | .399 | .872 | 3.7 | 5.4 | 1.1 | .4 | 18.5 |
| Antawn Jamison | 65 | 65 | 33.1 | .403 | .341 | .683 | 6.3 | 2.0 | .8 | .7 | 17.2 |
| Lester Hudson | 13 | 0 | 24.2 | .391 | .246 | .842 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 1.1 | .2 | 12.7 |
| Anderson Varejão | 25 | 25 | 31.4 | .514 | .000 | .672 | 11.5 | 1.7 | 1.4 | .7 | 10.8 |
| Alonzo Gee | 63 | 31 | 29.0 | .412 | .321 | .788 | 5.1 | 1.8 | 1.3 | .3 | 10.6 |
| Ramon Sessions | 41 | 4 | 24.5 | .398 | .419 | .830 | 3.1 | 5.2 | .7 | .0 | 10.5 |
| Tristan Thompson | 60 | 25 | 23.7 | .439 | .000 | .552 | 6.5 | .5 | .5 | 1.0 | 8.2 |
| Daniel Gibson | 35 | 7 | 26.2 | .351 | .396 | .791 | 2.9 | 2.2 | .7 | .5 | 7.5 |
| Anthony Parker | 51 | 51 | 25.1 | .433 | .362 | .625 | 2.7 | 2.4 | .7 | .1 | 7.2 |
| Omri Casspi | 65 | 35 | 20.6 | .403 | .315 | .685 | 3.5 | 1.0 | .6 | .3 | 7.1 |
| Manny Harris | 26 | 5 | 17.5 | .400 | .333 | .695 | 2.7 | 1.2 | .5 | .2 | 6.7 |
| Donald Sloan | 25 | 11 | 24.3 | .403 | .091 | .808 | 2.4 | 3.7 | .4 | .1 | 6.6 |
| D. J. Kennedy | 2 | 0 | 29.5 | .417 | .500 | .000 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .0 | 6.0 |
| Samardo Samuels | 54 | 0 | 15.3 | .455 | .701 | 3.3 | .4 | .4 | .4 | 5.4 | |
| Ryan Hollins | 24 | 7 | 15.1 | .500 | .600 | 2.3 | .3 | .2 | .5 | 3.7 | |
| Mychel Thompson | 5 | 3 | 19.0 | .292 | .364 | 1.0 | 1.4 | .4 | .2 | 3.6 | |
| Semih Erden | 28 | 9 | 11.9 | .527 | .512 | 2.6 | .3 | .4 | .2 | 3.5 | |
| Luke Harangody | 21 | 1 | 11.0 | .354 | .238 | .750 | 2.5 | .3 | .3 | .1 | 2.9 |
| Ben Uzoh | 2 | 0 | 6.5 | .400 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | 2.0 | ||
| Luke Walton | 21 | 0 | 14.2 | .353 | .438 | 1.7 | 1.4 | .1 | .0 | 2.0 | |
| Christian Eyenga | 6 | 0 | 13.8 | .158 | .500 | .333 | 2.0 | .7 | .5 | .7 | 1.5 |
Awards, records and milestones
Awards
- Kyrie Irving was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month three times (December – January, February and March) and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
- Rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson were selected to participate in the 2012 Rising Stars challenge.
Milestones
- On March 31 Antawn Jamison scored his 19,000th career point in a 75–91 loss to the New York Knicks.
- On January 31 Kyrie Irving made his first game-winning basket against the Boston Celtics.
Injuries, surgeries and absences
- Semih Erden had a fracture in his right thumb and missed the first seven games of the regular season. In April, he sprained his right ankle and missed the remainder of the season.
- Kyrie Irving suffered a concussion during a game against the Miami Heat on February 7 and missed the following 3 games.
- Anderson Varejão broke his wrist on February 10 during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks and missed the remainder of the season.
Transactions
Free agents
Additions
| Date | Player | Signed | Former team |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 10, 2012 | Ben Uzoh | NBA D-League | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| February 21, 2012 | Manny Harris | NBA D-League | Canton Charge |
Subtractions
| Date | Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 9, 2011 | Joey Graham | Waived | Free Agent |
| December 14, 2011 | Baron Davis | Waived | New York Knicks |
| December 22, 2011 | Manny Harris | Waived | Canton Charge |
Trades
| June 23, 2011 | To Cleveland Cavaliers
|
To Orlando Magic |
| June 30, 2011 | To Cleveland Cavaliers
|
To Sacramento Kings |
References
- Cavaliers win NBA draft lottery, will pick first, USA Today. May 18, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- "Irving, Rubio take Rookie of the Month honors for January". NBA.com. February 1, 2012. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- "Irving, Thomas take Rookie of the Month honors for February". NBA.com. March 1, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
- "Irving, Thomas named Rookies of the Month". NBA.com. April 1, 2012. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- "Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving named Kia Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- Semih Erden (thumb) cleared to return, NBC Sports. January 2, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
- Semih Erden Injury Update, nba.com/cavaliers. April 12, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012
- Kyrie Irving to miss 2 more games, ESPN.com. February 11, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
- Season over for Cavs C Anderson Varejão, Yahoo! Sports. April 2, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
External links
Media related to 2011–12 Cleveland Cavaliers season at Wikimedia Commons
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