The Cleveland Cavaliers roster is pretty much set as the preseason is underway. Cleveland has 13 players that are locks to make the team plus Tristan Thompson if he ever can agree to a deal with the team. Early on the thought was that the Cavaliers might leave that final roster spot open just in case they wanted to make a trade during the season but now it seems as though they want to fill it with one of their training camp invitees. After his impressive performance on Thursday night it appears that Jared Cunningham may be running away with that competition, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
Cunningham is one of six players in Cavaliers camp on a non-guaranteed deal but is one of only two of those players to have NBA experience along with Austin Daye. Cunningham is a former first round pick of the Cavaliers back in 2012 but he never ended up playing a single game with them. Instead Cunningham has spent a lot of time in the D-League and has played 40 NBA games with four different teams since being drafted.
Cunningham scored 31 points in Thursday night's 115-114 loss to the Toronto Raptors and it seems as though that final roster spot is his to lose. Head coach David Blatt has noticed Cunningham's great play and thinks he is taking advantage of his opportunity.
"I thought without question Jared sort of separated himself tonight. He was exceptional. That's what the opportunities are for, you know. You get a chance, you grab it and he made good use of it. He's a two-way player and he's an excellent open court player, he battles and he's athletic and that can get you far in this league. But we still got the rest of camp to go through to see what's happening. But without question, Jared really showed up today," said Blatt.
Blatt was quick to praise the 24 year old shooting guard but he was hesitant to guarantee anything with him. There is still more than two weeks until the Cavaliers open their season and have to decide the final roster and a lot could happen between now and then.
Another interesting scenario to think about is if Thompson doesn't get his deal worked out by time the regular season starts. If that's the case the Cavaliers would actually have two roster spots open which not only increases Cunningham's chances of making the team but also may open up a spot for someone like Daye or former Duke Blue Devil Quinn Cook.
