About a month ago, Larry Sanders made his return to the NBA, ending a two-plus year absence by signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the time, Sanders, who walked away from the game during the middle of the 2015 season, and has dealt with anxiety and depression said:
“I’ve been personally working on my mind and my spirit, so now I feel like I can bring myself back to you all and put myself out there again, be on the court, affect the game and hopefully help a team win a championship.”
Unfortunately, it was not to be for Sanders, who, understandably, was not able to shake off the rust in time for the postseason. According to The Vertical’s Shams Charania, the Cavs will be waiving Sanders with the intention of signing Edy Tavares from the D-League.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are releasing center Larry Sanders to create roster space, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 12, 2017
The Cleveland Cavaliers are planning to sign center Edy Tavares to a multiyear contract on Wednesday, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 12, 2017
In Sanders, the Cavs were taking a long shot on adding a rim protector who could potentially give them a few minutes in the postseason, and that’s what they’ll be hoping for from Tavares, as well.
There aren’t many players bigger than the 7-foot-3 Tavares, who sports an 8-foot wingspan. From Cape Verde, Tavares, who was drafted in 2014 by the Atlanta Hawks, has been playing basketball for only about eight years.
Playing in the D-League with Raptors 905 this season, Tavares has been impressive, putting up 10.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and -- most important from the Cavs’ perspective -- 2.7 blocks per night. It’s hard to imagine Tavares getting many minutes in the postseason, but, given Sanders’ struggle to readjust after two years off, he figures to be better insurance.
