INDEPENDENCE, OH – The Cavaliers had their first practice of the 2019-2020 season on Tuesday.
The vibe was much different under new head coach John Beilein, who hopes to replicate the success he had coaching at four Division I programs, including Michigan and West Virginia.
“It was great,” Kevin Love said. “I’m trying to think in the last few years if we’ve had a really solid practice on that first one. Everybody had attention to detail, hard cuts, going through drills and great speed.”
The Cavaliers ended practice with a 5-on-5 session. There were three different teams. Love was on a team full of young players.
Beilein hasn’t named a starting lineup and is hoping to have more balanced teams during camp and in preseason games. He wants his players to earn the time they get on the court, including all five starting jobs.
Rookies Darius Garland and Dylan Windler didn’t participate in Tuesday’s practice. Windler is dealing with a stress reaction in his left leg. He’s expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks.
Garland missed practice with a sore right foot. The Cavs insist it isn’t serious and that they're playing it safe with the No. 5 overall pick.
“He’s got a little slight thing in his foot that is negative,” Beilein said. “He’s going to be fine. He had a great week last week. We just held him out today.”
Garland spent at least a half hour shooting shots from all different areas of the court after practice. He was moving around well and showed off the shooting touch the Cavs raved about during the pre-draft process. There’s video of both rookies shooting at the top and bottom of this article.
Windler will contunue his rehab in hopes of returning before the regular season starts on Oct. 23.
“He can do some shooting right now and that’s about it," Beilein said of Windler. “Very low impact. I want him engaged in practice and he’s a really bright young man. He’s one of those guys – four-year college guy who can pick up things while watching. He doesn’t need to practice it.”
Larry Nance Jr. also missed practice because he was sick. The Cavaliers said both Nance and Garland are day-to-day.
Henson’s Return
John Henson practiced for the first time in more than 10 months (Nov. 14) on Tuesday. It was his first full practice as a member of the Cavaliers. Henson tore ligaments in his left wrist in November when he was playing for Milwaukee. The Cavaliers acquired him and Matthew Dellavedova in the George trade in December.
“It was rough, especially when you get traded,” Henson said. “I’m just happy to be out here.”
The 28-year-old averaged 5.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and one assist in 14 games with the Bucks last season. He also shot 35.5 percent from 3-point range. It’ll be interesting to see how he fits in the frontcourt with Tristan Thompson, Ante Zizic, Nance Jr., and Love.
“He’s very different from the other bigs.” Beilein said of Henson. “When we watched him play any pick-up, he changes a lot of things for us. We need that very badly. You can draw up all kinds of great action and one-shot block just deflates the offense, so he's going to bring that to us.
“All year we’ll be trying to put weight on him, pound-by-pound so he can withstand an NBA season.”
Henson has played 70 games or more just twice in his 7-year career. He's in the final year of his contract. He’s one of five Cavaliers who are expected to hit free agency next summer. Jordan Clarkson, Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight and Dellavedova are the others.
The Cavaliers’ first preseason game is Friday, October 11 in Detroit.
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