Shake up the Cavs
Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue is changing his lineup in hopes of kickstarting the slumping Cavaliers, who have lost 10 of their last 13 games.
Kevin Love’s latest move hasn’t made any of the Cleveland Cavaliers screaming mad. There’s a positive change. Targeted by some teammates during a heated meeting this week, Love is returning to power forward after Cavs coach Tyronn Lue tweaked his lineup in hopes of reviving a team that has dropped 10 of 13 games.
Lue had been resisting changes, but following Thursday’s practice he announced he’s dropping forward Jae Crowder to the second team, returning center Tristan Thompson to the starting lineup and switching Love, who was named an All-Star reserve, back to a position where he is much more comfortable.
LeBron James and his teammates have been consumed in recent days by chaos, highlighted by a pre-practice meeting Monday when players aired grievances.
A few targeted their frustration at Love, who went home sick from Saturday’s lopsided loss to Oklahoma City and missed Sunday’s practice.
Durant fined for criticizing referee
Golden State forward Kevin Durant was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Thursday for his comments about referee James Williams.
Durant criticized Williams after he was ejected from Golden State’s 123112 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Wife of slain NBA player makes court appearance
Former NBA player Lorenzen Wright’s ex-wife has made her first court appearance since she was extradited from California to face charges in his shooting death.
Judge Lee Coffee read charges against Sherra Wright during her Thursday arraignment in Memphis — first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
Two lawyers who appeared with her said they needed more time to finalize their hiring.
Coffee set a Feb. 26 hearing date.
Wright was arrested in December in Riverside County, California, more than seven years after Lorenzen Wright’s decomposing body was found in a suburban Memphis field. He was missing for 10 days before his body was found on July 28, 2010.