After Andrew Bogut’s season-ending leg injury, the Cleveland Cavaliers quickly turned to Larry Sanders, who was their first option for the backup center position. Sanders signed with the team on March 13 and was instantly sent to the D-League to play for the Canton Charge to get extra practice.
Sanders played five games for the Cavaliers and was recently waived and replaced by 7-foot-3 big man Edy Tavares. The move seemed shocking since Sanders had worked really hard to return to the NBA¸ and Cleveland was very fond of his shot-blocking ability.
However, it has been revealed that the Cavs had a legitimate reason to waive him.
Sanders misses bus
According to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Sanders was waived after he missed the team bus that was supposed to go to the airport for the Cavaliers to fly back to Cleveland. Since Sanders has had on and off court issues in the past, the Cavaliers did not want to put up with any of his shenanigans, which is why they decided to waive him.
Sanders’ dismissal had nothing to do with his ability to play. “He didn’t have any kind of setback relative to any of the demons he had or any of those things,” Cavaliers GM David Griffin said of the situation. “He’s kind of flaky.”
Sources: Cavs moved on from Larry Sanders after he missed team bus to airport Tuesday in Miami https://t.co/NjUP41d4Ha
— Jason Lloyd (@JasonLloydNBA) April 13, 2017
With the Cavaliers struggling, they didn’t need a poor attitude and an irresponsible player tainting the locker room and their chances of repeating.
If Sanders can’t cooperate on a championship caliber team, then that’s just disappointing.
Back in 2015, Sanders left the NBA because he discovered that playing basketball is not his true passion. He decided to pass up on the fame and money to pursue other interests. He announced his desire to stop playing basketball in an emotional video but recently changed course and elected to make a return.
It’s unfortunate that Sanders’ return to the NBA has been cut short because he failed to be responsible. The Cavaliers were hopeful that he would be ready for the playoffs to provide rim protection and rebounding. Instead, they were forced to find a quick solution by signing another Big Man, Tavares.
Tavares’ debut
Fortunately for Cleveland, Tavares paid off in his first game with the team.
The big man played 24 minutes in the team’s season finale and put up six points, 10 rebounds, and six blocks. That kind of shot blocking is exactly what the Cavaliers need, which Larry Sanders was supposed to provide. Thankfully, the Cavs can move past this and prepare for the postseason.
