CLEVELAND: Now that the Cavaliers are into the rhythm of the season, it doesn’t leave many practice days or much playing time for rookie point guard Kay Felder.
Felder went to Canton on Wednesday to make his Development League debut and scored 33 points, grabbed seven rebounds and passed for seven assists without any practice time with his new teammates.
Felder was back up with the Cavs prior to Thursday’s home game against the Boston Celtics — the benefit of having a D-League team so close to home. Felder will likely continue to bounce back and forth between Cleveland and Canton to get playing time while providing insurance to the Cavs while they search for a more experienced backup point guard.
“We don’t practice a lot, so he doesn’t really get a chance to get a lot of reps in practice,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. “Then in a game situation, he hasn’t really played a lot either. Just having the chance to go down to Canton and play, let him know he still has his game, has the confidence to go down there and play and play well.”
Felder acknowledged being a rookie, particularly a rookie on a team contending for a championship, provides limited opportunities for him.
“You sometimes can get down on yourself,” he said. “But at the same time, you know what you can do. That was a great confidence boost for me. It was kind of a wake-up call and a reminder for me.”
Felder had a perfect case study across the court on Thursday. Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas received the LeBron James seal of approval Thursday — James compared him to former NBA guard Damon Stoudamire — and Felder said he studies Thomas’ game and picks his brain on occasion.
Thomas was the 60th and final pick of the 2011 draft — the same year Kyrie Irving went No. 1 overall. Felder was selected 54th overall last summer. The 5-foot-9 Felder spends plenty of time studying others in the under 6-foot fraternity.
“I think you have to study those guys, especially when you’re the same size,” he said. “You’re not about to watch LeBron. You can’t do the things he can do. So I definitely study those guys.”
Lots of ties to Ohio
Celtics coach Brad Stevens attended an Ohio State football practice in September when he was in Columbus to attend a wedding. Buckeyes basketball coach Thad Matta arranged it because Stevens was an assistant under Matta at Butler.
In fact, Stevens has plenty of Ohio ties. His father attended medical school at Ohio State and his wife has a lot of family from Cleveland.
“I went to one practice where they simulated the game the next week,” Stevens said. “They’re pretty impressive. It’s pretty cool to follow their success.”
Dribbles
Stevens watched Cavs guard Kyrie Irving in high school at an under-18 tryout. “He was ridiculous then, by far the best player on the court,” Stevens said. “The guy’s always been destined to be one of the better players around.” … Lue on what he would like to give James for his 32nd birthday: “Another championship. That’s the best give you can possibly give him, I mean a man who has everything.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.