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Training Camp Invites - Cleveland Cavaliers

More photos » by Laura Rauch - AP

2 months ago: Denver Nuggets' Coby Karl tries to shoot over Portland Trail Blazers' David Moss during their NBA Summer League basketball game in Las Vegas on Friday, July 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

For Cleveland this year, bigger is apparently better.  By my count they have 20 players in training camp, which is just plain unnecessary, and it makes the odds even longer for the players I'm about to talk about.  Which is too bad, because there's some real talent here.

Rob Kurz - I've actually talked about Kurz a few times in relation to training camp, because first he was looking at Cleveland, then wanted to go to Denver, and is with Cleveland again now.  Kurz is a 6'9" three-point shooter who managed to start in five games for Golden State last year because, did I mention that he's a 6'9" three-point shooter who was playing for Golden State?  He doesn't rebound particularly well for a power forward (and he even played some center for the Warriors because, did I mention he was a 6'9" three-point shooter who played for the Warriors?) nor does he defend at any level remotely approaching average (check his 82games opponent counterpart production stats), but Mike Brown is a good enough defensive coach that some of those deficiencies could probably be masked should Kurz break through and make the team.

Coby Karl - Karl played in both Summer Leagues this year, first with Boston's roster in Orlando and then with Denver's roster in Vegas.  He was a bit shaky in the first but very solid all-around in the second.  Karl is definitely skilled enough to play in the NBA, with nice rebounding and passing abilities for a shooting guard.  He's an excellent three-point shooter, and overall his scoring is fairly efficient.  He'd definitely be an intriguing player to put on the court with Cleveland's other guards, and hopefully he gets the opportunity to show what he can do.

Russell Robinson - Robinson got some notice running the point for the Magic's Summer League team this year, although he didn't shoot particularly well.  That's pretty much the opposite of how his D-League season went last year, where he shot the ball just fine but averaged only five and a half assists per 36 minutes.  Robinson is a good point guard when he puts it all together, especially since Cleveland has a certain forward who handles the ball a fair amount (no, not J.J. Hickson).

Andre Barrett - Barrett has had brief stops with six NBA teams since 2004, and he's spent some time in the D-League as well.  He's actually fairly similar to Russell Robinson, averaging anywhere from five to eight assists on a per-minute basis, making 38-42 percent of his threes, and having an eFG around 51 percent.  So what I said above also applies here.

Luke Nevill - Luke Nevill is a big (7'1", 250 lbs.) Australian center with pretty good hands and touch around the rim but almost no athleticism or rebounding ability.  I don't know a whole lot about him (he didn't play much during Summer League), but I'm guessing he's here to make Shaquille O'Neal look good.

Darryl Watkins - Effort is Watkins's main problem, as he has some nice physical tools and athleticism along with shot-blocking ability and a decent mid-range jumper, but he can't seem to put it together for any length of time.  He's an intriguing process if the Cavs decide they're bored with J.J. Hickson, I suppose, but Watkins will have to work his tail off to make this team, which hasn't been his m.o. thus far in his professional career.

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