Greg Stiemsma, the 6-foot-11 center who finished up last season with a call-up with the Minnesota Timberwolves, has decided to make his NBA training camp debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Headed to Cleveland for training camp. Taking another step in the right direction to make this dream come true!
Greg Stiemsma
gregstiemsma
After being released by the Timberwolves earlier in the month so they wouldn't have to guarantee his contract, Stiemsma had worked out for both the San Antonio Spurs and Cavaliers before deciding to take his talents to Cleveland Friday.
While Stiemsma's offensive presence isn't terrible, his defensive prowess is what makes him NBA worthy. As I wrote last May when discussing D-League Defensive Player of the Year candidates:
My first place vote went to Stiemsma based on just one factor: his physical presence inside. Who wants to drive the lane to meet a behemoth like him when they could instead hang out on the perimeter? It wasn't solely the shot blocking presence, but just the formidable inside presence that he gave the Skyforce earned him my vote for D-League Defensive Player of the Year. It also didn't hurt that the Skyforce felt the need to keep him on the court despite his low point and rebounding totals.
The 6-foot-11 Sioux Falls Skyforce center averaged 8.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks during the D-League's regular season while averaging a little over 30 minutes of playing time. Stiemsma came up with a much more impressive playoff performance, though, by averaging 15 points, 10.7 rebounds and and 4.3 blocks while shooting 58% from the field in three games for Sioux Falls before his team ultimately lost their first round series to the Tulsa 66ers.
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