INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — News, notes and quotes from Cavaliers practice, as they prepare for the preseason finale vs. Indiana on Tuesday at The Q:
• Coach Byron Scott said he'll change the starting lineup vs. the Pacers. He did not, however, say who's getting the call. "I'm going against everything I've done in the past," he said. "I still want to see some different lineups, so I'm going to play some different guys and see how that works."
• In the previous three games, Anderson Varejao started at center, Tristan Thompson and C.J. Miles at forward, and Kyrie Irving and rookie Dion Waiters at guard. Scott said the lineup that starts Tuesday has worked together for the past "three or four days" of practice. "I want to see how they play together (in a game)," Scott said. "Then I'll make my final decision on who's going to start and all that stuff next week."
• Scott added that Tuesday's game won't necessarily be "a gigantic factor" in who starts the season-opener Oct. 30. "But it will at least give me more information," he said. "The more information I can get is a good thing. I want to see some different guys at different spots. I want to see some different combinations and I just want to see how it looks. We're so young right now, trying to get guys to really figure out how to play with each other is big."
• As for the possibility of keeping both backup point guards, Donald Sloan and Jeremy Pargo, Scott said he wouldn't mind keeping both. "I would like to, but I'm not sure I'm going to," he said.
• The Cavs still have to release two players before the regular season. Scott said the pool of potential cuts has been whittled down to four or five guys.
• Irving missed part of Monday's practice after taking an elbow to the eye from Miles, but he's fine and will play Tuesday. Miles accidentally hit Irving after grabbing a rebound and swinging his arms. Irving was standing behind Miles. "I turned around and asked him right away if he was alright," Miles said. "He said, ‘Yeah.' Next thing you know, he had a little knot."
• Miles compared Irving to the football player who wears the red jersey at practice, indicating he's the one guy you're not allowed to touch. "I apologized; I didn't do it on purpose," Miles said, laughing. "He's not at my position so he's not a threat to me."
• Veteran guard Daniel Gibson said players have been made aware of the league's more thorough enforcement of an old rule. The rule states teams have 90 seconds to be ready for tipoff following the final player introduction. The Cavs received a delay-of-game violation for taking too much time prior to their preseason game against Washington last week.
• Gibson on the rule: "I have heard a lot about it. We do a lot pregame. We are a squad over here. We have handshakes we do. We have to shorten them up. We even got a delay of game (against Wizards) for taking too much time. They are trying to emphasize that."
• Despite the overall youth and somewhat low expectations by national media members, Gibson said he thinks the Cavs are a playoff team. "Watching the guys in practice every day and judging us against the other teams in this league, I think we have the talent," Gibson said. "It's a matter of us putting it together and believing. You can have it, but if you don't believe you're a playoff team, you won't be one. We have to instill it in the young guys."
• Tuesday's game tips off at 7 p.m. It will not be televised.
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