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Omri Casspi Is a Cleveland Cavalier

Israeli baller gets his wish and departs Sacramento

by
Marc Tracy
June 30, 2011
Omri Casspi in February.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Omri Casspi in February.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The first and only Israeli to play in the NBA was traded by the Sacramento Kings, his team for his first two seasons, to Cleveland along with a conditional first-round pick in exchange for J.J. Hickson. CBS’s Eye on Basketball blog calls this a win for Cleveland; ESPN’s top NBA beat writer, the tastefully named Marc Stein, reports that Casspi “has been coveted for his combination of defense, energy and underrated perimeter shooting by numerous teams after two solid seasons with the Kings.” So while this may not make up for what happened to Cleveland basketball a year ago, it’s a start.

It’s good news for Casspi, whose sophomore numbers didn’t match his first-year ones, and who made it clear he felt he wasn’t getting the minutes he deserved and hoped to take his talents elsewhere. And we are sure our Shaker Heights readers are very happy. Now if only there’s actually an NBA season this October … .

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.