Manny

Harris

This should make it official that Gibson won’t be returning this season. Anthony Parker, Alonzo Gee, Omri Casspi and Manny Harris should all see a slight bump in minutes to make up for the 26 minutes that Gibson had been playing.

Harris didn’t make the impression he would have liked to have made, but according to the most recent reports he’ll get another shot on Sunday against the Nets. If he can make some headway, he’ll be a guy to watch if the Cavs throw caution to the wind and run all young guys out onto the court.

This puts him out for Friday’s game against the Raptors and Sunday’s game against the Nets. Manny Harris will draw the start in place of Parker, and should see a fair share of minutes considering how banged-up the Cavaliers currently are heading into Friday’s contest.

Harris had 11.1 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game in his 15 starts last season. With Kyrie Irving (shoulder) also out for Cleveland, it’s not unrealistic to see him come close to these numbers again this year if he can get close to 30 minutes per game.

Harris was smoking through the D-League when he earned the first 10-day contract, but he’s played just six seconds for Cleveland thus far this season.

To be fair, the Cavs were without Kyrie Irving (flu) tonight, but coach Byron Scott found the major lack of effort to be very concerning. He even suggested that changes are in the works for both the starting lineup and rotations. Once healthy, Irving will undoubtedly continue to get as much playing time as he can handle, but he, along with Jamison, are probably the only safe bets in Cleveland right now. It remains to be seen how this situation will play out, but guys like Manny Harris (nine points tonight) and Tristan Thompson are worth keeping an eye on.

Coach Byron Scott was very upset with his team’s effort after the game, and suggested that lineup changes could be on the way. Harris was recently signed to his second 10-day contract in Cleveland, and he could be a candidate for more playing time. Keep an eye on him for now.

If the Cavs wanted to keep Harris, they would have had to guarantee his contract for the rest of the season. That wasn’t happening as they want roster flexibility. Harris is now an unrestricted free agent.

Gibson should be considered extremely questionable to play on Friday, which opens the door for more minutes for Anthony Parker and Manny Harris.

Harris gets his three-game week off to a nice start, and is well worth a look for the remaining slate. He can only go up from here as guys get rested.