Guard Matthew Dellavedova always wanted to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers despite the lure of free agency.
The 25-year-old Australian, who emerged as an unlikely hero during the NBA Finals, re-signed with the Cavs in July on what was reportedly a one-year deal. He said Cleveland was where he wanted to be after coming so close to helping the Cavs to their first NBA championship.
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"The business side of basketball and the NBA is a crazy thing. Free agency isn’t something that I was too familiar with," he wrote for NBA Australia. "I was always wanted to come back to Cleveland because I love playing here, I’ve made a lot of good friends on the team, and I feel comfortable living here.
"To come so close to winning last season, it made me realise how awesome it would be to bring a championship to these fans in Cleveland."
The Cavs open their regular-season campaign against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Tuesday. Dellavedova and his team head into that clash on the back of a 1-6 pre-season, but that run is of no concern.
"We're not worried about our pre-season losses," Dellavedova wrote. There have been so many players coming in and out through injury and rest which makes it hard to get a gauge as to where the team is at. ...
"Hopefully we can kick off the new season on a roll, and get off to a better start than last season."