CLEVELAND -- Finally, things are starting to settle down for Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Kyle Korver.
Acquired by the Cavaliers from the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, January 8, Korver did not have much time to acclimate to the city because the team was at the beginning of a six-game road trip, five of which were played in the western portion of the country.
But now, with the return of the team to Cleveland, Korver and his family have settled into their new NBA home.
“I finally got to see my family in Cleveland, and it’s like, ‘Okay, maybe we are Cavs now,’” Korver said. “We made it to the city. We’re all here. Until things fall into place off the court too, things don’t feel like it’s all-the-way real and settled, but it’s good to have my family here. That makes it feel more settling. It’s good to be here.”
Although Korver has been no stranger to moving across the country, not after making four previous stops in his 13-year NBA career, this was only the second time he was traded in the middle of the season, and first since getting married.
“I got traded from Philly to Utah,” Korver recalled. “It was right before New Years, but I was a single man back then with no kids, so it’s a little easier. I ended up meeting my wife in Utah, so it was good.”
During the first three months of the 2016-2017 season with the Hawks, Korver converted 44.1 percent of his shots from the field, including 40.9 percent of his 159 three-point tries, and averaged 9.5 points over 32 games, 21 of which he started.
In 996 career NBA games before the trade, which included stints with the Philadelphia 76ers (2003-2008), Utah Jazz (2008-2010), Chicago Bulls (2010-2012) and Hawks (2012-2017), Korver averaged 10.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.7 steals.
Korver converted 3,423 of his 7,747 attempts from the field (44.2 percent) and 1,952 of his 4,553 three-point tries (42.9 percent).
After a slow start with the Cavaliers, Korver has scored 29 points in his last two games, including 18 in a 120-108 win over the Sacramento Kings last Friday night and another 11 at the Golden State Warriors Monday.
“Atlanta, that was the longest I’ve played anywhere, just by a few games, but still, I had all my kids there and we had a lot of stuff going on in Atlanta, so it’s a quick, dramatic change, but this is an incredible opportunity and we’re grateful and we’re excited,” Korver said.
“My kids are young, so they can do it, and we’re excited.”
