Every Cavaliers game will be televised in High-Definition on FOX Sports Ohio and broadcast locally and regionally across the Cavaliers Radio Network,

By JAMES W. WADE III

Staff Reporter

The Cleveland Cavaliers have started practicing and held Media Day this week.

Cavaliers have signed 2011 NBA Draft picks guard Kyrie Irving and forward Tristan Thompson to contracts, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. Per league and team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

Irving, who was selected number one overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, played in 11 games last season with the Duke Blue Devils, averaging 17.5 points on .529 shooting, including .462 shooting from three-point range, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 27.5 minutes per game. The 6-foot-3 point guard started the first eight games of the season, scoring 16 or more points in five of the eight games, including a 31-point, six-rebound and four-assist effort versus Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Thompson, who the Cavaliers took with the fourth pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year last season after averaging 13.1 points on .546 shooting, team highs of 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 30.9 minutes per game in 36 games. The 6-foot-9, 227-pound forward posted a season-high 26 points on 9-14 shooting (.643), 10 rebounds and three blocks in 37 minutes versus Kansas State and collected a career-best 15 rebounds and 17 points in 38 minutes versus Michigan State.

The Cavaliers have also signed guard/forward Anthony Parker to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced this week. Per league and team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

“Bringing back Anthony was a high priority for us. We place great value on the leadership, professionalism and veteran presence he brings both on the court and in the locker room,” said General Manager Chris Grant. “His high basketball IQ, ability to shoot with range and play solid perimeter defense made re-signing him extremely important for us.”

Last season, the 6-foot-6, 210-pounder averaged 8.3 points on .399 shooting, including .379 from three-point range, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists (the second-highest average in his career) in 29.0 minutes in 72 games (65 starts). He scored in double figures 27 times, including setting season highs in scoring (21) and rebounds (seven) while adding seven assists in 39 minutes versus Minnesota on Dec. 26 and scoring 20 points on 7-9 (.778) shooting, including 4-4 from three-point range, and grabbing seven rebounds in 29 minutes versus Miami on March 29.

Parker originally signed with Cleveland on July 13, 2009. Over the past two seasons with the Cavs, he has started 146 of the 153 games he has played in and posted averages of 7.8 points on .415 shooting, including .398 shooting from three-point range, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28.6 minutes per game. His 2.48 assists-to-turnovers ratio ranked 14th in the league while his 0.86 steals-to-turnovers ratio ranked 13th among all players over the past two seasons (min. 150 games).

Among all active players with a minimum of 1,000 three-point attempts, the eight-year veteran ranks sixth in the NBA in three-point percentage (.409) behind only Jason Kapono, Steve Nash, teammate Daniel Gibson, Matt Bonner and Kyle Korver. Parker played five seasons with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2000-02, 2003-06) and one season with Virtus Roma (2002-03), winning five Israeli Premier League championships, five Israeli Cups and three Euroleague titles. Parker was named Euroleague MVP and first-team All-Euroleague in 2005. He averaged 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 148 career Israeli Premier League games and averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals in 90 Euroleague contests.

For the seventh time in eight seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers will open their season at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers will host the Toronto Raptors on Monday, Dec. 26th before hitting the road for a two-game road trip with games at Detroit and Indiana as Cleveland will play nine of their first 12 games away from The Q.

Every Cavaliers game will be televised in High-Definition on FOX Sports Ohio and broadcast locally and regionally across the Cavaliers Radio Network, by the Cavaliers’ flagship station WTAM 1100 AM. Cleveland will also appear in a national television broadcast on NBA TV on March 25th against the Phoenix Suns.

The 66-game regular season schedule consists of 33 home and 33 road games. The Cavaliers will face each Eastern Conference opponent either three (twice at The Q and once on the road or once at The Q and twice on the road) or four times (twice at The Q and twice on the road) for a total of 48 games. Cleveland will face Central Division rivals Indiana, Detroit and Milwaukee four times as well as New Jersey, New York and Toronto. They will play the remaining Eastern Conference teams three times: Atlanta (2R, 1H), Boston (2H, 1R), Charlotte (2H, 1R), Chicago (2H, 1R), Miami (2R, 1H), Orlando (2R, 1 H), Philadelphia (2H, 1R) and Washington (2R, 1H).