Several years ago, Matthew Dellavedova went from an unknown marginal NBA player to an important and beloved member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He made a name for himself during the 2015 NBA Finals when he filled in for the injured Kyrie Irving and played rather well.
Dellavedova was out of the league this past season, but he is looking to make a comeback, and he has reportedly been working out with the Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas, the site of the NBA Summer League.
Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova is working out with the Sacramento Kings in Vegas, in hopes of making a return to the NBA. Delly played for Melbourne United in Australia last season. He got his NBA start in CLE playing for coach Mike Brown, who is now w/ SAC
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 9, 2022
Dellavedova Won The Hearts Of Cavs Fans in 2015
Dellavedova, a native of Australia, broke into the NBA with the Cavs during the 2013-14 season.
At first, he looked like nothing more than a rotation or depth player, as he shot 41.2 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from 3-point range that year.
When LeBron James returned to The Land the following season, he took the team to the championship series versus Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and Northeast Ohio dreamed of bringing home its first Larry O’Brien Trophy.
But Irving injured his knee late in Game 1, and it looked like the supposed Cleveland sports curse had struck again.
The Cavs lost, and Dellavedova was forced to fill in as the team’s starting point guard.
Although he wasn’t super efficient, he gave everything he had physically, and he did an amazing job defensively against Curry in Cleveland’s Game 2 victory.
When it won Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead, the Aussie had 20 points, and he left it on the floor, so to speak, so much that he required an IV and was hospitalized overnight due to dehydration and cramps.
Throwback Thursday: Cavs legend Matthew Dellavedova shows incredible heart in the absence of Kyrie Irving during the 2015 NBA Finals and totals:
20 Points
5 Rebounds
4 Assists
7/17 FG
2/6 3PT
4/5 FT
+13
38 Minutes#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/kt5NI4u8GX— Mack Perry (@DevaronPerry) April 7, 2022
But it is that type of grit that endears one to a Middle America fanbase such as Cleveland and gives a team at least a chance at a world championship.
Unfortunately, Dellavedova’s magic carpet ride ended after Game 3, as he went just 5-of-26 from the field and 3-of-14 from downtown the rest of the series, as the Cavs lost the next three contests.
He stayed on the following year, as they finally won it all, and after a few seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, he came back to Cleveland midway through the 2018-19 campaign, where he stayed through the 2021 season.
Dellavedova played this past season in the National Basketball League, a professional league in his native Australia, for Melbourne United.
Dellavedova May Have Something Left In The Time
The 6-foot-3 guard is just 31 years of age, which makes it seem as if he has at least a couple of NBA-level years left in him.
If he doesn’t catch on with the Kings, perhaps the Cavs could use him once again.
Dellavedova can undoubtedly play effective defense, and although he has shot a subpar percentage from 3-point land the last few seasons, prior to that he showed solid marksmanship from that distance.
Matthew Dellavedova, summarized in 17 seconds: pic.twitter.com/rC7WTOeXm5
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 13, 2016
Cleveland will likely be without backup point guard Ricky Rubio for at least a little while when the new season starts, and a little bit of added depth in the backcourt wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing for it.
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