ATLANTA: When the Atlanta Hawks traded Kyle Korver to the Cavaliers on Jan. 7, he had no time to say goodbye to his friends in Atlanta.
So he did that Thursday night.
After a few hours sleep following the Cavs’ 4 a.m. arrival from Boston, Korver opened up his home so those close to him in his 4½ seasons with the Hawks could stop by. Among the visitors was coach Mike Budenholzer.
“He’s not supposed to tell you guys that. He’s not coachable. That guy drove me crazy,” Budenholzer joked about Korver’s honesty after the Hawks shootaround Friday morning. “Seeing him now, and really he’s got a great family — Juliet and the kids are good friends and special people — so it was just more catching up on family stuff. I think we’ll be friends for life.”
The Cavs had the day off Thursday before facing the Hawks on Friday night at Philips Arena.
Asked how he would focus on the game, Korver said: “What’s my mindset going into the game? Am I angry or am I not? Just got to process all that a little bit. I did a little bit yesterday. I feel like I’m in a good space.”
Korver said there is no anger involved in the Hawks’ decision to send him to the Cavs for Mike Dunleavy, Mo Williams and a first-round pick.
“Not at all. There’s no anger, there’s no bitterness, there’s no anything like that,” he said. “I’m grateful for the time we had here and I’m grateful for the situation I’m in now.”
Friday night won’t be the first time Korver has returned to a city in which he played. Korver, 35, also made stops in Philadelphia, Utah and Chicago. But he knows there will be emotion.
“Yeah, it always is a little bit. I realized yesterday I’ve got to think about it a little bit,” Korver said. “I’ve got to process this now so I’m not doing it during the game. That’s where you get yourself in trouble.”
Korver’s two children also went to their old preschool to see their friends on Thursday. That part of the move with his wife, Juliet, was part of the shock involved in the trade.
“There’s a lot of moving parts, moving a family across the country, too, the kids and trying to get them settled,” Korver said. “Almost more than anything letting them feel settled helps you on the court.”
All who spoke about Korver on Friday morning had good things to say. But Budenholzer couldn’t think of a favorite Korver memory.
“It’s the human being, probably,” Budenholzer said. “It’s not one moment, it’s the way he carried himself.”
Paul Millsap, a former teammate of Korver’s in Utah, said Korver recruited him to the Hawks with multiple texts in the summer of 2013. Millsap’s favorite memory is when Korver set the league record of 90 consecutive games with a 3-pointer. Millsap got the assist on the record-breaker, which came against the Cavs in December 2013. Korver’s streak lasted 127 games; Stephen Curry later surpassed it with 157.
“It was special to watch him do that,” Millsap said. “It’s actually special to watch him every practice, the way he shoots the basketball, the way he’s focusing and zoning in on his shot, the attention to detail. I think that’s really amazing.
“For a shooter, you’ve got to be able to shoot in all facets — off the run, off the dribble, off the catch. Kyle meets all of those criteria. I definitely think he’s one of the best shooters to play this game.”
Lue still ill
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue missed Friday morning’s shootaround so he could rest at the team hotel. Lue has been battling an illness since at least Monday.
Asked if he’d had a setback, Lue said: “I don’t know what’s going on. Gotta get through it.”
Lue wouldn’t say would have to happen for him not to coach.
“I don’t know. I want to be here to support the guys and if I can’t go, I can’t go. I’ve full confidence in Larry Drew and Jim Boylan, those guys, and [Mike] Longabardi to take over, but I’m always going to try to give it everything I’ve got to make it,” Lue said.
LeBron on Bogut
LeBron James welcomed Thursday’s signing of 7-footer Andrew Bogut, giving the Cavs another rim protector with Tristan Thompson.
“Bogs is gonna add a lot to our team, not only protecting the paint, but also screening and also his ability to pass the ball,” James said. “He’s gonna give us another playmaker, so it helps out a lot.”
J.R. timetable
J.R. Smith began traveling with the team this week after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured right thumb in late December. Lue said he hopes to have Smith back playing in 10 days to two weeks.
“I’m not sure. They’ve been saying two weeks for two weeks,” Lue said of the target date. “But I don’t know. Hopefully the next 10 days to two weeks he’ll be back. They’re saying he’s been looking better and better every day, he had a good workout yesterday, so hopefully we get him back soon.”
LeBron Jr. busy
James hates that 12 road games in March will take him away from his three children, especially since his oldest, LeBron Jr., was traveling to Houston on Friday to play in the John Lucas All-Star Weekend at the Woodlands. The invitation-only, two-day tournament for second- through eighth-grade teams drew 150 teams from 25 states in 2016.
“It sucks,” James said of missing it. “But the great thing about today with social media, I’m able to watch the games as soon as they’re over. It’s like instant. There’s so many people covering these AAU tournaments. But it’s much better when I’m there in the flesh. But daddy gotta work.”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.