CLEVELAND -- For one of the few times in the last two years,
LeBron James wasn't the Cavaliers player most in demand following
practice.
Actually, the All-Star was unavailable. Sasha Pavlovic was the
one everyone wanted to talk to anyway.
"They want you," James said as he playfully tugged at
Pavlovic's gray hooded sweat shirt before leaving Gund Arena.
"You're the one who guarded Kobe."
Pavlovic, emerging as a key contributor after a slow start in
his first season with Cleveland, drew the defensive assignment of
his lifetime Sunday, matching up against Los Angeles Lakers star
Kobe Bryant.
Bryant scored 26 points in his return after missing 14 games
with a sprained right ankle, but Pavlovic made the superstar work
for every basket. Bryant went 7-for-22 from the field, but shot
just 1-for-10 after halftime as the Cavs beat the Lakers.
"Sasha did great, as good as anyone can do," Cavaliers coach
Paul Silas said. "Kobe's a handful, he's going to throw up a lot
of balls and score. He had to shoot a lot of shots to score that
much, that was the key."
Defense isn't exactly Pavlovic's forte. In fact, guarding the
pick-and-roll and switching on down screens have been tougher for
the 21-year-old native of Serbia-Montenegro to grasp than English.
Pavlovic didn't get off Silas' bench in 15 of Cleveland's first
29 games because of his defensive liabilities.
But Pavlovic's defense is improving, and now that he's getting
playing time while starter Ira Newble rests an Achilles' injury,
the Cavaliers are hoping he continues to develop the weakest part
of his game.
Pavlovic understands what he must do.
"You have to play defense if you want to play," he said.
His sweet outside shooting touch and athleticism caught the eye
of Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson, who traded a future
first-round draft pick to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats last June
for him.
The 6-foot-7 Pavlovic played in 79 games for Utah last season,
averaging 4.8 points and 2.0 rebounds. When he came to Cleveland,
Silas wasn't sure what kind of player he was getting.
"I had no idea he was so athletic," Silas said. "He can
penetrate. He's got great hops and can dunk on folks. That's
something you just can't teach. When he can hit his outside shot,
he's almost unguardable because of the way he can go to the
basket."
It's protecting the basket where Pavlovic has struggled. It was
no different in Utah, where Cavaliers assistant coach Kenny Natt
was with him last season. Pavlovic has become Natt's pet project
with the Cavs, who could use another perimeter player to open the
floor for James.
As Natt talked to reporters outside the Cavaliers' locker room,
Pavlovic walked by and listened in.
"You talking about me?" he asked.
"Aren't I always?" Natt said.
Natt thinks Pavlovic has a chance to become a solid NBA player.
"There isn't anything about his offensive game we're concerned
about," Natt said of Pavlovic, who scored 12 points in 30 minutes
against the Lakers. "In order for him to be productive, it's
always been about his defense. I always tell him, `Why does Ira
Newble start? Because Ira plays defense. It's not about shooting
jumpers. If you want to start, you're going to have to start
concentrating on defense.' "
Pavlovic, who began playing professionally when he was just 16,
is typical of many European players: quiet and reserved. But just
because he isn't outgoing, don't be fooled by his stoicism. He can
do a little Euro-trash talking, too.
Natt said that when Pavlovic arrived for Sunday's game they told
him he was guarding Bryant.
"He said, `I'm not worried about Kobe," Natt said. "Kobe
should be worried about me."
Is that so?
"I was just kidding," Pavlovic said with a smile.
Now, there's some defense.