iPhones NewsSyracuse, N.Y. -- When Mike Brown summoned Dion Waiters to his hotel room for three separate sessions of film work during the Las Vegas NBA Summer League, the new Cleveland Cavaliers coach was conducting a litmus test as much as he was imparting information.
Waiters, the former Syracuse University guard entering his second season in the NBA, had demonstrated a desire to work at unprecedented levels on his game. He had sought the counsel of NBA superstars like Kobe Bryant to compile information about summer workouts and had solicited Brown for similar suggestions.
Waiters appeared, said Brown, to be a sponge of basketball insight.
During those film lessons in Las Vegas, Brown sought a supplementary measure of Waiters' commitment. He stretched the sessions to about an hour. He kept showing footage, kept explaining details, kept describing the player he wanted Waiters to become. And then he gauged Waiters' reaction.
"The responses I got back, the questions he asked -- he was great," Brown said. "When it comes to communicating, he's been very on-point, whether it's in person, via text or phone. And that's a sign of maturation."
Waiters, who sparred with Jim Boeheim during his two seasons at Syracuse, whose guileless proclamations of his immeasurable talent could either endear or infuriate, is growing up.
Boeheim said so himself last week in Las Vegas, when he spent time with Waiters at USA Basketball's mini-camp. Their "rocky" relationship -- that's how Boeheim characterized it -- during Waiters' freshman season at SU has evolved and deepened.
Waiters, on the cusp of NBA stardom, understands now that in a league brimming with basketball excellence, he must match effort for effort to reach the pinnacle of his profession. He described himself these days as "really happy." His first child -- a son -- was born in June, and USA Basketball's invitation to participate in its mini-camp was a thrilling endorsement of his infant professional basketball career.
Waiters credits much of his success to Boeheim, who at times resorted to sharp, biting language to encourage Waiters to stretch his world view beyond youthful self-absorption.
"We've kept in pretty close contact," Boeheim said. "And I think his maturity is really good -- really good."
"He taught me a lot as far as staying patient," Waiters said. "And that it's not all about me. He cussed me out. But my mom has cussed me out. It wasn't no big thing. And at the end of the day, it worked out for me."
Waiters spoke by telephone from Las Vegas, where he and Cavaliers running mate Kyrie Irving had spent the past couple weeks working to enhance their basketball chemistry.
Irving, at 21, is already an NBA star. The first pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, Irving's 23 points during the Blue-White USA Basketball intrasquad scrimmage offered further endorsement of his enticing skills. He and Waiters, also 21, at times clashed on the court in Cleveland last season partly because their basketball missions could be strikingly similar: Both prefer to possess the ball and both are dazzling penetrators who can create for themselves and others.
Waiters, the No. 4 pick in 2012 Draft, acknowledged his collaboration with Irving will help dictate how Cleveland fares during the 2013-14 season. The Cavaliers, despite Irving's All-Star designation and Waiters' All-Rookie team inclusion, finished 24-58 last season and lost 16 of their last 18 games.
"We've been together a lot on the court these past two weeks. The chemistry is getting there. We just gotta find out who's going to take the ball, where we should go, try to make the extra pass," Waiters said. "We'll get it together. That's what good friends do. We gotta talk, communicate more and play together."
Brown, in his second incarnation as Cleveland's head coach, was rehired in late April and set about familiarizing himself with his players. He met Waiters for the first time in Las Vegas. Brown initially believed Waiters would play shooting guard and occasionally back up Irving at the point. (Syracuse fans will appreciate Waiters' reaction. The player who never started a game during his SU career misunderstood: "He gave me this boyish grin," Brown said, "and then said, 'So I'm not going to start this year?'")
But the more Brown watched Waiters in the Las Vegas Summer League, the more he reconsidered. Brown described Waiters' game as "dynamic" and multifaceted. He and Boeheim both believe Waiters has point guard skills, that Waiters' obvious scorer's mentality overshadows his considerable passing ability.
But before he layers Waiters with more responsibilities as a back-up point guard, Brown wants him to improve his proficiency at shooting guard.
Both Boeheim and Brown said Waiters has worked hard to develop his shooting stroke. Waiters averaged 14.7 points last season, but shot 31 percent from the 3-point line. His Player Efficiency Rating (PER) was a pedestrian 13.8.
He attributes that number to shot selection and his tendency to let the ball fly when the shot clock threatened to end a possession. Waiters acknowledged he "has to find ways to get the ball in better position and in better situations when I'm not forcing it."
Brown also wants Waiters to funnel more of his athletic ambition to the defensive side of the ball.
"I told him, 'When I watch any of your games, I don't hear anybody mention how tough you defend. For how athletic you are, that should be a thing of pride,'" Brown said. "I want him to improve on the ball and off the ball and finishing a play defensively."
Brown's emphasis on transition basketball this season, too, will trigger a change in Waiters' behavior once the ball comes off the backboard. The Cleveland coach wants Waiters to "run the floor on every possession," to break his habit of coming back to the ball and stalling the fast break. He will be required to look upcourt and make a pass instead of dribbling himself.
Waiters' new assignments, Brown said, will not eliminate his impact as a ball-handler or facilitator.
"His biggest strength is he can attack," Brown said. "But he has great passing skills. He has a great feel for the game. He can create some easy looks for his teammates. When people talk to me about him, they talk about his ability to get buckets and they don't mention that he's a very good passer."
"A lot of people don't know it, but I'm a good passer," Waiters said. "I can really pass the ball. So at the end of the day, I'm trying to get the whole arsenal. I'm not trying to be known as strictly this or only a scoring guard. I'm trying to be known as a guard that can also find his teammates and get them the ball."
Boeheim said Waiters "opened some eyes" at the USA Basketball camp because of his sometimes dominating play. During their Las Vegas conversations, Waiters said, Boeheim complimented his performance. Praise from Boeheim underscored the lessons the Syracuse coach tried to convey years ago, when Waiters was reluctant to listen.
"It meant I'm playing the right way. I'm not forcing the issue. I'm not taking bad shots. I'm getting my teammates involved," Waiters said. "I think he's impressed. But you know Coach -- he's gotta keep you motivated, keep you humble."
Brown said he likes Waiters. Brown's mother is from Philadelphia, so he can appreciate Waiters' South Philly swagger and its attendant charm. And Waiters' ambition over the past few weeks has convinced his new coach that he cares about improving his game.
"There's a passion and a hunger there. He's still young, so he's still trying to figure out what that means," Brown said. "On the floor, he works hard. And as time has gone on, he's starting to understand what it means to work hard, to push himself so that he's getting better every day."
Waiters spent time with longtime Philly friend and former Orange teammate Scoop Jardine in Las Vegas last week. Brown invited Jardine to fill a Summer League roster vacancy, which enabled Jardine and Waiters to eat dinner together, reminisce about old times and dream of future successes.
Waiters' first child, a boy named Dion Rhalik Waiters, was born on June 7. Waiters has publicly guarded his personal life over the years, but last week he reflected on the excitement of his son's birth and the thrill he gets each time he sees a new photo or interacts with him online through FaceTime.
He looked forward to returning home, he said, to see him.
"Everything's great. Playing hard. Trying to get better. Just grinding, man. Playing against the best players in the world gives me motivation to get better," Waiters said. "I'm at a point in my life where I'm just really happy right now. I know the plan God had for me is playing out. I play, I work out. I'm doing what I love to do -- play basketball."
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