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Vitaly Potapenko puts up a shot during his stint with the Cavaliers in the late 1990s.

(PD file)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former Cavaliers center Vitaly Potapenko is returning to the team as a player-development coach, NBA sources have confirmed. The move was first reported by Yahoo Sports.

Potapenko, 38, has been an assistant coach in the NBA and the Development League, most recently with the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Player-development coaches work with players at practice, but typically do not travel. Coach Mike Brown has hired Phil Handy and Igor Kokoskov as assistant bench coaches.

Drafted by the Cavs with the No. 12 pick in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft, Potapenko played three seasons in Cleveland, averaging 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds. He was traded to Boston on March 11, 1999 for Andrew DeClercq and a first-round pick that became Andre Miller.

Potapenko played 11 seasons in the NBA, averaging 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, before retiring in 2007.

Born in the Ukraine, he played college basketball at Wright State.

In Cleveland, Potapenko will be reunited with Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who was drafted by the Cavs with the No. 20 pick in 1996. Ilgauskas is now a special assistant to general manager Chris Grant.