CLEVELAND, Ohio — After signing with the Cavaliers for the rest of the season, point guard Donald Sloan was understandably excited, especially considering his first game with his new team could be against one of his old teams -- the Atlanta Hawks, who visit The Q on Sunday afternoon.

"I'm definitely going to be geeked about the game," Sloan told report ers after his first practice Friday, when he joined the Cavs from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League.

It's entirely possible that Sloan will be the only one of the new Cavs to be in uniform on Sunday. Late Friday night, an NBA source confirmed earlier reports that the Cavs would be waiving former Cav Jason Kapono and re-signing Manny Harris for the rest of the season. Luke Walton, obtained along with a No. 1 draft choice in Thursday's deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, was not at practice Friday.

That left the focus Friday on Sloan, who has some interesting ties with the Cavs.

First of all, when Kyrie Irving was a high school senior looking at Texas A&M, Sloan was his host on Irving's recruiting visit.

Second, Cavs assistant coach Nate Tibbetts coached the U.S. Pan Am team last summer to a bronze medal, and Sloan was his point guard.

Tibbetts said the 6-3, 205-pound Sloan has a good chance to replace Sessions as the team's backup point guard.

"The great thing about D-League guys like Donald is that he can pick up things quickly," said Tibbetts, in his first year with the Cavs after coaching Tulsa in the D-League for two seasons. "He's the type of guy we're looking for. He does a really good job on pick-and-roll and, obviously, so did Ramon. He's extremely competitive. As you can see, he's a physical specimen. He can change the game with the way he guards.

"Playing with that second unit, he does a real good job finding shooters. . . . I have nothing but good things to say about him. He's a great guy who's going to work hard and help us be successful."

Sloan was undrafted out of Texas A&M and played for Reno in the D-League last season. This season, he played eight games with Atlanta and New Orleans and eight games with Erie, where he averaged 22.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.4 steals. He recently shared D-League Player of the Week honors with the Cavs' Luke Harangody, who spent some time in Canton.

"There are a lot of guys in that league that can play," Tibbetts said. "They just need an opportunity. . . . Here [Sloan] is going to get some minutes. Let's see what he does. Hopefully, he'll look back on his career and he'll say he took advantage of it and solidified himself as an NBA player."

Scott was impressed after one practice. Whereas he was planning all along to increase Irving's minutes from about 31 per game to 35 or 36, he thought he'd be forced to use a three-guard rotation in the short term, with Daniel Gibson spelling Irving and Anthony Parker. There is also a possibility that the Cavs could bring back Manny Harris.

But on Sunday, Cavs fans will likely get their first look at Sloan. According to Scott, the Cavs have had their eye on him all season, but he was unavailable when they signed Ben Uzoh earlier this season.

"Even when we brought in Ben, the consensus was that [Sloan] was the best one available," Scott said. "I think Donald will fit in pretty well with us. Watching him today in practice, his knowledge of the game and the way he grasped everything that we were doing in a short period of time made me feel a little bit better about being able to put him on the floor, even Sunday."

Sloan, who described himself as a pure point guard, is thrilled to get another chance in the NBA.

"Unbelievable, great opportunity," he said. "They're a defensive-oriented team, very strong chemistry, as far as the guys. They're a work team, and I think I can fit right in at that concept. At Texas A&M, we were a work team and a work program. Hopefully, it's not a hard transition, but we'll see.

"I've been in two situations where I would've thought I would've been there the rest of the season, but it didn't pan out that way. Sometimes, it's a numbers game. It's not always about your talent level or your fit. It's a great thing to know that I belong somewhere for the rest of the year."

So long, Sess: Scott was sorry to see Sessions go.

"Obviously, losing Ramon is a blow to us," the coach said. "The guy has been terrific all season long. He's been a true professional ever since I've had him here. As I said to him yesterday, it was a pleasure coaching him. He really did try to do everything you asked him to do. It was fun. Listening to some of his comments when I talked to him yesterday, he really thought he was going to be here and he was excited about the future of the franchise and the direction we were headed.

"Obviously, going to L.A. gives him an opportunity to win a championship as well. He's never been to the playoffs. So this is great for him. I'm very excited about what we did, as far as we got another first-round pick, which is very exciting for us to go along with the one we have and our two second-round picks, so like I said, in the short term and in the long term, it was the best thing for us to do, and we feel pretty good about it."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mschmitt@plaind.com, 216-999-4668

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