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Mateen Cleaves signed a 10-day contract Monday with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who need help at point guard while Jeff McInnis is on the injured list.
Cleaves, who helped Michigan State win the 2000 NCAA championship, participated in a shootaround with the Cavaliers in San Antonio. He was expected to be in uniform for Monday night's game against the Spurs.
At 32-40 through Sunday, the Cavaliers were half a game behind the Boston Celtics in the race for the last playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
McInnis went on the injured list Saturday with a bruised right shoulder and
can't return before April 6 against Toronto. Backup Kevin Ollie has struggled
as a starter.
Cleveland traded for Cleaves before last season, but the deal fell through because he had a foot injury. Cleaves later had a screw inserted into his left foot to prevent a stress fracture, and he was on the injured list for much of the season with Sacramento.
Cleaves averaged 5.4 points and 2.7 assists as a rookie for Detroit, then spent most of the next two seasons on Sacramento's bench.
He was released by Boston during training camp last summer and joined Huntsville of the National Basketball Development League, where he averaged 14.1 points, 5.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 47 games.