Former Cavalier scores 9 points against old team.
Memphis, Tenn. -- Lester Hudson was at home Monday night in his native Memphis, but he felt a strong tug from the opponent he thought would be his team for the remainder of the season.
The shooting guard, who had a short, memorable stint with the Cavaliers this month, sat in the first row of seats at FedExForum before the game chatting with Cleveland assistant coach Joe Prunty. He received a hug from coach Byron Scott and exchanged pleasantries with former teammates.
The Memphis Grizzlies, who signed Hudson for the rest of the season, have put him up in a hotel. Naturally, it's the same one in which the Cavs stayed Sunday night. It's still hard for Hudson, 27, to believe he's not with the Cavs.
"Of course it was a shock," said Hudson of learning he didn't get a deal done to stay with the Cavs. "I was just feeling comfortable like home. It was very shocking, disappointing to me. I thought I played my tail off to stay around.
"I had a great run in Cleveland. It was a great opportunity for me. I thought I saw the future there. I thought we could do some big things in Cleveland."
Hudson averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 13 games with the Cavs. In his last two games before his first 10-day deal expired, he scored 23 and 26 points against Toronto and New Jersey.
Keith Glass, his agent, thought Hudson had demonstrated enough to merit a contract through the end of the season. The Cavs disagreed. Instead, they offered a second 10-day deal, which the agent grudgingly accepted.
The second deal expired on Thursday, and Hudson was so confident he'd remain a Cav, he worked out at the team's practice facility in Independence. But by the time he retrieved his cellphone, Hudson said, his agent informed him negotiations with the Cavs had fallen apart, and he had a deal in place with the playoff-bound Grizzlies.
"It was crazy," Hudson said. "I'm not thinking I'm going anywhere, hands down. My agent didn't think I was going anywhere.
I'm out working at the Cavs' practice facility, trying to get better. After awhile [my agent ] was like, 'We're going with Memphis.' I was like, 'What's going on? Are you sure?' "
"I had to get right out of there because [the Grizzlies] wanted me to come right home."
The Cavaliers offered no guaranteed deal for next season, but neither did the Grizzlies. Instead, the Cavs offered to sign Hudson for the final games and a non-guaranteed deal for next season. It's similar to the deals accepted by Manny Harris and Donald Sloan.
Hudson, who averaged 24.2 minutes with the Cavs, knows he won't receive the same playing time in Memphis barring injuries. But he will get at least one postseason round and have the opportunity to play in front of family and friends.
"It was good to see him," Scott said of Hudson. "It looks like he's happy, which is the important thing."
Before Monday's game, Hudson had made one Grizzlies appearance for five minutes. He has a stall in the Memphis locker room, but he's the only player without a nameplate above it.
No decision yet: Scott said he hasn't reached a decision on whether he wants injured center Semih Erden (ankle) to return for next season. Obviously, that's something he must discuss with General Manager Chris Grant.
The Cavs would have to extend a qualifying offer of about $1.1 million or risk losing the 7-foot Turk to unrestricted free agency.
"I don't know yet," Scott said. "And, I'm just being honest with you."
Erden, who's unlikely to play in the final two games, has averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 28 games. He has shown some offensive flashes, but his sporadic effort has perplexed and riled the coach.
"I think the thing that intrigues everyone about Semih is he has skills, but one of his downfalls is the lack of energy he plays with," Scott said. "If he wants to be in this league and wants to be successful, that's something he has to bring every night. When the season is over, we'll sit down and talk about it and figure out if he can do that for us or not. If he can't, he won't be here, and if he can, he will."
Talking about World Peace: The elbow thrown by the Los Angeles Lakers' Metta World Peace to the head of Oklahoma City's James Harden has been the talk of the league the past 48 hours. Peace, who has a history of erratic behavior, was ejected from the game Sunday, and supplemental discipline from the NBA surely will follow.
Many are offering opinions. Scott believes the controversial Peace deserves a five-game suspension. It's a tough topic for Cavs forward and former Peace teammate Luke Walton.
"I know the type of person he is, or at least the person he has become, and he's really a great guy," Walton said. "He's not out there trying to hurt anyone, but that elbow was definitely vicious and definitely hurt. I was surprised to see that happen."
The former Ron Artest is probably best known for his role in the brawl involving fans at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004, when he was a member of the Indiana Pacers.
"He really was a great teammates and I know he has worked very hard to get to where he is in that part of his life," Walton said. "And he's been open about it and donated tons of money and done tons of charity work. That's the type of person he is.
"It's a shame that something like that happens, and everyone starts talking about the other type of person that comes out maybe 1 percent of the time, when 99 percent of the time he's actually doing good things and is a really good person."