I suspect he was doing something right when he is +21 in 27mins and the Cavs were -28 in the remaining 21mins!!

As much as +/- is best taken over a number of games and assessed with different line-ups etc when the difference is this stark it probably tells you something.

What i love so much is how people said he can't defend during the draft process, did he make them look like fools or what!

I would've thought his D and composure were his two key traits.

Really if you can play D at a high level you dont have to hugely athletic. He has such a high IQ on the court and knows how to use his body to the best of its ability.

delly played off the ball most the game he played great defence on beal and was key in bringing the cavs back into the game

Nope they were saying that he couldn't defend quicker guards.

It might be fair to say he would struggle defending the likes of John Wall etc, but generalizing that length + athleticism (Delly is below average in both) = defensive ability and vice versa is too simplistic. At the 2012 Olympics and in college, Delly was a very competent defender which must be at least somewhat translatable to the NBA.

All his big minute games have seen him playing mostly at the 2, off the ball.

9 points is his season high right now. Love what he is doing.,..

Featured in the game wrap up

http://www.nba.com/video/games/cavaliers/2013/11/20/0021300162-was-cle-recap.nba

props for taking advantage of every opportunity he gets, great role model for kids.

Just saw the highlights of the game on NBA game time. Cavs coach said Delly was the only guy who gave 100% out. He got a big wrap for his D and for getting them back in the game from being down 24 with his 3 pointers.

QUOTABLE II: "We didn't compete. We had one guy that competed the entire time he was on the floor. That's Matthew Dellavedova. I've got to find guys that are going to give it to me. It's as simple as that. We didn't play hard."
-- Cavaliers coach Brown.

I guess Cleveland need to fill their team with a bunch of undrafted Australian rookies!

When was the last time an undrafted Rookie had a better Rookie year than the number 1 pick (either on the same team or not)? At the moment his stats are superior to Bennett's.

Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up starting a few games this season

If it wasnt for ego management he might be already.

Brown is a fan of Delly and he should be.

Only problem I can see going forward is the possibility of Brown getting fired. (Seems to be a lot of friction in that team between Kyrie and Brown and we know that is the player, not the coach, who gets what he wants).

In the case of Brown getting fired, theres no guarantee that the next coach would see his value as much.

Hopefully Brown sticks around. He tends to focus on the effort, hustle, etc more than other coaches...which I like. And it suits Dellys style.

If he's proven himself just that slight amount, there's nothing saying he won't have the confidence of Popovich or Brett Brown as a back-up plan. I imagine both of those guys would appreciate his style of play.

He was +22 !

Delly runs a team really well. With him on the court it gives Irving the opportunity to go it himself as he can, or slow it down and use delly to move the ball around the floor. The cavs look like a much better team when they utilise him in tandem with irving. And they seem to feed off each others energy, going off the last two games. Delly on d and Kyrie in offense.

Nice work Delly!!
I like to see the Aussies playing well in the NBA.

Bogut is currently putting up some good numbers, over the last 5 games.
9.2 pts, 10.8 Rbs, 1.6 Ast, 2.0 Blks

Fingers crossed he can stay healthy for the whole year.

Delly's stats - 9p, 3r, 0a

How is this beast mode? What are you going to call it when he drops 20?

It's nearly Thanksgiving, I assume you mean Delly was in full feast mode?

Delly has the heart of a lion, many of the naysayers in the USA will be starting to see what most Aussies have known about Delly for some time. He is just a flat out competitor, something some of the more fancied primadonas should take note of.

If anybody interested, here's a bit of a recap of Dellly's game.

1st qtr - Played with Jarrett Jack in the backcourt. Jack did most of the half court play making but Delly got the ball and pushed it a few times in transition. Hit a couple of teammates with good passes for open looks but they missed. Defended Beal most of the qtr and didn't give up any points. Chased him hard around screens and made it hard for him to catch the ball. Helped off his man to challenge open shooters.

2nd qtr - Cavs go small with Delly, Jack & Irving in together. Out-hustled some much bigger guys to tip a rebound to a teammate that started a fastbreak. Delly involved in an early PnR, passes to Earl Clark for an open mid range jumper that missed (had Irving open at the top for a 3 which was probably a better option). Still working hard on Beal and then Temple & Wall, gets caught behind good double screen but Temple misses long 2. Couple of plays later chases long defensive rebound but fouls Wizards player near half court.

3rd qtr - Enters the game about half way in with Cavs down by 27 with Jack again. Hits spot up 3 from right wing. Defending Beal again. Beal cut to set a screen for Nene to post, Delly jumps over and draws offensive foul on Nene. Steps into a 3 from the left wing but misses long. Gets called for hand checking foul on Beal, still making him work hard for every touch. Beal losses Delly around a screen but misses mid range jumper. Delly gets another foul trying to stop Beal getting the rebound. Next play, Beal finally shakes free with a little nudge to put Delly the wrong side of Gortat's screen/handoff and hits open 3 at the top of the key. Beal iso's on Delly for last possession, pull up, hits long 2

4th qtr - Delly gets defensive rebound, hits left wing 3 on next Cavs possession. Next Wizards possessin , Delly gets called for foul for trying to bust through a screen for Beal. Misses wide open 3 from the right corner. Steps into and hits a 3 from just wide of the right guard spot. Hits Jack for an open 3 at the top of the key, Jack misses. Forces Beal to waste time over dribbling, Beal ends up passing the ball out to Wall who has no choice but to force a drive and contested shot. Drives and kicks out to Bennett who nearly air balls an open 3. Delly forced into contested 3 (right wing/corner) late in the shot clock, misses long. Still hounding Beal, forces him to bobble the ball out of bounds. Beal tries to take it at Delly, airballs step-back 3 badly. Beal tries to drive on Delly again, forces him to pick up his dribble and into a terrible pass. Commentary team LOVING Delly at this point. Again Delly denying Beal hard, Beal finally gets ball as Delly and Verajao switch, Delly stops Nene getting the ball on the switch, Varejao keeps pressure on Beal, 24 sec violation. Crowd & Commentary go BERSERK for Delly. Beal gets free, hits elbow jumper

Pretty solid game over all. Spend most of his time defending Beal who was getting really frustrated. Did the right things off the ball too, never left the strong side shooter open and helped and boxed out well. Competed for rebounds.

Didn't take a bad shot and had just 1 turnover. (carrying violation). Mostly played off the ball spending a lot of time in the corners but when he had the ball he didn't force anything. Made some good passes in the flow of the offense but guys missed shots, hence the 0 assists. Spaced the floor really well.

Once he came in during the 3rd qtr he played the rest of the game.

hey anon have you ever watched delly play? because its not his game to drop 20 like patty but he just makes his team better every minute he is out there. He has gone from 15th man to already seeing 20 plus minutes in the last two games.

I see Delly working with Kyrie on the court together the way Chicago are using Rose and Kirk Heinrich. Delly and Heinrich are both seen as unathletic PGs, but they have great vision for the game and can successfully run a team's offense. This frees up the two mega stars to slide across to the 2 so they are not constantly trying to be both the facilitator and the scorer.

Thanks Pauly B. Great recap. I previously skipped through just to watch the shots that Delly hit but now I am going to have to watch the whole of the 3rd and last quarters to appreciate his performance.

Dellys effect has interested me most of the aussies as he is the who appears least likely to have such an effect. The guy has inexplicably found himself well and truly in the rotation. Even the coach probably didnt expect that. Only one who did was probably Delly himself!

Thanks, Pauly B. Makes me want to go watch it too.

Hey guys heres dellys highlights from that game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2FTJxDm86k

Delly is inspirational... I think he will keep doing this, its in his nature. The guy could end up with a decade long, solid NBA career. He shows kids who might not have all the physical tools "yes you can!"

Great stuff. Such good contributions, and that's without even making use of one of his best weapons - his ball handling & vision.
That defence down the stretch was just awesome.

That second to last defensive stance when the crowd got up off its feet gave me chills... I like what the commentators said too... dellavedova , A ROOKIE is showing the veterans what they need to bring night after night... Just excellent. Gotta like the Boomers chances going forward with this guy in the line up.

Great stuff! Love the rundown Pauly B, and thanks for the YouTube link that I have now also since shared on twitter!

Love the love from the commentators too! Can only help his stock.