The Cavs view Larry Sanders as a “long-term play”

Don’t expect Larry Sanders to make a splash immediately with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Unlike recent additions Kyle Korver, Deron Williams and Derrick Williams, the Cavs are going to bring him along slowly. The plan for Sanders is to have him play in the D-League first with the Canton Charge with his first game coming on Saturday.

"We're not in a situation where we need him to save us, so we get to get what we can from Larry," Cavs general manager David Griffin said on Tuesday prior to the Cavs’ game against the Pistons. "This is really about a long-term play, it's about having somebody that potentially has great upside and somebody we're excited about. Not somebody that we need to count on today, so it's good."

Sanders is on board with the plan and said he and team came up with it together. He also called it a chance to “get my legs back and get some good minutes and get myself back to prime shape.”

“I feel like I come back a little more mature, a little more stable and ready to perform,” he said.

Griffin noted that Sanders will spend around 10 days with the Charge and will practice with the team in addition to possibly playing a road game next week. The Charge’s regular season ends on April 1, 11 days before the Cavs’ wraps up.

“We don't want to throw him in the deep water right away,” Griffin said. “If he plays 10 minutes in the game, that will be fine with us."

“He can be game-changing, but, again, that was a long time ago,” he added. "We need to just work through where we are today and what we can expect.”