Pavlovic Hearing Criticism In Vegas, Flip Won't Be Back

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LAS VEGAS - The midday temperature in Sin City this time of year is about 110 degrees, but that's nothing compared to the heat Sasha Pavlovic is taking a half a world away in his native Serbia and Montenegro.

In a country where national basketball stars might actually be more famous than soccer stars, Pavlovic's name has recently become mud. He is one of a number of NBA players who infuriated the nation's basketball federation and its proud fans by deciding to skip playing for the Serbian entry in next month's World Championships in Japan.

First came a bad showing in the 2004 Olympics, when many thought Pavlovic and his teammates were outside favorites for the gold, yet earned no medals.

Then came bitter disappointment in last summer's European championships, in which players were rumored to have fought with each other in the locker room. The problems have driven Pavlovic away, and instead he's sweating it out playing for the Cavaliers' summer-league team.

``They're killing me back there about it, too,'' Pavlovic said. ``But I needed to come here; this is a very important time for me in my career.''

Pavlovic is going into the final year of his rookie contract, and the Cavs currently have no intention of extending his deal. He also faces stiff competition on the roster for playing time, which makes it pretty important how he shows up for training camp in October.

Picked up in a trade two years ago, Pavlovic has shown some flashes of his potential but has mostly been inconsistent in playing time. During a stretch last season, after Larry Hughes was injured, Pavlovic was in the starting lineup and playing well. But some defensive lapses cost him playing time and, after Flip Murray was picked up, his spot in the rotation.

He ended up averaging 4.5 points in 53 games, 19 of them starts.

Murray isn't expected back, but Shannon Brown, the Cavs' first-round draft pick, plays Pavlovic's shooting guard position and is a good defender, which will ultimately curry him favor with coach Mike Brown.

The combination of all those realities has brought Pavlovic back to the U.S. much earlier than usual, and he plans on staying and working out. He's hired a trainer and will be a regular at Quicken Loans Arena the rest of the summer.

After he took some time off and went home, Pavlovic's game is showing rust in the Vegas Summer League. Working mostly on his outside shot, he is shooting just 30 percent through four games but is averaging 11 points.

``I'm going to work out four hours a day,'' Pavlovic said. ``I'm hoping for a big season.''</div>

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