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Channing Frye has proven his worth to Cleveland Cavaliers

Channing Frye has proven his worth to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (8) defends against Philadelphia 76ers forward Amir Johnson (5) during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena.

CLEVELAND -- Reportedly, the Cleveland Cavaliers were working on a trade that would have sent power forward Channing Frye and guard Iman Shumpert to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for George Hill just two weeks ago, but fortunately for the team, the deal fell through.

Soon thereafter, the Cavaliers (30-20) lost power forward Kevin Love for up to two months because of a broken bone in his left hand, and Frye has continued to remind the franchise why he is an important piece moving forward.

“We know what Channing brings to the game,” Cavaliers small forward LeBron James said. “We know he adds spacing and his ability to shoot the ball. For one, he attracts the defense, but his ability to finish in the paint as well helps us out.”

In 20 minutes of action in a 91-89 win over the Miami Heat at Quicken Loans Arena Wednesday night, Frye scored 16 points, second-most on the team in the game.

Frye converted six of his nine looks from the field, including a two-for-four mark from three-point range, as well as a pair of free throws. Additionally, Frye pulled down four rebounds, handed out one assist, stole a pass and blocked one shot.

“Coach said, ‘Channing, you owe me two threes by the end of this game,’” Frye said. “I was focused on that. To be honest, this is going to sound bad, but most of the time, I’m not paying attention to the score. I’m just paying attention to our flow as a team.

“There’s a certain pace that I feel like we’re successful at, and so, I don’t worry about the score because I know we’re going to be good. We’re going to go on a run, and then, I’ll look at the score during a timeout and stuff like that. I’m just happy to be out here.”

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (8) drives to the basket between Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (7) and forward Tobias Harris (34) during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena.

Over the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters, Frye went on a one-man scoring run.

It started when Frye caught a pass from James and threw down a dunk. After that, James again set him up for a basket while cutting to the hoop. Then, with 10:49 to play in the fourth quarter, Frye caught a pass from James and converted a hook shot.

“You know what? Usually, they like kind of catch wind of that play after once or twice, but it kept working, so I’m going to have to get new shoes. I wore the trend off of them,” Frye said with a laugh. “I felt like a taller Kyle Korver. The play worked, and we kept running it. I thank my teammates for standing on the opposite side and chilling for like five plays.”

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (8) warms up before the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena.

With Love expected to miss nearly two months, the Cavaliers know how important it will be for Frye to maintain a level of strong productivity.

“We really need him, and we need everything that he brings,” shooting guard Kyle Korver said. “We need his height because we don’t have many tall guys left. We need his shooting. We need his talking. We need all that he brings, and so, he’s been a huge lift for us the last few games.”

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