Kyrie Irving said he has spoken to Duke's Mike Krzyzewski three times since the season began.

"He didn't like the pace I was playing at in the first game," Irving said in reference to his NBA opener on Monday, a night he shot 2-of-12 from the field in a loss to Toronto.

"He said I needed to play a little bit quicker, which I agree with. He offered as much advice as he could."

Irving certainly played a quicker game Wednesday in Detroit, where he scored 14 points and added seven assists.

"We both know he needs to play faster," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "[Irving] knows it. We want to be that type of team. Hearing it from me and also hearing it from a great coach like Mike, who coached him for the last year and knows him pretty well, I think kind of reinforces the way we want him to play. I don't have a problem with that."

Baron Davis has committed to sign a free-agent contract with the Knicks.

Davis will join a team that was seeking a veteran point guard to run its offense after New York waived Chauncey Billups, who was then picked up by the Clippers, under the NBA's new amnesty provision. Davis was released by the Cavaliers under the same provision last week but was not claimed by any eligible team.

Davis, 32, is recovering from a bulging back disc but could eventually take over the starting point guard job in New York.

The contract could be completed as early as Sunday and will reportedly be for one season at $2.5 million.

Baron Davis has cleared waivers and will become a free agent.

Davis was amnestied and waived by the Cavaliers this week.

Cleveland acquired Davis from the Clippers in February in a trade that ultimately led to the acquisition of the first overall pick.

The Lakers, Knicks and Heat are believed to be the frontrunners for Davis when his back is healthy enough to return to the court.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have promoted Mark Cashman to Director of Team Operations, Trent Redden to Director of College Player Personnel and Dan Vincent to Manager of Video and Advance Scouting, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Cashman started with the Cavaliers prior to the 2001-02 season as the equipment manager/travel coordinator. In his role as Director of Team Operations he handles all duties associated with the team’s equipment, apparel, and uniforms and the team’s air and ground transportation, as well as accommodations for each road trip. Cashman has over 20 years of NBA experience, having worked with the Portland Trail Blazers (1994-99) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (1990-94) before joining Cleveland.

Redden enters his sixth season with the Cavaliers. He was promoted to basketball operations manager/scout in September of 2010 and his duties as Director of College Player Personnel will include managing the college draft process, including the scouting all of the top draft prospects nationally. He will also assist General Manager Chris Grant with other select areas in the team’s day-to-day basketball operations.

Vincent was promoted from assistant video coordinator/advance scouting manager. As Manager of Video and Advance Scouting, he will perform video breakdowns of upcoming opponents and assemble personnel reports for use by coaches and players. The 2011-12 season marks Vincent’s fifth season with the Cavs.

Baron Davis has a serious herniated disk injury and will miss a minimum of eight to ten weeks.

Davis was amnestied on Wednesday by the Cavaliers.

Davis has been linked to the Lakers and Knicks as possible destinations if he clears waivers.

The Cavaliers have amnestied Baron Davis.

Davis is currently dealing with a back issue, but is expected to sign with the Knicks if he clears amnesty waivers.

The Cavaliers are running an offense that allow for more freedom and creativity or, as coach Byron Scott termed it, "organized chaos." Several players say rookie Kyrie Irving is thriving in the modified approach.

"Guys were calling one play, but running a whole different play," Scott said. "I figured if it works we might put it in. Since it wasn't we wanted to make sure they knew exactly what was going on."

Irving said the offense is similar to what the Blue Devils ran last season at Duke. Scott said that's not by design.

The Cavaliers will start this season with Anderson Varejao in the at center, even though coach Byron Scott concedes the converted power forward would be best suited coming off the bench.

"I think that would make our rotation a lot better and make us a better basketball team," Byron Scott said. "But at this particular point until I can find a center that's better than Andy he's going to be our starting center."

Varejao is up to the challenge of defending bigger players.

"I'll do whatever coach wants me to do," said Varejao, who's averaging 7.1 points in seven seasons. "It's hard when we play with bigger and strong guys and you have to bang on them the whole game. I'll take the challenge."

While Baron Davis has left Cleveland to have his back examined, a source says it is likely that he is waived by the Cavaliers -- either via buyout or amnesty -- and that he ends up signing with the Knicks.

But Davis may not be available to play for a while due to a bad back.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard/forward Anthony Parker to a contract, General Manager Chris Grant announced. Per league and team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

“Bringing back Anthony was a high priority for us. We place great value on the leadership, professionalism and veteran presence he brings both on the court and in the locker room,” said General Manager Chris Grant. “His high basketball IQ, ability to shoot with range and play solid perimeter defense made re-signing him extremely important for us.”