Matthew Dellavedova left the Cleveland Cavaliers in the offseason to sign a four-year, $38 million offer sheet with the Milwaukee Bucks.

"It was tough to decide to leave because you're coming off the highest of highs and I loved my time in Cleveland," Dellavedova said Tuesday morning. "Fun team, great group of guys, great organization and fans obviously. But I had an opportunity here that I couldn't pass up to see how good I could be as a starting point guard and really challenge myself. You never know if or when that opportunity will come along again."

Dellavedova is averaging career-bests in points (7.9) and assists (6.3).

"It's been good. It's been a challenge and that's what I was looking for," Dellavedova said. "Just getting to know a new group and a new system, new coaching staff, new city. There's going to be a little bit of an adjustment, but it's been good so far. I feel like I've learned a lot already and I've got a lot more to learn as well."

Dellavedova will play his former team for the first time on Tuesday.

Seth Partnow was hired by the Milwaukee Bucks as their director of basketball research during the 2017 offseason following several years of high quality writing about basketball analytics. The Bucks hired Partnow as a part-time consultant in May and made the hire full-time in September.

"It still doesn't feel like going to work. It feels, to some degree, almost like a fantasy camp," Partnow said. "I'm sure that will change as we get into it, but I pinch myself walking into the building every day."

Partnow played basketball at West Anchorage High and played one year at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. After earning an economics degree from Carleton and a law degree from the University of Minnesota, Partnow moved back to Anchorage in 2005.

Partnow worked for years with his mother, Patricia, at their educational consulting firm, Partnow Consulting. In 2013, Partnow decided to begin researching and writing about basketball.

"At its basis, basketball analytics — or any sports analytics — is using information available from the playing of games and things like that to make better decisions about … in-game strategic decisions or a player acquisition and contract decisions," Partnow said.

The goal is to use the information to form "a fuller understanding of what actually matters in terms of winning or losing games," he said.

Partnow was a frequent guest on RealGM Radio before moving to his front office role with his last appearance coming in May.

When Khris Middleton suffered a torn hamstring in September during an informal workout, it actually was torn completely off the bone.

“That’s a pretty rare injury; that’s unusual,’’ said a league official.

Multiple NBA officials said they're unaware of any player in recent years sustaining a similar injury.

At the time of Middleton’s setback, Bucks officials said Middleton would be sidelined for “approximately six months.’’

Middleton is back on the court again two months after the injury. While he is incapable of running and cutting, he is nevertheless working on his game.

“I’ve been doing some shooting; I’m just trying to get back into a little shooting form,’’ said Middleton.

Middleton is optimistic about returning this season.

“I think I’ll be back at some point this season,’’ Middleton said. “When? I just don’t know yet.’’

The Milwaukee Bucks have recalled guard Rashad Vaughn from the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Development League.

Assigned to Westchester on November 19, Vaughn appeared in two games for the Knicks and averaged 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game.

Vaughn was the 17th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of UNLV.

Jason Kidd discussed the possibility of continuing to use only two centers, John Henson and Miles Plumlee, which further calls the future of Greg Monroe with the Milwaukee Bucks into question.

Monroe has played in fewer than 10 minutes in each of the Bucks' past three games and only played on Monday due to foul trouble for Henson and Plumlee.

The Bucks didn't use a traditional center at all for much of the second half of their win over the Magic.

"Sometimes we get confused on small ball," Kidd said. "We're not rolling out 6-4, 6-5 and 6-6. There are 7-footers. Small ball is just a term that we use, but there are a lot of guys that are tall.

"When you talk about Giannis; Mirza is not small. (Michael) Beasley is not small. You're putting your best group out there to go against their best group.

"When you talk about Ibaka, he can play the 5. Biyombo can play the 5 or 4. Small ball isn't like it used to be when you have three point guards out there who are 6-2 or 6-1.

"When you look at Giannis, he can play the 5 or play the 1 at 7 feet tall."

The Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks have moved away from Trump hotels in New York City and Chicago, which bear Donald Trump's name through a licensing agreement.

Another Eastern Conference team contracted to stay at the Trump SoHo in New York this season has likewise already decided to switch to a different property in Manhattan when its current contract expires at season's end and that the Trump association is among the factors for the switch.

Seven other NBA teams are still currently scheduled to stay at Trump-branded properties this season.

Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban are both high-profile supporters of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

The Trump SoHo has emerged in recent years as an increasingly popular property throughout the league because more teams are coming to New York for two-game trips since the Nets moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn starting with the 2012-13 season.

Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and Dan Feldman of NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk and the Locked On Pistons Podcast (@DanFeldmanNBA) break down the NBA’s rookie scale extension and option deadline.

They review just-announced extensions for Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo, Rudy Gobert, Cody Zeller and Gorgui Dieng along with previously agreed-to deals for Giannis Antetokounmpo, CJ McCollum and Dennis Schroder.

After that, they discuss some of the significant option decisions including RJ Hunter and James Young for the Celtics, Adreian Payne for the Timberwolves and Nik Stauskas with the 76ers. 

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Ray Allen has announced he will remain retired and won't pursue opportunities to resume his NBA playing career.

Allen hasn't played since the 13-14 season with the Miami Heat.

Allen made the announcement on The Players Tribune in a letter to his 13-year-old self.

"I write this to you today as a 41-year-old man who is retiring from the game. I write to you as a man who is completely at peace with himself...

"Now, the most important question in your life isn’t, “Who am I supposed to be?” or even, “What do I have to do to win another championship?”

"It’s, “Daddy, guess what happened in math class today?”

"That’s the reward that awaits you at the end of your journey.

"Go to the court. Stay at the court.

"Get your work in, young fella.

"Most people will never really get to know the real you. But they’ll know your work."