The Lakers have held trade talks with the Cavaliers about acquiring Ramon Sessions, according to sources.

While no deal is near, the Lakers believe Sessions would help their backcourt.

the Lakers own an $8.9 million trade exception that could be used in a trade, while Cleveland wants to stockpile draft picks.

Kyrie Irving is off to a fantastic start to his career, an early frontrunner to win the Rookie of the Year Award like LeBron James did for the Cavs back in 2004 and has been getting advice on dealing with life in the NBA from the man he is essentially replacing. James has been watching and doing plenty of encouraging.

“We talk a lot; I’ve been knowing Kyrie since he was a ninth grader and it’s been great to see him continue to get better over the years and do the things he’s doing in Cleveland right now,” James said. “He’s been playing great. He’s been showing why he’s the No. 1 pick in the draft. Cleveland got a great pick.”

James has known Tristan Thompson nearly as long. Thompson selected one of James’ best friends and business partners, Rich Paul, to be one of his agents. For James, that virtually makes Thompson part of his extended family. The feeling is apparently mutual. 

“Me and LeBron’s relationship is pretty close,” Thompson said. “He’s like a brother to me.”

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott blasted Kyrie Irving’s defensive effort in the Cavs’ 39-point loss to the Bulls on Friday.

“The defense starts with him,” Scott said. “He’s the head of the snake and I know it’s a lot of responsibility for a 19-year-old, but it is what it is and he’s got to do a better job. And he’s aware of it.”

Irving leads the team in scoring, but Scott said that mindset has to change immediately.

“He had better coast on offense,” Scott said. “I made that point not only to him, but everybody. If you are going to rest, you rest on the offensive end. You’re not resting on defense.”

Kyrie Irving played for the U.S. in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 championship and would need a waiver from FIBA, the international governing body of basketball, to be eligible for the Australian Olympic basketball team.

FIBA officials said Irving could be authorized to represent Australia, despite his previous participation with the USA national team, under two conditions: A) he is "going back" to his country of origin; B) this change is in the interest of the development of basketball in the country of the national team he wishes to represent (i.e. Australia).

As of Friday, FIBA officials could not provide names of any players who had been granted such waivers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers today announced that Zydrunas Ilgauskas is joining the team’s front office as Special Assistant to the General Manager. The announcement was made today by Cavs General Manager Chris Grant. In his role as Special Assistant to the General Manager, Ilgauskas will be involved with front office responsibilities, including evaluation of amateur and professional prospects.

“We are very pleased to have Z begin the next phase of his basketball career with the Cavaliers and I am looking forward to working closely with him. Z has always had a great desire to learn and succeed and he already has a deep understanding and appreciation of the game and the NBA. We are extremely happy to welcome him back as part of our franchise,” said Grant.

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott has started easing rookie Tristan Thompson into the backup role behind Anderson Varejao.

Thompson played center at Texas last season and doesn’t mind the idea of trying it in the NBA. With a wingspan of more than 7 feet, Thompson is certainly long enough to handle the position. But at 227 pounds, he’d be giving away at least 30 pounds on most nights.

“First and foremost, I’m a basketball player. I don’t think a label defines a player,” Thompson said. “If you put me on the list with all the other centers, I’m probably the thinnest one. At the same time, I’ll have to use my strength and quickness and bounce. I think that might help me out.”

When Kyrie Irving departed for the NBA after his freshman year, he told his father that he would return to finish his degree.

“Five years,” Irving says with a grin, then pauses. “That’s extremely difficult.”

The five-year clock started ticking the moment NBA commissioner David Stern announced the former Duke point guard was Cleveland’s choice as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft last June.

“You may interpret it as ambitious, but we’re an education family,” says his father, Drederick, who was in Charlotte on Monday afternoon for the Cavaliers’ game against the Bobcats. “So for Kyrie, a five-year agreement to get his degree, that isn’t anything that’s foreign. He understands that a lot of people in our family, they have their degree, so it’s kind of inevitable for him that he’ll get his.”

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving was born in Australia while his father, Drederick, played professional basketball there, and as a result has dual citizenship. He has publicly flirted with the idea of playing for Australia in the 2012 London Olympics and reiterated Friday he hasn’t made up his mind.

“Still haven’t decided,” Irving said. “Really it will come down to whether or not I want to give up my whole summer.”

It also comes down to his future intentions with Team USA, which is led by his old college coach, Mike Krzyzewski. If Irving plays with Australia this summer, he would likely be ineligible to ever play with the Americans.