Cavs' G-league team relocating from Canton to Cleveland

Cleveland will be home to two pro basketball teams during the 2021-22 season. The Cavaliers' G League affiliate, the Charge, announced Wednesday that it was not extending its expired lease with the Canton Memorial Civic Center and will instead play its home games at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. The Charge began playing at the Civic Center in 2011 after the Cavs acquired the franchise and relocated it from New Mexico. "We want to thank Mayor (Thomas) Bernabei, the City of Canton and our Charge fans and partners for a decade of excitement at the Civic Center," Rock Entertainment Group CEO Len Komoroski said in a statement. "When we acquired the franchise and relocated it here to Northeast Ohio, our goal was to create the best operation and experience in the G-League, both on the court and off. We've had success working towards both those goals and that remains our commitment and focus." Said Bernabei, also in a statement: "I am, of course, disappointed that the Charge will no longer be playing in Canton. We had open and professional conversations with Charge management about extending their lease and staying. However, their move is stimulated by a desire to be in much closer proximity to the Cavaliers' core center of operations. We worked hard at keeping them here, but I appreciate their openness in our conversations, respect their decision and sincerely wish them well." The move to the Wolstein Center follows a trend in the G League that is seeing teams operate much closer to their NBA franchise home venues and training centers. Recent examples include Washington and Detroit. "We're very thankful for the seasons we played at the Civic Center in Canton. We enjoyed some truly special moments there with our players, staff and fans alike," Charge general manager Brendon Yu said in a statement. "As we look to the future, we're very pleased to now be able to continue the growth of the Charge at the Wolstein Center. The proximity to (the Cavs' Independence-based training center) Cleveland Clinic Courts and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse creates an enhanced synergy between the two teams and will foster even greater personnel development." Further details on the team name, logos and merchandise information will be announced in the near future. Current Charge Nation Season Ticket Members will be contacted directly by the team with several options for the upcoming season. The G League season schedule will be announced later this summer and new season ticket membership information, partial ticket plans, group experience packages, fundraising programs and youth basketball package information will be announced in the near future. Rock Entertainment Group is the umbrella entity of the teams and venues that are part of Dan Gilbert's Rock Family of Companies. It includes the Cavs, the AHL Monsters, the Charge, Cavs Legion of the NBA 2K League and the operation of RMFH and the training facility. Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter.