CLEVELAND, Ohio — Tristan Thompson’s credentials hang high on the banner that keeps his team at the top.
The last time Thompson wore wine and gold, the Eastern Conference swept Cleveland. LeBron James’ Cavaliers won the division title for four consecutive seasons and posted a 47-11 record against division opponents in the playoffs. In 2016, they won the NBA Finals from a 3-1 deficit. They give Thompson valuable playoff experience, which he plans to share with a roster that has recovered well since Cleveland’s last trip to the Finals. Wait, give him some time.
“20…18,” Thompson said Monday at Cavaliers media day, confirming it with a pennant behind him at Rockets Mortgage Arena.
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When these banners are raised, the building is called “Q.” Now 32 years old, Thompson returns this season and rediscovers the energy of that era. He can’t switch to guard like he once did, and he spent more time last season working for ESPN than on the court. But the former Cavaliers fourth overall pick, then starting center and now Saints veteran, still believes he can contribute to victory by telling the story behind his battle scars.
“…I’m here to help them weather the (postseason) storm,” Thompson said. “Just because I’ve been there, been in those moments. I’ve been down 2-0, down 2-1, down 3-1. So if anyone knows how to weather a storm, it’s Me.”
The current Cavaliers went through their own experience last spring when the New York Knicks eliminated them in a five-game first-round playoff series that exposed Cleveland’s physical deficiencies. New York, in particular, is out-rebounding Cleveland, with the Knicks holding a 41-rebound advantage through five games. Naturally, that disparity reminds Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman of Thompson, who averaged 8.3 rebounds per game in 78 postseason games with the Cavaliers.
Altman said Monday that he wanted to “consciously” earn Cleveland’s 14th roster spot, making his intentions clear by giving the spot to Thompson. By selecting a former champion, Altman opted for a toughness that Cleveland lacked against the Knicks. He prioritized the pride Thompson felt in regaining the title in Cleveland — “Our team should be in the Basketball Hall of Fame,” Thompson said. Ultraman adds a veteran voice to a team full of young sponges.
“You guys have been there for us; we’ve been kind of quiet,” Altman said. “Tristan is not a very, very quiet guy. So he’s going to push us. He’s going to push us to the heights that — we hope — we can reach when we have him as the starting center.”
Altman’s target will largely depend on Thompson’s new frontcourt partner, Evan Mobley. By then, Thompson was already calling Mobley “a young Anthony Davis.” Thompson knows that a moniker like that comes with a lot of pressure, but he sees no harm in showing the potential he sees in the new star.
When Cleveland owned the East, the Cavaliers signed Kendrick Perkins to promote Thompson. Now Thompson is goading Mobley, who accepts the veteran’s guidance but gets no response. Just nod in understanding.
“He knew, he heard me,” Thompson said. “I’m going to keep him for the whole year because that’s his potential, that’s what I see in him and I know how great he can be. “The sky is the limit for him. So to make that happen, sometimes it takes a little push, like the perks pushed me into the playoffs. I would do the same thing. “You have to pay first.”
Or in this case, pay it back. After winning the championship, Cleveland introduced Thompson to the playoff stage. Now that the Cavaliers are back, they need his guidance and wisdom. Cavaliers guard Darius Garland said Thompson’s voice means a lot to this young roster. Center Jarrett Allen said every team needs players like Thompson to “make us uncomfortable so we can feel comfortable in the most difficult moments.”
Thompson’s message, like the Knicks’, hasn’t always been kind. But he’s the perfect messenger for the team in this town. Players know his history of hard work, which is why the front office chose him.
If anyone asked him, he would just point to the rafters.
“Whether it’s DG, Jarett or any of them, I’m going to hold them to a high standard any time,” Thompson said. “If I see something that coach doesn’t address or doesn’t see, I’m going to speak up because the only way we’re going to get better as a team is if we all hold each other accountable to a high standard.
“So you might not like it, you might not want to hear it, but I’m going to tell you. Because at the end of the day, it’s all about winning. That’s all that matters to me. That’s why I’m here.”
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