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Tristan Thompson

Tristan Thompson

Cavaliers Bring Back Tristan Thompson

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The Cavaliers have re-signed veteran Tristan Thompson on a one-year deal.

Thompson appeared in 49 games for the Cavs this past season, averaging 3.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per contest.

In his role off the bench, Thompson appeared to be playing with a spring in his step, flashing shades of the vintage Double T who helped the Cavaliers win their first NBA title in 2016.

That came to a screeching halt when the NBA suspended Thompson for 25 games after testing positive for banned substances. Thompson served his suspension from mid-January to March.

Cleveland selected the University of Texas alum with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. At the time, he was the highest drafted Canadian-born player in league history.

Thompson ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in offensive rebounds (second, 2,188), total rebounds (third, 5,567), defensive rebounds (fifth, 3,379), blocks (fifth, 461), games played (fifth, 668) and minutes (eighth, 17,922). His 447 consecutive regular-season games played from Feb. 10, 2012, to April 4, 2017, remains the longest streak in Cavaliers history.

Over the course of his 13-year career, Thompson has played in 779 regular-season games (478 starts) for Cleveland, Boston, Sacramento, Indiana and Chicago, with averages of 8.7 points on .521 shooting from the field and 8.1 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per contest.

Thompson, who started all 21 postseason games during the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA title run, has played in 104 playoff games (70 starts) over his career, averaging 6.5 points on .557 shooting from the field and 7.2 rebounds in 25.2 minutes.

Thompson also is the Cavaliers’ all-time postseason leader in offensive rebounds (297) and ranks second in franchise playoff history in total rebounds (686), third in defensive rebounds (389), second in games played (88), fourth in blocked shots (68), ninth in points scored (613) and ninth in field goals made (231).

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Tristan Thompson Receives 25-Game Suspension for Violating NBA Anti-Drug Policy

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Say it ain’t so, Double T.

The NBA on Tuesday announced that Tristan Thompson must serve a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug program.

Thompson tested positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033, according to the NBA.

Ibutamoren is a growth hormone, and the alien-sounding SARM LGD-4033 is “used by bodybuilders and weightlifters for muscle enhancement,” according to the Associated Press.

This is a tough pill to swallow (unlike ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033, apparently).

In his second stint with the Cavs – he was part of the franchise’s first and only NBA championship in 2016 – Thompson has played a bigger role than most people probably assumed he would. With Evan Mobley sidelined since mid-December, Thompson has stabilized the Cavs’ frontcourt, providing quality minutes off the bench as a tenacious paint patroller.

At 32, Double T is in the prime of his life. (I’d trade a kidney and a first-round draft pick to be that young again.) But in basketball years, I guess he’s getting a bit long in the tooth. Still, it sure seemed like he was defying father time.

Now we know why.

I suppose Damian Jones is the logical choice to fill Double T’s shoes, which is a booby prize if there ever was one. Jones has seemed about as unplayable as Robin Lopez was last year. I’d love to be wrong on this one, but some players are journeymen for a reason.

Don’t count out Pete Nance, whom the Cavaliers recently signed to a 10-day contract. The 6-11 Nance is an Akron, Ohio, native and he’s a Nance, which immediately endears him to many Cavs faithful. It would be easy to root for a guy like that if the Cavs give him an opportunity.

Thompson Must Be an Idiot

Double T coming back to Cleveland and thriving as a perpetual pest in the post had all the makings of a feel-good story, especially with the team playing so well in recent weeks. This is the team that drafted him, and this is where spent most of this career – including some lean times during the pre- and post-LeBron years.

Maybe the pressure to perform at peak, vintage Double T energy was too great. Or maybe he wasn’t aware that his personal trainer was slipping banned substances into his shamrock shake.

At the end of the day, it was a costly mistake – for the Cavs and Thompson. This is a 25-game suspension without pay. More importantly, the Cavs are in the thick of a hotly contested Eastern Conference playoff race, and Thompson’s steadying presence and veteran leadership will be missed.

Cavs Bucks

Cavs Defense Keeps Hawks Grounded, Bucks Loom on the Horizon

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On a brisk Saturday night in Hot-lanta, a monthlong reprieve in the schedule came full circle for the Cavs.

Flashback to early December (caution – the following content might be painful for some fans). The Cavs were 13-9 and recovering from a slow start to the 2023-2024 season. They were riding a three-game winning streak that included quality wins over Orlando (Dec. 6) and Miami (Dec. 8).

Then came the no-good very-bad really-very-bad week.

It started on Monday, Dec. 11, with a 104-94 loss to the upstart Magic, and went from bad to worse with their fateful trip to Boston. On Dec. 15 – the day after Darius Garland fractured his jaw in a crash with Kristaps Porzingis – the Cavs announced that Garland and Evan Mobley would miss a significant chunk of playing time.

But then the basketball gods took mercy on the hard-luck Cavaliers, with a favorable stretch of schedule that was just what the doctor ordered for a team that was nothing short of shellshocked.

It all started with a 127-119 win over Atlanta that tipped off a three-game homestand. Since that Dec. 16 win over the Hawks, the Cavs are 11-3, which is the best record in the NBA over that timeframe.

Make that 12-3 since Dec. 16.

With the Cavs’ easy 116-95 victory on Jan. 20 in Atlanta, they also own the NBA’s longest current winning streak at seven.

What a difference a newfound identity and a compassionate schedule make.

Playing Washington twice in the same week – at home – was karmic repayment for the Boston debacle, in my opinion. Playing Chicago twice – nice.

Playing the Hawks on the second night of a back-to-back (for them) – we’ll take it.

The soft patch in the schedule came at the perfect time, giving the Cavs a nice opportunity to recalibrate and try to rebuild their fro-mentum. They’ve done both, and then some.

They’re doing it the right way – with hustle and defense – and lead the NBA in rebounds, defensive rating and several other categories since Dec. 16.

As Brad Daugherty says early and often on recent Bally Sports telecasts, “It’s been fun to watch.” It’s about to get real, though.

Tough Test Ahead

The Cavs’ four-game roadtrip continues with a trip to Orlando on Monday and then to Milwaukee, for two games in three nights against the Bucks.

The Magic will be on the second night of a back-to-back, so the Cavs have that going for them. Which is nice.

Assuming Giannis is back in the lineup, the Bucks will be out for blood Wednesday night, after the Cavs’ 40-point win in Cleveland. But maybe, just maybe, the Cavs could eek out a Friday-night win at Fiserv Forum in Mee-lee-wah-kay, which is Algonquin for “the Good Land.” That would be fun to watch.

High Praise for Double T

Tristan Thompson isn’t going to stuff the stat sheet on most nights, but he did generate four points, three rebounds and two assists in his first six minutes of action Saturday night in Atlanta. He finished with six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.

When the Cavs signed Thompson in the offseason, it was an immediate upgrade over Robin Lopez. But for some of us – who maybe didn’t realize Thompson still played in the NBA – we didn’t know what the Cavs were getting beyond that.

Thompson has exceeded expectations, consistently flashing vintage Double T and being just a pest in the paint.

“He’s so hard to box out,“ Daugherty said on the Bally Sports telecast. “Offensively he’s just a nightmare because he will not stand still. … He’s excellent; one of the best offensive rebounders I’ve seen.”

Fro-nomenal

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Jarrett Allen’s franchise-record-tying 11th consecutive double-double. Allen had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Worth noting that Allen set the tone in the Dec. 16 win over Atlanta with a fro-nomenal 25 points and 14 rebounds that night.

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