National Post (National Edition)
Peg, hole align for a change
Thompson a perfect fit in Cleveland, and role should expand
In ways both good and bad, a player’s draft slot can follow him around for ages. So often, that number does not disappear until the player re-locates.
Milwaukee selected centre Andrew Bogut with the first-overall selection in 2005. He matured and battled through injuries to become a very good player. There was always the sense, however, that it was not enough. The Bucks picked him ahead of Chris Paul, and they needed him to be the two-way foundation of the franchise. It never quite happened, and he was only able to slip into his destiny as a defencefirst monster when the Bucks traded him to Golden State in 2012.
Compared to some other scenarios, Bogut in Milwaukee was relatively angst-free. Think Andrea Bargnani in Toronto or Andre Iguodala in perpetually demanding Philadelphia: Both players were jammed into roles that they were clearly not fit for longer than they should have been, with those fan bases eventually tiring of the square peg-round hole situations. Iguodala has found a second life as a utility wing in Denver and Golden State. It is tough to say what the future holds for Bargnani, but it cannot be less fair than his final years in Toronto, when he was supposed to prop up the sagging Raptors on his own, more or less.
Tristan Thompson, on the other hand, never had to leave Cleveland to find his role in the league. He just had to have two of the league’s best players suddenly parachute in.
Indeed, it no longer matters that the Cavaliers used the fourth-overall selection to take Thompson, then a raw power forward with wonderful athleticism, in 2011. He became the highest-selected Canadian in the modern era then, quickly supplanted by Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins. Perhaps, if Kyrie Irving had remained the lone star on Cleveland, coaxing more offence out of Thompson would have been necessary. As soon as LeBron James (and, later, Kevin Love) came to Cleveland in the off-season, that hardly mattered. Thompson could create extra possessions via offensive rebounds, be active on defence and fit in just fine.
And he did. This season, Thompson shot less frequently than he did in his first three years, which made sense given the presence of three of the most dominant offensive players on the league on his roster. He came close to perfecting his role, though. Thompson helped the Cavaliers’ rebounding, connected on 55 per cent of the shots he did take, and was an essential dirty-work player on a team full of stars. Between that and his agent — Rich Paul, also James’ representative — he seemed sure to re-sign with the Cavaliers this summer. And then Love got hurt.
To be clear, that should not impact Thompson’s status this summer. He is a restricted free agent, and it seems likely that the Cavaliers will take care of him well. It would be nice if Thompson could add a jumper to his game, but he is a very useful piece on any team.
And Love’s injury — a separated shoulder that required surgery — will allow Thompson to be a bigger presence. Thompson is not going to start bombing three-pointers like Love does, of course. Nonetheless, He will have his role broaden.
In the Cavaliers’ first-round sweep of the Celtics, Thompson averaged more than 25 minutes per game. In Cleveland’s Game 1 loss on Monday against Chicago, Thompson played 37 minutes. Cleveland coach David Blatt elected not to start Thompson, trying to maintain the Cavaliers’ offensive spacing by having Mike Miller take Love’s spot in the starting lineup. (That was a massive failure, it must be said — the Bulls outscored Cleveland by 20 points in Miller’s 16 minutes on the floor.)
Ultimately, however, it does not really matter if Thompson starts or not. The Bulls destroyed the Cavaliers with the pick-and-roll thanks to some bizarre Cleveland lineups and strategy, and Thompson is the only Cleveland big man — unless James is slotted into that role — with the combination of size and speed to disrupt ball handlers while recovering to his defensive assignment. Expect him to continue to eat up loads of minutes this series.
While doing that, perhaps we will see a little more of Thompson’s offensive game. James and Irving do not need much help, and Cleveland still has a bunch of three-point shooters in Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith (when he returns from suspension in Game 3), Miller and James Jones that will get the open looks that the stars generate. However, Thompson will find himself with the ball more often almost by necessity. If Thompson can remain as efficient as he has been all year in a slightly bigger role, he could help the Cavaliers get to the Finals.
As the first member of the group of Canadians that has come into the NBA over the last four years, Thompson could also be first Canadian to be a major contributor on a championship team since Rick Fox with the Lakers. And if he earns himself some extra money in the process, all the better. The Indians activated Nick Swisher from the disabled list and optioned fellow outfielder Tyler Holt to Triple-A Columbus before Tuesday night’s game in Kansas City. Swisher was the designated hitter and batting sixth in the opener of a threegame series. Swisher spent the first month off the season on the DL while recovering from surgery on both knees that ended his season last August. He began a rehab assignment at Columbus on April 24, and was 9 for 24 with one homer, two doubles and five RBIs in six games. Swisher, who is making $15 million this season, hit just .208 with eight homers and 42 RBIs in 97 games a year ago. He hit .246 during in his first season in Cleveland. Holt appeared in two games this season, going 0 for 3 with a walk. The Associated Press
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