I'm gonna be honest with you guys, I'm super excited for Tristan Thompson to come back. The entire team really is tougher and plays with more edge, not just when he's on the floor but when he's on the bench too.
Fedor has a great article about it, I've bolded relevant quotes.
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HOUSTON — Cavs center Tristan Thompson doesn’t have to watch from the team hotel, pacing back and forth, screaming at the TV and calling various members of the organization to provide real-time commentary — the typical game-night road routine since late January, when Thompson was suspended 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
His punishment is finally over.
“Thank God they went by quick,” Thompson said when reflecting on those 25 games following Friday’s practice on the campus of Rice University. “We had a lot of games in March so that was good. I thought about sneaking into the arena a couple times, but I didn’t want to get in any more trouble.”
On Jan. 23, the NBA announced that Thompson tested positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033. Both are performance-enhancing substances. The Cavs were in Orlando at the time, about to hold a film session inside The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, before heading to Milwaukee, the next stop on a four-game road trip.
“When they told me, I was kind of surprised,” Thompson said. “But it is what it is. Not going to look in the past. The guys have been great. They held it down and supported me.”
Not wanting his teammates to hear the crushing news any other way, from anyone else, Thompson stepped forward and addressed the team at the Ritz. He got emotional. He accepted responsibility. He apologized.
“I held myself accountable,” Thompson explained when asked about that moment. “I told them something happened where I’m going to have to miss some time, so guys have to come in and be big for us. Next man up. That’s part of being a leader. At the end of the day, you have to lead through the good times and bad times. Whether you’re in the right or wrong, you always lead, and you can’t waver. I had to show the guys that’s how it is in Cleveland. We take accountability. We hold ourselves to a high standard. If we fall, we have to get back up.”
Thompson said his first word when getting the news was, unsurprisingly, an expletive.
“I just wanted to play, and I couldn’t,” Thompson said. “But I’m happy to be back now.”
Technically, Thompson never left. Because of the NBA’s suspension rules related to this specific situation, the veteran center was allowed to be around the team, participating in practice, shootaround, film sessions and other activities. He just couldn’t be in the arena starting two hours before tipoff on game nights.
During that lengthy absence, he still wanted to maintain a leadership role. Thompson barked instructions at practice. He offered pointers before and after. Spoke up in film sessions, trying to relay what he was seeing — an extra set of trustworthy eyes and an extension of the coaching staff. Even though he couldn’t contribute on the court, he wanted to use his voice while remaining a positive behind-the-scenes influence.
To maintain playing shape, playing weight, conditioning and strength, Thompson used the VersaClimber, rode the exercise bike and did an abundance of sled work. There were also numerous full-court, four-on-four workout sessions after practice — just like the one on Friday afternoon alongside six teammates and assistant coach Dan Geriot, who has aided in Thompson’s development for nearly a decade, even going back to Thompson’s first Cleveland go-around.
Thompson, who turned 33 on Wednesday, joked that his first stint Saturday might get cut short despite looking to be in peak form.
It was all smiles on the eve of his official reappearance. The suspension is over.
“I missed the bench energy,” Thompson said. “We have our little thing where we make a 3 and we say, ‘Boom.’ So, the booming is back. The booming is back.”
That excitement is shared by the organization.
“That spirit, that toughness. A guy who wins games in the trenches and another guy who does whatever it takes to win,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “His spirit is uplifting. The intensity he plays with, the force he plays with, it’s almost like going to the park with your big brother. You’re different when you’re by yourself and then big brother shows up, now you’re talking a little more s--- and banging a bit more. That’s what he is for us. He is this group’s big brother.”
Thompson said the most important thing over the next month, aside from getting healthy, is to keep moving the ball and putting up around 40-50 3s a night — the dynamic offensive style Cleveland started utilizing the last time Thompson was on the court, the one he’s watched evolve even more while sidelined.
As he reflected on these last 25 games, Thompson singled out nearly every teammate, praising them for stepping up in a different way during his absence.
Center Jarrett Allen became a dominant interior force.
Thompson cast his vote for Caris LeVert to be Sixth Man of the Year, pointing out the Cavs’ record compared to Dallas and Sacramento, with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Monk currently considered the favorites.
Georges Niang — the edgy forward who tussled with Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton, much to Thompson’s delight — has helped fill the frontcourt void with Dean Wade, especially given Evan Mobley’s continued injury misfortune.
Even little-used center Damian Jones made the most of recent playing time, delivering a season-high 14 points during Wednesday’s 116-95 victory over New Orleans, quite possibly the last meaningful minutes he receives in a while, likely to get bumped from the rotation by Thompson, who entered the season as the third center before displacing Jones and providing better-than-expected on-court production to accompany much-needed toughness, leadership and experience — the traits Cleveland missed over this near-two-month stretch.
“I think it’s been a full team effort,” Thompson said. “Now we’ve just got to get Ev and Max (Strus) back to get our full squad. But we’re trending in the right direction.”
Cavs center Tristan Thompson will play in his first game since late January on Saturday night.
www.cleveland.com
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How about that? That entire locker room views TT as a leader, and as a winning championship vet. Niang said as much after practice yesterday.
TT knows exactly the style of basketball the Cavs need to play too, prioritizing ball movement and rhythm threes. He's awesome at setting screens. He keeps guys on task and playing hard, and he's one of the only guys on the team that's not afraid to get in JB's face if coach does something he doesn't like.
I'm pumped he's back, and the Cavs are a much better team with him around.
