Tristan Thompson, moved back to starting center in the only lineup change made by Coach Tyronn Lue on Jan. 25, says the Cavaliers don’t have to be best friends off the court to win on it.
The Cavs are 4-11 since Dec. 19. Whenever a team accustomed to winnings goes through an extended slump as the Cavaliers are, questions of team unity invariably grow like weeds in a flower garden.
“Finger pointing?” Thompson said after practice on in Independence, referring to leaked stories coming from a players-only meeting on Jan. 22. “That’s what y’all are reporting. That doesn’t mean it’s a fact unless someone was in there is snitching.
“You go to work every day. You might not like a guy. It’s part of life. I don’t care if X doesn’t like X off the court. As long as you’re on the court playing hard and playing for each other, that’s all that matters for me.”
Thompson will be at center on Jan. 26 when the Cavaliers host the Indianapolis Pacers, who are 3-0 against the Cavs this season.
Lue said he thought about making changes at guard, but for now the only switch is starting Thompson, putting Jae Crowder on the bench and moving Kevin Love back to forward.
The lineup change leaves the Cavaliers with 80 percent of the starting lineup that played in the NBA Finals the last two years — Thompson, Love, forward LeBron James and guard J.R. Smith.
The other 20 percent is huge; Isaiah Thompson instead of Kyrie Irving starting at point guard.
“I guess you can say there’s familiarity, but a big piece of our offense last year was Kyrie,” Thompson said. “Changing point guard, you have to get used to that.”
Lue is hopeful Thomas will be more productive with Thompson at center in part because teams will have to pay more attention to Love as an outside shooting threat.
Thomas, who made his Cavaliers debut on Jan. 2 against Portland, has played in eight of 10 games since returning from seven months of rehabbing from a hip injury. He is averaging 25 minutes and 15.9 points a game. He is 9 of 38 shooting from three-point range in his last six games.
“I think it will help I.T. offensively because if he misses a shot, Tristan can clean it up,” Lue said. “We’re going to try that combination and see how it works.
“Jae’s been playing good the last few games. It has nothing to do with Jae. I talked to him this morning. He said, ‘Whatever’s best for the team, I’m all in.’ I just think starting Tristan helps our team in the pick and roll. I think it helps I.T. setting screens so he can get his shot off more.”
Thompson was a bench player to start the season after starting 78 games in 2016-17. Lue changed the lineup after just three games and made Thompson a starter again, but Thompson suffered a calf injury in his fifth game back starting.
The injury forced Thompson to miss 19 straight games. The Cavs won 13 straight when Thompson was in street clothes, but only two of the teams beaten in the streak (Miami and Philadelphia) currently have winning records. The Cavs lost to the Pacers and then went on a five-game winning streak. Three of those teams have losing records.
The 4-11 slide began the next game with a loss in Milwaukee.
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