Two years ago, Tristan Thompson missed the Wine & Gold Scrimmage. At the time, he was deep in negotiations with the Cavaliers, so intent on a max contract as to skip training camp. He would eventually settle for a five-year deal worth $82 million, around $12 million less than his target but, significantly, at par with that inked by far-more-heralded forward Draymond Green with the Warriors. And the rest is history: He went on to play heavy minutes, and, by the time the playoffs came, a starter’s role that translated to a championship and justified the $60-million luxury tax his employers had to pay in part because of his above-market salary.
Yesterday, the Cavaliers hosted the Wine & Gold Scrimmage anew, and Thompson was an integral part of the three-quarter affair. He didn’t hold out, not even after head coach Tyronn Lue informed him of his revised role as a reserve. On the contrary, he accepted his marching orders with aplomb, viewing them as motivation for him to keep proving himself. It helped, of course, that he understood from where his move to the bench came; the 2016 titleholders now boast of arguably their deepest roster ever, one best suited for small ball, and one that necessitates him making sacrifices for the good of the collective.
Still, it’s with no small measure of selflessness that Thompson relinquishes his place in the pecking order. With All-Star Kevin Love slated to man the front line on tip-off alongside top dog LeBron James and new acquisition Jae Crowder, he willingly consented to being a sub — or, to be more accurate, a supersub. “I’m going to go for Sixth Man of the Year, push myself to do that,” he disclosed after the Wine & Gold Scrimmage. “I feel like with the second unit we have and the energy that I bring off the bench, I’ll put myself in pretty good position.”
All things considered, the unique dynamics that figure to shape the Cavaliers’ competitiveness through the regular season and what they hope to be a successful Finals run will improve and stay solid only with complete player buy-in. This is especially true of the regulars, whose job includes allowing incoming talent to settle in as fast as possible. And, creditably, Thompson has welcomed the challenge. “I’m a team-first guy. I understand that, at the end of the day, it’s about winning, and if we win, we all look good, whether we come off the bench or we start.” Indeed.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
