Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson is clearly ready for the arrival and contributions from the recently acquired Andre Drummond.
It seems that the Cleveland Cavaliers have avoided a potential volatile situation in their locker room. Cleveland acquired Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons in a surprise move Thursday. Drummond coming into the mix could have caused an issue with Tristan Thompson. Thompson spoke on Friday about the addition of Drummond and he was clearly excited.
There are couple of expletives in there, but can you blame him? Andre Drummond is an excellent addition and certainly raises the talent level of the team.
Head coach John Beilein made the official announcement that Andre Drummond will be the starting center in their next game.
Drummond starting is hardly a surprise, he is the superior center between him and Thompson. Although chemistry and communication may be an issue early on, but should improve over time.
Drummond supplanting Thompson in the starting lineup could have caused an issue. While Tristan Thompson has come off the bench before, it was not in a situation like this. The Cavs were making runs to the NBA Finals, not stuck in the basement of the Eastern Conference.
Pivoting to a bench role in a contract year can be an issue for some players and it is easy to understand why. Their performance decides just how much they get paid and seeing less time on the court will impact their numbers.
There is some good news for Tristan Thompson. Thompson has played enough games at a high level that prospective teams will be going off what they know he is and not what his numbers show over the remainder of the season.
