Cleveland Cavaliers roster rumors: Tristan Thompson named starting center for the playoffs
The Cleveland Cavaliers own the top stop in the Eastern Conference heading into the first round of the playoffs, which means they'll be bringing with them the home court advantage at least until the conference finals. But before the start of postseason hostilities, head coach Tyronn Lue makes a crucial decision – to start Tristan Thompson at center.
The young and undersized center will be trading placed with usual starter Timofey Mozgov and Lue's decision is somehow influenced by the fact that Mozgov hasn't been himself as of late. But when ESPN asked Lue about it, he simply said he just wanted to.
The 25-year old is averaging 8.4 points and 10 rebounds when he's starting. In the regular season, he did start in 32 games, switching places with Mozgov all throughout. The numbers though seem to fall back a little bit when he's coming off the bench, although the difference isn't that significant.
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Thompson is a Canadian who played one season in college for Texas before declaring himself for the draft. He eventually was drafted fourth overall by the Cavaliers.
Asked about what he expects when he goes out there to start with LeBron James and the rest of the Cavs, he responded with the safest answer possible. "It's the same thing, it makes no difference," he said. "Come in, play hard, rebound, defend, finish around the rim," Thompson added.
His promotion to the starting lineup is more attributed to Mozgov's inconsistency rather than his own improvement. The 7-foot-1 Russian big man is currently averaging career lows in points and rebounds, which is something that Cavs never expected to see after shining in the playoffs last season.
According to Cleveland.com, it makes more sense to put Thompson in the starting lineup since he brings more versatility on defense compared to Mozgov, particularly guarding big men who spend time on the perimeter. But Mozgov is obviously the more capable big man in terms of protecting the rim.
