The Cleveland Cavaliers' trade for Timofey Mozgov relegated Tristan Thompson back to the bench. Thompson, though, had a team-first attitude about the demotion and sounded optimistic he could still be a major contributor despite not being a starter.
Cleveland finally got what they wanted and what the loss of Anderson Varejao made them need: a rim-protector in the form of the 7-foot-1 Mozgov. Cleveland sent a pair of 2015 first-round picks to the Denver nuggets in exchange for the Russian, who'll now replace Thompson in the starting lineup at the 5-spot.
Whereas some players might have complained about the demotion, Thompson handled it like a professional and shrugged it off.
"I've come off the bench mostof the season," Thompson said, via Cleveland.com. "Whatever it takes for us to win. [I'll] come out and join the bench mob again. Bring the energy with myself, Delly [Matthew Dellavedova] and all the other guys so that's a role that I embrace and I'm trying to be the X-factor."
Thompson replaced Varejao as the Cavaliers' starting center after the Brazilian tore his Achilles tendon on Dec. 23 against Minnesota. In those eight games, Thompson stepped up nicely and averaged 13.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Although his minutes will dip, Thompson's return to the bench could actually help the team more: Cleveland's bench has struggled to produce, and the fourth-year player's high-energy and knack for making hustle plays could lift the second-string's overall productivity.
"He'll be out there playing and obviously he's going to contribute a lot for us," said first-year coach David Blatt.
As for the addition Mozgov, Thompson is excited about what the center brings.
"He's big, he's seven-foot, he's long, takes up space and he blocks shots," Thompson said. "Playing with LeBron [James] and Kyrie [Irving] is only going to benefit him and we need a guy like that here."
Cleveland (19-7) begins their 5-game road trip out West on Friday against Golden State.
