The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently without one of their big men. Tristan Thompson is set to miss at least two weeks with an ankle sprain, and it seems that the news could actually mean some more wins for the Cavs.
According to a March 6 report by King James Gospel , the Cleveland Cavaliers’ record when Tristan Thompson does not play is fantastic, but they have a losing record when he is on the court with the team. As many Cavs fans may remember while Tristan was out earlier in the season, Cleveland went on a 13-game winning streak. They are currently 18-3 when Thompson doesn’t see any playing time.
After Tristan Thompson sprained his ankle, one of Cleveland’s newest members, Larry Nance Jr., was inserted into the starting lineup, which delighted fans. Nance is not only the son of Cavs great Larry Nance Sr., but he is also a hometown guy and a huge favorite among the Cavaliers faithful who love to watch him hustle, dunk, and rebound. During his first game as a starter he did all of that. Nance Jr. had his best game as an NBA player pulling down 15 rebounds and scoring 22 points.
Many Cleveland Cavaliers fans have spoken out about Tristan Thompson’s play this year via social media. Cavs watchers have seemingly noticed that he’s not performing as expected and some have even called for him to be benched or lose his starting spot to Larry Nance Jr ., who could play center when Kevin Love returns to the starting lineup after he’s recovered from his broken hand. Love is expected to return about the same time as Thompson, and it will be interesting to see what coach Ty Lue does when Tristan is healthy again.
Quick review of Tristan Thompson’s skills… can’t shoot, can’t dribble, terrible passer, stone hands, and now getting bullied on the glass. So why on earth is he getting paid $18M?
— Chris Travers (@c_travs13) February 14, 2018
Tristan Thompson is averaging record personal lows in rebounding, points scored per game, and his defensive rating is the worst of his career. While some Cleveland Cavaliers fans blame the “ Kardashian curse ” on the situation, considering Tristan is dating and expecting a baby with reality TV star Khloe Kardashian, others just want him out of the system to make room for more productive players going forward. If the Cavs go on a winning spree to end the regular season, fans could see Larry Nance Jr. continue to start even when Thompson returns to the lineup.
The Cavs are currently on a road trip and will play Denver, L.A., and other western conference teams over the next two weeks before returning home to Cleveland.
