New roles for Thompson, Crowder
Tristan Thompson has started 321 of his 492 career games (65.2 percent), but only five of his 26 games (19.2 percent) this season. Lue plans to tinker with his rotations on Friday, as Thompson will start at center, Love will start at power forward and Jae Crowder will come off the bench.
The move should fortify the defense, with the Cavs ranked last in the NBA in defensive rating (109.9), and fifth last in points allowed per game (109.6). Thompson has averaged eight-or-more rebounds per game since 2012-13 (except 2017-18), and Love has spent the vast majority of his career guarding the power forward position.
Look for Thompson to help Thomas with pick-and-rolls and screens, enabling him to have more space and open looks. Crowder has started all but three contests over the last three years between the Cavaliers and Celtics.
Pages: 1 2 3 4
John Alfes is a senior at John Carroll University, and hails from Westlake, Ohio. His love and passion for the game of baseball originated in 1998, when he played catch with his father at the age of two. A former collegiate pitcher, Alfes currently serves as a Cleveland Cavaliers reporter for AP Radio/Metro Networks and the Cleveland Indians Beat Writer for CBS Sports/Scout Media Network, all while majoring in Communications (focus in Journalism) and English (focus in Professional Writing). He is the Sports Editor for The Carroll News, Sports Director for WJCU 88.7 FM and Senior Writer for the John Carroll Sports Information Department. John is an Eagle Scout and loves his two younger brothers (Conrad and Daniel) and two parents (John and Celeste).
You can follow John Alfes on Twitter (@JohnAlfes) or reach him through email (jalfes18@jcu.edu).
Recent Comments