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Cavaliers could start Tristan Thompson at center

By Davey Rudolph

Apr 12, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson (13) reaches for a loose ball in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson (13) reaches for a loose ball in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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While we haven’t seen the new and improved Cleveland Cavaliers take the court yet, it would seem fairly easy to project the lineup we should expect. Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters you would assume would start at the guard spots with LeBron James and Kevin Love at the three and four spots. You would think it would be safe to assume that veteran big man (and LeBron’s pal) Anderson Varejao would get the starting nod at the center position.

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That might not be the case though, as the Morning Journal in Cleveland is reporting:

"The Cavaliers are at least toying with the idea of starting Tristan Thompson at center.If they do, they must feel his athleticism will overshadow the size discrepancy he would face almost every night.Thompson is listed as 6 feet 9, 228 pounds.The league is shifting toward more mobile big men instead of the behemoths in the paint. One  reason is it’s difficult to find legitimate 7-footers.Until the Wine and Gold Scrimmage on Oct. 1, it was thought 6-11 Anderson Varejao would be the starting center. Coach David Blatt said he has yet to make up his mind on who would start at center."

Thompson at center would add an interesting dynamic to the Cavs on offense and could open things up spacing wise for slasher like Waiters and LeBron. However, the biggest concern would be Thompson being outmatched on the defensive end. The Cavaliers already have huge question marks on defense as Love, Waiters and Irving, all have struggled in that area over the length of their respective careers.

LeBron has been the best defender in the NBA in years past but last year he had his worst year on defense that one can remember. It may be the case that Cleveland will start Thompson at center and simply try to outscore their opponents and run them off of the floor, but come playoff time when pace always slows and games get decided possession to possession, Thompson could get eaten up by the big men in the Eastern Conference.

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