CLEVELAND: Tristan Thompson had never helped an injured teammate off the court before.
As demoralizing as the task was as Andrew Bogut put his arm around James Jones and then Thompson as he hopped to the locker room Monday night at Quicken Loans Arena, it also seemed appropriate.
After Bogut broke his left tibia 58 seconds into his Cavaliers’ debut, Thompson might be forced to carry a big load.
General Manager David Griffin saw Bogut as the rim protector the Cavs had been lacking going back to the 2015-16 NBA championship season when Timofey Mozgov ceased to be a factor.
Bogut would also have eased the minutes burden on Thompson for the remainder of the regular season and in the early rounds of the playoffs. Chris “Birdman” Andersen was supposed to do that, but he played only 20 games and averaged 9.5 minutes before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a Dec. 16 practice.
For fans, there could be a sense of “It’s just Andrew Bogut,” with the presumption that the 7-footer might have been no factor if the Cavs reach the Finals again. But signing Bogut was more about Thompson than it was about Bogut.
Thompson has been the Cavs’ playoff workhorse. In 2014-15, his averages in points (8.5 regular season, 9.6 playoffs) and rebounds (8.0, 10.8) were higher in the playoffs than in the regular season. That difference in points (7.8, 6.7) and rebounds (9.0, 9.0) waned in 2015-16, but the Cavs had more help with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love healthy in the postseason.
But Thompson’s value to the Cavs is more evident in May and June, and that’s why they needed to ease his burden now.
Griffin has to be searching for a player to fill Bogut’s roster spot if the to-be-determined severity of his break sends him to the waiver wire. Bogut’s replacement might not be a center, but perhaps a wing, which would leave Channing Frye and Love, when he returns from arthroscopic knee surgery, playing more inside.
Whatever is required of him, Thompson is ready, even if he doesn’t get the rest he might have anticipated when Bogut signed Thursday.
“It doesn’t matter to me. Whether I play 30 minutes or not, I’m always ready to play. I’m going to make sure I get the right treatment, the right rest to be able to go out and punch the clock and bring the energy,” Thompson said. “I’ll keep it going.”
Even before Bogut arrived, Thompson had been watching film of Bogut to learn how to become a better rim protector. Bogut had seen improvement.
“He’s a lot better every year,” Bogut said Monday before the game. “He’s been asked to play different roles throughout his career. First and foremost he’s the best offensive rebounder in the league by far and his defense has gotten better. We play him a lot at the 5, continue to do that because it poses so many mismatches. The better and better he gets protecting the basket, the better we’ll be.”
Thompson said he learned about Bogut’s craftiness while going up against him in the past two Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Thompson didn’t rule out trying to gain a few more tips while Bogut recuperates.
“There’s still ways for me to pick his brain and talk to him,” Thompson said. “It’s sad this had to happen to him his first game, especially in the Q, but it’s part of the grind, right?”
Talking to Bogut won’t help lessen Thompson’s load. But Thompson didn’t sound like he felt it is imperative that Griffin find another big man to ensure a deep playoff run.
“We need bodies at the end of the day,” Thompson said. “His was a great pickup for us, with him being big, shot-blocking and playmaking from the top of the key and just knowing how to play the game. He’s definitely going to be a huge loss. Now we’ve got to keep doing what we’ve got to do. Whether it’s bring someone else in, so be it. If not we’ve got enough guys here that are ready to play and step up and take that challenge.”
LeBron James seemed certain Griffin would fill the gap left by Bogut. Ex-Cav Anderson Varejao is available. Former Ohio State star Jared Sullinger is a free agent, but his skill set didn’t fit what the Cavs were seeking when they were pursuing Bogut. Uncertain is whether that could change when faced with a dubious list of available options like ex-Trail Blazer Chris Kaman or ex-Cavs Kendrick Perkins, Ryan Hollins and Sasha Kaun (who played only 95 minutes last season for the NBA champions).
“I don’t know exactly what the situation is with Andrew right now, but I got all the trust in Griff that he’ll make something happen for our team,” James said. “Not worried about that, he’s always done that.”
With the Cavs’ core set and Smith and Love likely returning this month, Irving was confident that they have what they need to repeat, even without Bogut. Irving was undaunted by the fact that the Cavs have lost 3-of-4 games (one of those without Irving and James) in March after a league-best 9-2 February.
“Yeah. Very much so. I mean, two losses to the Miami Heat, obviously we didn’t play our best, but that doesn’t mean we start to question who we have in our locker room,” Irving said. “David Griffin has done an unbelievable job and the pieces that we do have, I mean, this is probably the best group that I’ve played on since I’ve been here. And that’s hands down. And talent all around. So I’m definitely still confident about it and I always will be.”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.