This past Tuesday, the NBA announced that Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson would be suspended for 25 games without pay after testing positive for a pair of banned substances.
The veteran’s presence was immediately missed in Wednesday night’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, where Cleveland’s eight-game winning streak was snapped in a 126-116 defeat. Milwaukee outrebounded the Wine and Gold 46-39 and recorded 54 points in the paint.
The Cavaliers posted a statement on X a few hours after Thompson’s suspension was officially announced this past Tuesday.
In a recent article, Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor writes about how Thompson delivered a heartfelt apology to his teammates, and how various members of the team reacted to the news.
Here are three of the reactions from the article:
Donovan Mitchell
“It was tough to see him get emotional. Tough to see your brother go through that. T.T. is my guy. He’s a hell of a person. We ride for our brother. People are going to say what they’re going to say but at the end of the day, he’s a human being.”
“It takes a lot of courage to stand up there and speak in front of teammates and hold yourself accountable like that. I gained even more respect for him. A simple apology would have been fine. But he went and explained it. We will welcome him back when he comes back.”
Jarrett Allen
“It was a shock to me. I didn’t know what he was going to talk about. It was a blow to all of us. I know he is going to try his best to still stay present, still stay with us. He feels like he let us down. Emphasis on feels like he did. He didn’t let us down. We stand with the NBA’s protocol, but we also stand with Tristan.”
Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff
“He means so much to all of us. He has helped me and allowed me to be a better basketball coach. He has my back all the time. It’s never a doubt. His teammates feel the same way about him. His spirit when he is in the game or on the bench is felt. His leadership is felt. It just is one of those things where it’s the emotion and the human part of basketball. Difficult to deal with. We definitely miss him. Guys just have to figure out a way to fill a void. You have to do it in your own way.”
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