Everything has going well for the Cleveland Cavaliers since the start of the new year. They're on an eight-game winning streak and have propelled themselves into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, even as Darius Gralnd and Evan Mobley sit on the bench with injuries.
However, now the team is facing more adversity as the NBA announced on Tuesday afternoon that veteran center Tristan Thompson has been suspended 25 games without pay for violating the league's anti-drug program.
How exactly will this affect the wine and gold?
First, Thompson has been putting together a respectable season off the bench. He was averaging 3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds a game while being an important paint presence on the defensive end of the floor before the suspension.
TT's role has been limited, but important nonetheless.
Next comes the complications with the roster. The Cavaliers were thin in the frontcourt even before the injury to Mobley. Now they're in even more trouble depth-wise with Thompson out presumably until the middle of March.
The Cavaliers have prided themselves on their next-man-up mentality. In this case, it's going to be Damian Jones who could get a chunk of the minutes Thompson was playing. At least until Mobley returns.
Also, Cleveland will not be able to replace Thompson on the 15-man roster during the suspension which complicates this situation even further.
Koby Altman, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations, said that back when the team signed Thompson before the season started "Tristan embodies every trait we want as part of our team culture, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring his experience and character back into our franchise."
Now, that player who was brought in to lead the locker room is facing a serious suspension in terms of gaining a competitive advantage and bringing unwanted attention to the team.
It'll be interesting to see the response from the team on the floor and in the front office.
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