Cleveland Cavaliers Say Tristan Thompson Was ‘a Very Easy Pick’


The Cavs surprised many when they picked Tristan Thompson in the NBA Draft this summer, but to them, Thompson was an absolute no-brainer. From the Plain Dealer: “Now 6-8 and 20 years old, Thompson spent a year at Texas as a defensive force, was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and got enough attention that Cavaliers GM Chris Grant claims he’s been tracking the long power forward since he was in high school. The fact that he was the fourth pick wouldn’t have been a surprise if you saw what the Cavaliers’ scouting team did: The team’s scouts salivated over Thompson’s 7-2 wingspan, his 38.5-inch vertical leap and his 2.4 blocks per game. (Though not so much over his 49 percent free-throw shooting.) ‘We just love what he’s about and how he would fit into our organization,’ Grant said when introducing Thompson and No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving. ‘This was a very easy pick,’ Grant said. It was such an easy pick that Grant promptly made room on the squad for Thompson to grow and develop when he traded J.J. Hickson to Sacramento on Thursday. The glut of power forwards is now somewhat smaller, and Thompson’s path to a starting position is more direct.”