Following a lengthy holdout last summer, Tristan Thompson and the Cleveland Cavaliers came to terms on a five-year, $82 million pact.
The big fella wants people to believe that LeBron’s outsize influence had nothing to do with his payday.
New story: Tristan Thompson clapped back at critics who say LeBron is asking for too much for the Cavs https://t.co/kWukFchIuw
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 30, 2017
James has been questioning Cavs ownership’s commitment to winning this season:
“I earned my money,” Thompson told ESPN of his five-year, $82 million extension he signed in 2015. “LeBron’s not my agent. I earned my money doing what I do; you can ask anyone around the league. I opened doors for other guys. It’s a business, and you get paid what the market value is for you. I got my money and opened up doors for other guys that play hard and do the little things.”
“LeBron is the leader on the team,” Thompson said. “He’s going to make his comments. At the end of the day, we all got to play better from the top to bottom. Players got to play better, we got to prepare. Everyone. Everyone that’s part of this journey — coaches — we all got to be better. Everyone has got to take a step forward and just be 1 percent better. So, LeBron’s comments is what it is. I really don’t give a f—. I just got to keep playing better. We got to keep playing harder. And he’s right, we got to all play better. It’s simple. You see the horses— out there that we’re doing.”
“Every year [there is somebody],” Thompson told ESPN. “Whether it’s JaVale McGee, then [Nikola] Vucevic, [Kenneth] Faried, then myself, [Bismack] Biyombo, [Timofey] Mozgov got paid this summer too, extra. It’s a trickle-down effect. It’s whatever the market value is. So, I’m not worried about that. Whatever the market value is, you got to pay. It’s part of the business. […] At the end of the day, I’m going to do my job. That’s what it’s about. Do my job and do whatever it takes to win and do what my teammates need me to do. I don’t need to go out there and try to prove myself or prove my contract. I already earned my keep, but the key is to keep building every day and never be satisfied.”
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LeBron James Says Tristan Thompson Should Be a ‘Cavalier for His Whole Career’
