Cleveland Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson (13) dunks against the Toronto Raptors in the second quarter in an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 26, 2011, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Tristan Thompson likes to hide in the weeds, or hang out on the weak side of the defense.
The Cavaliers power forward then springs into action once someone ventures into the lane.
"Sometimes people don't realize how high he can jump, then, wham!" Cavs guard Kyrie Irving said of his fellow rookie.
The 6-foot-9, 227-pounder Thompson's shot-blocking skills were on full display on Wednesday against Detroit when he was credited with two blocks. He was called for goaltending on a third swat.
"It's great (having a shot-blocker)," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "He erases a lot of mistakes. He comes from that weak side. He gets up there with the best of them. He has great anticipation. It's great to have a young guy that is that athletic.
"The more he plays, the better he'll get."
This isn't something new for the Canadian-born player. He was one of the top NCAA shot-blockers at Texas at 2.4 per game.
"That's one of my major advantages," Thompson said. "I've been blocking shots since I've been playing basketball."
He envisions himself being one of the top shot-blockers in the NBA.
"I'll continue to contest shots," he said. "If the team needs me to be a shot blocker, I'll gladly accept that role. It's an instinctual thing." Continued...
Sometimes, shot-blockers going for the big rejection leaves himself out of rebounding position.
"Coach Scott understands I like to block shots," he said. "He's fine with me trying to block shots. If I get out of position, our team will rotate and cover for me. I don't think Coach Scott has a problem with me blocking shots.
"That's the best part of the game for me. If I can block five shots, I'm a happy camper. I get more juice out of blocking shots."
He's averaging 11 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in the first two games. The Cavs (1-1) travel to Indiana at 7 p.m. Friday.
Thompson, 20, isn't worried that he's called for goaltending.
"Like Kyrie said, ?The referees have to get used to who is jumping,' " he said. "I'm going to keep blocking shots. If they are goaltending, so be it.
"Defensively, I'm getting better every day. That's the key. Veterans like Andy (Varejao) and Antawn (Jamison) are helping us make improvements."
Large margin
The Cavs topped the Pistons by 16 points on Wednesday. The last time the Cavs won by that margin on the road was on March 3, 2010 in New Jersey, 111-92. The Cavs also ripped the Pistons on the boards, 40-26. The last time that happened was on March 29, 2011, vs. Miami when they beat the Heat on the boards, 44-30. The Cavs won that game, 102-90.
Source: http://news-herald.com/articles/2011/12/30/sports/nh4913377.txt
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