November 27, 2024 • 21 mins
In the debut episode of "The LANDscape," host Serena Winters is joined by Cleveland Cavaliers forward, Tristan Thompson. The two talk through Thompson's NBA journey in Cleveland, from his rookie season to now being a seasoned vet on a young team.
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Speaker 1 (00:20):
Welcome into the landscape presented by Hospitality Staffing Solutions. I'm
your host, Serena Winters, where I'm going to be bringing
you guests from all across the land. So who better
to start out with than our first guest, Tristan Thompson,
who has meant so much to this city. Tristan, thank
you so much for joining us. Can we just start
by talking about when fans first got introduced to you.
(00:41):
This was twenty eleven NBA Draft. You're picked forth, Kyrie
Irvings picked first. You know, it's your first real introduction
to the city. What do you remember about that time?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Oh, I was super excited. You know, I did two
workouts with Cleveland during a free draft process, so I
felt pretty confident that I was in a land here.
And then obviously at the draft room, people don't know
that the camera kind of pans towards you when it's
about your time, so I kind of knew, probably like
twenty seconds before my name was called, doesn't get drafted.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
So it was fun So it's funny because nowadays, like
some guys know way beforehand, right, But it was a
little different back then. So really, for you, it was
it wasn't until you saw the camera pan over and
then you knew, yeah, okay, it's like that because.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Like the funny enough was I it was Jonas dolland
cheer is in front of me, so and I knew
it was between me and him, but I knew with
him he couldn't come over right away, So I knew
I probably had a slight edge, And like, I think
Dan liked me a little more because I play a
little harder and a little bit more like kind of
give Dan that, like that this nostalgia moment of like
the bad Boys Pistons play hard, Dennis Robbin type of player.
(01:44):
So I think I had the edge.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
So when you look back on that time, it's kind
of funny, like watching videos of you back then, because
you really don't seem all that different as a rookie
than you do is now. Being like the vet of
this team, whether it's how vocal you are, just how
you chat, even how you look. Everything kind of seems
pretty similar, maybe a little bit more mature now. But
when you look back on yourself as a rookie, do
(02:07):
you see yourself as the same Kristen Thompson.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, I think I'm like fine, wine. I just get
better with time. Like I looked at my rookie pitch
until now, I definitely have aged gracefully. But in terms
of just like who I am, my niche and like
my character DNA, it's been the same. I think Rich
Faull did a good job in terms of like teaching
me in terms of, like the last an NBA, you
got to find like your niche, you got to find
like what you do that's a irreplaceable asset to a franchise.
(02:32):
And for me, it was playing hard and competing play
at a high level and being in shape and just
playing hard. I think playing hard is a skill, and
I think during my career, I think people realize that,
especially in the playoff time, that if you can compete
and just play hard, you can make up for a
lot of areas that you might not be as good
as somebody else. And so it's been my calling card
and I've been I've embraced it.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Just because you mentioned Rich Paul, I feel like a
lot of people associate Rich Paul with just Lebron and
like Lebron being his first client, But weren't you a
client of his before Lebron even was?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, I mean we were all four all so I
how to take it back? So we all signed with CIA.
So then Rich calls me and says, hey, like I'm
leaving Sea, I'm gonna start my own sports agency. Grim
I was like, all right, I'm coming with you. So really, like.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
How does that relationship go back?
Speaker 2 (03:20):
I mean I've known Rich Paul. I mean, thank God
for Aniel now so I can actually tell everything. I've
known him since I've been seventeen. I've been comeing to
Cleveland since I've been eighteen. I've been in this facility
playing pick up with guys like Danny Green, Jamrio Moon,
Darnel Jackson. Like I've been in this facility way before,
Like I was even like declared for the draft. So
I was always familiar with Cleveland. I was coming to
(03:40):
Cleveland seventeen, so I was very familiar with you know,
Exo Steakhouse, Red's Beechwood. I remember Beechwood back when they
had I mean Vallet was at the Sacks fifth like
I remember, like I was, I was coming here a
long time ago. So Cleveland's always been a homeway from
just cause my dynamic with Rich and Broun. So, like
(04:03):
you said, I was one of the first people to
sign with Clutch. The first four was myself, Corey, Joseph,
Eric Bledsoe, lebron Us forward, the first four guys to
leave CAA to go with Clutch, and you know, we
believed and rich and now that he's you know, from
billion dollars worth of contracts yearly.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
When we return. More about how Tristan's first few years
impacted his entire NBA career, plus the magical twenty sixteen
NBA Championship run, that and more on the landscape presented
by Hospitality Staffing Solutions.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
The Cleveland Cavaliers select Tristan Thompson from Toronto, Canada and
the University of Texas.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
You knew you had a feeling about this city than
before you were drafted here, right, So you know, going
back to before you're drafted, and you think about kind
of the fandom here and what everybody's thoughts were like
on the Cavs. I remember, you know, it was tough
before you got drafted, right, Like Cleveland was in it.
You know, Calves fans were in it, right, and you
(05:08):
get drafted. Kyrie gets drafted and it almost felt like
all right, there's a sense of resurgence here. Did you
feel that coming in?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Yeah, because I've been to a Cavs playoff gave against
Orlando when Orlando beat the Cavs. I think that was
a Conference finals maybe or whatever it was when Broun
hit that shot. I was at that game, So I
saw when the city was at its all time high,
in the peak of Lebron's career, in the peak of
the city. So obviously when me and Kyrie got drafted,
we could tell that the city definitely took a hit,
(05:36):
especially like the downtown area.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
How much fun was it to get drafted with Kyrie
and talk to us about like your relationship, because not
everybody gets to get drafted, you know, have a rookie
with them and coming up into this.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yeah, I know Kyrie since when I went to school
with Saint Bendick's presps, so two thousand and nine, that's
when he tramsferred to Saint Pats. So we played against
each other, and then obviously we're in the same high
school class, so we saw each other camps and stuff,
So we already had a relationship just us both being
in New Jersey and having mutual friends and knowing a
lot of the same people, So I was getting dropped together.
(06:09):
Was amazing, I think, you know, you know, you saw
how talented, and I was super happy for him. And
you know, it's a big you want to play with
a guard that is talented, and he was definitely that.
And he threwd me pocket pass and lobs, so I
was eating off his double teams and when they pressure him.
So it was fun. And you know where he's gone
his career, and you know, he's definitely easily probably top
five most talented players ever touch a basketball, and you
(06:32):
see what he does each and every night, even now
in Dallas or in the finals last year, Like it's
amazing to watch. And I'm so glad that he was
able to spend time here with us win a championship together.
You know, we always tell them he's my draft brother,
so we always have that bond.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
You fed off of him off the court too. I
was looking at some video and after he won the
three point contest, you're you're interviewing him, like you started
this this media thing pretty young.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
This is here, Thompson. We're in Houston, full locker, three
points happening, Kyrie Irving, He's doing histing on the court,
I'm doing my thing off the court you can see,
and we're out early. Started early, I was prepping to
mic early.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
So how did you feel comfortable as rookie, because I
feel like it takes a minute for a lot of
guys coming up to get comfortable with the fact that
their life is, you know, under a microscope and all that. Now.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Yeah, I mean, I think I give a lot of
cred to my mom. I think she was just always
an outgoing person with a high personality, high spirit. She
was kind of never uncomfortable. She's always a life of
the party. So for me, I kind of just took
that same DNA, come to work with a smile on
and just be myself and you know who I'm as
a person. People gravitated towards and love. So I think
that's why it's worked out for me, and I think
that's why I've been in this position for as long.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
As I've been in When you think back to those
first years where okay, there wasn't a ton of wins happening,
your first couple of years, heretaining though, right like, it
was still fun to be a part of It's one
thing to be a part of a team. That's going
through it, and you can't feel like not only the
entertainment factor, but there was a feeling that something was
(08:04):
was special was still on the horizon, right. And then
you know, your fourth season, Lebron comes here. You have
four straight you know, four straight finals runs, championship, all
of that. But when you think back to the first
few years, did you get a sense that you guys
were building for something special? Because once you got to
those finals runs, there were things that happened that I
(08:28):
don't know if they would have happened if you didn't
have that experience that you had your first few years.
You're both you and Kiriy Yeah, And.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
I think, first of all, get a lot of credit
Chris Grant. You know, he dropped in myself with Kyrie
the way he set up this team in terms of
creating cap space and leverage by when the time does
come for potential to bring Lebron back. He made sure
the roster had the space and had enough assets to
go get other guys as well. So I give Chris
Gunt a lot of credit with that. But like you said,
(08:55):
even though we didn't get a lot of wins, we
got some good quality wins like we always beat Okay.
See we all be Oklahoma City when they had Harden,
Westbrook and and Katie, we always beat them, beat the
Knicks in the garden, like we always had quality wins.
I think Brown would always tell me he'd always watch
all the Cabs games because I think in the back
of his head he knew that the Miami thing was
probably just a temporary situation. So I think for us
(09:18):
we use that as motivation to kind of just get
ourselves ready so that if the opportunity does come and
he does come back, we are developed and maturing up
and have enough games on our belt in terms of
like being able to contribute so that we can help him,
you know, achieve the goal of bringing Northeast Ohio there
first NBA championship.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Hey, those those Byron Scott years two in training are tough, fun,
tough years.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
I mean, I get a lot of shout to be Scott.
I think I think be Scott was great for me
and Kyrie. I think for us as rookies and understanding
what it takes to be pros. I think having a
guy like Byron Scott was huge in terms of, like,
you know, we always be the most conditioned team where
it was an easy run, running for twenty minutes straight
with the hands above our head, and you know of
(10:01):
two a days and practicing for two and a half
hours and defensive slides. I think just builds a good foundation.
I think that's somewhere that a lot of franchise lack
in terms of their young guys. But the NBA is
different now, right. I think back then it was more
so like ground pound, punching the clock and get your
hands dirty. But it built a great foundation for us
to where when we got to you know, the t
(10:24):
Lou of the world and David Blackford the season and
a half, we've built such a great core foundation that
the rest was easy. Everything else was easy. And Biberscot
always said, you want practice be harder than the game,
and it.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Was definitely that when we returned. Tristan Thompson goes more
in depth about the important role he's played on so
many different teams throughout his career. That's coming up on
the landscape presented by Hospitality Staffing Solutions.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
You can't go.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Under, you gotta go over go good job to get y'all,
get y'all, get y'all spirra right.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
I kept you don't want standing up. Watch the ht
wash the hot keep beating the glass up. They're super
weak in the paint on the eighties. Out the game,
the paint's always open.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Anyone who knows basketball, and they talk about your role
and how important your role is on a team. A
lot of your role can't be taught, Like a lot
of it is just just having a nose for the ball,
the dirty work, just the ultimate role player. When you
look at your role, do you understand or do you
(11:34):
take pride in or is it it's something even to
think about how unique and important your role is on
a team.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Yeah, No, I think I take my role like it's
more like a pride thing, right. I think for me,
it's like I always tell myself before the game when
I get on the court, can't make the guy that's
guarded me play harder than me. I always tell myself
that I'm not gonna let the guy in front of
me harder than me, because its almost like a man
a man think it's almost like a gladiator modal Kombat,
like till death, you know, till the death of the
type of situation. Mentally, that's kind of I approach it.
(12:04):
So when I'm on the core. I just feel like
if I'm gonna let someone out work me, that means
he's a better man, and then I can't have that.
So my parents taught me better than that. So that's
kind of been my mentality, and I think it's helped
me carve a special place in my career for teams.
But I think it's also like helped other teams and
franchises understand you need guys like that, you know, like
(12:26):
you need guys that. Yeah, they might not put up
the amazing stats each and every night, but it's like
the little things that you know that that correlate to winning.
Pete Babgrock, who is an advisor here for for quite
a long time, always told me that building championship team
is like a puzzle, that every puzzle can be the same.
We're all the same. You can't the puzzle that you
be complete. So for me, it's just like, how can
I be that piece of the puzzle that's very important
(12:48):
that can complete that Uh that portrait so and the
portress of Leio O'Brien.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Do you feel a sense of I guess responsibility then
in terms of your ultimate role player type of role
that I guess you could say I'm putting you in
at the moment, right for the other guys that are
coming in with that type of role, do you feel
a sense of responsibility? Like you had just mentioned, it's
important for the guys that are building teams to understand
(13:15):
how important that is because it's more than just numbers
on a stat sheet. And even so you I mean, listen,
you had amazing numbers on stat sheets and they wouldn't
have won without you. But do you feel like you've
got to kind of pave the way for people to know,
like you have to have that puzzle piece to make
that portrait?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Yeah, no, I think I take a lot of price that.
I think it's it's almost like you want to one thing.
With the NBA, it's very much of crazy to say
it's kind of a copycat league, right, So you know,
for me being that ultimate role player and teams seeing
that understand that they need guys like that on their team,
it's created opportunities for guys to come in the league.
And you know, the one thing I always preach to
young guys when they get drafted is like, figure out
(13:55):
what you do great at? Right, And you know, obviously
you're gonna get better each each and every Ye're gonna
come back whether you want to improve your shooting, ball handling, conditioning,
but figure out what you're great at, maximize on that,
and then you're gonna have your moments throughout the season,
throughout your career where you're gonna step up. And if
you have to score more, you score more. You have
to ball handle more. You're the ball handle more like
but like, figure out what you're so great at to
(14:17):
be that great alternate role player, and then your role
will blossom as time goes on, as the teams change.
Guys might get traded, my guys might sign somewhere else,
so you might go from just being a three and
D guy to now, hey, we need you to make
plays off the dribble and be more of a three
level score for us. But in the moment you're three D.
Guys still work on your game on the other aspects,
(14:39):
so if your time does come, you'll be prepared for it.
Because one thing about the NBA, it's it's we're gonna
give you a role now, but your role might change
each and every year. But it's not like they give
your heads up. So you got to almost be ready
to flip the switch and audible, because then if you're not,
then they'll just put you back in that box and
they'll just label you that for the rest of your career.
So you gotta always be working even when they think
(14:59):
you're not working.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
And now you're in a position where you get to
teach that to the younger guys coming in. So what
do you take away the most in terms of what
you're trying to teach the next generation that's coming in
about that, I'm a.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Big paid for a guy. I've been very fortunate to have.
You know, three really good vets that helped me my
first year was Antoine Jamison, Anthony Parker, and Adison Berje.
Funny up, all three these guys are still in the
NBA cycle. You know. Obviously Andy's with our team on
the front office side, doing great stuff in the community internationally.
(15:37):
Anthony Parker he's a GM of the Orlando Magics having
great success. And Antoine Jameson he's doing scouting and you know,
it's been a lot of money, so he you know,
he can pick a chanin'shig what kind of roles you want.
But all those guys that were amazing pros and veterans
for me because they taught me how to be a pro,
how to approach the game, and how to kind of
just leave a great taste in everyone's mouth where people
want to have you around. And I think I'm not
(15:59):
a position where I'm basically in their position when they
were for me to give that to these young guys,
because I think that's something very important. I think that's
something that can stick with guys for a long time
because you don't know how long you're to playing this league,
and you've seen guys, you know, use the eudonnatasm As
as an example. You know, when Dwayne Wade retired, he
thought he's gonna retire, but he ended up running off
(16:20):
four or five more years just because he's just a
great human being. He was great for the locker room.
He gave him that dynamic that bridged coaches to players.
So like, those su are important, and I think for
my a guy like myself, it's like those things are
sometimes where teams are like, yo, we just need you,
We need you back because what you bring is something
that coaches can't bring each and every night. But also
(16:42):
like there's not a lot of players like you that
can come to demand that respect and kind of bringing
this as a whole, especially with what we're doing in Cleveland.
We're trying another championship, right, So I think all these
different layers are important to get to that to that place.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
You are the only guy that is really seeing the
full three sixty of this organization from being drafted here
to the championship years and now you're back in that
time of kind of the excitement, right that you saw
earlier in your career, right, So what is that like
for you to be a part of a full three
sixty part change like this?
Speaker 2 (17:18):
A lot of cycles, A lot of cycles, like you said,
being going from trying to just draft well and draft
really good, talented young guys to being at the championship level.
So then going back to drafting young guys to being
back at like a contender levels. It's it's a great
humbling experience because you know, not a lot of guys
(17:40):
you have to see multiple cycles in life in this
NBA world. You know, you either start bad, you might
get to the good and then you just retire, or
you might start good and go bad and you retire.
So the fact that I was gone like bad to
good too, bad to competitive now like really good again.
It's like, I guess I'm doing something right that they
you know, Kobe and Num and Dan have had a
(18:02):
love for me. That is that I truly appreciate to
have me back here and be a part of something
special to help them help these guys that haven't had
that experience here in Cleveland, to show them what it takes.
And you know, I'm very honored for it.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Next on the Landscape presented by Hospitality Staffing Solutions, It's
more than just basketball for Tristan Thompson, Tristan opens up
about a very important cause in his life. We talked
so much basketball with you, but I think something that
(18:38):
maybe goes unnoticed for some is is how much you've
really helped the communities that have been dealing with epilepsy.
Can you talk to me a little bit about Amari
and how your brother has maybe even helped motivate you
in your life.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Amari's a warrior, He's a trooper. He fights his battles,
eaching every day. You know, for me, it's like, how
can I be a vessel to give him the best
opportunity to have the best life possible for him? For me,
with that approach, especially when my mom passing away and
having that responsibility full time. For me in my life now,
it's just about peace. You know. I think I've had
(19:19):
so much real life stuff happened to me, so I think, uh,
and and I think Cleveland's helped me kind of bring
back that like joy of life, just because I've been
here since I was nineteen, and you know, my memories
of Cleveland and my mom's memories of Cleveland's always been
like great times. So me being here and then obviously
having the responsibility, it's kind of like made everything so
much smooth and easier. So for me, it's just how
(19:42):
can I be a vessel in a voice to help
people understand about hpilepsy and teach them because obviously has
a as a stigma that you know, like seizures and
people get a very uh yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
What do you think that stigma stigma is and what
can you help to kind of raise that?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Yeah, I think, uh, for me, it's just education and
to teach peo. I think a lot of people that
have farms that are epileptic kind of shy away because
they feel embarrassed with the seizures. Because you know, whether
you're in public and it happens. It's a very traumatic,
scary moment. But I think for people that are have
levels that are going through that in that moment in
(20:17):
a public setting, it makes you kind of go into
a turtle shell mentality and you kind of want to
just like aienate yourself from like the public. But for
me and my voice in my platform, I try to
just tell people like you don't have to do that.
You know, like it's better to go out and speak
about your story or what you've been doing for your
love when to help them, because you realize the community
is so big, and I feel like the more you
(20:38):
talk about the more your other stories where you can
piggyback and learn from people, Like it's no different in
like basketball, it's no different in life, like the pay
it forward mentality. Be a sponge you learn more, right,
So I take that same approach where veterans that I
played with taught me something. I was a sponge. Give
it to these young guys. I correlated with epilepsy. I
(20:59):
went through what I went through with me and a
Mari and my mom, and I want to talk about
that to other families so they understand. And I think
it's also a good way where people know that it's
it's anyone can go through trauma in your life and
no one gets exempt from it. The one thing about health,
it's you. There's not a price tag for you can't
pay for it. If it happens, it happens part of
(21:19):
the walk of life. But it's how you approach and
how you deal with that battle as every day is
what uh truly test your character.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yeah, it's also it matters right, puts life in perspective,
of course. Tristan really appreciates your time.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Yeah, no, thank you so much, appreciate it.
Welcome into the landscape presented by Hospitality Staffing Solutions. I'm
your host, Serena Winters, where I'm going to be bringing
you guests from all across the land. So who better
to start out with than our first guest, Tristan Thompson,
who has meant so much to this city. Tristan, thank
you so much for joining us. Can we just start
by talking about when fans first got introduced to you.
(00:41):
This was twenty eleven NBA Draft. You're picked forth, Kyrie
Irvings picked first. You know, it's your first real introduction
to the city. What do you remember about that time?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Oh, I was super excited. You know, I did two
workouts with Cleveland during a free draft process, so I
felt pretty confident that I was in a land here.
And then obviously at the draft room, people don't know
that the camera kind of pans towards you when it's
about your time, so I kind of knew, probably like
twenty seconds before my name was called, doesn't get drafted.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
So it was fun So it's funny because nowadays, like
some guys know way beforehand, right, But it was a
little different back then. So really, for you, it was
it wasn't until you saw the camera pan over and
then you knew, yeah, okay, it's like that because.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Like the funny enough was I it was Jonas dolland
cheer is in front of me, so and I knew
it was between me and him, but I knew with
him he couldn't come over right away, So I knew
I probably had a slight edge, And like, I think
Dan liked me a little more because I play a
little harder and a little bit more like kind of
give Dan that, like that this nostalgia moment of like
the bad Boys Pistons play hard, Dennis Robbin type of player.
(01:44):
So I think I had the edge.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
So when you look back on that time, it's kind
of funny, like watching videos of you back then, because
you really don't seem all that different as a rookie
than you do is now. Being like the vet of
this team, whether it's how vocal you are, just how
you chat, even how you look. Everything kind of seems
pretty similar, maybe a little bit more mature now. But
when you look back on yourself as a rookie, do
(02:07):
you see yourself as the same Kristen Thompson.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, I think I'm like fine, wine. I just get
better with time. Like I looked at my rookie pitch
until now, I definitely have aged gracefully. But in terms
of just like who I am, my niche and like
my character DNA, it's been the same. I think Rich
Faull did a good job in terms of like teaching
me in terms of, like the last an NBA, you
got to find like your niche, you got to find
like what you do that's a irreplaceable asset to a franchise.
(02:32):
And for me, it was playing hard and competing play
at a high level and being in shape and just
playing hard. I think playing hard is a skill, and
I think during my career, I think people realize that,
especially in the playoff time, that if you can compete
and just play hard, you can make up for a
lot of areas that you might not be as good
as somebody else. And so it's been my calling card
and I've been I've embraced it.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Just because you mentioned Rich Paul, I feel like a
lot of people associate Rich Paul with just Lebron and
like Lebron being his first client, But weren't you a
client of his before Lebron even was?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, I mean we were all four all so I
how to take it back? So we all signed with CIA.
So then Rich calls me and says, hey, like I'm
leaving Sea, I'm gonna start my own sports agency. Grim
I was like, all right, I'm coming with you. So really, like.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
How does that relationship go back?
Speaker 2 (03:20):
I mean I've known Rich Paul. I mean, thank God
for Aniel now so I can actually tell everything. I've
known him since I've been seventeen. I've been comeing to
Cleveland since I've been eighteen. I've been in this facility
playing pick up with guys like Danny Green, Jamrio Moon,
Darnel Jackson. Like I've been in this facility way before,
Like I was even like declared for the draft. So
I was always familiar with Cleveland. I was coming to
(03:40):
Cleveland seventeen, so I was very familiar with you know,
Exo Steakhouse, Red's Beechwood. I remember Beechwood back when they
had I mean Vallet was at the Sacks fifth like
I remember, like I was, I was coming here a
long time ago. So Cleveland's always been a homeway from
just cause my dynamic with Rich and Broun. So, like
(04:03):
you said, I was one of the first people to
sign with Clutch. The first four was myself, Corey, Joseph,
Eric Bledsoe, lebron Us forward, the first four guys to
leave CAA to go with Clutch, and you know, we
believed and rich and now that he's you know, from
billion dollars worth of contracts yearly.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
When we return. More about how Tristan's first few years
impacted his entire NBA career, plus the magical twenty sixteen
NBA Championship run, that and more on the landscape presented
by Hospitality Staffing Solutions.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
The Cleveland Cavaliers select Tristan Thompson from Toronto, Canada and
the University of Texas.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
You knew you had a feeling about this city than
before you were drafted here, right, So you know, going
back to before you're drafted, and you think about kind
of the fandom here and what everybody's thoughts were like
on the Cavs. I remember, you know, it was tough
before you got drafted, right, Like Cleveland was in it.
You know, Calves fans were in it, right, and you
(05:08):
get drafted. Kyrie gets drafted and it almost felt like
all right, there's a sense of resurgence here. Did you
feel that coming in?
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Yeah, because I've been to a Cavs playoff gave against
Orlando when Orlando beat the Cavs. I think that was
a Conference finals maybe or whatever it was when Broun
hit that shot. I was at that game, So I
saw when the city was at its all time high,
in the peak of Lebron's career, in the peak of
the city. So obviously when me and Kyrie got drafted,
we could tell that the city definitely took a hit,
(05:36):
especially like the downtown area.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
How much fun was it to get drafted with Kyrie
and talk to us about like your relationship, because not
everybody gets to get drafted, you know, have a rookie
with them and coming up into this.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yeah, I know Kyrie since when I went to school
with Saint Bendick's presps, so two thousand and nine, that's
when he tramsferred to Saint Pats. So we played against
each other, and then obviously we're in the same high
school class, so we saw each other camps and stuff,
So we already had a relationship just us both being
in New Jersey and having mutual friends and knowing a
lot of the same people, So I was getting dropped together.
(06:09):
Was amazing, I think, you know, you know, you saw
how talented, and I was super happy for him. And
you know, it's a big you want to play with
a guard that is talented, and he was definitely that.
And he threwd me pocket pass and lobs, so I
was eating off his double teams and when they pressure him.
So it was fun. And you know where he's gone
his career, and you know, he's definitely easily probably top
five most talented players ever touch a basketball, and you
(06:32):
see what he does each and every night, even now
in Dallas or in the finals last year, Like it's
amazing to watch. And I'm so glad that he was
able to spend time here with us win a championship together.
You know, we always tell them he's my draft brother,
so we always have that bond.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
You fed off of him off the court too. I
was looking at some video and after he won the
three point contest, you're you're interviewing him, like you started
this this media thing pretty young.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
This is here, Thompson. We're in Houston, full locker, three
points happening, Kyrie Irving, He's doing histing on the court,
I'm doing my thing off the court you can see,
and we're out early. Started early, I was prepping to
mic early.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
So how did you feel comfortable as rookie, because I
feel like it takes a minute for a lot of
guys coming up to get comfortable with the fact that
their life is, you know, under a microscope and all that. Now.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Yeah, I mean, I think I give a lot of
cred to my mom. I think she was just always
an outgoing person with a high personality, high spirit. She
was kind of never uncomfortable. She's always a life of
the party. So for me, I kind of just took
that same DNA, come to work with a smile on
and just be myself and you know who I'm as
a person. People gravitated towards and love. So I think
that's why it's worked out for me, and I think
that's why I've been in this position for as long.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
As I've been in When you think back to those
first years where okay, there wasn't a ton of wins happening,
your first couple of years, heretaining though, right like, it
was still fun to be a part of It's one
thing to be a part of a team. That's going
through it, and you can't feel like not only the
entertainment factor, but there was a feeling that something was
(08:04):
was special was still on the horizon, right. And then
you know, your fourth season, Lebron comes here. You have
four straight you know, four straight finals runs, championship, all
of that. But when you think back to the first
few years, did you get a sense that you guys
were building for something special? Because once you got to
those finals runs, there were things that happened that I
(08:28):
don't know if they would have happened if you didn't
have that experience that you had your first few years.
You're both you and Kiriy Yeah, And.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
I think, first of all, get a lot of credit
Chris Grant. You know, he dropped in myself with Kyrie
the way he set up this team in terms of
creating cap space and leverage by when the time does
come for potential to bring Lebron back. He made sure
the roster had the space and had enough assets to
go get other guys as well. So I give Chris
Gunt a lot of credit with that. But like you said,
(08:55):
even though we didn't get a lot of wins, we
got some good quality wins like we always beat Okay.
See we all be Oklahoma City when they had Harden,
Westbrook and and Katie, we always beat them, beat the
Knicks in the garden, like we always had quality wins.
I think Brown would always tell me he'd always watch
all the Cabs games because I think in the back
of his head he knew that the Miami thing was
probably just a temporary situation. So I think for us
(09:18):
we use that as motivation to kind of just get
ourselves ready so that if the opportunity does come and
he does come back, we are developed and maturing up
and have enough games on our belt in terms of
like being able to contribute so that we can help him,
you know, achieve the goal of bringing Northeast Ohio there
first NBA championship.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Hey, those those Byron Scott years two in training are tough, fun,
tough years.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
I mean, I get a lot of shout to be Scott.
I think I think be Scott was great for me
and Kyrie. I think for us as rookies and understanding
what it takes to be pros. I think having a
guy like Byron Scott was huge in terms of, like,
you know, we always be the most conditioned team where
it was an easy run, running for twenty minutes straight
with the hands above our head, and you know of
(10:01):
two a days and practicing for two and a half
hours and defensive slides. I think just builds a good foundation.
I think that's somewhere that a lot of franchise lack
in terms of their young guys. But the NBA is
different now, right. I think back then it was more
so like ground pound, punching the clock and get your
hands dirty. But it built a great foundation for us
to where when we got to you know, the t
(10:24):
Lou of the world and David Blackford the season and
a half, we've built such a great core foundation that
the rest was easy. Everything else was easy. And Biberscot
always said, you want practice be harder than the game,
and it.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Was definitely that when we returned. Tristan Thompson goes more
in depth about the important role he's played on so
many different teams throughout his career. That's coming up on
the landscape presented by Hospitality Staffing Solutions.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
You can't go.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Under, you gotta go over go good job to get y'all,
get y'all, get y'all spirra right.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
I kept you don't want standing up. Watch the ht
wash the hot keep beating the glass up. They're super
weak in the paint on the eighties. Out the game,
the paint's always open.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Anyone who knows basketball, and they talk about your role
and how important your role is on a team. A
lot of your role can't be taught, Like a lot
of it is just just having a nose for the ball,
the dirty work, just the ultimate role player. When you
look at your role, do you understand or do you
(11:34):
take pride in or is it it's something even to
think about how unique and important your role is on
a team.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Yeah, No, I think I take my role like it's
more like a pride thing, right. I think for me,
it's like I always tell myself before the game when
I get on the court, can't make the guy that's
guarded me play harder than me. I always tell myself
that I'm not gonna let the guy in front of
me harder than me, because its almost like a man
a man think it's almost like a gladiator modal Kombat,
like till death, you know, till the death of the
type of situation. Mentally, that's kind of I approach it.
(12:04):
So when I'm on the core. I just feel like
if I'm gonna let someone out work me, that means
he's a better man, and then I can't have that.
So my parents taught me better than that. So that's
kind of been my mentality, and I think it's helped
me carve a special place in my career for teams.
But I think it's also like helped other teams and
franchises understand you need guys like that, you know, like
(12:26):
you need guys that. Yeah, they might not put up
the amazing stats each and every night, but it's like
the little things that you know that that correlate to winning.
Pete Babgrock, who is an advisor here for for quite
a long time, always told me that building championship team
is like a puzzle, that every puzzle can be the same.
We're all the same. You can't the puzzle that you
be complete. So for me, it's just like, how can
I be that piece of the puzzle that's very important
(12:48):
that can complete that Uh that portrait so and the
portress of Leio O'Brien.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Do you feel a sense of I guess responsibility then
in terms of your ultimate role player type of role
that I guess you could say I'm putting you in
at the moment, right for the other guys that are
coming in with that type of role, do you feel
a sense of responsibility? Like you had just mentioned, it's
important for the guys that are building teams to understand
(13:15):
how important that is because it's more than just numbers
on a stat sheet. And even so you I mean, listen,
you had amazing numbers on stat sheets and they wouldn't
have won without you. But do you feel like you've
got to kind of pave the way for people to know,
like you have to have that puzzle piece to make
that portrait?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Yeah, no, I think I take a lot of price that.
I think it's it's almost like you want to one thing.
With the NBA, it's very much of crazy to say
it's kind of a copycat league, right, So you know,
for me being that ultimate role player and teams seeing
that understand that they need guys like that on their team,
it's created opportunities for guys to come in the league.
And you know, the one thing I always preach to
young guys when they get drafted is like, figure out
(13:55):
what you do great at? Right, And you know, obviously
you're gonna get better each each and every Ye're gonna
come back whether you want to improve your shooting, ball handling, conditioning,
but figure out what you're great at, maximize on that,
and then you're gonna have your moments throughout the season,
throughout your career where you're gonna step up. And if
you have to score more, you score more. You have
to ball handle more. You're the ball handle more like
but like, figure out what you're so great at to
(14:17):
be that great alternate role player, and then your role
will blossom as time goes on, as the teams change.
Guys might get traded, my guys might sign somewhere else,
so you might go from just being a three and
D guy to now, hey, we need you to make
plays off the dribble and be more of a three
level score for us. But in the moment you're three D.
Guys still work on your game on the other aspects,
(14:39):
so if your time does come, you'll be prepared for it.
Because one thing about the NBA, it's it's we're gonna
give you a role now, but your role might change
each and every year. But it's not like they give
your heads up. So you got to almost be ready
to flip the switch and audible, because then if you're not,
then they'll just put you back in that box and
they'll just label you that for the rest of your career.
So you gotta always be working even when they think
(14:59):
you're not working.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
And now you're in a position where you get to
teach that to the younger guys coming in. So what
do you take away the most in terms of what
you're trying to teach the next generation that's coming in
about that, I'm a.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
Big paid for a guy. I've been very fortunate to have.
You know, three really good vets that helped me my
first year was Antoine Jamison, Anthony Parker, and Adison Berje.
Funny up, all three these guys are still in the
NBA cycle. You know. Obviously Andy's with our team on
the front office side, doing great stuff in the community internationally.
(15:37):
Anthony Parker he's a GM of the Orlando Magics having
great success. And Antoine Jameson he's doing scouting and you know,
it's been a lot of money, so he you know,
he can pick a chanin'shig what kind of roles you want.
But all those guys that were amazing pros and veterans
for me because they taught me how to be a pro,
how to approach the game, and how to kind of
just leave a great taste in everyone's mouth where people
want to have you around. And I think I'm not
(15:59):
a position where I'm basically in their position when they
were for me to give that to these young guys,
because I think that's something very important. I think that's
something that can stick with guys for a long time
because you don't know how long you're to playing this league,
and you've seen guys, you know, use the eudonnatasm As
as an example. You know, when Dwayne Wade retired, he
thought he's gonna retire, but he ended up running off
(16:20):
four or five more years just because he's just a
great human being. He was great for the locker room.
He gave him that dynamic that bridged coaches to players.
So like, those su are important, and I think for
my a guy like myself, it's like those things are
sometimes where teams are like, yo, we just need you,
We need you back because what you bring is something
that coaches can't bring each and every night. But also
(16:42):
like there's not a lot of players like you that
can come to demand that respect and kind of bringing
this as a whole, especially with what we're doing in Cleveland.
We're trying another championship, right, So I think all these
different layers are important to get to that to that place.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
You are the only guy that is really seeing the
full three sixty of this organization from being drafted here
to the championship years and now you're back in that
time of kind of the excitement, right that you saw
earlier in your career, right, So what is that like
for you to be a part of a full three
sixty part change like this?
Speaker 2 (17:18):
A lot of cycles, A lot of cycles, like you said,
being going from trying to just draft well and draft
really good, talented young guys to being at the championship level.
So then going back to drafting young guys to being
back at like a contender levels. It's it's a great
humbling experience because you know, not a lot of guys
(17:40):
you have to see multiple cycles in life in this
NBA world. You know, you either start bad, you might
get to the good and then you just retire, or
you might start good and go bad and you retire.
So the fact that I was gone like bad to
good too, bad to competitive now like really good again.
It's like, I guess I'm doing something right that they
you know, Kobe and Num and Dan have had a
(18:02):
love for me. That is that I truly appreciate to
have me back here and be a part of something
special to help them help these guys that haven't had
that experience here in Cleveland, to show them what it takes.
And you know, I'm very honored for it.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Next on the Landscape presented by Hospitality Staffing Solutions, It's
more than just basketball for Tristan Thompson, Tristan opens up
about a very important cause in his life. We talked
so much basketball with you, but I think something that
(18:38):
maybe goes unnoticed for some is is how much you've
really helped the communities that have been dealing with epilepsy.
Can you talk to me a little bit about Amari
and how your brother has maybe even helped motivate you
in your life.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Amari's a warrior, He's a trooper. He fights his battles,
eaching every day. You know, for me, it's like, how
can I be a vessel to give him the best
opportunity to have the best life possible for him? For me,
with that approach, especially when my mom passing away and
having that responsibility full time. For me in my life now,
it's just about peace. You know. I think I've had
(19:19):
so much real life stuff happened to me, so I think, uh,
and and I think Cleveland's helped me kind of bring
back that like joy of life, just because I've been
here since I was nineteen, and you know, my memories
of Cleveland and my mom's memories of Cleveland's always been
like great times. So me being here and then obviously
having the responsibility, it's kind of like made everything so
much smooth and easier. So for me, it's just how
(19:42):
can I be a vessel in a voice to help
people understand about hpilepsy and teach them because obviously has
a as a stigma that you know, like seizures and
people get a very uh yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
What do you think that stigma stigma is and what
can you help to kind of raise that?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Yeah, I think, uh, for me, it's just education and
to teach peo. I think a lot of people that
have farms that are epileptic kind of shy away because
they feel embarrassed with the seizures. Because you know, whether
you're in public and it happens. It's a very traumatic,
scary moment. But I think for people that are have
levels that are going through that in that moment in
(20:17):
a public setting, it makes you kind of go into
a turtle shell mentality and you kind of want to
just like aienate yourself from like the public. But for
me and my voice in my platform, I try to
just tell people like you don't have to do that.
You know, like it's better to go out and speak
about your story or what you've been doing for your
love when to help them, because you realize the community
is so big, and I feel like the more you
(20:38):
talk about the more your other stories where you can
piggyback and learn from people, Like it's no different in
like basketball, it's no different in life, like the pay
it forward mentality. Be a sponge you learn more, right,
So I take that same approach where veterans that I
played with taught me something. I was a sponge. Give
it to these young guys. I correlated with epilepsy. I
(20:59):
went through what I went through with me and a
Mari and my mom, and I want to talk about
that to other families so they understand. And I think
it's also a good way where people know that it's
it's anyone can go through trauma in your life and
no one gets exempt from it. The one thing about health,
it's you. There's not a price tag for you can't
pay for it. If it happens, it happens part of
(21:19):
the walk of life. But it's how you approach and
how you deal with that battle as every day is
what uh truly test your character.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Yeah, it's also it matters right, puts life in perspective,
of course. Tristan really appreciates your time.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Yeah, no, thank you so much, appreciate it.
Host
Serena Winters
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