Regardless of how close or far apart the team is with Thompson and his agent Rich Paul, the whole Cavaliers organization seems to be in sync with their public discussion of the contract situation.
This offseason for the Cavaliers was one filled with several uncertain contract situations, including the negotiations with Smith and Love, but they both were happy to know where they stand going forward with the team.
When asked about his decision to sign a five-year extension, Love told reporters, “I’m sitting here laughing because none of you believed I was coming back.”
Shooting guard Smith took a little longer than Love to decide on whether he would return to Cleveland and explained his thought process to members of the media by saying, “I’m a gambler. I bet on myself.”
Ultimately, the Cavs have almost all of their key pieces back from last season and are ready to move forward and put last season behind them. Coach Blatt and James both made it a point to mention that “Last year was last year and this year is this year.”
LeBron in particular reflected on the feelings he had when he lost the Finals after his first season in Miami, saying “We were very angry.”
LeBron expressed similar feelings heading into this season and told reporters, “I’ve been to the Finals six times and lost four. It gets worse and worse each time.”
Griffin credited his organization including owner Dan Gilbert for being clear with what the mission was all offseason; “To get the band back together.”
They have accomplished that for the most part. When the Cavaliers fell to the Warriors in June, the biggest question mark was whether or not Love would return to Cleveland. Now three long months later and a few weeks away from the start of the season, the missing band member is Thompson.
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