INDEPENDENCE: For those looking for a glimmer of hope regarding Tristan Thompson's contract stalemate, perhaps LeBron James provided it Monday.
“I’m very optimistic something will get done on both sides long term,” said James, who is calculated and measured with everything he says. James, of course, shares an agent with Thompson in Rich Paul.
“I love Tristan, I think we all love Tristan, we know what he’s capable of doing for our team and he’s a huge piece to the puzzle, to our success,” James said. “Not having him here today, not having him here possibly tomorrow or however long it is, it’s going to be a missing piece.