NBA Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers actively exploring size options across NBA; Tristan Thompson may see more minutes to address rebounding and interior defense issues

By Staff Writer

Nov 26 2014, 09:53 AM EST

The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a rough start early in the season and have not been dominating the NBA as most fans expect they would be given their star-studded line up. The team has only managed to seize 6 wins in the first 13 regular season games and are currently sitting third place in the Central Division behind the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks.

So what's been the main reason for the Cavaliers struggles early in the season? Lack of size and interior defense. The team is currently 23rd in the NBA in rebounds per game and 25th in points allowed per game. It also holds the third-worst opponent shooting percentage inside of five feet entering play on Monday at 64.3 according to NBA.com. All these numbers basically mean that the Cavaliers need interior presence badly and if they want to contend for an NBA title, they need to address this need right away.

Now Cleveland's front office is scouring the league for a big man that can help them improve their interior defense and rebounding according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio who Tweeted: "Cavs actively exploring size options across NBA, sources say, but still unable to pry center Timofey Mozgov from Nuggets."

But what if the Cavaliers fail to add a big man who can address their weaknesses in the paint? Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report that it maybe time for the team to give Tristan Thompson a lot more minutes:

For all of Kevin Love's talents, his weight loss and tendency to play outside of the paint don't help protect the basket, and Anderson Varejao is a health risk at best. Perhaps it is time for Tristan Thompson, who grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked two shots in the victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday, to see more than his 23 minutes a night if the team can't make a move in the near future.

The Cavaliers need to at least be a decent team when it comes to protecting the paint and securing rebounds if they want to bring home the NBA title this season, so it will be interesting to see what kind of moves they will make as the February trade deadlines draws near.