Tristan Thompson during Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day at Cleveland Clinic Courts on September 30, 2019 in Independence, Ohio. Brampton, Ont., native Thompson is the lone Canadian on the Cavs’ roster.
Jason Miller/Getty Images
Minutes after the final buzzer sounded on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 117-97 loss to the Toronto Raptors on New Year’s Eve – the team’s second 20-point loss to the NBA defending champions in two weeks – the visiting locker room chatter quickly turned to a slightly different cross-border rivalry.
Namely, whether fast food tastes better in the United States or Canada.
Brampton, Ont., native Tristan Thompson, the lone Canadian on the Cavs’ roster, maintained that occasionally greasy fast food in his home country is every bit as good as anything he can get in Cleveland. Georgia native Collin Sexton, however, while chewing on a piece of baked chicken from the post-game meal, was having none of it.
Story continues below advertisement
Either way, thanks to the rigorous preparations put in place by the team’s strength and conditioning staff, it’s a debate that the Cavaliers hope won’t actually be put to the test on game days.
“We’re not going to provide you fried food pregame,” says Derek Millender, the head of strength and conditioning for the Cavaliers. “It’s not going to happen. You know what, we will give you a chicken option; we’re not going to give you French fries, but we’ll give you a potato option.”
Now in his 10th season with the Cavaliers, Millender has observed wholesale changes to the area of NBA nutrition, particularly as it extends to visiting teams. When he started as an assistant strength coach with the Cavs in the 2010-11 season, he says the thought of a visiting team catering a pregame or postgame meal was largely unheard of. The extent of NBA arena hospitality was a plate of peanut-butter-and-jam sandwiches, possibly accompanied by a bowl of fruit.
“So if you wanted a pregame meal you would have to order it from the hotel and bring it over with you,” he says. “Or we had players ordering food from concessions and they’d pay the ball boys to go grab chicken tenders and fries, or chicken wings.”
That has all changed during Millender’s tenure with the team, though. He credits ownership with taking a money-no-object approach to health and wellness, and at both the team’s arena and practice facilities in Cleveland, the Cavaliers now employ chefs and nutritionists who work in state-of-the-art kitchens.
But on the road, those factors are harder to control, particularly for teams constantly criss-crossing the continent on planes and buses and staying in a multitude of different hotels. For players such as Thompson, who was drafted by the Cavs in 2011, three years before LeBron James returned to Cleveland and they won a championship together, nutrition is every bit as important as blocks and rebounds.
It wasn’t always that way, however. During his one year at the University of Texas, he admits he lived on Wendy’s chicken nuggets and fries while turning himself into the fourth overall pick in the draft. But the return of James to Cleveland, combined with the team acquiring Kevin Love from Minnesota, helped instill better nutrition habits in the 6-foot-9 centre, who says his go-to meal now is a combination of chicken, rice and vegetables.
Story continues below advertisement
“It’s very easy,” Thompson says, “especially when you see great players and you see what their regimens are, especially with Bron and Kev, with them being all-stars and being Hall of Fame players, the way they carry themselves, night in and night out, why not follow their lead with that stuff?”
With the Cavaliers now in rebuilding mode and the likes of James, Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith gone, the 28-year-old has ascended to a leadership position on the team. And though he’s out of contract at the end of the season – putting his national team availability for June’s Olympic qualifier in Victoria in some doubt – he’s put himself in the best possible position, averaging a career-best 12.6 points and 2.2 assists while starting all 33 games.
How much of that is down to nutrition is a matter of debate, but Thompson isn’t about to undersell its effect on his career. In fact, as have many other players, he has hired a chef to cook at his house, removing some of the guesswork of tracking calories and nutrients once his games are done around 10:30 at night.
“It takes away the whole question and takes away from making bad decisions,” he says. “Because usually the things that are open late at night are not that good for you. So for me being able to have that opportunity, it’s the best investment I ever made in my career.”
For games in Toronto – which aren’t as frequent now as they were during the three consecutive years the Raptors and Cavs met in the postseason – Thompson also benefits from some home cooking of sorts.
Wellness chef Andrew Muto, who works with the likes of Connor McDavid and Steven Stamkos every summer at the NHL training camp run by Gary Roberts, has been catering for the Cavaliers for the past five seasons at Millender’s request.
Story continues below advertisement
Overhauling long-held nutritional habits wasn’t an overnight success story, however. The first time he catered for the team, much of the spread, which included organic Irish salmon fillets and quinoa, went untouched by the players, some of whom asked specifically for PB&J sandwiches instead.
Muto, who operates a catering business out of Vaughan, Ont., estimates that maybe 20 per cent of the food was consumed the first time. But he understands why. There’s a huge psychological aspect to food and eating, he explains, noting that food such as PB&J sandwiches gives some players the comforting feelings of childhood. But as with Millender and the Cavs, he has learned along the way, and now has players happily consuming pregame meals of salmon, kale and coconut rice.
“When I put grill marks on the salmon, they eat it; when there are no grill marks, they didn’t eat it,” he says. “It’s because they feel safer that it’s been cooked better or that’s what they’re used to having, that’s what they’ve seen constantly. Anything with grill marks indicates it’s okay.”
While Millender tries to find wellness chefs in each of the Cavaliers road stops, he says that there aren’t many out there who have as much passion for food as Muto, who goes out of his way to try to replicate the jerk chicken that Thompson grew up with, for example, but with a baked, not fried, version.
“We try to always have a familiar protein and then a familiar carb,” Millender says. “Food means a lot to people. It’s a very special thing and if you come across as someone who doesn’t care it can be bad.”
For players such as Love, who readily admits he was “bigger” and “doughy” when he first came into the NBA fresh out of UCLA, figuring out the nutrition part of the game is a huge part of any success they might have. But he says that each player has individual needs, which makes it tougher.
Story continues below advertisement
“You see it from guy to guy,” Love says. “You can’t just put something in a box and say, ‘This is what you have to eat,’ because I think everybody is slightly different in that respect.”
And whether it’s catered meals provided by local chefs such as Muto or food sourced at other establishments such as Impact Kitchen, a gluten-free restaurant with a pair of locations in downtown Toronto, Love says Millender’s approach brings a lot to the table when the team’s on the road.
“I went there after practice and it was so good and so healthy I was like, I’m going to order it so … my girlfriend and I had it for dinner last night and it was great,” Love said of Impact Kitchen, which has become something of a Cavaliers hangout while the team is in Toronto.
“So [there’s] no unhealthy options in these cities, you come to accumulate different [go-to] places and Derek has been huge in that.”
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.
Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.
The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.
Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.
Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.
Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.
Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.
And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.
Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.
Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.
With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.
Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.
Questionable call
Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.
Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.
Running wild
Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.
Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.
Foles honored
Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
Injuries
The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).
Up next
Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
