Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, Kevin Love, LeBron James And Kyrie Irving: Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Star Humiliates Himself With Reporter Kiss, But Will He Ruin Cavaliers's Title Dreams?

A year ago Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters were seen as talented youngsters who were helping the Cleveland Cavaliers with their NBA rebuilding efforts. But this season, with Kevin Love, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in town, could they take a backseat? Thompson had a terrific preseason outing against the Dallas Mavericks, yet he messed up a goodbye kiss with a female reporter, raising the question: Will he help the Cavaliers this season, or will simple on-court mistakes get in the way of their title dreams?

Thompson and James are good friends, luckily, which should buy him some extra time. The star added 17 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes of play, and after the game he talked to a sideline reporter, embarrassing himself in the process. At the end of the post-game interview, he bizarrely attempted to kiss the reporter, who turned away, remaining professional.

The Cavaliers star has big standards to meet on and off the court this season, and this attempted kiss was not the type of publicity the championship hopefuls would want. After a good game, he proved he can help his team, but then this off-court mistake proved he could cause more harm than good to their franchise this season.

Of course, there may be an explanation, and he could grow under James's guidance, but one can wonder, will Thompson be of any use to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014-15 season? Can the Cavaliers win a championship with the likes of Thompson and Waiters, and the evident problems they've brought?