Tacko Fall is already a Cleveland Cavaliers fan favorite -- and wants to show he can be more than that

Cleveland Cavaliers' Tacko Fall is on the roster bubble.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The chants boomed inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse early in the fourth quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ preseason home opener.

We want Tacko! We want Tacko!

A few minutes later, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff signaled for Tacko Fall, the little-used gigantic center with an engaging personality who is fighting for one of the final roster spots. The crowd exploded.

It’s been a while since someone received that level of adoration in Cleveland. Promising young point guard Darius Garland doesn’t get that kind of reception. Neither does new franchise focal point Evan Mobley, the third pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Lauri Markkanen’s welcome-to-Cleveland intro was hushed by comparison.

This is a fan base that spent the latter half of the 2020-21 season booing NBA champion Kevin Love and now a back-end-of-the-roster guy who’s played just 12 total preseason minutes in the wine and gold is getting MVP chants? He’s being encouraged by spectators to shoot every time he touches the ball -- even if he’s standing by the 3-point line?

It’s a mind-blowing phenomenon that not even Fall can fully explain.

“I’m thankful for it. It’s something I don’t take for granted. It’s not every day that you get that kind of interaction from fans and it means a lot to me,” he said. “For me, I just want to go out there, do what I need to do. First and foremost, do my job because that’s why I’m here, but at the same time, go out and have fun. I don’t think it’s anything that I’ve done. I’m still fairly new, it’s my third year. I was in Boston for two years, haven’t won the championship or anything. It’s really a blessing to get that kind of feedback from people.”

It’s not just fans either. Teammates gravitate toward him. Coaches can’t say enough.

“I love Tacko,” Bickerstaff said. “I am in that fan favorite group of Tacko. Having the opportunity to be up close and see him in heavy minutes every day at practice, there’s more to him than you kind of see on the outside looking in. You put him on the line and have him run sprints, he’s fast. He can move laterally. He has good touch around the basket. And he’s an unbelievable human being.

“Every single day he comes to work with the same attitude, same joy on his face. He’s uplifting. He looks you in your eyes when he speaks to you. He’s the type of person that you root for in general.”

The next question is whether there’s a spot for Fall, the 25-year-old center who stands 7-foot-5 with an 8-foot-2 wingspan and wears size 22 shoes.

“There is a role for him in the NBA,” Bickerstaff said. “Obviously, you look at his ability to change and protect the paint and deter people from coming to the rim and rebounding the ball. Then, offensively he can finish around the basket and he’s a problem. There’s lobs that other people can’t get to that he can go up and get. I think it’s going to be the role and the opportunity that will make him successful and have the ability to stay with the team.”

Nothing has been decided on that front. The Cavs began roster cuts Tuesday afternoon, waiving shooting guard Brodric Thomas and center Mfiondu Kabengele. The departure of Kabengele is at least a promising sign for Fall, who would become Cleveland’s developmental big, the role Kabengele had last season. Thomas being released creates a second two-way spot -- a likelier path for Fall to stay with the organization.

During two years with the Celtics, bouncing between the NBA and G League, Fall averaged 2.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 6.5 minutes.

This offseason, he decided it was time for a new opportunity, signing a camp deal with the Cavs. Because of an Exhibit 10 clause in that contract, if Fall doesn’t snag one of Cleveland’s available two-way slots or lock in the last spot on the regular roster, he could be headed to the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate.

Fall admitted change hasn’t been easy. He enjoyed his time in Boston. This is the first time he’s switched teams and been forced to learn a new system with different terminology. Then again, a Boston-to-Cleveland move is nothing compared to his life journey. Born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, Fall left home at 16 and settled about 6,000 miles away, playing organized basketball in Houston, Texas. He had to learn a new language and make new friends. A completely fresh start. A proving ground for the hoops newbie with alluring size.

Now he’s trying to do the same with the Cavs.

“I know what I’m good at. I know how I can help a team win. I know my strengths, especially for this team,” Fall said. “For me, it’s just coming in and complementing what they have. Whenever I’m on the court, make sure I protect the basket the best of my capability. I can do that at an elite level, just be me being me at my size. I can block shots. I can alter shots. Just my presence out there is going to change the game defensively, and that’s something that I’m bringing to the table right away.

“I truly believe that we can have the best defensive frontcourt in the NBA, just because of the personnel that we have.”

The Cavs have a frontcourt logjam. Bickerstaff is trying to figure out how to give Mobley, Markkanen, Jarrett Allen and Kevin Love enough minutes. Where would Fall fit in that group?

No matter what happens over the next few days, with the Cavs needing to make more cuts and Fall being on the roster bubble, one thing is clear: he’s left a mark.

“I’ve had fun,” he said. “I was talking to all my friends and it kind of reminded me of my days at UCF. The way we played and the position that they put me in is kind of similar to the way I played in college -- protect the basket, don’t worry about anything else. That’s what I’ve been focused on in camp. I’ve had a really good camp. Coming in, bringing positivity and bringing good energy around the team, because that’s something else that I can bring.

“I came in here, did my job, working hard every day, just want to take it day by day and whenever coach calls my name, I’ll be ready to come in and contribute and help this team any way that I can.”

A boisterous fan base, which has already fallen in love with him, will be ready too.

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