Tristan Thompson: Initial Thoughts

[Kouki]

FWIW, Jonas is a very good pick and roll player, has been praised for his motor and work ethic, and is actually closer to Kyrie in age (TT is old for his class). His rebounding is actually quite good too given the circumstances - his body is still catching up to his height.

You are right, Jonas does have a lot of the same qualities as Tristan, just in a bigger package. I'm not entirely sold on TT over JV either, I'm just trying to make myself feel better But I really do have question marks about JV's ability to...well, to play basketball. He just doesn't look natural at all. And it's one thing to call yourself a tough player with a strong motor in the Euroleague, where the best defense is a white flag, but it's another to show that you can do that not only in the NBA but even on American soil.

And if the latter is the case, the team won't need to worry about retaining its players.

I don't think that's quite true. Maybe for some players, but for a lot of players...nah.

Not sure I agree with this. A good motor and head wouldn't make TT more than a spot up jump shooter and finisher at the rim on offense.

Well, add in a good work ethic (meant to say that) and he could be a great player. He's got all the tools to be a tremendous defensive player and a much-better-than-he-is-now rebounder and offensive player, but he doesn't have the effort/motor/head to do it.

 

[CommD]

Once the Valanciunas pick was sabotaged by Rose, Thompson best player potential on Cavs board; end of story.

 

[cavfanintexas]

I read every post here, I would guess more than 80% of the people wanted JJ move because of what he does not do "play D". Now we draft a player to replace him that does what JJ can't do. How is that bad?

 

[Triumph36]

You are right, Jonas does have a lot of the same qualities as Tristan, just in a bigger package. I'm not entirely sold on TT over JV either, I'm just trying to make myself feel better But I really do have question marks about JV's ability to...well, to play basketball. He just doesn't look natural at all. And it's one thing to call yourself a tough player with a strong motor in the Euroleague, where the best defense is a white flag, but it's another to show that you can do that not only in the NBA but even on American soil.

How his play will translate is a question (tho his PnR should be good from the start), but you gotta remember he too is very raw. Just 2-3 years ago he was 6'6" and a growth spurt like that requires a pretty big adjustment in his game. If he had a questionable work ethic and motor, I'd definitely be a lot more concerned. But by all accounts, that's not the case. It'll just take some time for him to grow into his body and make the transition.

I don't think that's quite true. Maybe for some players, but for a lot of players...nah.

Well, I didn't mean to imply they would take vastly inferior $$ offers to stay here because the team is good or anything like that.

LeBron left an inferior team that could offer more money in favor of the exact opposite - an elite team and less money.

To bring up the OKC situation again, if you build a good young core that can contend for years and make fair contract offers, I think the players will stay way way more often than not.

Well, add in a good work ethic (meant to say that) and he could be a great player. He's got all the tools to be a tremendous defensive player and a much-better-than-he-is-now rebounder and offensive player, but he doesn't have the effort/motor/head to do it.

Yeah, but then again it comes back to him being picked ahead of Jonas and whether or not that will actually be worth it long-term.

Really, they are fairly similar players - defense first guys with limited offensive games at the moment. Unfortunately I think all the main differences tilt the scales in Jonas' favor - size, FT shooting (which tends to translate to a good jump shot), a slightly better offensive game, and of course the ever important upside.

To be fair, there were a lot worse possible picks at #4, so it's not all bad. Kinda sucks that it's going to take even longer than usual to see if the Cavs made teh right pick or not though.

 

[BA_CavsFan]

If you watch the raw footage of Kyrie's press conference after he was drafted, towards the end you will see him stealing glances at the draft board. He was trying to find out who his partner in Cleveland was. Once he found out it was Tristan Thompson, his face lit up and he sounded very excited. That would not have happened with Valanciunas. Irving probably can't even pronounce his name properly. And both Kyrie and Tristan have repeatedly expressed that having a second guy to go through the rookie season will be a blessing. Grant was unaware of the previous relationship the two shared (source: http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/video/2011/06/24/mcleodgrant110623-1743133), but I give him credit for realizing that for Kyrie to be truly excited about the Cavs, he needed someone to share the ride with.

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[Bob_The_Cat]

I read every post here, I would guess more than 80% of the people wanted JJ move because of what he does not do "play D". Now we draft a player to replace him that does what JJ can't do. How is that bad?

I think it's because people realize that athletic PF's with bad hands, that can score a little, have a low BBall IQ, and are a liability on defense are a dime-a-dozen in the NBA. PF's who can bang, play good defense, block shots, rebound well, run the floor, and have a high motor are much harder to find. They generally don't come on the market that often. In addition, while TT may not be some terror on offense, he still has a good enough skill set to where he can become as good or better than JJ on the offensive end. Plus, he will cost us way less money over the next 4 years than if we resigned JJ.

 

[Pavlovic3Ball]

What's the leon rose story? Did he lie to the cavs or something?

 

[Douglar]

Yeah, people were freaking out about taking Biyombo in the top ten because he doesn't have an offensive game...but he seems to be TT on steroids right now.

I think the big difference between TT and Biyombo is that TT has a real track record that, at least to my eyes, shows that TT has a very good feel for the game, even if he can't figure out who to get that orange round ball in the hoop.

After all, it wasn't Wallace's physical gifts or lack of free throw shooting that made him a great defender. It was the fact that he had no trouble keeping track of the other 9 players on the floor and knew where he should be to make the right play. TT's a lot closer to being a Ben Wallace than Biyombo in that respect.

 

[kj1]

I think it's because people realize that athletic PF's with bad hands, that care score a little, have a low BBall IQ, and are a liability on defense are a dime-a-dozen in the NBA. PF's who can bang, play good defense, block shots, rebound well, run the floor, and have a high motor are much harder to find. They generally don't come on the market that often. In addition, while TT may not be some terror on offense, he still has a good enough skill set to where he can become as good or better than JJ on the offensive end. Plus, he will cost us way less money over the next 4 years than if we resigned JJ.

unfortunately what you describe is not JJ. and what JJ did for the 2nd half of the season is something absolutely no "dime a dozen" PF does!! and that is avg. double digit rebounds!! how many freakin' times do i have to point out that it is more likely to find a 25 ppg scorer than it is a guy who can avg double digit rebounds in the NBA? pluto made this same point in a column a couple of months ago. rebounders like JJ are not easily found!! and if it was merely doing it on a bad team, then why haven't a whole bunch of big guys on bad teams avg 10+ boards? like it or not, it's rare and JJ did it after getting the message from scott. it's called development, people. thank god the cavs and teams around the league hold JJ in higher esteem than you all. shit, some of you geniuses on here wanted to trade him last year for a bag of chips! we should've listened to those bright guys, right?

the fact is sooo many of you have been so wrong about JJ that your opinion on the subject has become meaningless. just stop...

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

unfortunately what you describe is not JJ. and what JJ did for the 2nd half of the season is something absolutely no "dime a dozen" PF does!! and that is avg. double digit rebounds!! how many freakin' times do i have to point out that it is more likely to find a 25 ppg scorer than it is a guy who can avg double digit rebounds in the NBA? pluto made this same point in a column a couple of months ago. rebounders like JJ are not easily found!! and if it was merely doing it on a bad team, then why haven't a whole bunch of big guys on bad teams avg 10+ boards? like it or not, it's rare and JJ did it after getting the message from scott. it's called development, people. thank god the cavs and teams around the league hold JJ in higher esteem than you all. shit, some of you geniuses on here wanted to trade him last year for a bag of chips! we should've listened to those bright guys, right?

the fact is sooo many of you have been so wrong about JJ that your opinion on the subject has become meaningless. just stop...

Aside from not mentioning rebounding, what exactly did I leave out? He has bad hands. You can't dispute that. Shot 46%, which for a big man who isn't a "stretch" player isn't very good. Low basketball IQ and defensive liability are pretty easy to see as well.

In terms of the rebounding thing, yes, it's not easy to average double digit rebounds for a season in the NBA. Only 6 guys did it in the NBA this year. Hickson did it for slightly over half a season. However, in the first 31 games of the season, he averaged 5 rpg. Maybe the light just flipped on for JJ, but you can't completely ignore the fact the AV happened to only play, wait for it, 31 games this year.

It wasn't just JJ. From October through December, Antawn averaged 5.7 rpg. In the 27 games that Antawn played after AV went out for the year and prior to Tawn's own injury, he averaged 7.7 rpg. Yes, JJ's increase was more significant, but there's obviously a direct correlation that both of their rebound totals went up a significant amount in the same period of time. Once AV went down, they were both playing alongside Hollins, Samuels, and eventually Harangody, a bunch of guys that might not even be in the league two years from now.

All that being said, I do like JJ, but his potential is limited because of his BBall IQ and his defensive ability, or lack thereof. I would be more than thrilled if JJ became an elite rebounder and a guy who consistently put up 18 pts a night, and TT becomes our replace for AV, but I just don't see it. I will gladly eat crow if it happens. Even if he does have that kind of year, I think he gets traded, simply because of the contract he's going to ask for and wehre we're at in terms of rebuilding. He'd be more valuable to a team where he can be the 3rd option, and not depended upon to have a big game every night.

 

[SkaakS]

I'm looking at it this way: Had the Cavs not lucked into stealing that pick from the Clippers and we just ended up with our own #4 pick, who should we have drafted (assuming Kyrie, Williams, and Kanter were gone)? Would people have been as willing to take a chance on a euro big like JV who had an unkown contract situation at the time? Or would it have been more important to bring in a more known player like TT who the FO deemed to have as much or more potential and could immediately begin integrating into our system? Either way I agree that we should take the BPA, but having an unknown situation like Jonas' contract means he doesn't really fit into the 'best player available' category since he's not available to be part of the team immediately.

 

[daddywags]

If we didn't have the number one pick we would likely have taken Brandon Knight at 4, IMO. There would have been zero chance of us even considering taking a guy who would be in Europe for a year, thus leaving us essentially without a first round pick for yet another season. And I doubt they would have taken Thompson if they hadn't already nailed the young PG.

 

[kardiak]

Is it reasonable to think that the Cavs were projecting which players in that next group (at their position) would be the type of player that could be a reliable cog in winning an NBA finals in a few years? Would Jonas , someday, be able to outplay the other players in this league (at the center position) who are on teams projected to be Championship contenders over the next 5 years or so? I am having trouble seeing that happen. Would Brando Knight? I am also having trouble seeing that. Kyrie? I can see that happen. TT At HIS position I can see him doing what is necessary to win championships (D and rebounding and hustle). I think we just locked in two positions that can someday win an NBA title. Hopefully we can add one or two more next year.

 

[RchfldCavRaised]

Sager interview ends. Everybody takes a breath and notices that Tristan Thompson got selected fourth by the Cavs. I think Derrick Williams speaks for most of us when he says, "Wow …Tristan!?"

Rest of the ed piece of backstage with Derrick Williams at the draft here

 

[The Voice]

FWIW, Jonas is a very good pick and roll player, has been praised for his motor and work ethic, and is actually closer to Kyrie in age (TT is old for his class). His rebounding is actually quite good too given the circumstances - his body is still catching up to his height.

Are you seriously trying to justify not drafting a guy because he's 20 and not 18?