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Tristan Thompson

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Then I don't know what Kawhi you've been watching. Nice player. Will eventually get you 15 points a game. That's never going to be enough to make an all-star game as a SF. I mean he may have a year here or there where he can do it, kind of like Iguodala or Josh Smith. But he's never going to make it multiple times.
 
Rich said:
Then I don't know what Kawhi you've been watching. Nice player. Will eventually get you 15 points a game. That's never going to be enough to make an all-star game as a SF. I mean he may have a year here or there where he can do it, kind of like Iguodala or Josh Smith. But he's never going to make it multiple times.
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Given his young age, and what he showed in the finals against the best small forward in the world, I think this comment is a little rash. Is it unlikely? Sure, but only because any player making multiple all-star games is technically unlikely.

If Kawhi were given a bigger role, I do think you would see an increase in numbers, and he would be in the conversation for the all-star game. At just 22, it also doesn't seem all that unlikely that he could be a consistent all-star by the time he is 26-27 years old.

Kawhi's ceiling is fairly high.
 
Czvosec said:
Given his young age, and what he showed in the finals against the best small forward in the world, I think this comment is a little rash. Is it unlikely? Sure, but only because any player making multiple all-star games is technically unlikely.

If Kawhi were given a bigger role, I do think you would see an increase in numbers, and he would be in the conversation for the all-star game. At just 22, it also doesn't seem all that unlikely that he could be a consistent all-star by the time he is 26-27 years old.

Kawhi's ceiling is fairly high.
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Look, he very well could explode. I'm just going on what I've seen so far. Paul George is a good example of a guy who went from nice, solid role-player to superstar. It's hard to see.

That said, I think this goes the other way. I think he benefits a lot from playing where he plays and with the team he has. I'm not sure if he'd really see a huge increase if he were "the man." Sort of the argument some make with Rondo. Rondo looked good because of who was around him. Won't ever know this unless he switches teams or Parker/Duncan retire, so it's all hypothetical.
 
I don't even know why people think Kawhi would have been a reasonable call at that time. He surprised everyone once he got on to the NBA court. Taking Klay Thompson 4th overall would have been a bit more reasonable as an alternative, the dude was a beast in college and was projected top 10.
 
I want to make it clear I'm not picking out players and yelling about how Grant should have drafted them instead. I'm just saying that it sucks that as luck would have it, Grant's "reaches" with the back-to-back #4 picks could have worked out very, very well if only he reached for the wing first (e.g., Klay) and then the big the following year (Drummond).

Just like with the TT/Dion picks, many fans/experts would've mocked/criticized picks like Klay (definitely a bit of a reach at 4) and Drummond (there were plenty of attitude/motivation concerns in addition to his lack luster offense his freshman year). And yet both of them - although potentially reaches - were certainly possibilities at #4 (at least similar odds as TT and Dion were for the #4 pick).

But then again, if we went wing then big we may have selected something like Alec Burks and Meyers Leonard instead of Klay/Drummond :chuckles:
 
Hydroponic3385 said:
I want to make it clear I'm not picking out players and yelling about how Grant should have drafted them instead. I'm just saying that it sucks that as luck would have it, Grant's "reaches" with the back-to-back #4 picks could have worked out very, very well if only he reached for the wing first (e.g., Klay) and then the big the following year (Drummond).

Just like with the TT/Dion picks, many fans/experts would've mocked/criticized picks like Klay (definitely a bit of a reach at 4) and Drummond (there were plenty of attitude/motivation concerns in addition to his lack luster offense his freshman year). And yet both of them - although potentially reaches - were certainly possibilities at #4 (at least similar odds as TT and Dion were for the #4 pick).

But then again, if we went wing then big we may have selected something like Alec Burks and Meyers Leonard instead of Klay/Drummond :chuckles:
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There were days in 2011 when I wanted Alec Burks. Scary thought.
 
I wasn't trying to open this can with one sentence in my original post that had two paragraphs talking instead about how we can maximize TT as a asset that we already have.

Sucks that we have taken the approach to prospect evaluation that we have, seeing that we operate in a league where our GM values his type of player much more than other GMs seem to. That would be neither here nor there if he drafted them all to compliment each other, but they do not.

Ultimately, I think Grant has this season to turn some of these guys into more than they have shown so far. I was making a observation on how at the moment Mike Brown is more concerned with establishing an identity on both ends of the court and that does not jive with the llimitations of Grants last 2 #4 picks.

How do we put Tristan in a better position to produce better?

Before the season I was worried he may play himself out of the salary ceiling (Andys 9-10mil) I was hoping we would retain him long term for... at the moment I no longer fear that at all.

In short... lets call his number a hell of a lot more on offense and force feed him. Were the first two games an abberation? If so, I feel a hell of a lot better about Bennett and want him to get the Clark mins to expediate his development.
 
Hydroponic3385 said:
I want to make it clear I'm not picking out players and yelling about how Grant should have drafted them instead. I'm just saying that it sucks that as luck would have it, Grant's "reaches" with the back-to-back #4 picks could have worked out very, very well if only he reached for the wing first (e.g., Klay) and then the big the following year (Drummond).

Just like with the TT/Dion picks, many fans/experts would've mocked/criticized picks like Klay (definitely a bit of a reach at 4) and Drummond (there were plenty of attitude/motivation concerns in addition to his lack luster offense his freshman year). And yet both of them - although potentially reaches - were certainly possibilities at #4 (at least similar odds as TT and Dion were for the #4 pick).

But then again, if we went wing then big we may have selected something like Alec Burks and Meyers Leonard instead of Klay/Drummond :chuckles:
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Drummond is so awesome, he is really leading his team to alot of victories.
 
Idk if its just me but TT at times is extremely selfish offensivly
 
Kizzle said:
Idk if its just me but TT at times is extremely selfish offensivly
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Part of that is the guards he plays with.

Dion/Kyrie/Jack are all out to get theirs first, and if you're TT if you want to be involved offensively you have to do it yourself because you aren't going to get it from your guards.

I like that he is assertive, but the whole team basically operates in that mode now of having to get their own before someone else does.

It is part of why things are the way they are.
 
Rich said:
Kawhi Leonard was taken 15th. Lets at least try and keep it in the ballpark of fairness. He's also no closer to stardom than TT is. He currently looks like a role player. I think he can be more, but right now he isn't.

As for keeping him from taking Drummond, I would have agreed if he didn't then take Bennett in 2013. Thompson didn't keep him from doing that. I think he was just worried about the big bust potential in Drummond that a lot of other GMs were worried about.
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No Kawhi Leonard fell to 15th. All the mock drafts pre-draft day had him going in the top 10.
 
I think that Thompson is a center in today's NBA, and before you point out how undersized he is for center, look around the league and count how many current centers would man-handle him in the paint (spoiler alert-you won't make it past 4-5).

He struggles defending against PF's that like to start from the perimeter (Thad Young, Ryan Anderson, etc), and offensively, as he continues to improve that jump shot, centers would have to take a step or two away from the basket, which would be a huge benefit for Kyrie (and Dion) finishing at the rim.

Now the biggest issue would be defensive rebounding, he has improved, but would need to really step-up in that regard for it to work.

Not that the Cavs would even consider it (at least not until Bennett becomes more of a factor), I just think it would benefit us in most match-ups.
 
His skill set right now is apt for a center. It is really rare to find a complemementary piece for him if he plays the 4 unless he is Spencer Hawes. The solution is him to fire up those perimeter shots more often. He is wiiiiide open most of the time, he really should let it fly.
 
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