Tristan Thompson

[Visitor]

Would be nice to see Tristan and our other bigs cutting baseline on drives my Kyrie and Dion. Boozer used to live off of those back when he was with us.

 

[TyGuy]

What happened to Tristan's shot blocking ability? In college he was a decent shot blocker. He has regressed there in every season thus far to the point that he is a non factor as a rim protector, and a guy who gets beat up in the post to boot. So what do you really have with Tristan? A big that doesn't protect the paint, doesn't draw charges, gets beat up in the post by anybody with a size advantage, he doesn't trust his awkward jump shot, he doesn't have a back to the basket game. He is however very mobile, so he is good as a rotator as well as defending the pick and roll. He's a good offensive rebounder(talent being negated by Andy at times). He also has a somewhat decent face up game in the low post. He is just a guy really... A guy who screams energy big off the bench in the modern NBA.

 

[Triumph36]

the saddest thing I ever seen was people saying they wouldn't trade Thompson this off-season in a package for Love or Aldridge... and it was a lot more than just a few people... fucking crazy.. Tristan's ceiling is pretty limited IMO... he is a hard worker but is an energy guy not an All-Star .. he is a nice guy to have on your team but will he ever be as good as say an Al Hortford?

sometimes fans are illogical when it comes to players on their team.

obv given the opportunity, anyone with a clue would've made that move. but, it wasn't available and given the start of both of their respective teams, it likely isn't going to be available anytime soon.

trading him in a package for a legitimate all star big would be ideal but the fact is teams aren't going to just give them away for unproven players like thompson.

This has always been the issue with Tristan and why a lot of people were upset when he was drafted. It is extremely difficult to pair Tristan with a center that the team can be successful with. Off the top of my head Spencer Hawes is the only center I can think of that would be in ideal match for Thompson.

brook lopez.

but yes. thompson creating lineup difficulties is not anything close to a new revelation. i'm a bit confused as to why some are realizing that now; it's been obvious the entire time. he's not a conventional pf which makes it incredibly difficult to find a lineup that fits, almost inevitably pushing him to the bench if the cavs want to contend (which is not so good for a top 4 pick, bad draft or not).

 

[mAo_mAo]

TT is much like Dion. Their skill set is not right for the position they play. That is my beef with Chris Grant. Waiters is a point guard playing the SG position. While TT is a Center playing the power forward position.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

While I do agree that it could be Bynum, that's because he has a all-star ego attached to him, even if he isn't showing it. To appease to a former all-star so you can compete is a hard job, because the front office knows they can't win unless they have a big body that fills the lanes. Maybe he has a jump shot, but he prefers the post and even if the guards have to learn to feed him, it won't stop Tristan's man from keeping the paint closed down.

So then what, we could try to make everyone happy, but they're losing too many games to get that to work, once we start winning, we'll be able to address the situation.

Crazy thing is we're centralizing our offense around Bynum now. We've got Kyrie doing whatever the fuck he's doing..... But Bynum could go down at any moment and then what?

You wanna see a chicken with it's head cut off? Right now we've got a chicken with a severed neck from a dull cleaver...... Take Bynum out of it and it's either going to solve everything or double this rat race we're seeing.

 

[TyGuy]

sometimes fans are illogical when it comes to players on their team.

obv given the opportunity, anyone with a clue would've made that move. but, it wasn't available and given the start of both of their respective teams, it likely isn't going to be available anytime soon.

trading him in a package for a legitimate all star big would be ideal but the fact is teams aren't going to just give them away for unproven players like thompson.

brook lopez.

but yes. thompson creating lineup difficulties is not anything close to a new revelation. i'm a bit confused as to why some are realizing that now; it's been obvious the entire time. he's not a conventional pf which makes it incredibly difficult to find a lineup that fits, almost inevitably pushing him to the bench if the cavs want to contend (which is not so good for a top 4 pick, bad draft or not).

I don't think Lopez is a good fit either. he does most of his damage in the low post, yes he has a decent little set shot from the mid range, but that isn't his bread and butter. Tristan would clog up the painted area for Lopez like he would do for every center that feasts in the low post. Hawes is seriously the only great fit I can think of as a legit center because he does a lot of his damage from the perimeter. Then again I don't think i'm going out on a limb to say that I don't think Spencer puts us over the top. The issue with Tristan has always been that it's extremely difficult to find a center that compliments him and he isn't good enough to move mountains to find said player. Grant i'm sure realized this, which is probably part of the reason Bennett was selected. On paper Bennett is a more modern NBA power forward and a much easier player to find a center that pairs nice with him in the front court.

 

[Numbers Guy]

Jason Smith would be a nice fit next to Tristan. He's got a great catch and shoot game.

 

[Silky Smooth]

What happened to Tristan's shot blocking ability? In college he was a decent shot blocker. He has regressed there in every season thus far to the point that he is a non factor as a rim protector, and a guy who gets beat up in the post to boot. So what do you really have with Tristan? A big that doesn't protect the paint, he is a mobile defender, so he is good as a rotator and on the pick and roll, he doesn't draw charges, he gets beat up in the post by anybody with a size advantage, he doesn't trust his awkward jump shot, he doesn't have a back to the basket game, he does have a somewhat decent face up game in the low post. He is just a guy really...

"JAG"

 

[TyGuy]

The guy we need at center next to Tristan Thompson needs to be able to space the floor, he needs to be able to block shots (because Tristan doesn't do this anymore), he needs to be able to defend the post and also be mobile enough to rotate. He should probably be able to score with his back to the basket since Tristan doesn't have that skill and i'm not sure his low block face up game is a consistent enough threat. I'm pretty sure this guy doesn't exist, and if he did, he would be a superstar. A front line of Tristan and Spencer Hawes or Jason Smith isn't going to cut the mustard.

 

[TyGuy]

"JAG"

edit: nothing to see here.

 

[Derek]

Sure, that wasn't the most grammatically sound post ever, but did you really have trouble following it? I don't go around being a dick correcting people with their improper use of then/than, a/an, there/their, ect.

JAG=Just a guy

I think he was just reiterating your point

 

[RealKingofCleve]

The guy we need at center next to Tristan Thompson needs to be able to space the floor, he needs to be able to block shots (because Tristan doesn't do this anymore), he needs to be able to defend the post and also be mobile enough to rotate. He should probably be able to score with his back to the basket since Tristan doesn't have that skill and i'm not sure his low block face up game is a consistent enough threat. I'm pretty sure this guy doesn't exist, and if he did, he would be a superstar. A front line of Tristan and Spencer Hawes or Jason Smith isn't going to cut the mustard.

Probably the closest guy I can think of is Marc Gasol. Not that I think there is any way in hell the Cavs could get him.

 

[Triumph36]

I don't think Lopez is a good fit either. he does most of his damage in the low post, yes he has a decent little set shot from the mid range, but that isn't his bread and butter. Tristan would clog up the painted area for Lopez like he would do for every center that feasts in the low post. Hawes is seriously the only great fit I can think of as a legit center because he does a lot of his damage from the perimeter. Then again I don't think i'm going out on a limb to say that I don't think Spencer puts us over the top. The issue with Tristan has always been that it's extremely difficult to find a center that compliments him and he isn't good enough to move mountains to find said player. Grant i'm sure realized this, which is probably part of the reason Bennett was selected. On paper Bennett is a more modern NBA power forward and a much easier player to find a center that pairs nice with him in the front court.

lopez certainly wouldn't be ideal, but i was just throwing a name out that at least decently fits with thompson as opposed to most centers, who don't fit at all with him.

bennett has been a disaster thus far, which is unfortunate to see because as you noted, he'd actually make it possible to find a center that fits. if he doesn't get his shit together, aside from the massively embarrassing event that is drafting a bust at #1, the cavs hopes of contending take a tremendous hit too. thompson isn't going to work as a starter so they'll again be forced with finding a competent pf (and sf. and maybe c too).

Jason Smith would be a nice fit next to Tristan. He's got a great catch and shoot game.

he would be a good fit in the second unit, sure.

 

[rabman_gold]

Crazy thing is we're centralizing our offense around Bynum now. We've got Kyrie doing whatever the fuck he's doing..... But Bynum could go down at any moment and then what?

You wanna see a chicken with it's head cut off? Right now we've got a chicken with a severed neck from a dull cleaver...... Take Bynum out of it and it's either going to solve everything or double this rat race we're seeing.

Regardless of who the low post guy is, we do need one, not necessarily for offense, but to be a presence. Otherwise we can't win the championship in the future. The guys need to learn to adjust better and throw better passes. Execution isn't great.

As for Thompson, I sense a lack of comfort and confidence in his shot if he's missing the bunnies he always makes. And defenses are also converging on him. He needs his confidence back for any of his offense to shine through.

Just like with Brown and Grant, I'm expecting slow improvement in 2-3 months.

 

[Rich]

Playing next to Bynum hurts him. Playing with Bynum is hurting almost everyone. I'll just keep repeating it until it becomes clear enough. The game becomes too slow, the paint too clogged, and the offense too focused around a guy in Bynum that isn't all that good anymore.