Tristan Thompson

doctorK said:

Your memory is failing you here, Andy was an extremely raw player when he first got here. He always had that relentless motor but he also picked up fouls at an alarming rate, which is common for young, overwhelmed bigs. It took him until his 4th year for his foul rate to drop below 5 per 36. Where did you think he got Wild Thing?

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He had a devil's threesome with Charlie Sheen I thought.

D-Wreck said:

It's not short-sighted. It's a difference of opinion. I just don't see Tristan becoming much more on offense than he is right now.

In my ideal projection, as our depth and talent pool grows, Tristan settles in as a 10-10 guy in about 28 mpg with excellent efficiency and great defense.

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So your ideal projection for Tristan is to be the next Amir Johnson?

what are we basing tThompsons offensive ceiling on.

this is his first season with a mid range game. He never needed one before he got to the NBA.

since Loul Dengs arrival his shooting percentage in the restricted area has shot up 7%.

Hes learning to post up where its jumped to 22% of his offense. He can score effectively on the pick and roll. He is getting very proficient at cutting to the basket now hes spotting up 9% of the time.

definitive increases.

Meanwhile his defensive improvement has been significant. Tristans added so many things to his game the past 2 seasons.

as far as "feel" . this shouldnt have to be explained

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dis...ding-aau-basketball-was-important-kobe-bryant

NBA teams basically have to start from scratch and develop their own bigs to "play" the right way.

The Human Q-Tip said:

In the 2007 Finals, it was almost universally recognized that Andy was the wrong guy to have the ball in his hands at the end of that game, because he wasn't considered clutch or capable of making the smart play. AV's court vision/awareness, as well as his skill set, have been on an upward trajectory for years. He was completely incapable of making the kind of passes he makes almost routinely now. His improvement in that regard is really quite remarkable.

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See, I always thought it was because putting the ball in Andy's hands meant taking it out of LeBron's. That LeBron guy was pretty good, may even have been the best player on the team...

mcfly said:

So your ideal projection for Tristan is to be the next Amir Johnson?

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I was thinking more along the lines of Dale Davis

TT will never be like Dale Davis. Maybe he will have similar production like Tyrone Hill did back then, but Dale Davis had an edge to him that Triatan will never have. Their production may be the same, but there is just a sense of intimidation that some guys impose (dale Davis, Charles Oakley, Kenyon Martin) that makes that production more impactful, IMO.

But, purely from a production/numbers stand point I can agree on Dale Davis.

I'd give a lot for TT to be 2-3 inches taller. He's a center in a power forward's body-- good at finishing around the rim and can battle with anyone, but struggles mightily away from the hoop. If he were a bit taller, he'd be a damn good center. I love TT's energy and hustle, along with his awesome dunks around the rim where he snatches the ball and jams it with authority. But more and more I'm struggling to see his future alongside Kyrie (and Dion if he's still here). We need a pick and pop option for our guards to play off of, and TT's just not that. I'm in favor of actively seeking a trade where we can get a PF who can shoot, and if TT has to go to make it happen, so be it. Would rather not see him go, but for this team to be a legitimate contender, the next step is a more fitting PF for the guys we currently have.

KyrieIrvingDuke said:

I'd give a lot for TT to be 2-3 inches taller. He's a center in a power forward's body-- good at finishing around the rim and can battle with anyone, but struggles mightily away from the hoop. If he were a bit taller, he'd be a damn good center. I love TT's energy and hustle, along with his awesome dunks around the rim where he snatches the ball and jams it with authority. But more and more I'm struggling to see his future alongside Kyrie (and Dion if he's still here). We need a pick and pop option for our guards to play off of, and TT's just not that. I'm in favor of actively seeking a trade where we can get a PF who can shoot, and if TT has to go to make it happen, so be it. Would rather not see him go, but for this team to be a legitimate contender, the next step is a more fitting PF for the guys we currently have.

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I keep hearing about this PF with range and can do all these things Tristan cant but who?

where is this guy that also brings the intangibles that Tristan brings and with the wicked two step to the paint like Tristan does do?

Where is this guy who can block out his guy. hedge a screen and get back in time regain position in the paint.

where is this guy who can proficiently shoot from mid range to long range 5-10 times a game and do it for the next 5 to 10 years?

Is Love or Aldridge really coming through that door or is that isnt just some far fetching fantasy trade away.

Aldridge had a total of two succesful post ups on aldridge. all his makes on thompson were contested. Aldridge swished a couple on AV too when Thompson was put on lopez and swished from range on deng as well. Still held him to 46% shooting which is pretty much contained for a guy who shoots over 50% 2in 20 out of 40 games.

Lopez was 4 for 5. 3 of those shots came on blown rotations by other players and the 4th on an offensive board.


offensively last season inn 82 games Thompson had more than 15 points on 18 occasions. This season he has 12 out of 40

thats 16 or more 1 out of 3 games as opposed to 1 out of 5.


BTW you can line up all the stretch 4 jump shooters you want if the Cavs guards continue to be horrible at their passing to the weak side defenders are gonna close into the paint.

Dale Davis was pit bull aggressive. Thompson is a puppy dog and apologizes when he fouls people. Dale Davis meant business. Thompson didn't mean anything by the hard foul.

Less efficient Olden Polynice.

People are acting impossibly right now. We are talking about one of the hardest working young players in the league, I mean we are talking absolutely tremendous work ethic here. Considering how much he has changed over not even 3 seasons yet I think it is absolutely assinine to think that he is even close to reaching his ceilling. His jump shot can get more consistent, he can still improve his footwork, his passing can get better and his IQ will of course also grow with him as he gets more experience. These are all things that are improvable if you are willing to put in the work and the one thing we do know about TT is that he is willing to put in the work. He is still the fastest PF in the post in the league and that in and of itself is going to be enough to propel over a lot of the competition. I am not the least bit worried about Tristan stagnating and not improving at least for the next five years. He is simply too hard of a worker for that to happen.

Think how long it took Andy to get a decent jumper. Tristan's already almost there.

Thompson is the least of this teams worries. He might be the only young player on this team I actually LIKE. It's not thati don't think other young guys are talented, I just don't like them much. Thompson is the only young guy I would get too upset about getting traded (assuming a fair trade). I just wish the guy had a little....or a lot...more nasty to his game.

pl4tinum said:

Think how long it took Andy to get a decent jumper. Tristan's already almost there.

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One player's development has nothing to do with another's

D-Wreck said:

One player's development has nothing to do with another's

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but what are you basing your assumption on? It seems like you have already decided that TT won't develop a jump shot and you completely disregard any argument against that assumption. Wether you want to admit it or not, and this has been adressed earlier in the thread, Andy was a lot more raw in his game than Thompson at that age and he still developed a jumper and became a magnificent player. His basketball IQ got better with the years and he developed a solid mid-range game. Why are you just flat-out denying that Tristan could go the same way and why are you acting like he is a finished product when there are tons of stuff about his game that can be improved through hard work? I'm not trying to start an argument here, but you seems almost hellbent on writing Thompson off despite pretty much all the signs point towards him not being near his ceilling as a player.