Tristan Thompson: Initial Thoughts

[Rist77]

With Tristan Thompson being left-handed, I just pray that I don't see any Josh Smith or Lamar Odom comparisons.

 

[Birdy89]

Thompson did say tonight that he considers Lebron to be an older brother figure and he loves him (he is managed by LRMR) so at least we know he has good influences around him.

 

[Spencer Hawes]

I will GUARANTEE you he won't be anything like David West....a guy many compared Derrick Williams to.

Thompson is alot like Tyrus Thomas except for when it comes to mindset....the difference is Tyrus always wanted to prove he could be a 3, while I think Thompson realizes he is a 4....

Undersized? Maybe slightly...but his length and athleticism will make up for some of that.

I think he will be a very good shot blocker in the NBA - he has length, great timing, a great motor, and....he's left-handed....which can help.

A lot of people GUARANTEED that Jason Kidd could not shoot 3 pointers.

 

[Ayatolla of Slamola]

For those questioning his size check out the video of him being picked.

[video=youtube;keew31MC2SA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keew31MC2SA[/video]

At 0:34 Jonas congratulates him. I understand neither are standing straight but that doesn't look like a 3 inch difference. I wonder if the size had something to do with not draft Jonas?

 

[Rich]

Re: Tristan Vs. Biyombo???

Lol Hickson was already expandable first of all. And how do we know Hickson is going to net a first round pick? After seeing what happened with the Clippers pick this year, why would anyone trade away an unprotected 1st in 2012. For all we know Hickson could start out 2011, the same way he started out 2010.

Agree. Don't see how taking Thompson makes Hickson any more/less expendable than he already was. I also don't know why people think he's a guy that is capable of landing some amazing, sure-fire pick and whatever else in return.

 

[Rich]

A lot of people GUARANTEED that Jason Kidd could not shoot 3 pointers.

And were they not right? At least enough so? I mean, when you are scouting a guy, you want to know how good he's going to be and what he can do while he's actually on your team. Not 15 years and 3 teams later. So, in the case of the Mavs, the team that drafted him, he wasn't a 3 point shooter. For the most part, the scouts were right.

 

[Randolphkeys]

There are definitely two possibilities here:

#1: The Cavs liked Thompson all along, and everything involving Jonas was a ruse. I'd be tempted to say that there was also a possibility that Kanter was the main target and Thompson was the fallback. We know that Thompson was a special defensive big at the collegiate level, and he can be a fast break basketball role player at a high level. I wouldn't rule it out.

#2: The Cavs tried to get too cute and draft for another team, knowing that Toronto liked Thompson. I always thought Thompson was a great fit replacing Reggie Evans in Toronto. I guess that if the Cavs wanted to get cute and play games with Washington, they were also comfortable with keeping Thompson if it blew up in their faces.


No matter what, I'm far more concerned with the Cavs' pattern of treading water in the late-first and early-second. Grant keeps walking away from the craps table when the sure-thing is gone. The big winners in this game still roll the dice and win when the chips are down and come out winners. I don't know if Grant has that type of personality, or those type of scouts.

 

[mixman]

And were they not right? At least enough so? I mean, when you are scouting a guy, you want to know how good he's going to be and what he can do while he's actually on your team. Not 15 years and 3 teams later. So, in the case of the Mavs, the team that drafted him, he wasn't a 3 point shooter. For the most part, the scouts were right.

Dude's like 3rd all-time in 3 pointers. He didn't just start hitting them on his 2nd go around with the Mavs.

 

[The Voice]

NBA Comparison: Charles Smith.

 

[Silky Smooth]

NBA Comparison: Charles Smith

From NBAdraft.net. We've learned not to trust them as far as comparisons.

 

[Jon]

As far as I know Thompson wasn't on the Wizard's radar and if they wanted him, why would they trade up to get him? According to most of the mocks he was going to fall. They wanted an offensive oriented player to pair with McGee. What would they do with a frontcourt featuring a pair of shot blockers who can't score?

You guys are going to have to come to grips with the fact we wanted Thompson over Jonas, and that it was Kanter going at 3 that prevented us from trading with the Wiz and letting Thompson slide down to us at #6 before the Pistons or other interested parties could take him.

 

[Spencer Hawes]

And were they not right? At least enough so? I mean, when you are scouting a guy, you want to know how good he's going to be and what he can do while he's actually on your team. Not 15 years and 3 teams later. So, in the case of the Mavs, the team that drafted him, he wasn't a 3 point shooter. For the most part, the scouts were right.

Well Kidd is the #3 on the all time NBA 3 point made list. Don't tell me he only became prolific 15 years later. The point I was trying to make is be careful when you GUARANTEE something. All I said was TT may develop into a David West type player under Byron Scott's system and someone GUARANTEE he would never become that. I mean seriously, how can you GUARANTEE something like that? That's just being stupid imho. Udonis Haslem never had a jumper when he came into the league and now his jumper is pretty reliable.

 

[Futuredome]

Yeah, I should of held onto what I originally said: The Cavs don't like the Euros or Africans in this draft. Thompson to them, was the highest rated College post-player(considering upside potential though he is only 20 years old).

 

[The Voice]

From NBAdraft.net. We've learned not to trust them as far as comparisons.

Either way if it's right he's awful.

As a member of the Knicks, Smith is infamous for missing four consecutive shots directly under the basket as he attempted to give New York the lead in Game Five of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls.

Here's to hoping they're wrong about TT.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Well Kidd is the #3 on the all time NBA 3 point made list. Don't tell me he only became prolific 15 years later.

He couldn't shoot from the outside for shit in college, or in Dallas.