Tristan Thompson

[Rich]

in last nights game, Bennet was much better at showing on the pick than Tristan. He made it look pretty easy to seal off the offensive player without putting himself in a position to foul.

He fouled out in 26 minutes....

 

[CosmoKramer]

I thought we had already killed this narrative, Bennett is a PF.

He's a PF right now. I'm not the first person to project AB as a 3, he's got the offensive skills to play on the perimeter. Considering he was strictly a post player at UNLV I'm not expecting him to become a competent NBA wing in less than a year.

With Deng leaving at the end of the year the Cavs don't have any other long term options at the 3. MB's already tried him out at the position, it's pretty likely as long as TT is around Bennett is going to see some time playing small forward again.

 

[EdMonix11]

He fouled out in 26 minutes....

Still doesn't mean anything.....

I guess anyone whose ever fouled out truly sucks, eh?

 

[CosmoKramer]

Still doesn't mean anything.....

I guess anyone whose ever fouled out truly sucks, eh?

Come on, consider the context. Fouling out of a long, tough overtime game isn't bad at all. Fouling out in 26 minutes is terrible. Ellis got a cheap one on him though on the and 1, that really wasn't a terrible play by AB.

Bennett's been making me eat my words about his lack of effort on D though, he seems to have turned the corner since the Knicks game.

 

[chrisrich91]

TT breaks out of his mini-slump with a 17-8 and people still want to bench him.

He had a couple nice dunks, not including the oop he threw down from Kyrie. He hit 7 of his 8 free throws, a crazy high amount for how few plays are ran for him. He even hit a 15 footer last night!

But let's all complain about how often he gets his shot blocked instead of giving him any credit. This is Cleveland after all.

The fact that you're wording it this way emphasizes that you don't understand our argument.

He puts up good numbers relatively often. Cool. Doesn't change anything. He clogs the lane for our penetrating guards. He made a 15 footer. Good! He should be taking that everytime it's given to him or no defender will ever respect it and it will do nothing to help our spacing.

I'm not pining for TT to be benched for AB because one is playing better than the other. Development-wise, Bennett is basically in his first week in the NBA due to how his rookie season has played out. I'm advocating for Bennett to start because of play style/fit/spacing.

 

[Derek]

He's a PF right now. I'm not the first person to project AB as a 3, he's got the offensive skills to play on the perimeter. Considering he was strictly a post player at UNLV I'm not expecting him to become a competent NBA wing in less than a year.

With Deng leaving at the end of the year the Cavs don't have any other long term options at the 3. MB's already tried him out at the position, it's pretty likely as long as TT is around Bennett is going to see some time playing small forward again.

If the Cavs try to make Bennett a SF again than this organization is dumber than I ever could have imagined.

HE IS A POWER FORWARD! That is, and will forever be his best position.

 

[shoes22]

I feel like the people that suggest Bennett can play SF is because he has the range to hit the 3 ball sometimes.

But so what? He can hit some 3s playing PF too. In nearly every other respect Bennett playing SF would be a disaster.

 

[CosmoKramer]

The fact that you're wording it this way emphasizes that you don't understand our argument.

I understand the argument fine, I just wholeheartedly disagree with it. Spacing the floor is just one part of what a PF brings to the table, AB's defense and rebounding are not on the same level as Tristan's.

He puts up good numbers relatively often. Cool. Doesn't change anything.

Puts up good numbers relatively often? That's called being a consistent player. We know what to expect every night from Tristan. I thought that earned him the right to start at PF, but apparently you want to start a rookie who just had his first two respectable games halfway into his first year. Because he can shoot better? You do realize AB is still shooting under 30% from the field and under 20% from 3?

He clogs the lane for our penetrating guards.

I'm sick of this bullshit excuse for Dion. Kyrie's been playing with TT longer than Dion has, why doesn't he have a problem finishing inside with TT on the floor? Dion gets to the hole with ease, he can't finish when he gets there. That's not TT clogging the lane, that's all Dion.

 

[CosmoKramer]

I feel like the people that suggest Bennett can play SF is because he has the range to hit the 3 ball sometimes.

But so what? He can hit some 3s playing PF too. In nearly every other respect Bennett playing SF would be a disaster.

I'm not trying to argue Bennett should be playing heavy minutes right now at the 3.

I'm saying if Deng leaves in free agency, what do we have at the small forward position next year? If TT is entrenched as the starting power forward I don't think it's a stretch to see Bennett getting minutes at the 3.

 

[Soar]

I'm not trying to argue Bennett should be playing heavy minutes right now at the 3.

I'm saying if Deng leaves in free agency, what do we have at the small forward position next year? If TT is entrenched as the starting power forward I don't think it's a stretch to see Bennett getting minutes at the 3.

He isn't. I'd be pretty surprised if he was starting at PF next year. Wouldn't shock me if he wasn't even on the team. He's better than Bennett right now, but Bennett is closing ground quickly.

 

[CardiacCavs]

A lot of people are talking about Tristan's offensive capabilities, but I think the more important factor in his game will be his defensive abilities. This is also what has been the most disappointing thing about TT this year. We have seen him get torched all year by other PFs. He does not have the explosiveness to contend shots inside from penetrating guards or from other big men. The only thing he is good at is rebounding. I had really hoped that MB would improve TT defensively, but like so many other things this season, it just has not happened.

 

[CosmoKramer]

A lot of people are talking about Tristan's offensive capabilities, but I think the more important factor in his game will be his defensive abilities. This is also what has been the most disappointing thing about TT this year. We have seen him get torched all year by other PFs. He does not have the explosiveness to contend shots inside from penetrating guards or from other big men. The only thing he is good at is rebounding. I had really hoped that MB would improve TT defensively, but like so many other things this season, it just has not happened.

It seems like in recent weeks he's started struggling. He's had his ups and downs this year, he's learning MB's system for the first time like the other young players. He's also held Aldridge, Love, and Dirk to poor shooting nights this season as well.

He's not being asked to challenge every shot around the rim and that's new for him. That's how he's played more minutes with less fouls this year, while also explaining the sudden drop in his block numbers.

 

[Cavatt]

I think some of his struggles recently may have been due to injury. He looks ok out there, but his explosiveness is not where it was even a couple weeks ago. THe night Andy came back Brown was asked about Andy at Shootaround. Then he was asked about Tristan. He said both were game time decisions and I don't know why he would even be asked unless Tristan wasn't playing through some injury.

 

[RchfldCavRaised]

He stepped on Tyler's foot during the phantom ankle breaker with JR Smith. That was hardly the moment his defense looked average.

He's developing build wise, into a wider bottom frame guy. He's losing the quick jump that he showed early his rookie year and all through HS/his one year at Texas. Because his ass and his base is so big now, he is trending more towards the kind of defender that you want to play below the rim and not be moved as opposed to a high flier. (but its taking him awhile even at that, to willingly make the right rotations in help D so he isnt doing that positionally as well either)

Now, just like with Dion and Kyrie, I cant really get mad at everything I am seeing from him. I know he is being misused and he'd thinking way too much out there (by design from Brown).

But he isnt looking like anything exception on D at all. Just dependable and a hard worker. Valuable for a big, but not irreplaceable.

 

[kidduck]

Very interesting moment between TT and Jack last night at the 8:35 mark of the third quarter. On the play, the Lakers got a basket and foul on a drive from the top of the key. Jack was the primary defender, TT off toward the corner. As the players lined up for the FT, Jack and TT got in a semi-heated verbal exchange. As Jack walked away, he rolled his eyes as TT waved his arms in disgust.

The factions in this group of players runs deep.