Tristan Thompson

[mAo_mAo]

There are currently 14 bigs in the entire NBA averaging 10+ points and 9.5+ rebounds.

Of all the guys on that list, the only ones under 25 are:

TT
Andre Drummond
Demarcus Cousins
Blake Griffin
Anthony Davis

Even if someone wants to say "TT is the worst player on that list" he's still on it.

At 22 years old, only Drummond and Davis are younger.

I don't think he's a world beater but typically PF / C are the two positions where guys can make huge leaps in their early 20's.

Will TT definitely do that? I have no idea but trading him, at this point, seems silly. At 22 the guy is still a complete baby.

His best years are ahead of him and he's shown enough promise to let those play out.

Stats again. If you look at the STYLE of play of those 4 the only comparable player to TT is Drummond. But Drummond has insane size/explosiveness/ and potential which I could not say about TT.

 

[Triumph36]

I don't see why using the excuse Diaw didn't try hard should validate choosing him over TT. Are you telling me you want 31-year-old Boris Diaw over Tristan because he looks better playing next to Duncan? Splitter is 29, you're seeing the best of what he's going to be at the NBA level. TT is the far superior player.



4/32 would be a discount, I think it's more reasonable to expect 4/40. We've got a full year before it even kicks in as well, we're not hard pressed to trade him now.

having a year before it kicks in doesn't really benefit them if they are trying to trade him because it doesn't give the new team any opportunity to dictate his contract based on his value, the rest of their team, etc. they are handcuffed to him and his big $10M/yr deal and that is not going to work in the cavs favor.

now if they sign him for a far cheaper contract and he somehow exceeds expectations, then an extension set in stone would obv help his value. but getting him on a cheap contract is not particularly likely and neither is him far surpassing expectations.

also, lol @ the thought of a team paying $10M/yr for thompson ever getting to contention. not happening.

 

[BimboColesHair]

If you go by that reasoning, JJ Hickson was on that list last year. :chuckles:

Anyways, it's not silly to trade a guy like TT when he's young. His trade value plummets if he has another year or two of this kind of inconsistent play. He can prove his critics wrong no doubt but at this point, what are the odds of that happening? This is his 3rd year starting and he's pretty much produce the same as last year if not worse in some areas. I'll venture to say that made that big jump from his rookie season. The question should be, are there any teams willing to give up valuable assets for TT at this point lol. You can make all the excuses you want for him but I don't think anyone is willing to give up much for a player like him.

Ummm, pretty good. He's only 22, came into the league so raw offensively that some fans, myself included, thought he would never average 10+, let alone 12+ points a game for an entire season, and has switched shooting hands in the middle of his development which has led to him shooting a % from the line I never thought I'd see him hit (67%). He's already exceeded my expectations of him, to be honest. I thought at his prime he'd be getting the #'s he's getting right now, not at 22 with less than 3 years in the league. Does that mean he still doesn't have his flaws? Hell no, anyone with eyes can tell you he's still too rigid and predictable on offense without a sound jumper to make defenses respect him (but I think that aspect of his game is coming next season, I've said why I think that quite a few times). Also, since when is saying a 22 year old player will develop and improve a way of making excuses for that player, if those are the excuses you think posters are making for Tristan. He's 22, he's going to develop, it would be stupid to think a player that young won't.

This is not an indictment of you, Spencer Hawes, but it's just amazing to me how polarizing this guy is around here. He plays well and everyone is quiet. The second he has a tough game or a tough series of plays, well, conversations like these happen.

I do agree that it would be stupid not to explore trades on him, though, but only because I think it's stupid to not be willing to listen to trade offers on your players.

 

[I'mWithDan]

You can make all the excuses you want for him but I don't think anyone is willing to give up much for a player like him.

My point was evaluation of young bigs is really tricky. Many of those guys really struggle and can do so for several seasons. Especially ones who come in to the league as teens.

I mean, just look at Jermaine O'Neal as a perfect example. He looked like a complete bust until he was traded to Indiana. His first 4 seasons he struggled to even get on the court. He didn't average double figures until his 5th season in the league. Then after a season of 12.9 PPG, 9.8 REB, .465% FG, .601% FT in 32.6 MPG he turned in to an All-Star. Putting up 19 and 9 for 6 straight years.

Do I think TT will do something like that? I honestly have no clue. The odds are probably against it but a lot of younger bigs have treaded a bit of water before breaking out. I'm more inclined to give a young big man too much time than too little. For me, 3 years is way too quick to give up on a PF with TT's resume.

 

[cavfanintexas]

I must be a real dummy but where is this talk that we need to offer TT anything until 2015/2016 season and even then we only have to offer him the QO at 7.15 mil if a another team makes a offer that is not in range of his skill level we either match it or s&T or let him walk. And where did everyone come up with this 10 -12 mil I've only heard this here, if I'm wrong point in the direction of this 10 -12 money request. TT is not the problem on this team it starts at the top as if does in all business. Other than the top 10 of Aldridge, Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, Serge Ibaka, Tim Duncan, Kevin Love, Dirk Nowitzki, Zach Randolph, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Chris Bosh, I don't see anyone else that does more than TT plus look their ages. If you want to look at the real problem it is the total mismatch of players and the coaching staff not TT. I pick away telecast of the cavs games and only hear good thing being said about TT, my guess is if we wanted to trade him on the cheap as some here saying we would have 29 teams lined up outside the cavs door.

 

[oasis05]

Clarence weatherspoon, Drew Gooden, JJ hickson, and now tristan Thompson. The cavs have a history of collecting these guys. Some people like to say it's a different regime, and you can't compare what a different regime has done to this one, but the history rhymes. It's like the minute Paxson, Ferry, and Grant got here they caught some bug the compelled them to go after this type of player. It's almost inevitable. the cavs will have a garbage man.

 

[Spencer Hawes]

Ummm, pretty good. He's only 22, came into the league so raw offensively that some fans, myself included, thought he would never average 10+, let alone 12+ points a game for an entire season, and has switched shooting hands in the middle of his development which has led to him shooting a % from the line I never thought I'd see him hit (67%). He's already exceeded my expectations of him, to be honest. I thought at his prime he'd be getting the #'s he's getting right now, not at 22 with less than 3 years in the league. Does that mean he still doesn't have his flaws? Hell no, anyone with eyes can tell you he's still too rigid and predictable on offense without a sound jumper to make defenses respect him (but I think that aspect of his game is coming next season, I've said why I think that quite a few times). Also, since when is saying a 22 year old player will develop and improve a way of making excuses for that player, if those are the excuses you think posters are making for Tristan. He's 22, he's going to develop, it would be stupid to think a player that young won't.

This is not an indictment of you, Spencer Hawes, but it's just amazing to me how polarizing this guy is around here. He plays well and everyone is quiet. The second he has a tough game or a tough series of plays, well, conversations like these happen.

I do agree that it would be stupid not to explore trades on him, though, but only because I think it's stupid to not be willing to listen to trade offers on your players.

When does that happen? Every 6 or 7 games? :chuckles: That's why we're frustrated with him.

The general consensus of his critics is that he's MOST LIKELY will not develop into an NBA caliber starting PF on a contending team. The reason why we're saying this is from watching him play. He's a hustle guy with limited skills. He's very mechanical if you will. It's like MKG with his broken jumper. His supporters were saying that it was easily fixable because he was such a hard worker. I feel bad for the kid but it is what it is.

It's great that he's putting up these "numbers" that you speak of but JJ Hickson put up similar numbers in his 3rd year. Journeyman Kris Humphries can also put up "numbers" but no contender was gonna take a chance on him.

 

[CosmoKramer]

And where did everyone come up with this 10 -12 mil I've only heard this here, if I'm wrong point in the direction of this 10 -12 money request.

Those numbers are getting based off the extension Derrick Favors signed with the Jazz prior to start of the season (4/49). He was the #3 overall pick in the 2010 Draft and posted solid numbers in limited time the past two years. Rich Paul, Tristan's agent, can easily make the case Tristan has been the more productive player of the two so far despite being picked a year later. That's why I'm skeptical we'll sign him for 4/32.

Similar to when the 76ers gave Jrue Holiday a 10+ milllion a year deal the Jazz were mocked for giving so much money to an unproven player. I can't wait to see this board fly off the handle when Tristan gets his extension. These contracts are unfairly criticized early, yet it's just the going rate for young, talented players.

When does that happen? Every 6 or 7 games? :chuckles: That's why we're frustrated with him.

This happens every time Tristan puts up a couple games of single digit points. He's had a couple off nights recently, have people already forget he was playing some of the best basketball of his career before his last few games? Dating all the way back to February 3rd he's scored in single digits only 3 times in 17 games. He's had 7 double-doubles in that stretch, including that 25-15 shellacking of Detroit he had. People getting frustrated with him are impatient and overreacting to a couple bad games.

The general consensus of his critics is that he's MOST LIKELY will not develop into an NBA caliber starting PF on a contending team. The reason why we're saying this is from watching him play. He's a hustle guy with limited skills. He's very mechanical if you will. It's like MKG with his broken jumper. His supporters were saying that it was easily fixable because he was such a hard worker. I feel bad for the kid but it is what it is.

I don't see that opinion of TT anywhere other than RCF. Cavfanintexas mentioned it earlier, but when you watch broadcasts from the other teams they seem to always go out of their way to praise TT and the improvements he's made. The Charlotte announcers were particularly impressed with some of the offensive boards Tristan was pulling down, they kept commenting on how he was grabbing them right over an entire crowd of Bobcats.

And I can't fail to mention how the Toronto annoucning team slobbered all over Tristan's dong the entire game. Understandable that they exaggerate the hometown kid, but they sounded as over-the-top as AC at times.

And I'm happy you brought up MKG, he's another promising young player that gets shit on for having a broken jumper. He's already developing into one of the premiere defensive talents across the entire NBA, yet he's already a bust because he's not scoring enough points. Go back and watch him erase an easy Spencer Hawes dunk if you need any proof he's got an incredibly high ceiling on that end of the court. Keep using his 'broken jumper' against him, even though he drained a couple jumpers on us and he's only 20-years-old.

It's great that he's putting up these "numbers" that you speak of but JJ Hickson put up similar numbers in his 3rd year. Journeyman Kris Humphries can also put up "numbers" but no contender was gonna take a chance on him.

Humphries and Hickson put up the same scoring/rebounding numbers Tristan does while being complete liabilities on defense. As much as people want to harp on TT's offense the guy consistently plays sound defensive basketball for 30+ minutes a night. I always get a laugh when he gets flak for his defensive rotations, Andy is the only big on this team that misses as few rotations as Tristan does. Have we already forgotten watching JJ Hickson and Antawn Jamison on defense?

 

[rabman_gold]

He's starting to fumble too much. He'd execute better with hands that aren't stone. As for the rest of his game, no... it's not perfect but it's above average with elite hustling and drawing fouls. Rebounding's not too far behind. I'd like to play the season out and wait a little while to see what we do with him. Attempt to make him work on shooting with his right hand instead of pushing and break him out of the "small center" lock he's currently in.

I like him as a player a lot. My favorite one currently. I'd like to see him improve beyond some people's expectations and hopefully afford him for a contending team. But if we can trade him for not just the right fit but a star-like guy, perhaps it'll be okay to move on. Either way, I'm rooting for him.

 

[Pioneer10]

My point was evaluation of young bigs is really tricky. Many of those guys really struggle and can do so for several seasons. Especially ones who come in to the league as teens.

I mean, just look at Jermaine O'Neal as a perfect example. He looked like a complete bust until he was traded to Indiana. His first 4 seasons he struggled to even get on the court. He didn't average double figures until his 5th season in the league. Then after a season of 12.9 PPG, 9.8 REB, .465% FG, .601% FT in 32.6 MPG he turned in to an All-Star. Putting up 19 and 9 for 6 straight years.

Do I think TT will do something like that? I honestly have no clue. The odds are probably against it but a lot of younger bigs have treaded a bit of water before breaking out. I'm more inclined to give a young big man too much time than too little. For me, 3 years is way too quick to give up on a PF with TT's resume.

Where are you getting this from? JON was a highly regarded prospect who couldn't get any PT because he happened to be stuck behind this guy named Rasheed Wallace who was umm pretty good and a stacked Portland team that was trying to win a title.

He was then traded for a veteran big who happened to make the All-Star team at that time in Dale Davis in a move to get Portland over the hump. Indiana gave up a very valuable trade chip to start their rebuild with JON and Portland wanted someone who could put more muscle on a prime Shaq. The only reason his numbers were low because he couldn't get minutes behind Sheed.

 

[cavfanintexas]

People bitch that this team has no heart and is soft, then they bitch that TT biggest aspect of his game is heart and hustle, and don't compare him to JJ or Gooden that is total bull shit.

 

[Cashius X]

People bitch that this team has no heart and is soft, then they bitch that TT biggest aspect of his game is heart and hustle, and don't compare him to JJ or Gooden that is total bull shit.

Yeah, let's keep TT around as a starter and pay him big money when his rookie contract expires for the heart and hustle he brings to the team...

 

[cavfanintexas]

Yeah, let's keep TT around as a starter and pay him big money when his rookie contract expires for the heart and hustle he brings to the team...

yes it is better to spend it on Jack, Clark and Gee type of players.

 

[Spencer Hawes]

Where are you getting this from? JON was a highly regarded prospect who couldn't get any PT because he happened to be stuck behind this guy named Rasheed Wallace who was umm pretty good and a stacked Portland team that was trying to win a title.

He was then traded for a veteran big who happened to make the All-Star team at that time in Dale Davis in a move to get Portland over the hump. Indiana gave up a very valuable trade chip to start their rebuild with JON and Portland wanted someone who could put more muscle on a prime Shaq. The only reason his numbers were low because he couldn't get minutes behind Sheed.

Throw in Sabonis and Brian Grant into the mix lol. No way a raw JON would be getting any minutes in Portland's front line, let alone TT, when they were going up against Shaq/Horry/Malone and Sacramento's Divac/Webber for supremacy out west.

 

[TeaLeaves]

TT has hands of stone. Wouldn't you think that they ( Grant et al ) would have noticed that when they worked him out pre draft? He can't catch and when he does catch it he takes FOREVER to get the shot up and off. How's that going to improve with time? Explosive??? He's the anti-explosion !