Tristan Thompson

[Jack Brickman]

Los said "I swear he's (Dion) better when coming off the bench." Jack challenged that by saying that the best stretch of Dion's career was towards the end of last season when he was starting. You're making something out of nothing and arguing with yourself.

Thank you. :chuckles:

 

[KingDelonte13]

why are people so adverse to keeping a high character, durable, defensive minded, double-double machine PF on this squad? He has flaws but so does nearly every player in this league.

 

[Goldin Brown]

I like Tristan, but I don't think his value is very high at the moment. I would hold onto him for now, unless you get an offer that's too good to pass up, which you probably won't. One thing we know about Tristan is that he has a very good work ethic. I think he will continue to work on his jumper and on his all around game and I still believe he has a lot of room to grow. He's a pretty decent player right now, his main problem is that he tried to switch shooting hands and couldn't get comfortable with it fast enough. As a result it seemed to really effect his game and made him a much easier player to defend as he really only has a couple of moves on the offensive end. I think if he can get himself comfortable taking and making that mid range shot then he becomes a completely different player. I mean, I still think he has a chance. It would be a mistake to trade him now imo, at least wait until the trade deadline next season to see if he's made any more progress.

 

[shoes22]

I'm not ready to dump him quite yet...even though everyone else (and probably the GM too) wants to.
I'm only trading him if it's part of a package for a no-brainer kind of guy. There's nothing wrong with keeping Tristan to start this year and try to see what we can get at the trade deadline, or letting him walk in RFA next summer.

I just don't believe that Tristan "is what he is" and can't add more skills to his game. I don't think he's anywhere close to his ceiling as a player. I want to see if he makes any kind of jump with another off-season under his belt.

 

[Cavatt]

It's true his value is pretty low now. I do see AB as the probable future starter, but he is still a big question mark. You have to keep Tristan unless you get a proven guy or someone with some upside.

The thing to keep in mind is that he has had a few really big games where he looks really good. He has had some high scoring games and he has definitely had some dominant rebounding nights. That is the type of thing you want to see from a "Raw prospect". I think he is still just really raw. Yeah he looks awkward at times like a teenager. I think he has a really good frame, and he is going to fill out more. His length and athleticism are underused, and he is very durable.

I'd really like him to work on his post game more. He has a strong base and he can move people there. He went away from his jump hook thing that was pretty effective.

For now he is at least able to hold the spot down until AB matures.

 

[The Process God]

It's true his value is pretty low now. I do see AB as the probable future starter, but he is still a big question mark. You have to keep Tristan unless you get a proven guy or someone with some upside.

The thing to keep in mind is that he has had a few really big games where he looks really good. He has had some high scoring games and he has definitely had some dominant rebounding nights. That is the type of thing you want to see from a "Raw prospect". I think he is still just really raw. Yeah he looks awkward at times like a teenager. I think he has a really good frame, and he is going to fill out more. His length and athleticism are underused, and he is very durable.

I'd really like him to work on his post game more. He has a strong base and he can move people there. He went away from his jump hook thing that was pretty effective.

For now he is at least able to hold the spot down until AB matures.

TT's frame is actually rather unimpressive. Check out Bennett's frame. That's a guy who could weigh in at a dead-solid 260 in time. TT's size is fine where it is right now (good, but not great), but he really can't afford to put more weight on. He has shown that he gets a lot less athletic when he puts on weight. Bennett has that body where he can be bigger and faster than most power forwards. He'll be a great mismatch at that position. I don't think it's a stretch to think that Bennett will be better next season than TT has ever been. We can't afford to keep TT at any rate. He will be gone before the season starts, I suspect.

Bennett does need a lot of maturing to do, but our time to make big moves is this off-season. We need to make TT someone else's resigning issue and not our own. That's why he won't be here past this off-season. Bennett will fill in fine, I'm sure.

 

[Zen]

TT's frame is actually rather unimpressive. Check out Bennett's frame. That's a guy who could weigh in at a dead-solid 260 in time. TT's size is fine where it is right now (good, but not great), but he really can't afford to put more weight on. He has shown that he gets a lot less athletic when he puts on weight. Bennett has that body where he can be bigger and faster than most power forwards. He'll be a great mismatch at that at that position. I don't think it's a stretch to think that Bennett will be better next season than TT has ever been. We can't afford to keep TT at any rate. He will be gone before the season starts, I suspect.

Bennett does need a lot of maturing to do, but our time to make big moves is this off-season. We need to make TT someone else's resigning issue and not our own. That's why he won't be here past this off-season. Bennett will fill in fine, I'm sure.

Yes, bennett will be fine for a 6'7 powerforward. Translated - we are fucked.

Can't even blame Grant. He probably picked the best talent from that draft. Shame the #1 from a draft has a ceiling of probably a 6th man in a strange niche role of a 6'7 mixed forward.

I do agree with you, TT is likely suited for a bench role. With the money he will command it might be foolish for us to re-up him. Given the fact that Griffin on multiple occasions has mentioned our lack of size I think it is an extreme stretch to think AB is in our long term plans.

"To accomplish the goal of once again being a winning club, Griffin believes it will come down to five key areas: getting bigger, smarter, tougher, becoming better shooters and finding the right roster fit – something he feels can be achieved through the assets the team already possesses."

to me AB is nothing more than trade bait.


Look, Joe Johnson plays shooting guard at 6'7, Lebron plays SF at 6'8.5. AB is lacking every skill needed for a player of his height. (you can say hes a shooter all you want but he hasn't proven it). Unless he is Chuck Barkley or Larry Johnson he isn't going to amount to more than a chuck hayes type player... And there is nothing wrong with that, but he just isn't what we need.

 

[The Process God]

Yes, bennett will be fine for a 6'7 powerforward. Translated - we are fucked.

Can't even blame Grant. He probably picked the best talent from that draft. Shame the #1 from a draft has a ceiling of probably a 6th man in a strange niche role of a 6'7 mixed forward.

I do agree with you, TT is likely suited for a bench role. With the money he will command it might be foolish for us to re-up him. Given the fact that Griffin on multiple occasions has mentioned our lack of size I think it is an extreme stretch to think AB is in our long term plans.

"To accomplish the goal of once again being a winning club, Griffin believes it will come down to five key areas: getting bigger, smarter, tougher, becoming better shooters and finding the right roster fit – something he feels can be achieved through the assets the team already possesses."

to me AB is nothing more than trade bait.


Look, Joe Johnson plays shooting guard at 6'7, Lebron plays SF at 6'8.5. AB is lacking every skill needed for a player of his height. (you can say hes a shooter all you want but he hasn't proven it). Unless he is Chuck Barkley or Larry Johnson he isn't going to amount to more than a chuck hayes type player... And there is nothing wrong with that, but he just isn't what we need.

Bennett has a lot of issues (which are all fixable), but his height isn't one of them. At least in his situation. Bennett is stupid strong and athletic for his position. He was the 2nd player in history to score a 39" vertical for his weight before getting drafted. Also, his length (Max said his wingspan could very well be 7'3") helps. Regardless of all that, you could tell from the games that his height wasn't an issue. Hell, he even at times guarded centers in the post admirably.

And what do you mean he's lacking every skill needed for a player his height? Height doesn't matter. Either you can play the position or you can't. Despite his height deficit, Bennett is, can, and will be our power forward unless we trade for a star power forward.

Also, get out of here with the Chuck Hayes comparisons. That's just terrible.

And yes, he is a shooter. I don't care what anyone else says. I know what I've seen, and I can't unsee it. He will showcase that talent at a much higher level next season than he did this season. His jumper form is picture perfect, and he will show that he can make his jumper in a variety of ways.

Long story short, Bennett, with time, can fill in 4 out of 5 of those qualifications that Griffin gave, and then he can also show that the 5th one will not be an issue for him because he will play bigger than he is. That's just what I've seen from him. Disagree with it if you want, but I think a lot of people here will agree with me that, save for us trading for a star power forward or some other star that will have to involve Bennett in the trade, he is our power forward for the future.

 

[Derek]

I responded in the Bennett thread, but yeah pretty much what Lottery God said

 

[CosmoKramer]

TT's frame is actually rather unimpressive. Check out Bennett's frame. That's a guy who could weigh in at a dead-solid 260 in time. TT's size is fine where it is right now (good, but not great), but he really can't afford to put more weight on. He has shown that he gets a lot less athletic when he puts on weight. Bennett has that body where he can be bigger and faster than most power forwards. He'll be a great mismatch at that at that position. I don't think it's a stretch to think that Bennett will be better next season than TT has ever been. We can't afford to keep TT at any rate. He will be gone before the season starts, I suspect.

Bennett does need a lot of maturing to do, but our time to make big moves is this off-season. We need to make TT someone else's resigning issue and not our own. That's why he won't be here past this off-season. Bennett will fill in fine, I'm sure.

 

[Cashius X]

It's not though...

If he gets the minutes, I'd actually expect it. I'd be willing to put money up too

 

[OptimusPrime]

The last 25 games or so Bennett played he was already better than Thompson is.

 

[DatDudeZ3]

Let's put it this way... What does TT bring to the table? Nothing special or hard to find (energy, a big body, decent rebounding, hustle). You can find that almost anywhere, I mean for the money he wants it's just not worth extending him. I hope we just trade him this summer and get something basically out of nothing. Tristan is a great guy but he's just not going to be worth the money he gets. Sure, every team needs a guy like TT (hustle, energy off the bench) but we could find someone just as valuable for much cheaper.

 

[CosmoKramer]

It's not though...

If he gets the minutes, I'd actually expect it. I'd be willing to put money up too

How would that bet possibly be determined? The subject of the better player is pretty subjective, even now we differ on who is better between Tristan and Derrick Williams. Should we take durability into consideration? AB missed more games in his lone rookie season (30) than Tristan's missed his entire three year career (5). I've long believed a player maintaining good health and adversely his availability is a valuable skill, you can't help the team while you're in street clothes.

I wouldn't argue AB would score more points in the same minutes, just that he'd give those points right back with subpar defense. For all the talk about his amazing defensive potential with all his size and length I've yet to see that manifest itself in positive ways defensively. He's never even been a mediocre defender in his 2 years in major basketball, can we slow the brakes on how great he can be on that end? I'd settle for mediocre next year, but that's pretty unrealistic. I'd be ecstatic if he could move his feet quick enough to stay in front of washed-up 36-year-olds.

You want to base it on PER? Best alternative I could think of. Tristan posted a PER of 16.1 his second season, I'll bet you $20 AB doesn't top that next year.

We should also add on Derrick Williams, who you keep pushing as a better player than TT as well, to bump it up to $40 in two separate bets.

The last 25 games or so Bennett played he was already better than Thompson is.

Because he scored more points in his limited minutes? He was also much more shot-happy than Tristan is, which accounts for the slight difference in points. AB had a 21.2% Usage Rate over those 25 games, Tristan had a 16.3%. Just looking at their per 36 numbers together-


AB: 14.4 points (42-35-67) for a 49.5% TS%, 9.4 rebounds, .9 assists, .5 blocks, .9 steals, 2.8 turnovers

TT: 13.4 points (51-0-79) on 57.0% TS%, 10.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, .6 blocks, .8 steals, 1 turnover


Shows Tristan to be the more efficient, productive big while having a turnover rate half of AB's. The team's success with Tristan on the floor (119 Offensive Rating/109 Defensive Rating) compared to AB (92 Offensive Rating/110 Defensive Rating) over their own respective final 25 games is also further proof AB wasn't nearly as effective as he was made out to be, and certainly not a better player than Tristan was.

 

[EdMonix11]

I wouldn't argue AB would score more points in the same minutes, just that he'd give those points right back with subpar defense. For all the talk about his amazing defensive potential with all his size and length I've yet to see that manifest itself in positive ways defensively. He's never even been a mediocre defender in his 2 years in major basketball, can we slow the brakes on how great he can be on that end? I'd settle for mediocre next year, but that's pretty unrealistic. I'd be ecstatic if he could move his feet quick enough to stay in front of washed-up 36-year-olds.

The team's success with Tristan on the floor (119 Offensive Rating/109 Defensive Rating) compared to AB (92 Offensive Rating/110 Defensive Rating) over their own respective final 25 games is also further proof AB wasn't nearly as effective as he was made out to be, and certainly not a better player than Tristan was.

Wait, were the Cavs a better defensive team with AB on the court?