Summer League Game 3: Phoenix vs. Cleveland, Tuesday, July 17 2012, 8:30pm EST

[Sw33tL0u]

After a few games...some observations....

Dion Waiters will be just fine. He needs to get into a little bit better shape, but the kid has some bounce and can get to the rim. Has the uncanny knack for getting thru tight spots and splitting defenders. Will need to work on his jumper off-the-dribble, but you can see it's something that he can improve on.

Zeller has played pretty well. I think the Summer League style actually favors him though, and where he will struggle in the NBA is when he has to defend legit post players. After seeing more of him, I think Nick Collison is a good comparison, although I think Zeller may wind up having a better midrange game.

Sloan has played decent. He showed a few things at the end of last season, and has looked okay in Summer League. Not sure he is a backup PG, but may be deserving of a roster spot. I'd rather see him around than Luke Harangoady.

Of course that leaves us with my whipping boy, Tristan Thompson. I know his minutes have been limited, but not seeing much out of him. I fear he never becomes an offensive threat. I know people argue that he will improve and just needs "time"....but even with improvement, his game isn't going to change much. At least with some young players you see glimpses of it - and then it develops. Like with Bosh...or Derrick Favors...or Greg Monroe.

I said it when the Cavs drafted him, but I'm not really sure Tristan becomes a better NBA player than Markieff Morris. Seeing Morris play well tonight only reminds me of that.

That said, they are two very different players...but that has something to do with it. Morris is a PF who has some skills and with range that extends out to the 3-pt line. While Tristan basically plays like an undersized center. Morris is also older, but not by much...about 18 months...

TT is what he is...and his minutes in the Summer League so far have shown that to me even more. I really am rooting for him to become the player the Cavs need him to become, I'm just not betting on it...not right now, at least. :thumbdown

 

[Th3xTrUtH]

Interview with Waiters after the game he talked about working on his jumper and he knows he needs to fix it to be effective. Nothing but hard work and trying to get to greatness is on his mind.

 

[David.]

Im on board the Waiter Train, but ya know what I told my parents and teachers at every progress report? I would step it up and do my homework and bla bla bla. Got a 0.4 one year in highschool. Talk is talk.

 

[brooks]

Where do the Zeller and Nick Collison comparisons come from? Collison has been a more defense oriented player with very limited offensive size or skill for his position albeit being an average shooter, whereas Zeller seems to be the exact opposite (Center size with loads of offensive skill & finesse, but not much of a presence on defense). Regardless, Zeller has really impressed thus far. Waiters looked fantastic tonight, and hopefully it's only a glimpse of what's to come once he's in-shape and adds some more experience throughout the summer.

 

[Pioneer10]

Tristan looks like a mess when he has the ball close to the basket in traffic. Fumbles the ball, hesitates, and then doesn't seem to have the strength to explode thru contact. For all his athleticism he doesn't seem to have the agility and the strength to actually use to it's potential.

I'm hoping we see more out of him in the remaining summer league games

 

[Stark]

I guess that means we'd really benefit from a strong shooting SF.

 

[Alencoao]

Dion will be fine. He has all the things you can't teach. He's relentless, he's passionate, he's fearless - and that's a lot to ask from a rookie SG. He's incredible going to the basket and getting to the foul line and that's what's hard. In the NBA you have a LOT of shooters. When LeBron was here we had 3 of the best 10 3-point shooters in the league - Gibson, Parker and Williams - and only one man who could create his own shot. Look where that took us. We need guys like DW.
I know talk is cheap and we all have done it but Waiters sounds like he's aspiring for greatness and that's really cool to see. Except for Kyrie and LeJudas we haven't had someone like that in 20 years.
He can repair his shooting and even if he can't we can still get shooters. What you can't teach - and get - is a great slashing ability and desire to get better.
I have no worries.

 

[Lumthemad]

Part of me wonders if Tristan misses a guy like Kyrie who would and could get him the ball in spots he wants to catch and do something with it. (fyi, i haven't seen the games so i'm speculating) Summer league as a rule isn't usually big man friendly in terms of showcasing their games unless you have a guy who is making it a point to get it to that player. If anything, i've got to question Tristans demanding of the ball. I think sometimes he just LIKES to blend into the game versus being "the guy". Tough to sometimes un-learn being a role player.

I think he'll be ok and become a solid offensive threat. In my mind, i've always had it being a small step up this season and a more larger leap the next. Let's see if i'm right...

 

[GilbertForPres]

The game is being re-played on NBA TV if anyone is interested.

 

[chrisrich91]

The jump shot attempt Tristan took was rushed and on the move. You could tell he was pressing for an opportunity to try it out in game, and he forced it in a bad situation where it was blocked. It was overall a bad attempt, but I wish it wasn't blocked...I wanted to see where his jumper is at this point.

He's still got nice touch around the basket and elevates nicely on his hooks, but he just looks so rushed or nervous or something. Everytime I watch him I find myself yelling "slow the fuck down" or "chill out Tristan". He's very erratic. If he just calms down I think he'd look infinitely better, but I'm not sure how you get him to calm down.

 

[The Oi]

The Cavs traded JJ Hickson...and then decided to draft him again.

 

[rabman_gold]

Why should anyone expect TT to be that great offensive weapon anyways? His ability to offensive rebound and draw fouls in traffic is what makes him scary anyways. Plus, he's showing glimpses of that little hook in the lane that can be modified. He had what? 3 months with it? Give him another 3 months and he might at least be able to use the post every so often since they'll likely guard him with the weaker link and now he'll have 2 competent guards to play off of rather than just one. He'll also get to play on the court at the same time as them this year too, since he'll have earned it. But he's fine. He knows what he's doing out there, maybe with exception to moving screens, so he passes.

Tyler also is right there. Looks every bit of a legitimate NBA player already. Should be able to get right into the mix at the beginning. The only thing is I have an ominous feeling that he's more like Z and Mihm in more than ONE way (mid ranger, whitish, rebounder, awkward, and... maybe might get into and injury at one point this season...). I love his stroke, which will be free with two perimeter threats in the open. He should be able to hit 35-45% at some point of those. Plus, he's every bit as scrappy on the boards as Z was. You need arm length to play, but you need a large enough body to be able to man up against some players (in other words, you can't always be 6 foot 9 and have the arm length of a monkey to defend guys, sometimes, you need to be like a rhino too).

Dion also passes I think, but the more I see him, he does seem like a great spark off the bench, a las Vinny Johnson and James Harden. Regardless, if he ever fulfilled his starting role and managed to play like it, he should be able to do something with Kyrie in the lineup. And no, he's not going to have as many consistent jump shots like he did in college from what it looks like unless he plants his feet and raises perfectly, but you have to love the fact that he's aggressive and creates well for himself and others (which means he's less selfish than you think, like World B. Free, who could chuck all day).

And hopefully, Samardo has woken up to the coaches' good side at this point and might have life beyond Training Camp, which I expect him to be at. It's up to him. He has what it takes, but no more mental flops or he's gone. He wants to stay here, we'll see.

Finally, there were about 2 or so guys that might see life in Training Camp: Donald Sloan and Holiday. Both are great defenders but do shit offensively. Still much better than the others. Even a poor man's streak shooter like T.J. Campbell or a poor man's jack of all trade like Garrett Temple. Sloan can't seem to handle the ball, but may see fit as the third string guard at least (2nd this season if nothing else) and Holiday is a swingman we could use.

Just some thoughts to the first 3 games. May change for Thursday and Friday but we'll see.