Tristan Thompson

[Jon]

So PER rankings are meaningless but +/- solidifies everything you say?

He's 21st not 4th or better. I'd like him to be top 5 by mid season.

I'm sorry, was there a post I made where I tried to rank Tristan amongst his peers using +/-?

[Jon]

Funneling guys one way or another in a team concept is great. But, studying a guy's tendencies, strong hand, etc. is just as, or even more important. TT's actions show me he's not there yet. Help or not.

Exactly how many minutes do you think Tristan played against David Lee before this game?

Let me tell you, it's less than 11.

Is it some kind of accident teams with superior perimeter defenders often times leave the assignment they had all game in the last 4 or 5 minutes to clamp down on another player who is doing damage?

Well, if you want to dial back to those finals .vs. the Spurs you might recall that Bowen on James was pretty much an after thought in their defensive approach. The Spurs like other teams undestood that James couldn't be contained 1v1 and focused on building a defensive wall to stop him once he made his move. The answer on defense is never to stand there and let the other team score layups (unless you're up by 3 with 1 second to go).

[ArchieBunker7]

Exactly how many minutes do you think Tristan played against David Lee before this game?

Let me tell you, it's less than 11.



Well, if you want to dial back to those finals .vs. the Spurs you might recall that Bowen on James was pretty much an after thought in their defensive approach. The Spurs like other teams undestood that James couldn't be contained 1v1 and focused on building a defensive wall to stop him once he made his move. The answer on defense is never to stand there and let the other team score layups (unless you're up by 3 with 1 second to go).

Film study, talking to vets like Walton(isn't that what he's here for) and Andy, etc. are all tools that can aid the journey in building to that experience factor.

I have no idea why you are cherry picking one part of the statement, when the very simple, overall context of my point was clear. As I said, "Reality is, proper rotation is great, and when there is only one guy to worry about(like your Spurs/LeBron example), it tends to be a little easier to execute." Before that, I told you Carl Landry was destroying us on the interior. To leave him as Lee blows by TT 18 feet from the rim, creates another, just as easy scoring opp for Landry. Who was the guy killing the Spurs they had to worry about as they shut off LeBron? Like I said, it's a whole different case when guys help leave TT to come help on a KI drive to the rim. For one, KI has already shown he would rather fight through the trees more often than feed it to TT, who hasn't earned the trust offensively of his teammates yet. You replace TT with a guy like Lee, and teams have a much more difficult decision to make on when to leave Lee alone and when not to. I understand you want to cut the ball off, but Lee will make you pay on a consistant basis. TT will not, and his opponent knows this just as well as his teammates do.

Is it the same thought process to leave Gasol alone to help on Kobe as it is to leave TT alone and help out on KI? You know Gasol will make them pay. Do you have confidence like that in TT? Does KI? Until he begins to prove otherwise, it is exactly the reason why he is limited to garbage buckets and alley oops 90% of the time.

[NarlCavs]

Not at all saying that Thompson is unathletic or that he's not a good defensive player. But, the talk about him being a great athlete and a super defensive player needs to stop. Just because we keep writing it isn't going to make it true. He's not at all elite in either of those areas.

[Jack Brickman]

Not at all saying that Thompson is unathletic or that he's not a good defensive player. But, the talk about him being a great athlete and a super defensive player needs to stop. Just because we keep writing it isn't going to make it true. He's not at all elite in either of those areas.

When has anyone ever said he's a super defensive player? We've said he has the potential to become one, but he's obviously nowhere near that level yet.

[rabman_gold]

Here's a simple question that most of you who are doubting Thompson should ask yourself: would you rather have JJ Hickson?

[JSS2306]

When has anyone ever said he's a super defensive player? We've said he has the potential to become one, but he's obviously nowhere near that level yet.

The same could be said about 100 other players in this league currently and the thousands who came before him that had potential but never lived up to it. It's time for him to start showing something.

[Jack Brickman]

The same could be said about 100 other players in this league currently and the thousands who came before him that had potential but never lived up to it. It's time for him to start showing something.

He hasn't even played 80 NBA games yet and he's only 21. Most players don't peak until their mid to late twenties and bigs generally take longer to develop than guards. Give the kid some fucking time.

[JSS2306]

He hasn't even played 80 NBA games yet and he's only 21. Most players don't peak until their mid to late twenties and bigs generally take longer to develop than guards. Give the kid some fucking time.

He's played 65 plus games, countless practices, training camps, pre-seasons, personal coaching and has progressed very little. Everybody is and will continue to give him time. I don't think anybody is saying trade the guy just yet but he is disappointing a lot of people. It's that simple.

[Gimme Some Mo]

Here's a simple question that most of you who are doubting Thompson should ask yourself: would you rather have JJ Hickson?

Why should we be asking ourselves that?

[Birdy89]

Here's a simple question that most of you who are doubting Thompson should ask yourself: would you rather have JJ Hickson?

Hickson: 10.2 pts/10.7 rebs /14.01 PER
Thompson: 8.2 pts/7.8 rebs/ 9.46 PER

Right now I probably would take Hickson, who is quietly putting together a really nice season so far in Portland even though he is playing out of position having to log his minutes at center. When you consider we used the 19th pick in the draft to get one, and 4th pick in the draft to get the other it makes JJ look like that much better of a deal compared to his production.

[Jack Brickman]

He's played 65 plus games, countless practices, training camps, pre-seasons, personal coaching and has progressed very little. Everybody is and will continue to give him time. I don't think anybody is saying trade the guy just yet but he is disappointing a lot of people. It's that simple.

You said it's time for him to be showing something. I said he's still 21, hasn't even played a full season's worth of games yet (82), and is at least four or five years (or more) removed from his theoretical prime. It's also questionable how well he fits with Varejao, since their games are similar (defense, offensive rebounds, and garbage buckets). He still has plenty of time, and I think he would benefit greatly from playing beside Zeller once Zeller's face is no longer broken.

[Jack Brickman]

Hickson: 10.2 pts/10.7 rebs /14.01 PER
Thompson: 8.2 pts/7.8 rebs/ 9.46 PER

Right now I probably would take Hickson, who is quietly putting together a really nice season so far in Portland even though he is playing out of position having to log his minutes at center. When you consider we used the 19th pick in the draft to get one, and 4th pick in the draft to get the other it makes JJ look like that much better of a deal compared to his production.

Does anyone really need to explain why it's dumb to compare the stats of a player in his fifth year in the league with a player in his second?

[JSS2306]

You said it's time for him to be showing something. I said he's still 21, hasn't even played a full season's worth of games yet (82), and is at least four or five years (or more) removed from his theoretical prime. It's also questionable how well he fits with Varejao, since their games are similar (defense, offensive rebounds, and garbage buckets). He still has plenty of time, and I think he would benefit greatly from playing beside Zeller once Zeller's face is no longer broken.

Tristan and Andy couldn't be farther apart as far as their games are concerned. Poor comparison. Also, Tristan should benefit from playing next to Andy, not the other way around which is another reason why it's disappointing he hasn't shown much. You'd think watching Andy game in and game out would light a fire under his ass. Hasn't happened.

I don't see how it would benefit Tristan in any way to have him play alongside a rookie in Zeller. Even then, at least Zeller has a shot and runs the floor well.

[ArchieBunker7]

Here's a simple question that most of you who are doubting Thompson should ask yourself: would you rather have JJ Hickson?

That's really neither here nor there. Just because JJ was a goof, dunderhead really has nothing to do with TT. I honestly would rather have neither.