DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum NBA / Cavs Discussion II

I wouldn't blame Thompson for the Cavs playing him out of position.

He is a 4 and that is where he should play. He doesn't have the upper body to be a 5. He's a 4 who keeps plays alive, cleans up the garbage, doesn't demand the ball, and can throw it down on occasion.

Guys like that are valuable.

i agree, and I'm not blaming him, just stating why the negativity around him. Plus he turned down 13 million a year..he has value, just not that kind of value.

Okay. I wasn't trying to pick a fight. Seriously...LOL...I was just wondering why I have seen all these negative comments about the guy. When I watch games, he always does the little things. I loved having teammates and players like that.

Value? I don't have a clue about that kinda stuff.

That kinda guy pays dividends in the playoffs when you get int ugly half court type games. We haven't really played that sytle of games this year, but in a series with Chicago, he could make a small diference.

In today's NBA Thompson is a five. He can't stretch the floor and he can't guard the other teams four most of the time as he is too slow. There are certain teams he is useful against (the Pacers and Bulls come to mind).

j/c

Chad Ford is a scumbag (or his editor). Figured this went here since it's talking about NBA draft prospects. Look how smart Chad Ford is able to depict NBA superstars in his previous draft lists (as long as he goes back years later to update the lists):

http://deadspin.com/espns-chad-ford-has-been-retroactively-editing-draft-bo-1681631642

I'd think ESPN is more behind this than Chad, although I think he happily played along ... The funny part is that as soon as deadspin broke the story, ESPN reverted the rankings back to their original values. Quite the shady organization.

Wow, that is just sad. I wonder how often I could be right on this board if I could go back and change some of my bigger mistakes?

I mean, imagine if I could go back and instead of saying that I thought that Weeden could succeed, that he would be an enprmous flop.

Problem is TT is a bit of a tweener. Too slow and too poor of a mid-range shooter to be a 4, and too small to be an effective 5. He's one of the worst 1-on-1 defenders around and he's got a slow, ineffective shot. Athletically, he's pretty good. He's got good energy, he can get up and down the court, he can dunk, and he's a great rebounder. Like leadtheway said, coming off the bench, he's a good player to have. When he's expected to put in major minutes at the 4 or 5, his liabilities start to get exposed. And when he asks for over $13 million a year for a new contract, then people really question if it's worth it to have him.

it's ridiculous. also, Chad is famous for saying that his rankings are just what NBA FO's are telling him, not his personal ranking. so, he is retroactively boosting his rankings, but they aren't really even his rankings?

anyway, someone will be fired for this one, but pretty sure ESPN isn't going to fire a cash-cow in Chad. he'll get one of those paid vacations, errr suspensions they like to hand out.

I think that Thompson is a quality backup big, and can help at either the 4 or 5 in that role. He is definitely a high energy guy. He is not a starting Center. He is not a starting PF on a good team either. I go not understand him turning down that huge extension he was offered. He's a nice player to have, and can be helpful, but he is not a starter. He can rebound, but his defense is abysmal. He can score a bit, if he is in the proper role, but he's not a guy who will go out and impose his will on anyone.

I almost cannot see anyone giving him some max type deal ..... but I cannot believe most of the players in the NBA who wind up with max deals. I would prefer having Andy in that backup/swing PF/C ..... if he could be counted on to stay healthy. Unfortunately, that seems to rarely be the case.

One thing I do know is that Griffin has done a great job of finding pieces that fit on this team. Maybe he'll turn a Thompson sign and trade and/or Haywood's non guaranteed deal into another useful part for this team. He seems to understand exactly what kind of players this team needs, and what kind of players fit into Blatt's schemes. Actually, he and Blatt seem to be a really good team. I am impressed with that aspect of the team, probably above all else.

Anyway ... 6 games and counting.

Wow, I missed this today. Unbelievable. That is grounds for firing.

I was never a big Chad Ford guy. As far as draft stuff for the NBA, I prefer to look outside the world of the big media outlets. The smaller website guys actually do a solid job, but we all know it's not a perfect science. The talent in NCAA basketball is spread out so wide that it's hard to judge it. A lot of people rip the NBA for not being what it used to be (it's always that same guy who was only a casual fan anyway) but it really is a ridiculous level of talent.

Good rebounders, especially offensive rebounders, are invaluable.

They are very valuable. However, is a guy like Thompson, who is a very good offensive rebounder, a max contract type of guy? I have a hard time making that case. He is OK at a lot of things, and very good at grabbing missed shots. How much do you pay a guy like that? How much is he worth? He turned down $13 million/year earlier this year. Is he worth more than that? How much more? Is he worth possibly giving up other players, maybe several players, to re-sign?

I kind of wish that the team would not have re-signed Andy. He is a really good player when he can play, but he is Fragile with the proverbial, and actual, F. He will be hard to trade next year. However, Griffin was smart enough to add in a pair of non-guaranteed years in 2016-17, and 2017-2018, in the amount of roughly $10 million. That will give us another asset we can use the year after we can use Haywood's non guaranteed deal. We don't have to use those deals for trades, but we have them there if we want, or need to. In the short term, though, his deal may handcuff the team to an extent.

Chicago's last three championships were due in no small part to Rodman's rebounding (especially offensive) prowess.

Do you think that Thompson is worth a max deal.

I accept that Thompson is a great offensive rebounder. Heck, I was one of the few people who was, essentially, on his side over the past few years. He is a solid player. However, I ask again, on this team, is he worth being made a 4th max player on this team? (bearing in mind that Mozgov will probably also be a max player in another year and a half)

Rodman was also a great defender which is where he had major value. TT has one of the worst OPP FG%'s in the league. One-on-one he's a liability. Sure he can grab a rebound if his guy misses, but when his guy is hitting the shot 60% of the time ...

Sorry guys. I know the game of basketball, and I used to follow the NBA religiously, but I don't watch much anymore. I don't know what kind of defender Thompson is. I was merely echoing Vers point on how valuable a stud rebounder is. Yes, Rodman was also an excellent defender. But he broke the spirit of so many other teams with his rebounding, especially offensive rebounds.

I honestly feel that Rodman's rebounding netted the bulls 10 more wins in '96 and '97. Instead of 72 and 69 wins, you are talking 62 and 59.

I'm sure there are other areas between the two players that are not comparable. And Rodman is maybe the greatest rebounder of all time. But that type of skill and effort matters in the win - loss column.

As to what TT is worth, I have no idea.

Good post. I don't know his worth either, but I can tell you this.............if he walks, we are a far worse team. Most fans don't appreciate the guys who do the dirty work.

We need to mop up Detroit tonight... get some payback!

Love is awesome at that full court pass lol! Kevin, want to play Cleveland Browns QB for a season? Can't be any worse than JF LOL!

Lebron can be lethal in low scoring games because of his slashing and ability to finish through contact. Plus he can get in the bonus.

Defense is starting to step up!

Irving 4 for 6 from the three point line! JR has drained two from behind the line.

Just keep pouring it on Detroit!!!!!!!!! Mozgov is a BEAST! Plus he has an unblockable hook lol!

In only 10 games with the Cavs, JR Smith has already attempted 85 threes.

He's already 60th on the Cavs all time 3's attempted list.

Looking at the rest of the schedule Barring injuries/time off/cruise control...

I see no way we don't win at least 50 games..

And that STILL may only put us 5th..

Weird year in the East.

He'll be in the Top 10 by the end of next season

This is why JR Swish is a national treasure.

I'm actually comfortable with him taking those threes. I think it's because his shot looks so smooth. You actually FEEL like it's going in, rather than just hoping it goes in.

This bowling trip they took a few weeks ago might become the stuff of legend if they keep this up. They might want to give Lebron a month off and take a weekend bowling trip before the playoffs start.

LOL He might be top 10 by the end of this season.

Big win by the Bulls without Butler. They had Gasol (7'), Mirotic (6'10"), and Noah (6'11") on the floor at the tail end of the 4th and most of OT. That's a tall front three. I would have thought the Warriors would simply shoot over them, but they struggled from deep and the Bulls soaked up those rebounds.

Can the Cavs play against that lineup (when we played them recently, Noah was out)?

Cavs can play against that lineup. Want to beat a super tall lineup? Go super small and speed the tempo up. Big guys turn the ball over like crazy when you do that. You also force bigs out of the paint. Play this lineup-

Irving
Shumpert
Smith
LBJ
Love

That spaces their entire defense out and makes rebounding harder. Mirotic and Noah don't really beat you up in the paint with low post offense. I'd put LBJ on Noah and Love on Gasol. There's zero chance Chicago runs that lineup very long.

I think I understand why Drummong averages so many rebounds-

That's what I would think too, but the Bulls outplayed Golden State last night with that lineup in (Rose and Hinrich were the guards). Golden State had a small lineup in, were running a high tempo, and had trouble closing the game out. Maybe it was just that the Warriors shots weren't dropping (which will happen with a jump shooting team).

That's my worry with the Bulls, they can run a very tall lineup and have a deeper bench. I'd say our starters are better, but that's right now.

I still want to see another backup PG. Heck, another big wouldn't be too bad either.

I remember when Z used to do that.

Gotta step it up tonight without the King in the rotation.

Love especially.

Wow can Irving be stopped?!?!

On fire.

Kyrie can't keep this up. He'll need to score at least 20 in the 4th to offset everyone else shooting like garbage and still get the W.

It'd be nice to see Kevin or JR take some pressure off him to start the quarter.

I'm gonna say NO!!!

Holy smokes, Irving had an incredible game. Phenomenal. 55 points, franchise record. Off the hook how he played. Pretty much put the team on his back tonight!