I saw a good comment on one of the articles on this deal, putting Jordan Hill's stats next to Thompson's side by side. Jordan's were actually better. Thompson is supposedly the better defender but enough better to make $20M a year when Hill only makes $4M? Very bizarre.
Looks like he rejected a 5 yr/80M offer from the Cavs: Thompson and the Cavaliers had reached an agreement early in free agency that was believed to have been centered on a five-year deal worth some $80 million. The problem with doing a deal at that number is that virtually everyone in Thompson’s talent range got substantially more, most receiving the NBA maximum salary, some for less years, but most for the same year one dollar amount. Thompson’s camp pulled back from the $80 million number, wanting the Cavs to step up with more based on what virtually everyone else in Thompson’s peer range got. This poses a major problem for the Cavaliers, not because they don’t value Thompson, but because of where they are in the NBA luxury tax structure. http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nba-am-the-cavaliers-and-thompson-should-wait/
At the end of the day you just can't play everyone max or close to max money. They have to let someone go.
TT will likely get more than $80 million next season. It is understandable why he wants a max contract this summer. I believe this is one of the rare examples where a team should let a player walk away for nothing. They can't pay both him and Kevin Love at the same position.
After LeBron retires, Cleveland likely is never relevant again. They haven't won squat yet and are in no position to let anyone go until they have secured a title. This is the type of thinking that leads Harden to Houston. Remember it seemed like Okc was just destined to win. Now you have Durant hurt, Westbrook was hurt, and the West is a freak show.
Comparing TT now to Harden at OKC is crazy and has nothing to do with what happened at OKC. Unlike the Cavs, the Thunder did NOT already have a better player at Harden's position being paid a max salary. Harden was also their second best game-closer after KD. It was clear he had star potential because he demonstrated it on many occasions. The main concern about him was consistency and part of that problem was he played for a coach overly concerned about protecting a specific pecking order. TT is a very limited role-player with zero potential to be a star. Otherwise, the win-now Cavs would have maxed him without hesitation. TT's best value to the Cavs is being an insurance policy in case Love gets injured. He will become untradeable the minute a team maxes him out.
Are you implying there's even a remote chance of Tristan Thompson becoming a superstar on a less talented team?
He was a hell of a lot more revered around the and considered a fringe star player than TT. TT has never been mentioned as a part of a big three, and most times he is not even an option on offense at all. Harden was at the very least a 3rd option but most of the time a 2nd option for the Thunder due to his playmaking.
No, but he was a star... He was 17/4/4 off the bench his last year in OKC, and played a very major part in winning them the WCF against the Spurs. It was fairly obvious to many that Harden would be a big time star. Sure, nobody should have pegged him at MVP level, but there were plenty who thought that the guy was an all-star if he got a few more shots per game... There is a fairly significant difference between the 2 guys.
Tristan Thompson NBA skill is only in rebounding, especially offensively. The rest ? Hot junks all around. He just has to face the reality sooner or later, he isn't even half the player of Greg Monroe, and 80 mil/5 years is not enough ??
Thompson is pretty good off of pick and rolls. His rebounding is very elite as well. Don't pretend like having a guy like Thompson who will grab almost every rebound isn't something every team wouldn't want. It sucks that Kevin Love is already on the Cavs though. I'd give Thompson a deal similar to the one Jonas just got.
Harden showed he could be an all-star when given the main role. TT has not shown to be anything more than a garbage man on offense on a consistent basis
Actually, he isn't that good off PnRs if there is any traffic at all. For a young player, he is one of the slowest jumper/finishers in the league. I didn't realize how bad it was until this season. Of course teams want him and nobody is "pretending" otherwise. It's a matter of price. From TT"s standpoint, it's $94 million or bye bye next summer. Cavs should let him play it out and get someone worth it in 2016. TT is another one of those players a team should find instead of pay. He's hit his ceiling.
With the changing salary landscape, some of these guys really overvalue themselves. Tristan is decent, but there is nothing in his game that is spectacular. He is developing, so I don't think it's time for a max contract like the one he sees himself singing. If he were a 2-way player,the dough might be warranted. I don't know what his ceiling is, but he's another PF/C that can't hit a jumper. Personally, I've grown tired of big men that cannot shoot. Admittedly, I have a bias against that type of player, especially when they're on opposing teams. It's one of the reasons I could not stand watching Shaq. His game was all about overpowering his opponent and slamming it home. Yes, there's skill involved but I miss the true big men like Hakeem, prime Duncan, C-Webb etc... Now it's rare for a 6'10"--7 footer to hit a jumper on a regular basis. It's sad, in my opinion. TT will get paid, but it will be a contract that his team regrets, UNLESS he becomes a Marcus Camby type of player. If he pulls down 18 rebounds a game, blocks shots and can score a bit, then maybe he's worth the dough. Right now, he isn't even on Ben Wallace's level. He's Brendan Haywood with a little more mobility.
Pro sports and contracts are stupid these days. Tristan Thompson went 8.5 and 8.0 this year and he wants a max type contract? Hakeem would be worth 60 million a year with these ballooned values.
