Cavaliers agree to 5-year, $82M contract with RFA Tristan Thompson

[Tayswagzzz]

Currently the worst contract in the NBA.

[HeatedEnd]

I don't know about worst contact but their situation may not look that good a few years from now.

[jbk1234]

How many guys would you put over him? I agree he's not Deandre or Dwight, but there's few guys out there I'd take over him battling on the boards.

I know it's counter-intuitive because he sometimes looks like a truly great rebounder, but there's years worth of numbers and observations backing up that he's not near the level you think he is. In the playoffs, he was outrebounded by guys like Draymond, Gasol, Duncan, etc--guys who aren't super rebounders (at lost not anymore for the last two). And per minute he pulled down substantially fewer boards than guys like Drew Gooden, David Lee, Bogut, Tyson Chandler, etc. Per minute he was 36th in last year's playoffs, 11th among starting players.

Elite rebounders like D12 and DeAndre aren't just a little better than him--they pulled down almost 25% more rebounds than him. That blows his #s out of the water, and comparing him to them is like comparing Diaw or Batum or some other mediocre rebounder to him. He could certainly get better but right now he's just an offensive rebounding specialist, isn't good at D rebs despite years of coaches working with him.

All of this. And he's not even a plus defender by really any measure. Most of his real value is offense, but people are comparing him to the guy he replaced (Love) who he's relatively a better defender. For the regular season they were better defensively with him on the bench than the court.


All that said, its defensible though still a bad deal.

The notion that Love is a better defender than TT is just an indictment against relying solely on advanced stats. TT is a really good PNR defender which is the Achilles heel for most big men. It impacts the other team's ability to run its sets and the overall offense.

[oaktownwarriors87]

I know it's counter-intuitive because he sometimes looks like a truly great rebounder, but there's years worth of numbers and observations backing up that he's not near the level you think he is. In the playoffs, he was outrebounded by guys like Draymond, Gasol, Duncan, etc--guys who aren't super rebounders (at lost not anymore for the last two). And per minute he pulled down substantially fewer boards than guys like Drew Gooden, David Lee, Bogut, Tyson Chandler, etc. Per minute he was 36th in last year's playoffs, 11th among starting players.

Elite rebounders like D12 and DeAndre aren't just a little better than him--they pulled down almost 25% more rebounds than him. That blows his #s out of the water, and comparing him to them is like comparing Diaw or Batum or some other mediocre rebounder to him. He could certainly get better but right now he's just an offensive rebounding specialist, isn't good at D rebs despite years of coaches working with him.

All of this. And he's not even a plus defender by really any measure. Most of his real value is offense, but people are comparing him to the guy he replaced (Love) who he's relatively a better defender. For the regular season they were better defensively with him on the bench than the court.


All that said, its defensible though still a bad deal.

The notion that Love is a better defender than TT is just an indictment against relying solely on advanced stats. TT is a really good PNR defender which is the Achilles heel for most big men. It impacts the other team's ability to run its sets and the overall offense.

But he isn't a good defender, and the only reason he grabs so many offensive rebounds is because he doesn't really play offense.... he just stabds around an waits for the rebound.

That also plays a role in his poor defense. He crashes the o boards so heavily that he doesnt get back on d.

[Blame Rasho]

Reminds me when the Heat gave a stupid 100 million dollar contract to a player just like Thompson, in Brian Grant. He isn't the first nor last player to get an absurd contract.

The problem with the Brian Grant deal wasn't that the Heat overpaid, it was that he had a neurological disorder which ended up curbing his career. He was the heart and soul of some very good Portland teams.

To me when I think of absurd contracts I think of the Sonics signing Jim McIlvaine for more money then they were willing to pay Shawn Kemp. Not only was it a bad contract, but it torpedoed the locker room.

Also that deal where Dallas overpaid
for Dampier, and let Nash go to do it.

Or every Jerome James contract.

NBA GMs are really dumb.

Are you kidding me? He was a garbage hustle player and they gave him 86 million - not 100 million but whatever. If you use inflation calculator it was 135 million over 7 years.

[jbk1234]

Currently the worst contract in the NBA.

Here's the thing - TT might be overpaid but he's gonna stay healthy, he's gonna hustle, he's going to get his rebounds, he's going to continue to play good PNR defense, and he's going remain versatile enough to play two front court positions. You're never going to have pull him in the 4th quarter because of his defense. He's never going to shoot his team out of the game or complain that he's not getting enough touches.

You just had Reggie Jackson, who hasn't yet put together a complete season of good play, get an $80 million contract. Enis Kanter, who has yet to demonstrate that he's even capable of defending at the NBA level, just got $70 million. So when I think of TT's floor and compare it with the potential floors of all the other big contracts given to young players this summer, I'm not at all convinced that it's the worst contract in the NBA. The Cavs will never have a situation where they have to waive and stretch TT because he's net negative. What he brings will always provide value.

[crazy_me_87]

All of this. And he's not even a plus defender by really any measure. Most of his real value is offense, but people are comparing him to the guy he replaced (Love) who he's relatively a better defender. For the regular season they were better defensively with him on the bench than the court.


All that said, its defensible though still a bad deal.

The notion that Love is a better defender than TT is just an indictment against relying solely on advanced stats. TT is a really good PNR defender which is the Achilles heel for most big men. It impacts the other team's ability to run its sets and the overall offense.

But he isn't a good defender, and the only reason he grabs so many offensive rebounds is because he doesn't really play offense.... he just stabds around an waits for the rebound.

That also plays a role in his poor defense. He crashes the o boards so heavily that he doesnt get back on d.

he is great at defending P&R for a Big. wich in todays P&R heavy league is clearly valuable. And his off rebounds are exactly what Cle wants. extra possessions for Lebron,Kyrie,Love,JR,Mo to score even more.

and especially in the Playoffs extra posessions can be the difference between win and loss.

Also he is only 24 so there is still a chance he improves. last summer he switched his shooting hand wich took all of last summer.. maybe he improved. also he has not missed a game in his career. looking at how much injuries the rest of the Cavs Bigs have endured throughout their careers... Durability can become as valuable as a on court skill.

if those 3 things... P&R defense,off rebounds and durability are worth 5/82 is at least questionable... thats true.

But lets face it.. the Cavs wouldnt have gotten him for less and have no good way of replacing what he brings. Yes theire are simmillar players to TT but none of them is only 24 und super durable.

[jbk1234]

All of this. And he's not even a plus defender by really any measure. Most of his real value is offense, but people are comparing him to the guy he replaced (Love) who he's relatively a better defender. For the regular season they were better defensively with him on the bench than the court.


All that said, its defensible though still a bad deal.

The notion that Love is a better defender than TT is just an indictment against relying solely on advanced stats. TT is a really good PNR defender which is the Achilles heel for most big men. It impacts the other team's ability to run its sets and the overall offense.

But he isn't a good defender, and the only reason he grabs so many offensive rebounds is because he doesn't really play offense.... he just stabds around an waits for the rebound.

That also plays a role in his poor defense. He crashes the o boards so heavily that he doesnt get back on d.

If you're going to make a blanket statement like that, I think you need to identify exactly what it is that TT does poorly on defense. He has good food speed, he's able to stay in front of wings after switches, and he can hold his own on the block. He's a little undersized for my taste by it's only a problem against a few bigs in the league.

As far as transition defense, I think you're confusing what the Cavs ask TT to do with what TT is capable of doing.

[HotelVitale]

You just had Reggie Jackson, who hasn't yet put together a complete season of good play, get an $80 million contract...when I think of TT's floor and compare it with the potential floors of all the other big contracts given to young players this summer, I'm not at all convinced that it's the worst contract in the NBA.

I'm not a fan of the 'who's the worst contract' game, but I'm sure you don't actually think we should compare giant contracts to guys based on their 'floors.' RJ was a near 20/10 guy playing with the Pistons--ball constantly in his hands, dishing to Drummond--and he looked like a legit high usage starter over like 30 games. Sure, he's had times when he looked worse and, sure, it's a risk to pay a guy based on 30 games. TT by comparison seems like he is what he is--can't start for a mediocre team that needs production, can't beat out a more well-rounded guy on a good team--and his ceiling seems capped at 'so-so starter who sometimes looks like a rebounding beast.'

I should add I don't care about the contract, totally fine with Gilbert giving back his millions. It was a unique situation and I don't have any like moral or social qualms about guys taking money from billionaire capitalists.

[I_Like_Dirt]

Interesting to see people who were previously suggesting that the Cavs shouldn't even have been offering 5/80 suddenly now understand paying 5/82. Thompson just got an additional $2 mil over 5 years just by being a little patient with when he signed. And while that may seem like peanuts relative the rest of his contract, I don't think anyone looking at this forum would truly think $2 mil over 5 years is peanuts if it were offered to them.

As for the deal itself, I do think Thompson is overpaid at this stage, but come next season, the contract is going to be fine. Heck, I don't even think it's the worst contract on the Cavs right now, as that Shumpert contract looks worse to me. The reality though, is that the Cavs have a contender that relies on a few players that have had trouble staying healthy throughout their careers (Irving, Varejao and Love - though Love's injuries have been less worrisome), and keeping the framework in place of guys who can hold the team together is hugely important. They may never win a title with this team, but if they didn't win a title with the team and didn't actually field the best possible roster in their attempts to do so, things would have looked pretty bad for them. And they just got Thompson for a LOT less than what he would have cost next offseason. Overall, I think this is a very reasonable move for the Cavs. People just confuse guys who sign contracts that are way underpaid like Draymond Green, Danny Green, etc. as being what contracts should look like because they want to envision the possibility of their own favorite team signing a bunch of guys to similar contracts and building a contender, but it doesn't work that way.

[Dupp]

I know it's counter-intuitive because he sometimes looks like a truly great rebounder, but there's years worth of numbers and observations backing up that he's not near the level you think he is. In the playoffs, he was outrebounded by guys like Draymond, Gasol, Duncan, etc--guys who aren't super rebounders (at lost not anymore for the last two). And per minute he pulled down substantially fewer boards than guys like Drew Gooden, David Lee, Bogut, Tyson Chandler, etc. Per minute he was 36th in last year's playoffs, 11th among starting players.

Elite rebounders like D12 and DeAndre aren't just a little better than him--they pulled down almost 25% more rebounds than him. That blows his #s out of the water, and comparing him to them is like comparing Diaw or Batum or some other mediocre rebounder to him. He could certainly get better but right now he's just an offensive rebounding specialist, isn't good at D rebs despite years of coaches working with him.

All of this. And he's not even a plus defender by really any measure. Most of his real value is offense, but people are comparing him to the guy he replaced (Love) who he's relatively a better defender. For the regular season they were better defensively with him on the bench than the court.


All that said, its defensible though still a bad deal.

The notion that Love is a better defender than TT is just an indictment against relying solely on advanced stats. TT is a really good PNR defender which is the Achilles heel for most big men. It impacts the other team's ability to run its sets and the overall offense.

TT is a good defender and certainly better than love without a doubt. I think it's pretty obvious why loves defensive stats last year were better, he played with Mozgod, who is a far superior defender.

I remember during our post season run so many people were raving about TT's defense because they we're actually watching it on a consistent basis. He's not great, but he's decent.

There is a small group of people here that don't actually watch much game time to form their opinions though.

[DaddyCool19]

The Cavs didn't cave $2 mil, they caved $32 mil. Their offer to him last summer was 5 years / $50 mil.

He declined a 4/52M before last season.

http://nba.nbcsports.com/2015/01/14/report-tristan-thompson-turned-down-four-year-52-million-contract-extension-with-cavaliers/

[F N 11]

My Goodness.David Lee was putting up better numbers his second year. This contract is dumb. Black Khris Humpries lol

[JellosJigglin]

Currently the worst contract in the NBA.

It looks pretty bad, but if they think he's the missing piece to their championship then who cares. It's worth it. I think they would've been just fine without him, but hey it's not my money. Someone like Ed Davis would've been a much better deal for about the same level of productivity. Difference is Davis isn't represented by Lebron's crony.

[F N 11]

I though Isiah's knicks were bad. This team still has to mesh and support Lebron

[F N 11]

Most highest paid bench player? lol

[tidho]

Yep he's over paid.
Nope it doesn't matter.

[F N 11]

This is the worst contract I've ever seen.

Still better than Eddy Curry's Knicks contract.

Curry actually had potential to be a force in the nba on the offensive end. That was 10 million. It became a regrettable contract because of how it all went downhill after his 19ppg season. D Antoni didn't like him at all btw lol

[JDizzel3000]

Yeah if that team didn't have LBJ on it, Paul would get laughed out of the room. That's the problem with this. Even with all the leverage Paul had, he held his client out through all of training camp, alienated his client's relationship with the fans, put his biggest client is a very difficult position, and got him $2 million more over a 5 year period.

Lol my lord ....do you think he ..his agent or any other half witted NBA player gives a damn about "alienating the fans" relative to getting paid?

Go ask Eric Bledsoe (who doesn't play on the cavs btw) if he's happy with Rich Paul representing him ....

What "difficult situation" was lebron in?

It's just mind boggling reading some of these hyperbolic sensationalized post

I don't get what's difficult to understand. TT was offered $80 million on the first day of FA. He received that offer not because Rich Paul is some super agent but because Rich Paul represents LBJ, LBJ isn't signed for multiple years, and the Cavs wanted to keep LBJ happy. If TT played for another team, that didn't have LBJ, and tried to play hardball, he'd either not play this season or sign for 50-60% of his current contract.

So let's start with that huge, and totally unique, advantage that Paul has. That alone got his client an $80 million offer. So with all the B.S. that followed, for long as it dragged on (whether you think the damage is lasting or not), TT got $2 million extra over five friggin years. The general consensus is that TT received that money solely so that Paul could save face and not be embarrassed. You think Paul looks good. Most people think that TT caved and the Cavs were magnanimous.

Who's gives a damn about this nonsensical conspiracy theory garbage .... if Lebron was the sole levying factor in the contract negotiations TT would have got his full max like he initially demanded ...... this tin foil hat madness sounds silly

After this season the % of the cap TT's contract occupies breaks down like this 17% 16% 16% 15% ...... you know who also makes roughly 16% of their teams salary at a similar position?

-Jeff Green
-Robin Lopez
-Omer Asik
-Tiago Splitter
-Amir Johnson

lol @ "he only got paid because lebron... & he would get 50-60% of that if he was elsewhere" when Amir Johnson just got the same money from Boston .... .... some of you guys need to really get a grip and understand that the market is changing due to the massive influx of salary space on the horizon.... it should be simple to understand ... if you are young and you show up like TT did in the finals ... you are more than likely going to get paid and if he was elsewhere i dont see why he wouldnt have got his money ... additionally you cannot mention the advantage Paul has without talking about the advantages that Clev has ... do you think TT really wants to play elsewhere? without lebron?? on a lessor team?? there's logical reasons to make a compromise on both sides in this situation so stop the one sided argument


And again .... it doesn't matter what you or I think ... the fact is Rich has gotten TT an 80mil dollar contract and Eric Bledsoe (WHO LET ME REPEAT .....DOES NOT PLAY FOR THE CAVS ...THUS REMOVING THE "LEBRON LEVERAGE FACTOR... A MAX DEAL) so at the end of the day if im a guy looking to be represented all i care about are the results and he's unequivocally been getting the job done

[mtron929]

It's ironic how if all goes well for the Cavs and everyone stays healthy, then this contract will look for worse for the Cavs as TT will not get lots of minutes. So basically, this is the most expensive insurance policy ever in form of a player's contract. I can't recall last time a that a backup was signed to such a huge deal.