[BasterdInABasketParticipant]

Which contract is worse?

Next three years:

TT 16.4,17.5,18.5M

JR 13.8,14.7,15.7M

All things considered I guess I’ll say JR, but really there’s no wrong answer.

[90sNYKParticipant]

TT is a great rebounding big with a great motor. JR is an inconsistent spot up shooter at this point in his career. When you consider they have veterans vying to take less money to play for them JR seems like a waste of space. You could easily replace him with Korver and not see a big difference.

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 They need to get rid of both of them.

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

 Easily Smith. Thompson is a good player – just playing like poop in this series. 

His offensive rebounding demoralizes teams and he’s a good defensive big. Also sets incredible (illegal) screens which is what the Cavs need with ball-dominant guys like James and Irving. 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 JR Smith is so streaky and mercurial that he is either worth TWICE that amount or HALF that amount.

Not the steadiest guy out there.  And he is a ideally a 3rd wing with two great wing players ahead of him.  On Cleveland aside from LeBron, Smith, Shump, and Korver can be MEH or DREADFUL.  

Earl (AKA JR), Kyle, and Shump are more like the Three Stooges than a well-oiled wing rotation helping out LeBron James.

TT is a high level role player guy.  He might need to up his rebounds even more — to Dennis Rodman type levels (17 or 18 a game).  Like Rodman, TT brings also brings the defense and toughness, and is probably better than Rodman at dunking and blocking shots, but his NEAR ZERO range (except for a supposed flip shot/floater that he supposedly has according to basketball bloggers) makes him tough to use all the time… teams really play off him…  

Ideally, you want TT next to a great all-around Hakeem-esque center where he is just the box out guy who helps out on the boards, or the MAIN rebounder who allows the otherworldly center to take (and make) turn around, fadeaway, one legged jumpers off the glass from 12-15 feet.

You want JR Smith to come off the bench for LeBron and the Pippen to LeBron’s Jordan. or something…

JR Smith is kinda like John Starks.  An ok option even a 2nd/3rd option when everything is going well, but you can really go down with the ship if he is ice cold…

In a Finals series against a bonafide BIG FOUR, the Cavs need either JR Smith or TT to be the fourth guy. So, that either means that Tristan Thompson is going FULL RODMAN with 25 rebounds a night, lockdown defense, and 6.5 points per game, or JR Smith has to get hot, or at least lukewarm, from 3 just enough to keep the defense honest.

The Cavs have a couple of players who can get you 35, even 40 every night (LeBron and Kyrie).  They have a guy who can get you 20 every night (Kevin Love).

They DO NOT HAVE a guy who can get you 15 every night.

I think they are missing that.  

So if the Cavs lose the series, which is likely, they probably need a guy who can get them 15 a night.  Preferably from the wing spot.  Is D Wade that guy?  He is getting up there in age (already there?), but he can ostensibly give the Cavs 15, 5, and 5 a night which should be enough given a Big Three of LeBron, Kyrie, and Love, and the fifth guy in Tristan Thompson who can rebound at a very high level…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 

When you consider the money being thrown around at guys like luol Deng, joakim Noah, Parsons, mosgov, mahimi etc. I actually don’t think Thompson’s contract is bad at all. It will likely carry him through the bulk of his prime years. What he is able to provide for them is essential to their success and would not be easy to replace.

Since Smith is 32, the likelihood for diminished returns over the course of his deal is much greater. Cleveland was really in a position where they probably had to overpay to keep him because they really had no viable alternative. Their options in free agency were limited due to a lack of cap space and shumpert hasn’t really shown he is ready to be counted on the way they count on jr.

 

 

[nill650Participant]

 T Top is a little bit overpaid when you look at some of the limmitations in his game but what he brings on a nightly basis is hard to find and so it is justified to over pay for his services.

 Swish has always been a streaky shooter, but when he is on he the same thing GM’s are hoping MONK will become. A major game changer. Only thing is JR is a stellar on ball defender where Monk doesn’t have the length to be that guy. I don’t think JR is paid enough.

Cavs core is set. they are not getting rid of anyone (besides retiring players)

They have a good crop of a young players as well for the future with Osman set to come over this summer and the late season pick up of edy Tavares was underated. add the upside as a solid future backup to Irving in K Felder & the addition of Derrick Williams if they can resign him for cheap is also a high energy presence that is underated as an asset despite not breaking into the rotation in the post season.

[iguapops420Participant]

 Both are piss poor contracts. Thompson is of a dying bread. I would probably trade for JR before I would TT. JR has been a big piece the past two finals. He’s got personal problems going on with his child being born so prematurely. IMO, once things clear up for his family, things will settle in his on court production.

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