Who says no first on a Derrick Williams for Tristan Thompson deal? DW has had back to back DNP-CD. @Cbundus31
Thompson is a hot topic, as you’ll see in the following questions. But the Cavs aren’t about to trade him, particularly for Derrick Williams. Despite all the smokescreens put out before the draft two years ago — and, yes, I bit on them, too — the Cavs were never really interested in Williams. I don’t see them pursuing him, although he probably is available.
Tristan Thompson on the trade block soon? @PopovichPaul
I thought that Tristan was supposed to be the most improved player on the team? What happened to all that work on (his) jump shot? @mprugh
What did the Cavs brain trust really see in Thompson? @skeapchate
To the best of my knowledge, the Cavs aren’t interested in trading Thompson. He hasn’t progressed or taken the leap I thought he would this season, but they aren’t ready to give up on him yet. Thompson did put a lot of work into his jumper over the summer, but I believe he needs to worry about hustling and playing around the rim for now and forgetting about making jumpers. Anderson Varejao has evolved into a pretty good jump shooter, but it took him nine years in the NBA to get there.
Will it take Thompson nine years and should more be expected of a No. 4 pick? Both fair questions. The Cavs were high on Thompson from early in the draft process because of his attitude, athleticism and defensive abilities. They knew he probably wouldn’t develop into a superstar, but they also knew he wouldn’t fail and flop out of the league in three years.
There isn’t anyone drafted below him that is playing appreciably better. The wild card, of course, is Jonas Valanciunas, who was taken one spot below Thompson. Valanciunas is averaging 8.6 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Toronto Raptors as a rookie. He had his best game yet as a pro the other night in a loss to Charlotte, finishing with 16 points and 10 assists. There was great debate and a split vote within the Cavs on whom to take, Thompson or Valanciunas. Ultimately, the organization didn’t want to be held hostage by Valanciunas’ contract overseas. They wanted to know when exactly he would be available to them, and they never got the clarity they were seeking, so they took Thompson. I still like Thompson’s potential, but he needs to be a little more consistent on both ends of the floor.
What did Byron Scott see in [Donald] Sloan early in the season that kept [Jeremy] Pargo on the bench? @realcavsfans
I’m not sure if it’s anything Sloan did as much as it was Pargo’s poor training camp and preseason. Scott thought all along Pargo was the better defender, but that Sloan ran the team a little better. That opinion may have changed after the last couple of games.
Pargo was awful in the preseason. He was a turnover machine who couldn’t put the ball in the basket. But his spot on the roster was never really in serious jeopardy because Scott was intent on keeping three point guards. It will be difficult for Pargo to maintain this pace, considering he began the season with a career-high of 15 points in a game and has matched or surpassed that in each of his first two starts. But Pargo is proving to be a capable backup to Kyrie Irving. Since Dion Waiters has proved capable of running the offense at times, and Sloan is playing on a nonguaranteed contract, Sloan could be in trouble before Jan. 10. That’s the date all NBA contracts become guaranteed.
— Jason Lloyd
