Tristan Thompson signing with Cs

[LilRip]

Aside from rebounding, the other skill that TT possesses (which I think many on here appreciate) is hustle. I was watching highlights of him and I forgot how hard this guy plays.

He’s practically the opposite of Hayward. Hayward’s got all the tools but can play passively at times. TT has much more limited skills but plays with all-out energy.

Yep, he brings some much needed toughness.

He reminds me of a 6'9" marcus smart

I have basically been saying for a week now that Boston needs a big who can defend+rebound and control the paint,  they need toughness, and they need a couple of savvy veterans with playoff experience.  And they need a scorer off the bench.

Danny TT and JT bring experience and leadership, TT brings rebounding defence and toughness, and I'm hoping Teague and Nesmith can provide some consistent scoring punch off the bench. 

Got to say, this is close to the happiest I've felt about a Celtics off-season in a long time

Well....... I see where you’re coming from, but let’s not take for granted that Smart is a 1st team all-defense caliber player. I doubt TT will ever come close to that.

But energy-wise, you’re right. I think he will hustle and will be glad to do the dirty work like Smart. But it’s probably wise not to expect all-NBA defense from him. Tbh tho, I’d take good team defense with elite rebounding.

[libermaniac]

Aside from rebounding, the other skill that TT possesses (which I think many on here appreciate) is hustle. I was watching highlights of him and I forgot how hard this guy plays.

He’s practically the opposite of Hayward. Hayward’s got all the tools but can play passively at times. TT has much more limited skills but plays with all-out energy.

Danny TT and JT bring experience and leadership, TT brings rebounding defence and toughness, and I'm hoping Teague and Nesmith can provide some consistent scoring punch off the bench.

You realize there are more than one Celtics players with the initials JT, right? Initials always confuse me. Just saying.

[ozgod]

Aside from rebounding, the other skill that TT possesses (which I think many on here appreciate) is hustle. I was watching highlights of him and I forgot how hard this guy plays.

He’s practically the opposite of Hayward. Hayward’s got all the tools but can play passively at times. TT has much more limited skills but plays with all-out energy.

Danny TT and JT bring experience and leadership, TT brings rebounding defence and toughness, and I'm hoping Teague and Nesmith can provide some consistent scoring punch off the bench.

You realize there are more than one Celtics players with the initials JT, right? Initials always confuse me. Just saying.

[dang it], you're right, we can't call JT JT anymore  He needs a new nickname. Or maybe we can call him JT and Teague jt?

[Muzzy66]

Aside from rebounding, the other skill that TT possesses (which I think many on here appreciate) is hustle. I was watching highlights of him and I forgot how hard this guy plays.

He’s practically the opposite of Hayward. Hayward’s got all the tools but can play passively at times. TT has much more limited skills but plays with all-out energy.

Yep, he brings some much needed toughness.

He reminds me of a 6'9" marcus smart

I have basically been saying for a week now that Boston needs a big who can defend+rebound and control the paint,  they need toughness, and they need a couple of savvy veterans with playoff experience.  And they need a scorer off the bench.

Danny TT and JT bring experience and leadership, TT brings rebounding defence and toughness, and I'm hoping Teague and Nesmith can provide some consistent scoring punch off the bench. 

Got to say, this is close to the happiest I've felt about a Celtics off-season in a long time

Well....... I see where you’re coming from, but let’s not take for granted that Smart is a 1st team all-defense caliber player. I doubt TT will ever come close to that.

But energy-wise, you’re right. I think he will hustle and will be glad to do the dirty work like Smart. But it’s probably wise not to expect all-NBA defense from him. Tbh tho, I’d take good team defense with elite rebounding.

Yeah, no - definitely not suggesting tha I expect him to become an al defensive player. Not really saying he reminds me of smart in terms of his skills set, moreso his personality and physical charactersitics. 

He is the type of guy who wil never back down from anybody, and won't allow anyone to punk him or push him around.  Extremely competitive, very strong physically, works hard, leaves it all on the court, high motor and plays with a sense of desperation. 

Also like Smart he can make an impact on a game without scoring the ball, which is (IMHO) the type of guy we  could use more of right now given that we already have three 20 PPG scorers on this roster (and only so many balls to go around). 

I would certainly never expect Thompson to be a candidate for an All-Defensive team, but at the same time I don't expect to ever find myself frustratred at him for being lazy, being soft or for not tgrying hard enough.  Something that frustrated me quite a bit with Horford when he was here. 

Back in the "big 3" era one of the things I loved about Celtics teams is that even in those years where the team may not have had the most talented depth, they always played HARD.  They played physical.   If may not have won every game, but when they lost it was never without a fight.  I feel like the Celtics in those days were one of those teams that NOBODY wanted to play. 

Even a little after the big 3 era ended, the Celtics still had some of that with guys like Avery Bradley. Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier.  Those guys all played hard, played physical, frustrated opponents. 

The past year ot two I haven't seen much of that.  Short of Smart (and maybe to a small degree Semi) the team has just seemed too nice.  Too finesse.  Too laid back.  I feel the Celtics needs some of that grit again, and I feel Tristan Thompson is the type of guy who will bring that.
 

Aside from rebounding, the other skill that TT possesses (which I think many on here appreciate) is hustle. I was watching highlights of him and I forgot how hard this guy plays.

He’s practically the opposite of Hayward. Hayward’s got all the tools but can play passively at times. TT has much more limited skills but plays with all-out energy.

Danny TT and JT bring experience and leadership, TT brings rebounding defence and toughness, and I'm hoping Teague and Nesmith can provide some consistent scoring punch off the bench.

You realize there are more than one Celtics players with the initials JT, right? Initials always confuse me. Just saying.

A valid point, and noted!

I thought it would be clear who I was talking about given the suject in question, though fair enough.  Never safe to assume people can read minds!  Looking at it from a 3rd person perspective I can see how that may have been confusing.

[Muzzy66]

Why not Baynes instead? Better defender, better 3PT shot, knows Brad and the system. Can Baynes get more than the MLE?

I personally don’t see a huge upgrade from Kanter to Thompson. Even if Thompson is “better,” I’m not sure his impact will be that much greater in Brad’s system.

Robert Williams can become a better rebounder (maybe not elite like TT, but better) and defender with more PT. Now I feel he’s stuck behind TT and Theis, stunting his growth for a similar player. At least Baynes brings a different aspect.

I would absolutely love to have Baynes back (Tristan Thompson and Baynes were the two main guys I was eyeing) - but we need to remember that the guys we are talking about are Free Agents - meaning they ultimately hold the keys to deciding where they want to go.   

I'm sure Danny would probably love to have Baynes back here - he seemed to be a favourite among fans, teammates and ownership.  But Danny can only bring him to Boston if that's where he wants to be. 

[moiso]

Aside from rebounding, the other skill that TT possesses (which I think many on here appreciate) is hustle. I was watching highlights of him and I forgot how hard this guy plays.

He’s practically the opposite of Hayward. Hayward’s got all the tools but can play passively at times. TT has much more limited skills but plays with all-out energy.

Danny TT and JT bring experience and leadership, TT brings rebounding defence and toughness, and I'm hoping Teague and Nesmith can provide some consistent scoring punch off the bench.

You realize there are more than one Celtics players with the initials JT, right? Initials always confuse me. Just saying.

Funny, I'm always confused by initials and some nicknames too, especially when it's guys on other teams.  Out of the blue someone might say "lets trade for D Lo" or something like that and I usually think about it for a few seconds then give up!

[cman88]

he rebounds and defends. two problems we had at the big man position last year in the playoffs and throughout the season.

[Moranis]

Thompson is much more mobile than Kanter defensively, but Thompson is not and never has been a plus defender.  He isn't bad defensively, but he is far from good.  Kanter is a pretty decent in the paint defender, I'm not sure Thompson is much of an upgrade there, but is on the wing.  Kanter is actually a better rebounder than Thompson.  Both last year and throughout their careers, Kanter just flat out grabs a higher percentage of available rebounds on both ends of the floor.  Now some of that may be who Thompson has been playing with (i.e. guys like Love), but you can't just overlook that simple reality and claim that Thompson is a better rebounder because he grabs more total rebounds (the Cavs have been awful there are quite simply more rebounds available and TT has played more minutes).  I like this signing as I think TT was the best big guy available for what the team needed after letting Kanter go, but I'd honestly rather have Kanter and used the MLE on someone like Ibaka.  I think that would have been a much better option.

[jambr380]

Thompson is much more mobile than Kanter defensively, but Thompson is not and never has been a plus defender.  He isn't bad defensively, but he is far from good.  Kanter is a pretty decent in the paint defender, I'm not sure Thompson is much of an upgrade there, but is on the wing.  Kanter is actually a better rebounder than Thompson.  Both last year and throughout their careers, Kanter just flat out grabs a higher percentage of available rebounds on both ends of the floor.  Now some of that may be who Thompson has been playing with (i.e. guys like Love), but you can't just overlook that simple reality and claim that Thompson is a better rebounder because he grabs more total rebounds (the Cavs have been awful there are quite simply more rebounds available and TT has played more minutes).  I like this signing as I think TT was the best big guy available for what the team needed after letting Kanter go, but I'd honestly rather have Kanter and used the MLE on someone like Ibaka.  I think that would have been a much better option.

We literally gave Kanter away for nothing (the two 2nds were already included in the #30 pick deal) to let him have a bigger role on a team that he wants to play for. While I loved Kanter's attitude and his penchant for getting put-backs, it's clear that he wasn't a perfect fit for our system.

I'd agree that Kanter has a couple of specific elite skills that TT may not possess, but I think we are going to be a lot happier with what TT brings to the table and he won't be so situational. People generally agree that Theis is nice system fit; while TT has some of those same qualities, he also should  be able to hold his own against players Theis just couldn't defend.

And, yes, I can definitely see wanting to bring in Ibaka, but  w/ only the MLE on the table, he had his choice of where he wanted to be. Nobody is going to question why he went to LAC.

[Moranis]

Thompson is much more mobile than Kanter defensively, but Thompson is not and never has been a plus defender.  He isn't bad defensively, but he is far from good.  Kanter is a pretty decent in the paint defender, I'm not sure Thompson is much of an upgrade there, but is on the wing.  Kanter is actually a better rebounder than Thompson.  Both last year and throughout their careers, Kanter just flat out grabs a higher percentage of available rebounds on both ends of the floor.  Now some of that may be who Thompson has been playing with (i.e. guys like Love), but you can't just overlook that simple reality and claim that Thompson is a better rebounder because he grabs more total rebounds (the Cavs have been awful there are quite simply more rebounds available and TT has played more minutes).  I like this signing as I think TT was the best big guy available for what the team needed after letting Kanter go, but I'd honestly rather have Kanter and used the MLE on someone like Ibaka.  I think that would have been a much better option.

We literally gave Kanter away for nothing (the two 2nds were already included in the #30 pick deal) to let him have a bigger role on a team that he wants to play for. While I loved Kanter's attitude and his penchant for getting put-backs, it's clear that he wasn't a perfect fit for our system.

I'd agree that Kanter has a couple of specific elite skills that TT may not possess, but I think we are going to be a lot happier with what TT brings to the table and he won't be so situational. People generally agree that Theis is nice system fit; while TT has some of those same qualities, he also should  be able to hold his own against players Theis just couldn't defend.

And, yes, I can definitely see wanting to bring in Ibaka, but  w/ only the MLE on the table, he had his choice of where he wanted to be. Nobody is going to question why he went to LAC.

We have no idea what Ibaka was thinking though.  Maybe he would have rather been in Boston, but wasn't offered a contract.  I just think letting Kanter go was a mistake.  Just like it was to give up a 1st to dump Baynes last year.  Both moves ended up being unnecessary as Boston didn't need the cap space or roster spot as it ended up.

Thompson is a slight upgrade on Kanter, but it is not a significant one.  If we had Kanter, we could have brought in someone that might have helped more whether it is Ibaka, Gasol, Whiteside, or one of the wings/guards.   Heck even someone like Dwight Howard would have been useful. 

[LilRip]

Thompson is much more mobile than Kanter defensively, but Thompson is not and never has been a plus defender.  He isn't bad defensively, but he is far from good.  Kanter is a pretty decent in the paint defender, I'm not sure Thompson is much of an upgrade there, but is on the wing.  Kanter is actually a better rebounder than Thompson.  Both last year and throughout their careers, Kanter just flat out grabs a higher percentage of available rebounds on both ends of the floor.  Now some of that may be who Thompson has been playing with (i.e. guys like Love), but you can't just overlook that simple reality and claim that Thompson is a better rebounder because he grabs more total rebounds (the Cavs have been awful there are quite simply more rebounds available and TT has played more minutes).  I like this signing as I think TT was the best big guy available for what the team needed after letting Kanter go, but I'd honestly rather have Kanter and used the MLE on someone like Ibaka.  I think that would have been a much better option.

We literally gave Kanter away for nothing (the two 2nds were already included in the #30 pick deal) to let him have a bigger role on a team that he wants to play for. While I loved Kanter's attitude and his penchant for getting put-backs, it's clear that he wasn't a perfect fit for our system.

I'd agree that Kanter has a couple of specific elite skills that TT may not possess, but I think we are going to be a lot happier with what TT brings to the table and he won't be so situational. People generally agree that Theis is nice system fit; while TT has some of those same qualities, he also should  be able to hold his own against players Theis just couldn't defend.

And, yes, I can definitely see wanting to bring in Ibaka, but  w/ only the MLE on the table, he had his choice of where he wanted to be. Nobody is going to question why he went to LAC.

We have no idea what Ibaka was thinking though.  Maybe he would have rather been in Boston, but wasn't offered a contract.  I just think letting Kanter go was a mistake.  Just like it was to give up a 1st to dump Baynes last year.  Both moves ended up being unnecessary as Boston didn't need the cap space or roster spot as it ended up.

Thompson is a slight upgrade on Kanter, but it is not a significant one.  If we had Kanter, we could have brought in someone that might have helped more whether it is Ibaka, Gasol, Whiteside, or one of the wings/guards.   Heck even someone like Dwight Howard would have been useful.

Well, you’re right. We’ll never know. I’d love to see our FO’s prioritization list tbh. Maybe Ibaka was up there but his agent already let us know he wants the full MLE on a west coast contender or that he wouldn’t sign with a rival of the Raptors. Maybe he wanted to play with Kawhi again, who he believes can bring a team to a championship again. Or maybe we just valued Turner the most and TT 2nd, and so on.

Letting Kanter go was strange, but then again maybe Kanter wanted out of Boston. Not everything needs to be media-level drama. Maybe Kanter asked what his role would be, was told that there was going to be 3rd stringer minutes for him, and he asked out. Maybe DA and CBS valued picks and the peace of the locker room rather than hanging onto a 3rd stringer, locker room distraction.

[Roy H.]

Both moves ended up being unnecessary as Boston didn't need the cap space or roster spot as it ended up.

We needed to dump Baynes to sign Kemba.

[Moranis]

Both moves ended up being unnecessary as Boston didn't need the cap space or roster spot as it ended up.

We needed to dump Baynes to sign Kemba.

Not as worked out by doing the double sign and trade with Rozier.  Now maybe we don't get to that point without the cap space, or maybe we still do. 

Edit: And here's the thing, Boston could have dumped Baynes after the draft if it still needed to.  There was no need for urgency at the draft like that, especially at the expense of just dumping a 1st round pick.  He did the same thing this year.  Just dumped a 1st round pick because he didn't move it before the draft and was left in a situation where he had too many picks.  If he would have gotten a future 1st, the trade this year would have been different, but dumping a 1st for two future 2nd's because you had too many picks is just bad asset management.

[AshyLarry]

Both moves ended up being unnecessary as Boston didn't need the cap space or roster spot as it ended up.

We needed to dump Baynes to sign Kemba.

Not as worked out by doing the double sign and trade with Rozier.  Now maybe we don't get to that point without the cap space, or maybe we still do. 

Edit: And here's the thing, Boston could have dumped Baynes after the draft if it still needed to.  There was no need for urgency at the draft like that, especially at the expense of just dumping a 1st round pick.  He did the same thing this year.  Just dumped a 1st round pick because he didn't move it before the draft and was left in a situation where he had too many picks.  If he would have gotten a future 1st, the trade this year would have been different, but dumping a 1st for two future 2nd's because you had too many picks is just bad asset management.

At the time it seemed the move was to quickly clear room for Horford who just already had the 6ers lined up. Ish luck.

[Roy H.]

Both moves ended up being unnecessary as Boston didn't need the cap space or roster spot as it ended up.

We needed to dump Baynes to sign Kemba.

Not as worked out by doing the double sign and trade with Rozier.  Now maybe we don't get to that point without the cap space, or maybe we still do. 

Edit: And here's the thing, Boston could have dumped Baynes after the draft if it still needed to.  There was no need for urgency at the draft like that, especially at the expense of just dumping a 1st round pick.  He did the same thing this year.  Just dumped a 1st round pick because he didn't move it before the draft and was left in a situation where he had too many picks.  If he would have gotten a future 1st, the trade this year would have been different, but dumping a 1st for two future 2nd's because you had too many picks is just bad asset management.

The Celtics took Kemba in using cap space, even with the S&T.  If Baynes was on the roster, we couldn’t have completed the deal.