Tristan Thompson Would Start for 10 Teams, At Least

The debate has raged all day on social media: Is Tristan Thompson worth the contract he was given by the Cleveland Cavaliers?

The simple answer is, of course, no. He isn’t an overly great player who “deserves” a huge deal but he is a player that the Cavs would never be able to replace. He is good at what he does (defense and rebounding), doesn’t try to do too much and is never hurt. Availability is the most important ability, especially on the Cavs who have a lot of injury concerns.

Instead of beating that argument into the ground, though we expect our comment section will be filled with it, we are going in a different direction. Thompson is a backup for the Cavs, that is what happens when Kevin Love is also on the roster, but how many teams could he start for?

We are going to treat Thompson as a power forward, which he is often listed as, but he plays as much center for the Cavs as he does the 4 spot. So we will only look at which teams would Thompson start at power forward. If we looked at the center spot, we would likely add quite a few more teams.

To be fair, we are looking in a vacuum. The same way that Thompson is a perfect fit for what the Cavs need, he may not “fit” the players that would be around him on another team. Instead we are just going to look head to head on which player we would rather have as a starter.

Here is a list of players/teams we believe Thompson would/should start over based on talent alone:

Knicks – Derrick Williams

The former #2 pick may not start but that is the current expectation. Unless Carmelo Anthony was officially the starter, we feel good about TT starting in New York.

Lakers – Julius Randle

Obviously putting TT and Roy Hibbert on the floor together would be a nightmare on the offensive end for LA, and on defense for their opponents. Randle has hope but isn’t considered elite at anything, especially as an undersized 4.

Magic – Channing Frye

Frye is a stretch big that can’t do much else. Thompson is far more talented with upside. We know what Frye is.

Trail Blazers – Ed Davis

We like Davis more than most but he is not as good as Thompson at the things they both do well. Davis would have been a nice, cheaper version of Thompson but is not in his class nor has he proven consistent.

Pistons – Ersan Ilyasova

Another stretch player who does little else, and whose shot has fallen off. With Andre Drummond, Thompson would be a poor fit but we are comparing players not fit. Tristan over Ilyasova all day.

Raptors – Patrick Patterson

Patterson does some nice things, very versatile without much high upside. There is a reason many pointed to the Raptors signing Thompson next year if he didn’t come back to Cleveland: He is better than what they have.

Hornets – Cody Zeller

Again spacing would be an issue but in a head to head, Tristan is far more productive and talented than the younger Zeller. He is actually the opposite of Zeller in a lot of ways and would be a clear upgrade.

Celtics – David Lee/Jared Sullinger/Amir Johnson/Etc

The Celtics have too many guards and too many power forwards. Whoever starts there, Thompson is better than overall with a much higher upside than the veterans and more proven than the younger guys.

76ers – Nerlens Noel

Noel is a very exciting player but is rail thin and has injury history. If we are going to invest in someone long term, health plays a role. Based on talent, Noel and Thompson is likely to get the most disagreements but I’d rather bring the pogo stick off the bench and rely on steady TT starting.

Rockets – Terrance Jones

Jones, much like Patterson in Toronto, is a versatile player. He fits well with Dwight Howard but we would take Thompson over Jones straight up in any decision and figure out the rest.

Timberwolves – Kevin Garnett

Listen, we all love KG but it is clear he is past his prime. Next year we will likely take Karl-Anthony Towns over Thompson but with the old man still playing that is an easy pick.

Wizards – Nene Hilario

Hilario is one of those names you just remember how to spell and don’t know why. Nene has his role but has struggled with health and isn’t overly impressive at this point in time. Washington would love Tristan in his stead.

Nets – Thaddeus Young

Young is more suited at the 3 coming off the bench. He is forced into this role with the Nets, and just got overpaid this summer as well. Not great at anything but a good player. Not someone we are taking over Thompson.

Nuggets – Kenneth Faried

Likely to get an argument here but Thompson is a more controlled, self aware version of Faried. Faried may be more explosive but is less team oriented on both ends of the court. Give me stability all day.

This isn’t a final list mind you. Here are a few teams/players that we considered over Thompson but decided not to stir the pot too much:

Bulls – Pau Gasol
Suns – Markieff Morris
Bucks – Greg Monroe/John Henson (Who knows where they play Giannis and Jabari this year)
Jazz – Derrick Favors
Pacers – Paul George (Because George should never be starting at the 4, he is a great SF)

More from King James Gospel

So that is 15 teams we think Tristan Thompson should/would start for and another 5 that could be argued that he could. Obviously, much like why he got paid so much, a lot depends on fit with teams. Thompson doesn’t have range and has limited offensive ability. However he is talented in other areas.

None of this is to argue whether he “deserves” the money he was paid. The free market decided that he was and he finally signed. Instead it is to try to put Thompson into perspective compared to other power forwards. He would like start for about as many teams at center as well.

Tristan Thompson might be the Cavs backup big man. He might (is) overpaid compared to what his talent level is. He is not, however, a player without value. At least 15 teams would love to have Thompson starting for them opening night.

Which do you agree with? Where do you disagree?

Next: Kevin Love Return Full of Hope, Some Concern