11/09/13 Game Thread: Philadelphia 76ers @ Cleveland Cavaliers, 7:30 PM ET

[Meticode]

What's your opinion of his role on the Cavs in the long term?

I seem to be one of the few people who think he will be good. He just needs to stop shooting so many 3's.

Obviously TT has the 4 spot locked down and in my opinion AB is definitely a 4. TT to me is a good player but I think AB has more star potential.

Im curious to see what an actual informed fan thinks of the situation.

Just to chime in on your question...

I don't know what they're going to do with Bennett long term. His body is clearly built for the power foward position and he doesn't seem like a great fit to me for small foward. Unless by some miracle he loses like almost 15-20 pounds and somehow becomes a little quicker than he is now I don't see it's going to work.

Thompson can play the center position in spurts, but it's not ideal to put him there long term. If Thompson keeps improving and turns into a 15/11 player, there's no way move him from his natural position.

So in reply, "What do the Cavs do with Bennett long-term?"

That's a great question. I wasn't a fan of the pick personally.

[RedBlackAttack]

What's your opinion of his role on the Cavs in the long term?

I seem to be one of the few people who think he will be good. He just needs to stop shooting so many 3's.

Obviously TT has the 4 spot locked down and in my opinion AB is definitely a 4. TT to me is a good player but I think AB has more star potential.

Im curious to see what an actual informed fan thinks of the situation.

It's so early in his development, I try to stay away from making anything resembling a definitive statement. I just really haven't seen enough of him to even compare him to other high picks we've seen come through here recently at the same stage.

Playing 8-12 minutes a night just isn't enough. And, people need to understand that these kinds of minutes are not a surprise. The Cavs' frontcourt is very deep right now and AB is still pretty raw.

With all of that said, I thought he'd step on the floor and be at least an adequate scoring threat right away, but he'd struggle defensively. It has been the exact opposite. His defense for the most part has actually been pretty good.

In fact, I think Brown is on his @ss so much about learning professional defensive principles and keeping his focus so much on competing on that end, it may even be negatively effecting him on the other end. That's just a complete guess on my part, but he really does seem pretty locked in defensively and on the boards.

Like I said, a stat that hasn't been brought up by those saying he's going to he the worst pick ever is that, prior to the game before last when he was injured in the first quarter, he led all rookies in rebounds per 36.

He just looks mentally overwhelmed when he gets the ball in his hands. There is a lot of pressure that comes with being a No. 1 pick and VERY few others if any have been taken in that spot and then asked to be a productive reserve playing 10-15 minutes a night. He's only getting a few opportunities a night and he's pressing instead of just allowing his offense to flow naturally.

There's no doubt in my mind if he were playing 25-30 minutes a night like the other highly chosen rookies, he'd be producing much more efficiently. We just can't afford to take Tristan off the floor much at this stage... he's gotten too good and this team is trying to win now.

Also, and this is an angle that hasn't been talked about much... The Cavs have completely revamped their team with the additions of Jack, Clark and Bynum anyway. Throw in that Kyrie, Dion and Varejao have barely played together in their careers due to injuries at different points and you have virtually a whole team of guys trying to work out the kinks and mesh... And it has shown.

Throw in a relatively raw, very young rookie who missed Summer League and training camp and is just rounding back into shape? I'm a little surprised he hasn't made more of those open shots, but I'm not surprised he's off to slow start, all things considered.

As for my very preliminary predictions going forward...

I'm not sure he'll ever quite live up to being "the No. 1 pick." Then again, not a lot of guys do. And, even fewer step on the floor and are immediately as impactful as Kyrie Irving, who he's going to unfortunately be compared to just based on proximity.

With all of that said, I've been impressed by his work on the boards and pleasantly surprised by his defense. His offense hasn't been there, but it'll come, there's no doubt in my mind. He has too much natural talent and playing with high motor guys like Varejao and Tristan can do nothing but help, imo.

I still expect him to eventually become a 20/10 kind of power forward down the road or close to it. I think it'll take a couple months before he gets his feet under him.

And, I agree... I would tell him he's not allowed to take another 3 until he hits a 2-pointer. If he gets a wide open look, take a step inside the line and then shoot. That is a big adjustment from the collegiate 3 to the professional line. Obviously, he isn't there yet.


^^^Wall of text FTW.