Kenny Thomas

That'd be cool: a 2 shooting guard, 3 power forward lineup: Francis, Mobley, Thomas, Taylor, Griffin. Only Nelson's 4 guard lineup is crazier.

 

if we're discussing his playing the 3 spot, kt would be most effective backing opposing SFs into the post and using his post moves on them. kt plays well in the post against PFs, and would do even better against SFs.

that's a good point about kt not having super handles, but i don't think he would be facing the basket and trying to take the better defensive SFs off the dribble.

and i think kt would be about average (at worst) among SFs as far as 3 pt shooting goes. i see he has averaged .266 for his career. that's not that good, but from watching games i have this impression that he shoots them better than that stat indicates (i.e., he has good shooting form). anybody else get that impression? i tried sorting 3pt% by SF on a few different sites, but only espn.com had the option and that's not working right now.

anyway, anything we can do to get kt in the game is fine by me. if we dont re-sign shandon, i say put kt in at the 3 and see what happens, with EG first off the bench, replacing kt or maybe mo.

 

There is no way KT can play the three on any type of consistent basis. He works hard, but does not have the touch, handles, or quickness to play the three.

Opponents would drive past him all day, KT has no mid range game, and we have all seen him neglect to put the ball down at before making his move frequently. And I don't even want to think about the number of charging calls he would pick up trying to run over guys on his way to the hoop.

I like KT, but let's face it - there is no playing time left for him on this squad. With his contract, he's trade bait. I don't expect KT to be on this team when the season starts.

 

KT should get more playing time. It really doesn't matter where you put him....he hustles. When given the opportunity to get into the flow, he can also score.

The numbers(1,2,3,4,5) are losing meaning when you look at the players in the league. Langhi at 6'11" plays two and thee when in years past that would have put him at the 4 or 5(even though he would need to gain a lot of weight to play either). It has more to do with aptitude for the game and what each player brings to the table when they are on the court.

 

CowPieRacer:

You wrote: ".... that's a good point about kt not having super handles ...."

That 's not really what was being said by "LaLaLand". While comparing the handles of a three with those of a four requires a little lattitude in definition, it would be a stretch to say KT not having super handles.

Actually the things about him that make him stand out are:

1. Moves well laterally. Of course he is only average in weight for a PF but he moves well especially under the basket.

2. Related to #1, he positions himself well, and frankly with an extra inch or two would be a premiere rebounder.

3. GREAT hands around the basket. Sift touch at the rim. If anything he is over-eager at times.

4. Runs okay for a power forward. Almost looks like he tip-toes down the coourt.

5.He is imperturbable. He doesn't get riled or lose focus easily.

The fact that he has less experience taking the ball off the dribble and doing something with it, may be remarkable, except I don't know of many two year Power Fortwards who can do that. Can't even name you more than five veteran PF who can either!


Cheers.

 

rocketaddict,

jeez, you make him sound like a big lumbering oaf! like i said, i dont think kenny would TRY to take his man off the dribble. just because he is playing SF, doesn't mean he has to face the basket and drive the lane. i think you might be right about him not being able to contain the quicker SFs when he is playing D. but you might be wrong . kenny has good footwork, he may be able to move laterally quickly enough to keep up.

and as far as "touch" goes, i think kenny is a good shooter, facing the basket or otherwise. definitely something he can get better at, but he has good form.

i agree that it's maybe a stretch for him to play SF. but i think he can offer just as much at that position as anyone else on our team at this point. and as other people are stating, position is less relevant when you have your 5 best on the floor. not irrelevant, but less relevant (we don't want kt or mo guarding shaq, but that's another topic).

 

oeilpere,

i think you took me out of context on that one. did you read the rest of my post(s)? i was saying basically the same thing you were...

 

Buffy:

Yeah .... I know.....

I read it and saw where you were going, but just thought I would address the "good handles versus bad handles" thing. There are still a lot of posters who feel he has some less than spectaular hands but IMHO, as a two year Power Forward he does pretty good.

The whole post wasn't meant as an overall criticism of your entire post just a clarification of my view. It wasn't meant to really jump on anything else but that aspect of your post.

Basically everything you said, I guess I re-said (re-said??). I do get long-winded sometimes don't I.

LOL

Cheers.

 

<b>The fact that he has less experience taking the ball off the dribble and doing something with it, may be remarkable, except I don't know of many two year Power Fortwards who can do that. Can't even name you more than five veteran PF who can either!</b>

Some of the few PFs I remember able to do that is Charles Barkley, Anthony Mason and Mo Taylor.

 

gotcha oeilpere ... no harm, no foul.

on a related note:
since this is a kenny thomas thread i thought i would bring this up from the rockets' summer spotlight on espn.com:

"...the Rockets will be better off than last year, when non-rebounding forwards like Shandon Anderson, Matt Bullard, Walt Williams and to some degree Kenny Thomas took up minutes. "

wtf? how can they say kenny thomas is a "non-rebounding" forward? i guess because they are espn.com and don't have time to be accurate. oh well, they had us rated #10 in their summer power poll, so i will cut them some slack.