I have asked this question several times on this board with no answer. It seems that there is a consensus on this BBS to trade Kenny Thomas. Why? Is it because we have 3 PF? Is it because his contract is expiring and we don't want to sign him to multi-year contract. Is is because he is the best trade bait. KT was one of the few bright spots in this terrible season. Without him I think the Rockets record would have been 20-62. He was one of the few Rockets players that come to play every day. Imagine if we do not have KT next season and Mo Taylor got injured or Griffin got injured or both. We will be very thin at the power forward. So here are our 3 PF's : 1. Griffin had an OK rookie season . Showed some flashes of brilliance. Was injured for a while and plays more as a SF (fell in love with the 3pt). Needs to build more muscles to be PF. 2. Mo Taylor was sidelined for a whole year, had off-court problems and gained 70 pounds. We don't know what shape he will be in after the injury. Even before the injury he was one dimensional player hitting the 12-15 jumper. 3. Kenny Thomas. Was consistent all year. Rebounded well, passed well, played good defense (good steals and blocks) and the Rockets was dependent on him late in the season running isolation at the end of the game and he was effective at it. Was among the candidate for most improved. You always need that extra body and Kenny seems it. So really I do not understand why everyone wants Kenny out. Did I miss something.
I agree. If we should get rid of one of those players, I would get rid of Mo Taylor. The Rockets need a "banger" to block shots and get rebounds. I think Nene, would be a good pick. He is raw, strong, and would make the Rockets more physical.
I imagine Kenny is the odd man out because of his favorable contract to other teams (1 year left at 1 million) and is thus not a hindrance in trade negoations like Taylor's would be. I also imagine that he's the oddman out among the three power forwards with Griffin obviously having the highest upside and Taylor being the most "polished". Better to use a tradeable asset to improve another part of the team than leave them on the bench. Kenny is a very hard worker and would fit in well on any team, but the Rockets could use more of his work ethic. I personally wouldn't deal him, but I can see why others would.
It seems that Mo Taylor is the player who is going to hinder Griffin progress if Griff is projected as PF not Kenny thomas. Since Mo T wants starter's minutes. My conclusion is Mo Taylor is almost untrable. Mo Taylor plays one good season then have a big contract then get injured, smoke pot, gain weight and there is no way the Rockets will trade him. On the other hand, KT work hard and you guarantee to be traded.
We are stuck with Taylors contract & injuries. Unless we can unload him with one of our draft choices. KT is effective and a problem. He showed flashes of brilliance and he showed severe flashes of selfish play. It was bad enough having guards that slowed the game down, consentrating on ISO's, but then you had KT joining the party. I have no problem with KT, but he is the odd man out. Far as Griffin, he had more than an OK season. When KT went down and Griffin took over (as PF), Their was no doubt WHO THE BETTER PLAYER WAS! Yes he needs to bulk up, and yes he needs to work on his inside game, but you cannot compare the two on the defensive end. Griffin was all over the glass. Even beyond the final stats, he had his hands (and fingers) on every loose ball he could find. Griffin is the future, KT is not. As far as trading KT. He is the only tradeable person we have (or are willing to part with). KT & the #15 could bring us a top notch prospect.
Kenny Thomas can come off the bench and be spark plug. KT so called selfish play is simillar to the isolation Mobley gets and are instructed by Rudy T. He was the go to guy at the end of the game several times because there were no one else to do it. At least we know what he can do in crunch time. But hopefully this will be Griff's role. Kenny Thomas will be the perfect complement to Giff in the long run. While I see Mo as the one trying to get Griff's minutes. I don't like to see a team like the Lakers take Thomas eventually. People remembers Mo and think he was responsible for the 45-37. and look at Kenny Thomas and think he is reponsible for our horrible seanson. We don't have to have an allstar in every position but KT will be the energy and hussle guy off the bench. I do not want to get stuck with drafting a rookie that we do not know how he will turn out to be. Kenny is the odd man out but it is sad.
Kenny Doesn't like sitting, norless being the 6th man. I'm from the UNM area and have watched him play his college years here. I've also seen hundreds of games of him on the Rockets. What will most likely happen, which I don't really care too much about because I'm only a Kenny Thomas fan, is that they'll trade him away. And if the Rockets can't see that He has an even better upside than Eddie's 3 point shot, I dont think he belongs in that city. That city of houston.
I totally agree, Kenny is going to be one of those reliable players that a good franchise needs for stability and constant production without requiring superstar status. I think he should be either our starting 4 if we don't pick up another more conventional 4 through trade or free agency or he would be a good first off the bench forward for many years to come. We definitely need to get rid of Mo Taylor. He is the odd man out. He does not play good enough defense on a consistant basis. I think rudy knows that and will be trying to deal him, even for little or nothing as long as someone will take his contract. I also think Griffin should be our three in the style of garnett. It would give us a shot blocking, rebounding three who could shoot and I think he really compliments Kenny's game. The two would be a good tandem.
The rumor floating around is they don't think Kenny will resign unless they unload Mo Taylor. The Rox may try to get something out for him while his value is still high.
I 2nd that!!! Neither of those guys can play SF. They both excel at PF, and major minutes are required (griffin gets the nod).
It seems though that quite few posters believe that the Rockets should or have to do the following : 1. They are stuck in almost untradable players like Mo Taylor, Rice & Cato so they can not do anything. 2. Trade good veterans like K Thomas & The Mooch to move up a couple of spots in the draft and draft a risky rookie. 3. Dump veterans like the Wizard & Willis. You know, the Rockets are not going to rebuild every year and should add to what they already have by adding and subtracting a couple of players not a wholesale of what good they have and bring on the rookies. I hope the Rockets can learn from teams like the Lakers & Sacramento. They are veteran teams with not so many rookies. I do not mind if the Rockets trade K Thomas for a veteran SF but trading KT & #15 to move up a couple of spots seems rediculous to me. I think the difference in tallent between 10th and 15th pick is not that much and if we can stay with our pick at 15 we will draft a good SF prospect .
So Kenny Thomas's high value will enable us to move a couple of spots in the draft from #15 to #13. Wow
Some of you are just throwing Mo Taylor out there like he's Jason Collier, or Kelvin Cato of a year ago. Assuming his injury doesn't hurt his skills to much, he's still got a pretty decent game. No, he doesn't grab a lot of boards, or block a lot of shots, but he is a nice team player that adds to the chemistry of this team. And, hopefully, he'll agree to being a 6th man if Griffin and/or KT are chosen to start over him. I still think Mo fits in nicely with this team, and they're aren't a lot of teams that are going to give the Rockets equal talent in return with that contract. That is why KT is being mentioned in more proposals...plus, KT played last year. Not many teams want to trade for a guy that sat out a whole year.
If there is a player that you REALLY want at 13 who will get selected before you pick, then yeah, moving up 2 spots is worth it.
No disrespect Compaq, but neither of those players are in the Rockets future. As long as were stuck with Taylors contact, KT is the odd man out. He has already shown that he does not want to be a 6th man, and drafting up 4-5 slots might bring in some needed depth (at other posistions). Besides he might help fetch an odom/marion type of player (in a blockbuster trade). Moochie is nothing more than a fan favorite. He slows the game down, he dribbles in circles (for 20 secs), and he makes bone head decisions. Yes he has a big fro, yes he can hit an open shot, but thats not what we need from a backup PG (see clutch poll on Tier). Eventhough Juan Dixon plays more like a shooting guard, I would take him in a heart beat over Moochie.
We had a guy like that once... Othella Harrington. Look what happened to him. But, I do think that KT is much better all-around that Othella. I just wouldn't expect to see him in a Rockets uniform long-term. It's just the reality of the business.
I would try to ship Kenny, Collier andthe 15 to move up to 9-12 and try to get Woods. enny trade value can only go down and if we do draft ming, the center minutes will not be there for Eddie. Eddie needs to play more and if Kenny is here, Rudy would give more of that time to Kenny. Depending on what kind of shape Taylor will be in, Griffin will get time there anyway. I just hope Eddie really gets stronger and improves and really pushes taylor for that spot. Kenny is the only player with trade value on this team other than Francis,Cat and Griffin.
