Kenny's was meawsured 6' 6.5" at the predraft camps. For his height, he is a bit overweight which probably hurt him in the draft (a good thing for us) and which to questions about his desire/focus/training. I like Kenny's game. For a rookie, he has great court presence and a great low post O game. He will get better (like a more consistent outside shot.) The only problem I have with his game is that he can only play one position well. He is not tall enough to play 5 and his not quick enough to play 3 (except against the other 4s masquerading as 3s, like Corliss or Weatherspoon). I like the Rocks to draft a 3/4 or a 4/5. (Rudy really likes players who can play more than one position to give him more flexibility in matchups.) Since the upcoming draft is loaded with 3s, I suspect that we will draft the best remaining 3 on the board. After Dream retires, the Rocks can then go after a 4/5 in the OT/Willis mold.
Well, I can understand seeing the comparison of KT to Othella as not being strait up, but I think a comparison between Brand and KT is even more distorted. I am not a fan of the guy because of the teams he has played for, but Brand is going to be a darn solid PF and will match up with elite PF's better than KT will ever be able to because of his physical abilities. That said I am encouraged by Duncan's comments about KT and his play this year though. Could anyone address how strong KT is or has the potential to be? Like I said if his body can become Mason strong (Barkley and Oakley are prety darned strong too) maybe he could be a steady and excellent starting PF for years to come. Because he isn't tall or long, he will have to be able to route out and push around guys like Duncan or Webber when he needs to in order to be successful against them when they are posting on him. [This message has been edited by sir scarvajal (edited February 21, 2000).]
Sir... yeah agree about the Brand comparison being as distorted as the Othella comparison. About KT's physical size, this may be premature, but he's got a knack for grabbing one-handed rebounds. That helps widens your rebounding domain. You ask how good KT can be: It is his speed and footwork that elevate his potential in my eyes. He has the speed and instincts to get necessary spacing against larger men, plus enough size to keep them from running over him on defense (witness the final 4 minutes of the 4th q when it counted, Thomas was hell on Duncan by not giving him what he wanted). I've seen too many small fast guys dominate on the offensive end in the NBA...Dantley and Aguirre. What they had that Thomas doesn't is a high, quick release to go with their moves. Thomas can shake and bake all he wants with those long strides of his, but a fundamental turnaround J with a high, quick release or fadeaway will take him to a higher level of success, cause it will prevent the defender from stepping away from you. Right now, the unteachable instincts are there. Get him a summer to work on one unblockable shot and a dash of cockiness that goes with it, and all his other moves become more effective.
I really hate to talk about body types because I think most of those kinds of arguments don't hold water. But I have to address it here. The thing that makes me worry about Kenny Thomas is that he is a thick man who is fast. That should sound like a good thing. But, if Thomas' ability stems primarily from his speed, I think his window of opportunity may close prematurely. A guy his size can be fast because he's young. But he won't be that fast when he's 30. In fact, looking at his body, I'd say he'll be downright slow when he's 30. And if he relies on his speed until its gone without learning to beat opponents in other ways, he's going to slide into mediocrity. Here's to hoping he proves me wrong.
cheers to that. btw: we know each other well enough and had fun in the chat room a couple of times. i'll never take offense by anything you write, so if you want to drop the smiley faces, i'd prefer to.
Valdez, your post depressed me... I would like to say thank you, though, for not breaking the rules of my paranoid superstitions regarding us using the "I" word on the bbs. I thought for sure you'd say: "And that added weight makes him prone to ...."
HeyPartner, You can drop em, I use them by habit. I use email at work, and it is an easy way for me to convey my thoughts, or intentions. Better safe then sorry, DaDakota
I remember reading this post. Boy, does time fly. Not the best post discussing the merits, weaknesses of Kenny Thomas, but I wanted to pull one out to see people's opinions on Kenny, his potential and future on the team. Last year, a lot of the knocks on Kenny was his poor FG%, particularly the number of 3s he launched and missed. Earlier this season, Kenny has been knocked as a poor finisher. There was a lot of debate over trading Kenny for Fizer. And of course, at 6-8, maybe 6-7, the guy is undersized at the PF position. So what do we think now? I think Kenny's coming along really well. I think he's great coming off the bench. In many ways, he fits what Rudy T seems to want from the PF position. Perimeter range, post moves, intensity, rebounding (well, Rudy doesn't seem to care about the last) I don't know if he can be a quality starter. I think more than ever, he's prime trade bait. It'll be interesting to see how he performs with Mo T out for the rest of the season. He had a good game against Seattle. I actually think in the long run he could get the job done as our starting PF. But you can bet I'd want a pretty sweet player with him in the frontcourt who can score and defend. Mo T's a great player, and I'd like to see him come back next year, but Kenny can do more. ------------------
If Kenny started, he would average a double double. I'd bet money on it. ------------------ [This message has been edited by tacoma park legend (edited April 08, 2001).]
Kenny needs to work on his shot (particularly his midrange game) a lot more. I love Kenny, but he needs to work on his offense some more, period. He's already shown flashes of offensive potential, but he's not a great finisher, and he's not a great shooter. Mo's offensive game is simply on another level from Kenny's offensive game, and we need that scoring punch that Mo provides. With Francis + Cuttino, our backcourt already does a lot of scoring, but our frontcourt needs some help. Hakeem won't be there always (if he's there at all), and my boy Langford will need time to develop. I have no prollem with Kenny being our starting pf, if his shot + finishing abilities get better, BUT now I do prefer MO being our starting pf, especially if he works on his rebounding. Remember, according to Oelpere, Rudy has not made rebounding a top priority with Mo. He was happy with Mo being the offensive threat that he is, but Rudy didn't make Mo's rebounding a big issue. I think if Rudy actually focuses on this issue, that Mo's rebounding will improve. I mean, Mo's not some lazyass bum like Cato. It's pretty much a general question: Would you rather have Kenny's rebounding or MO's scoring? I'd personally take Mo because I feel his scoring is more essential to the team, and that we can offset any of his rebounding deficiencies through the offseason. You can always find a garbage man willing to do the dirty work. ------------------ PrEsident of The Danforth Langhford FAN CLUB... He IS our future All-Star Small Forward
Has anyone watched Kenny Thomas and Antawn Jamison extensively? From what little I've seen of each of them, it seems that AJ could give us a glimpse of what KT could become. They're both undersized PFs who rely on agility to beat their man, and their shooting percentages are almost identical. I was really surprised at how easily KT could beat opposing PFs with his quickness, and how smooth and natural his footwork was. I think those of you who deride KTs defensive abilities aren't giving him enough credit. He's generally in good defensive position, and doesn't bite on pump or head fakes (a la Kelvin Cato). No less an authority than Tim Duncan called KT a good defender, probably for these reasons. Yes, his height is a disadvantage, but does Kelvin Cato's height give him a discernable advantage? I'd rather have KT hold his position and put his hands up, than give up possible 3-point plays and put the team in foul trouble. The only people who can stop the Tim Duncans and Chris Webbers of the west are Tim Duncan and Chris Webber. And I mean TD stopping TD, and CW stopping CW. In their head to head matchups, I don't remember them being able to shut each other down.
Good call on KT's defensive abilities, Mack. KT is actually a pretty good position defender who can block a shot or two. He's also solid on the boards, and has the strength to contest in the post. Granted, I'm not saying he should be on the All-D team, but what more can you ask for from a post defender? KT's solid on D. As far as offense, KT HAS to put his game together. We all know about his drop-step, and he does have a nice first step when driving, but he needs to work on his face-up J and a turnaround to complement his drop-step and jump hook. This is the area where Brand, since some past posts want to compare the two, is superior to KT. Brand has the more developed offensive game, but in all other aspects, KT is just as good. In fact, if he can develop a solid 17-20 foot jumper, combined with his rebounding abilities, he could push Mo at the 4. ------------------
Mack and Live, You know what else about Kenny I've notice. The guy runs on his toes. He is never, never on his heels. This is really hard on your calves, but it adds at least and inch or two. OK, maybe that sounds silly, ie teach kids to stand on their tippy toes. But watch him, he is very quick to jump, and very quick laterally. Tennis and even top caliber ballroom dancing competition prooves that quickness of feet requires you to stay on your toes. That pretty much goes without saying. Watch Kenny, he is always on his toes and jumps fast. And combining that with an ability to haul in rebounds with one hand, he increases his rebounding domain and continues to show us he is a solid rebounder.
Feel the love for Kenny? Mack: I don't know if anyone has told you yet, but we all appreciate your well reasoned first posts. See? We don't jump down newbies throats if that make sense . In any event, KT is an underrated position defender. He has great footwork, terrfic passing skills for a PF, a pretty good jump shot, and some decent movies. he also rebounds quite well per minute, and has had some terrific individual games. Sounds like a keeper, doesn't he? If he can get stronger, I think he might be able to off-set his disadvantage in height. he certainly seems to be a *smart* basketball player. I know, his 3's can be ill-timed... but he seems to understand the game, which is the most important thing. If Mo leaves and we don't get Webber, I don't think it would be the end of the world. Kenny will hold his own. And if we do have Webber or Mo, Kenny will be a terrific back-up. BTW, I actually don't like the comparisons to Harrington, because I think Kenny is already a much better player. He passes better, has a better jump shot, and is smarter on D. Othella did have a good low post presence, but he was a BLACK WHOLE and lacked a jump shot. ------------------ I would believe only in a God who could dance. - Friedrich Nietzsche Boston College - NCAA Hockey National Champions 2001
I've always liked Kenny - he keeps surprising you with his quickness and how often he comes down (or up) with the ball. If he can just get a bit more aggressive finishing and make those lay-ups or dunks, he should be able to average 20 and 12. He seems like a hard worker, maybe he'll keep it up this summer? I think he got a little unlucky this season with Mo coming, even though you won't hear him say it. Question: is Mo just too slow to play the three if SA leaves? ------------------ BELIEVE!!!
20 and 12, you have got to be kidding. ------------------ "Of course, thats just my opinion, I could be wrong" -- Dennis Miller
I agree Think of KT as Anthony Mason without the Attitude or ball handling with more range Rocket River ------------------
I like KT, I love his potential and I would like to see him get some starting minutes, so we can see how good he'd be. However, I find that Kenny is too inconsistent. Part of that is coming off of the bench, where it's assumed there will be some inconsistency. However, Kenny seems to SOMETIMES look like a world-beater out there, getting steals, rebounds and dunks. But sometimes he looks kindof like he's going through the motions. If he had more consistency, then I'd be all for claiming him as our PF for the future, but I feel that there are too many questions to be answered before making that distinction. Now that's not to say that MO isn't inconsistent as well. Some games he'll score 20, others 2, but I have a bit more faith in MoT than in Kenny right now. But that doesn't mean that KT isn't better, or won't be better. ------------------ "Up and down, inside out, outside in, some you lose some you win" -- DMB -> "Sweet Up and Down"
