Fact is, it was B league. If teams were confident he could do it on the next level he would not be there. Still, like to give him a try next season. But no team is going to offer him more than the min or he would have that contract already. JVG knows Braggs somewhat and Braggs knows the system if not some players (Yao). That clearly was enough to bring him on. Also, much different to try a new guy early in the season than on the stretch run and possibly need him for a few playoff minutes. Try to catch Thomas up might be more of a distraction than he is worth. Like I said, give him a full try out next offseason.
I think what bothers most people (or at least myself) is that you have guys on the roster who contribute nothing (Baker), or can't provide what we need (Bowen). While I like Bowen for his energy and hustle, he can never provide what Thomas potentially could. Baker, on the other hand is the real puzzle. It was mentioned earlier in this thread (and many others) that Baker has value because his salary expires next year. But if we were to cut him and sign Thomas for the rest of the year would we not have that cap space at the end of next year anyway? It seems that keeping someone on your roster for a year and a half who never sees the court is less productive than cutting that person and signing someone for the minimum that can play 8 min. a game. Why keep Baker around until next year just to trade him for someone who another team sees as an albatross on their roster? So while we are thinner at PF than any other team in the league, I think we should grab Thomas before someone else does.
Salaries have to come close to matching in trades. So you can trade Baker to match up with a good player next year and the other team will be rid of his contract at the end of the year. So it's basically a bargaining chip for financial flexibility to the team your trading with. They couldn't just trade a 8 million dollar player for a rookie.
Bottom line is JVG decided between Braggs, Thomas and anyone else. He went with Braggs because he would be least distracting relative to what he can bring to the table right now. Also, with the stakes high you want a guy who knows what his limitations are and what his role is. Guys like Bowen and Braggs JVG feels better about. By all means James Thomas can try out for us next year. He should be on our short list and we should be on his. He can stay in Texas, no state income tax, and have a shot to be on a winner. But let the guy have a whole offseason, or at least a half season, to show what he can do. And no, buying Baker or Moochie out is not a option. They would still count against the cap the length of the contract and then you could not trade his expiring contract. (Unless Baker agreed to decline his player option for 06 if this is legal to negotiate with a buy out)
