Thomas moving on, but ill will remains Sixer has much to prove against Rockets By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle PHILADELPHIA -- The news was supposed to be good, or at least that's how the Rockets hoped Kenny Thomas would take it. Sure there would be an initial shock at being traded. But he was going to be a free agent in the summer, anyway. The 76ers were a certain playoff team that had coveted him for years. Philadelphia had more minutes waiting for him in a town where he had summered the way the New York rich do the Hamptons. He would move and excel and prosper. Thomas, however, could not get past the first words. He had been traded. He felt dumped and it didn't matter if the prom queen was making eyes at him. Having loved and lost, he wasn't ready to love again. Thomas cried that night. But he went to Philadelphia, and it has all gone just as everyone -- his friends, his agent, even his suddenly former teammates -- told him it could. But he has not forgotten that night. And tonight, when the Rockets face the 76ers for the first time since the three-team deal in which they acquired James Posey and sent Thomas to the Sixers, he plans to send a message. "They did it. They did it for a reason," Thomas said. "I think I got the better end of the deal, anyway. But I do want to show the organization something. Of course I was to show what the organization gave up. "I got very emotional. I felt that with the stuff I did with the organization, I wasn't given a fair chance to have a long-term relationship with them. Well, OK, they can go with the people they see fit for them long-term. But I don't know if feel that way now." Thomas always had a way of seeing a pot of gold and noticing the tarnish on the pot. But he admits now that the move has worked well for him. He is playing well, perhaps better over a sustained stretch than he ever has. And while the Rockets increasingly have to crane their necks to see the playoff-bound pack of Western Conference teams, the 76ers need only to check the standings to chase the Eastern Conference's top seed. "It was hard initially," said Thomas' agent, Mark McNeil. "Especially that first 48 hours, he went through the thing, (saying) `They didn't want me. Why didn't the Rockets want me?' It was hard to accept at first. He finally realized that this was a business. They may do things you're not comfortable or agree with. But you have to be a professional and do your job. "(Philadelphia is) an excellent fit. He went through an adjustment period. He was really attached to Houston. But once he got to playing with the guys, he's been doing great." The Sixers are still Allen Iverson's team. But Thomas is not merely along for the ride. He has had double doubles in six of his past eight games and is averaging 16 points and 14.6 rebounds in his past five games for the Sixers. When Thomas burned the Magic for 24 points and 20 rebounds, it was the first 20-20 game for Philadelphia since Derrick Coleman's first tour of duty in 1997 and included Thomas' career-best 12 offensive rebounds. "It's going well," Thomas said. "I've been rebounding the ball well. The transition is getting better and better for me. Since we came back from All Star break, we're 20-5." Thomas offered all that happy talk without once needing to temper his remarks with the negative. But when he was traded, his frustration and hurt feelings were not unusual. He spoke often to Rockets Moochie Norris, Kelvin Cato and especially Glen Rice. Rice said he told Thomas, "You have to understand that when you're traded for the first time, the first thought that comes to mind is that a team didn't want you." "I tried to help him understand that being traded is going to put him in a better position," Rice said. "He's going to go to a place he's going to get a lot more playing time, a lot more opportunity to do what he does best." Thomas could be moving again next season when he is a restricted free agent. "I've got to check out all my options, of course," Thomas said. "But I'm happy. The whole transition thing is behind him. If I stay here, I can go through training camp, help me out a lot in the future." McNeil will not say what sort of contract he will seek. He said Thomas' play has improved so much that he could be earning a richer deal. "The main thing that he wants to look at is a situation in which he will continue to grow as a player," McNeil said. "He doesn't want to be limited, and he wants to win. Like I always tell him. `Don't worry about money. I'll do that. Be best player you can be. If you focus on that, the money will come.' " But before he concerns him with his next team, there is a date with his first team. "I'm real excited for that," Thomas said. "I feel like lot to prove to them."
So Kenny's going off for 50 tonight? For a guy that was so in love with Houston and the Rockets, he sure as hell didn't show it...
Kenny needs to move on. The deal worked out good for both teams. The Rockets were able to get Mo T (who is better than Kenny) and Eddie (who has the potential to be better than Kenny) more PT.
If we would have traded EG for Lewis in the fall, and kept KT, we would be in the playoffs easily, maybe even a top 4 seed. DD
I dont get it , where do you get this Rocket hater BS..The guy just wanted to remain a Rocket..now he's moved on,,hes a 6er.
I hope Kenny goes off tonight, but we get the win. I don't blame Kenny for being upset, and I hope he has a good career. I would have liked to have kept Kenny, but I don't know if I would want him starting and I doubt he'd accept an appropriate contract. That's really what it came down to. If the Rockets ever thought we could resign Kenny for a reasonable amount, I doubt they'd have let him go, regardless of the logjam.
i for one am glad he is gone. i thought he was a cancer on this team. did anybody else notice that whenever kt had a good game for the rockets, we lost? good riddance. of course, keeping him and trading eg for shard would have been great. 20/20 hindsight.
If we would have just drafted Lewis in the first place like we told him we would, we would have never even had to deal with any of the three power forwards we started the season with.
prove it on the court! I have liked him since I watched him play in New Mexico, but he never has shown consitency. Let's wait and see. I still think the move was good.
The Kenny Thomas trade was a result of a series of errors, made by the team before the trade, including getting EG and signing MoT. And for all of those who love dreaming up trades, we suck at trading and evaluating talent. If it was not for pure luck, we would be no better than the Miami Heat.
And IF we drafted Lewis we probably wouldn't have Franchise and Yao. That would have thrown off the whole series of events that followed. I know that's deep but it's true.
I can't believe KT didn't see the trade coming. Everybody saw it. Everybody knew why it happened. Everybody saw that the trade was actually good for him. Well, I guess love is blind.
That might be the case. But the team was looking at the LONG term versus the short term. This team believed that in the WEST that KT would not be a viable solution at the PF spot for the long term and the team still appears to believe very much in Griffin and his potential. I think it is obvious that the Rockets organization is very high on Griffin. I don't see Griffin being moved unless they are getting someone on the "Brand" type level. A young player that has proven themselves. I loved KT with the Rockets and still root for him in Philly. But for the organization he had to go. Griffin/Taylor/KT was not going to work at the PF spot. KT really improved himself over the years in Houston. I see Griffin doing the same thing and with his height and with him putting on more weight he will probably have more of an impact with the Rockets than KT in the long run. I think we have to remember, even though this Rockets organization has not been in the playoffs for 4 years that they pretty much are thinking that with the drafting of Griffin and Yao the last two years that this is the restart of this new Rockets team. They are looking toward the FUTURE. Just "getting" to the playoffs for the short term because they have been out for 4 years is not an option for them. They are trying to build a team that will get there, stay there and win a championship. If that means some "growing pains" along the way then so be it. It doesn't mean the fans will like it. It doesn't mean that we will have the patience for it. But we have to live with it. And they feel this is the way to go.
Man... if I had a nickel for every time you've been negative on EG, I'd fire you as my coach. Dude, you're the most negative GUY i've seen on these posts... GO ROCKETS! Do the North and South Dakotas have any NBA teams? Too bad they don't ... but I hear San Antonio is looking for an armchair <STRIKE>quarterback</STRIKE> coach... "I may not be a smart man, but I know what Love is" - Gump
MoT is not better than Kenny, MoT will never have a 20 20 game in his dreams. That being said, they had to get rid of one, and Kenny was the most marketable and was going to be a free agent. I like Kenny, but if he can't understand those simple facts, he's an idiot.
The title of this post sux! Kenny was not my favorite but while he was with the Rox, Kenny played hard and he did everything they asked of him including trying to play the 3. I heard that there were promises made or at least words were said by Rudy to the effect of his future with the Roz. Things then changed. The personnels we had and the contract situation dictated that the Rox trade him. It was a right business decision but at the personal level, he was mad with Rudy and maybe the org. Put yourself in his shoes before u judge him. I have no animosity toward Kenny. I wish him the best.
you guys that automatically hate players once they are on another team are idiots. kenny was, and is, a quality player, and i would much rather have him as our starting pf than griffin or taylor. what do you expect him to say? they made the right move getting rid of me because i stink? he wanted to be a rocket, and wasn't given a fair chance is all he is saying. and, frankly, i agree with him. he was easily the best, hardest working, and most productive of the three.
