I've been hoping for a while now that Tyrus Thomas will fall to #8, not because I wanted to draft him, but in order to trade down to the Hornets 12 and 15, since he would probably be someone they'd really want. But maybe I would rethink that. http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2006/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&id=2470898 I don't pay any attention to the comparisons (Tracy, Amare, KG.... these are all established superstars. No way would I put those kind of expectations on this guy). But I do like: 1. The fact that he does play with a chip on his shoulder. That is one thing I can tell about him even with the limited amount that I've seen of him. These guys always seem to succeed. The guys that are really playing to prove themself. 2. He's a gym rat (Unless Livingston is a stone cold liar). I love guys who are constantly working on their game. 3. He sounds like he's trying to develop into the exact type of PF that we need. A guy who operates from the outside-in. A face up guy with some handling and shooting ability. A PF that isn't going to clog things up for Yao. I don't know. According to this report, he probably isn't going to fall to us. But you can never tell with these things. And while Randy Livingston is exaggerating like crazy, if he can just provide the three things that I mentioned above (play with a chip on his shoulder, constantly training, and brought some handling and shooting to the PF position) along with his patently obvious athleticism, I would be tempted to trade up for him.
Interesting. Hopefully he continues to have a "motor" once he signs a contract. Good luck to Tyrus and whoever takes him. If he goes to the Bulls, I wish him especially well (except when they play the Pacers).
Nice read. I think the Rockets would be foolish to pass up on Thomas at #8. I highly doubt he will fall out of the top 5 though.
Agreed. I see Thomas as Swift w/ a big motor, and I really think Swift would be a very good player if he brought it night in and night out. The guy averages 10 & 5 coming off the bench, it seems like he doesn't care or doesn't really know what is going on, I can only imagine what he could do w/ starter minutes and some type of bball IQ.
That was a good read, but I just don't trust those sort of articles. I think it's human to hear what he and the people close to him say and think about his future in the NBA and believe it, but I can remember reading an article that sounded an awful lot like this about Malick Badiane.
Good article. If you go back and watch a few highlights you can see he's pretty comfortable handling the ball. IMHO there's not a lot of difference in talent & skills between Gay & Thomas. Of the 2, Thomas goes 1st due to his motor.
Keep in mind that nearly all players expecting to be drafted high are training hard for this once in a lifetime event. I wouldn't put too much faith into how hard a player is working out now or in how many wide open jumpshots they can drill from 20ft during a workout session. Some of these guys will never workout this hard again because (in their mind) it won't help them gain anything. Hopefully Thomas will remain a workout warrior his whole NBA career, develop a lot of skills and successfully use them during a great NBA career. Don't count on it though.
Why you so pessimistic about the guy. I don't hear you going "don't count on (this guy trying hard starting from the day he signs his contract)" with all these other draftees. But twice in this thread, you pretty much said that you think Thomas is going to turn into a lazy bum. What's up with that?
Thomas said after the workout that he sees himself more as a three than a four in the pros. If he can and will play the three in the NBA, I think he will go higher in the draft. Some teams might see a 215 lb 4 and think about passing on it.
It doesn't only apply to him. I'm just saying ALL of the top prospects are working hard right now. Some of them will turn into busts. I'll bet Stromile Swift worked hard during the Spring before he was drafted and look where it got him. I'm not predicting Tyrus Thomas will turn into a lazy bum but I won't rule it out because he's working hard right now. Just trying to counteract the optimistic spin that's being put on these prospects. They are just going through the annual honeymoon period that always happens. No particular knock on Mr. Thomas; just responding to the intitial post "Tyrus Thomas is Hungry". I feel the same way about Rudy Gay, LaMarcus Aldridge, etc, etc.
i'm a big tyrus thomas fan. of course, i'm also a big tiger fan (geaux tigers!), but i honestly do think this kid has a chance to be something special. that said, he is also the player most likely to slip down out of the top 5. his reluctance to workout for a few teams may hurt him. if he's there at #8, you don't think twice. you draft him. not many players can control the game on both sides of the court with ease. tyrus has shown that he can.
