Rudy Gay / Tyrus Thomas

Gay will only play the 4 if there is a matchup problemm, but his skills are made for the SF position. He can hit open shots or in someone's face. He had trouble taken people off the dribble cause so many SF's in college are 6'6" or shorter and he needs to improve his ballhandling. I think his ballhandling is better than many people think though. He can take his man off the dribble and create his own shot but he doesn't do it often. He also has the ability to be a very solid defender at SF and could possibly guard bigger 2's in this league. I think he is more of an interchangeable 2/3 as he gets older and better SG skills. All I know is that a lineup of TMac at 2 and Gay at 3 would cause mismatches on offense all day long. When Gay gets in the lane he is trying to throw down with a sick dunk and usually does. If he learns that he is more effective at this than anything else he will be a very good NBA player. This would work out if Gay could guard 2's down the line but who knows.

Thomas is a little undersized at PF as well as his strength needs improvement. He may develop some solid face up skills someday but right now he will only do them sparingly. In his first couple years he will be a hustler, getting rebounds, putbacks and other intangibles that help teams win. He may eventually develop a nice post game but I think this team needs someone like Gay because of his potential to cause mismatches and take it hard to the basket and provide some much needed perimeter defense with his length, athleticism, and quick hands.

 

If we just look at their upside and the good stuff that they do, there's a lot to like:

Thomas has the bulldog type intensity that JVG is so keen on putting around Yao and Tracy. He's also supposed to be much more skilled than he showed in college since he was a guard throughout high school before he hit a growth spurt. And his athletic gifts are obvious.

Gay has all the tools to be successful. His handle gets ragged on, but for a SF/PF it's pretty good. And he should be a good shooter in the league. He's got good mechanics and gets good elevation on his shot so it's hard to block. And once again his athletic gifts are obvious.

The downsides are there of course; Thomas never showed his skills in college so it's really an unknown quantity. And Gay puts in inconsistent effort and was surprising not a very efficient scorer at uconn. It's one thing not score than many ppg with a whole bunch of other talented guys, but it's hard to fathom why he couldn't get a better percentage or pps ratio. So those are obvious concerns.

But I think they're downsides are still pretty decent. Even if Thomas doesn't have the skillset to distinguish himself as a star level player, he's still seems to put a lot of effort and intensity on both ends of the court, so he could be a Stro who's "on" all the time. As for Gay with his length and athleticism and decent looking stroke, it's hard to me to see him being less than an excellent defender who can guard multiple positions and give you some points on the other end, basically a Tayshaun Prince.

If one or the other falls to 8, you got to take 'em. Or if we trade up it'll be CD and company's call on who's better for us, and who should pan out.

 

Gay did impress me in alot of his games, but sometimes was non existent in other games. The kid has talent coming out of his ears and he kind of reminds me of a Robert Horry type with more skills. I think he would probably help the rockets more than most people think cause he can slide between the 3 and the 4. If rocket fans are looking for that Horry or Tim Thomas type of player, then I think he is the guy.

Tyrus Thomas is just a beast period. He was very impressive in the NCAA tounament. Looks like he plays with a chip on his shoulder and a tremendous amount of fire. His jumpshot and range may be better than people think. In my eyes he could potentially be an Amare Stoudamire type of player with better defense. Thomas would be a scary player with Steve Nash feeding him.

After rethinking it, if either Gay and Thomas is there a #8, I would select Thomas hands down. I don't think the rockets could go wrong getting another big and trying to surround Yao with more frontline athletes. Thomas has to much upside to pass up and he is a game changer with his aggressiveness and fire. The big question is will the rockets draft for need or for upside. In my opinion Thomas has a good shot at becoming an allstar down the road.

 

Again, I don't watch much college ball, so i am just talking through my hat* here.

One of the things that I like about Thomas is that he scores without needing the ball or having plays called for him. A lot of put backs and other garabage points. We want the ball running through 111 as much as possible.

Also, he is apparently a monster defender. Both in the post and man on man. If true, I love that.




* code for a slightly off color word that (appropriaetly) should not be printed on this site.

 

I can't sell you on Tyrus Thomas. I expect him to be the biggest bust of the draft if he's taken in the top 4. Gay is another story. He would be a perfect fit as a 3rd scorer with his 3pt shot and freakish athleticism on the break. I think his potential defensively is off the charts.

His motivation is questioned, but as a young player on a team with Yao and Tracy, I'm not worried about it. If you were trying to build a team around him, he may not be the "take charge" kind of guy who could be a team leader. But that isn't what we need on offense.

If you ask me, Gay's upside leaves Tyrus Thomas in the dust. He's longer, faster has more skills, is more versatile and can shoot the long ball. Not even close. Thomas' upside depends on him becoming a "beast". We will see how beastly he is and how hard he works during next summer when he's locked in the middle of a 4 year contract. I'm sick and tired of hearing how hard these draft picks are working out right now. The players who work out hard AFTER their rookie year and take a big step during their 2nd seasons are the true "beasts" who "have a motor".

Lastly, it's funny how many people are back on the Rudy Gay bandwagon. He's been my #1A choice since the NCAA tournament ended. Bargnani was my #1B, but the more I think about it, the more Gay would fit our front line, especially next to Yao. Gay is destined to be a PF as he gets older and adds a little more weight.

 

Tyrus Thomas will be the bust of this year's draft. I don't want anything to do with him. Funny that someone so arrogant (see interview) can't shoot an open jumpshot or dribble a ball. It would be one thing if he was 6'10 but he's closer to 6'7. Unskilled guys at that size are a dime a dozen. No thanks.

Gay would be a great fit.

 

Everybody is back on Gay because until the change in rumor winds yesterday, the was no way in hell The Rockets had a shot at him.

Thomas says he's a 3, just ask him. (part of the reason half of the people think he is arrogant)

 

I mentioned in another thread, but if Minnesota wants Foye so badly, and Boston wants Marcus Williams, why bother even trading up?

It seems like such a waste of resources to trade up when the players that the teams ahead of are targeting are players the Rockets have no interest in anyway.

 

I question whether any of you who claim Thomas can't hit a jumper watched more of LSU than the tournament. His highlight plays were the dunks, but he absolutely has a 15-17 foot jumper that he can drill with regularity. Can he handle the ball well enough to be a 3? Maybe, maybe not, but I've seen him handle the ball and hold his own for stretches.

There are a lot of guys in this draft who I think could be busts, but I don't see Tyrus Thomas as one of them. He's got incredible, game-changing skills as a shot-blocker... his timing is outstanding, much like Ben Wallace. He also has a constant motor and rebounds the ball with his hands and not his body. He may be an inch or two undersized, but rebounding at the NBA level is about leaping ability and hands (see Shawn Marion), and he can compete with any forward in the league in those categories.

My question with Thomas is if he will develop enough of an offensive game, both in the post and off the dribble, to be a star on both ends of the floor. But I have no reservations with him defensively. He has a constant motor, has incredible timing as a shot-blocker and has outstanding hands as a rebounder. Guys at his position with his defensive skills and intensity are very rare, and he'll be a valuable player regardless of how well his offense develops.

Also, you can't judge arrogance by one interview. You can make almost any NBA player in the league look like an arrogant fool if you hand-pick one interview, take it out of context and replay a few quotes. You have to consider the entire body of work, and outside of that one interview, Thomas hasn't done anything that I know of to make him seem like an arrogant guy.

 

Thomas ....High reward/high risk. Reminds me of Swift, MacDyess, Marion in that his game depends on his athletism right now. An injury or lack of development would really hinder his chances.

If Gay can play the PF spot defensively in the NBA (big if), he would fit well for the Rockets. I'd like him at the four so he can help the Rockets against teams like Dallas and Phoenix, but I would worry about his rebounding at the 4. Gay is deadly in the midrange area. SF is probably his best position. He has some potential to be able to play the 2 as a defender. His offensive game would need work here. Gay is versatile which would help the Rockets handle some of the different sets teams have used against Yao.

Roy is the least risky pick of the draft in my book. He'll be able to play at the next level even though he does have the potential of not being a creator. He doesn't waste possessions on bad shots and bad passes. The SG spot would be filled for the next ten years if the Rockets got him. Not very versatile, but doesn't need to be.

Brewer...I like his game based on his defense and ballhandling. He picks up a ton of steals without taking too many gambles. He would help limit penetration and ,thus, he would protect Yao from some stupid fouls.

 

There you have it. Gay is a "new breed" 4 who also fits at the 3 and maybe the 2. I don't care if JVG hates the word "athleticism"; Rudy Gay has more of it than anyone else in this year's draft!

On Tyrus Thomas, one thing he will do better than Stromile is rebound. Thomas clearly has rebounding instincts. Stro does not and never will. This can't be taught. I still think any team picking Thomas in the top 4 is making a huge mistake. He will play smaller in the NBA than he does in college. He could still get his share of blocked shots though.

 

I would take Gay over Thomas. Both are athletic freaks and both are fairly raw players IMO. But Gay is a better perimeter player and while his shot isn't that great, it's much better than Thomas. At 6'7", Tyrus Thomas doesn't have great size the play PF nor does he have the perimeter skills to play SF. No matter what he says, the guy isn't a SF.

As much as I don't want to see TMac back at SG, an Alston, TMac, Gay trio could be a very lethal running group. And like some have said, Gay has the ability to play 3 positions, IF he hits up the weight room, he has the wingspan and the athletic ability to play PF.

 

Gay fits the team better. we need a 3rd option scorer who can defend on the perimeter as well. gay shoots the ball very well and blocked 1.8 shots per game. we wont need him to be a TMac when he first comes in, just a nice option who can shoot the ball. Mac and Ming will be the guys dominating the ball, so even though Rudy was knocked on for not having a high motor, it's ok because he can shoot or pass the ball to Yao in the post. He doesn't need to be selfish right away or score 20 points. We just signed Swift, why the hell do we need another one in Thomas? Rudy can help out on defense just as well as Thomas, so it's not like Thomas' defense puts him over the top on Rudy.

 

Rudy Gay can be an All-Defensive team guy in the NBA, his lateral quickness and wingspan are ridiculous. I think he can come in guarding SGs right away. His shot is also much better than people give it credit for. I think he'd be a much better fit for the Rockets than the uber-risky Tyrus Thomas.

 

gay would be an excellent player to have in case there are any more problems with mcgrady's back. i think playing in the nba could be enough incentive for this guy to give his best every night. and maybe not.

 

Tyrus Thomas = Bust of 2006 (was a nobody about 8 months ago)
Rudy Gay = Superstar waiting to shine.