Good move for the Clippers! You have to give them credit. They lost Radmanovic and immediately found his replacement with Tim Thomas. They wont miss a beat there.
all teams should be wary of trading or signing a guy from the phx suns. that system extrapolates all talent and skills of the player within that system, and when the player goes to a slower, normal paced team, then he will return to his usual bum self (tim thomas). marion has always been good. amare has been decent but has only blown up to superstardom when steve nash came along board as well as dantoni's fast system. the rest of the suns roleplayers...ehh.
I totally agree with that, Tim Thomas has proven he's always stepped up when it's contract year, but then once he gets his big contract his production goes down. It happened in Milwaukee and I bet its gonna happen with the Clippers. Thomas can't rebound for a guy that's 6-11, can't play defense, and all he does is jack up threes.
Tim Thomas's best years were in Milwaukee playing with Sam. You don't think that has to do alot with it. They are friends and Sam knows how to make big men look good. Van Horn Garnett Thomas Brand Kayman
Thomas's production went every year in Milwaukee. Just not enough to justify his contract. His production didn't go down until playing with Marbury. Thomas is a role playing PF that can execute when he has a good point guard setting him up. He is not a max player that can create for himself. The Clippers got a bargain at the MLE.
All Thomas needs to do is camp out on the 3 point line. And Sam Cassell made Elton Brand into a sorta good player right? I mean...Brand was just okay... [/sarcasm]
I'm figuring 3 factors: 1. Money - The Suns new ownership is allergic to the lux tax, and Amare's extension kicks in next year. That's why they have been entertaining the thought of moving Marion. They want a supporting cast on the cheap since they know Nash can make scrubs look like All-Stars. If the Suns made a better offer, I'd be surprised. 2. Playing Time - With Diaw, Kurt Thomas, Amare, and Marion on board, Thomas only plays if someone's hurt or if they go big (not their style). With Radmonovic leaving L.A., he can be the first guy off the bench behind Brand/Magette. 3. Sam Cassell might have pitched to him.
Great signing, when you have Elton Brand, that frees up lots of shooters. plus you have a championship PG in Sam. Excellent signing. Tim Thomas showed his heart in the post season last year, now he's teamed up with Sam. Sam, Cuttino, Tim Thomas, those guys can hit CLUTCH shots.
rockbox, i commend you for understanding the big pictures as opposed to the stat googlers here. Tim Thomas got a horrible rep with the Knicks. But people forgot that when he played with Sam, he was awesome. When he played with Marbury, he sucked. Sam Cassell > Marbury This is fantastic.
