I always love how KT played.... with heart, giving his 110% every night.... that is one of the player I will like if I am running a team..... though adding Posey, whom I think seems to be another good, hardworking defender...... all the best KT, Philly will enjoy ur worknig ethic.
I remember watching Kenny in college at New Mexico where he was definitely a scorer but not much else. I was particularly down on him after he stunk it up in the NCAA tournament and didn't think he had the size or the dedication to make it in the NBA . Anyway, somehow, Rudy saw something in him on draft night and made him late 1st rounder. Since then, KT has proved a lot of people wrong with his offensive prowess, hustle, footwork, quick hands, solid defense, and willingness to do what his coaches ask him to do. Even though his moves seemed predictable to me, he continues to befuddle opponents night in and out, and that's what counts. He didn't publicly complain about his role on the team at any time that I can recall and really made something of himself while he was here. Thanks for being a Rocket, here's to hoping you suceed in Philly and get the nice contract you've earned, KT.
Goodbye Kenny, I'll miss your tenacious play on the court. I now know which boxscores I'll be looking for after the Rockets! I loved the way you improved your game, and physical condition in every off-season. That's what great players do. And to think that the knock on you coming out of college was work ethic! Good luck, and we'll see you in the finals!
We've got a hole at PF and an empty feeling now that your gone, K9. Best of luck in Philly... I hope you don't kill us when we play. This surprised the hell out of me. We'll see how it plays out.
KT was the odd man out. Now he knows why the Rockets didn't sign an extension with him in the summer. Good luck, poor man.
I wish the Rockets would have gave Taylor's contract to Kenny instead but since they didn't he had to go. Good luck in Philly Kenny and stay away from them dogs.
I always liked Kenny.....I never knew how much until he was gone. His heart was as big as Texas. I'm not sure if this trade offers enough to disrupt the team's chemistry. In fact, I'll go on record as saying I don't like it. I hope I'm wrong. I'm just a dumb fan anyway. What do I know?
The trade makes me uneasy. Like Pole, surprisingly, I'm sort of against the trade. Of course I don't know much about Posey. I guess it's like the Yao pick, you just have to trust the Rockets management. I still think that hardworking, lionhearted KT has upside. Unfortunately I still think there is a pretty good chance that KT is going to develop a good outside shot and be nearly unstoppable. He is a Larry Brown smart player and will really help the Sixers. I think that this trade could come back to haunt us. At least it's to an Eastern Conference team. Good luck KT; just not against the Rockets.
We love you Kenny, great man, hard-worker, and a fan favorite. Too bad to see him go, hope 2 see you in the finals someday Kenny!!! with love, respect, and admiration! God Bless
My respect to Kenny Thomas. Hardest working Rocket. He always came to camp ready and in great shape. He is our toughest enforcer I think. He is very strong- he could intimidate. He had a great deal of self control. I saw other players lose their temper while he kept his cool. The look in his eyes you could tell he was unafraid. Charles BArkley once said 2 years ago that Kenny was our only big man and he reminded Charles of himself. I guess that stuck with me because after that Kenny's power under the basket did remind me of Charles. I really wish we could have managed to make Kenny fit in with the players we ended up with. Kenny is better off in Philadelphia. I resented the Rice deal because we did not need Glen Rice, and I thought at the time it could affect kenny's playing time. Miss you Kenny - good luck. Will root for you except when playing us. You are a class act.
What better tribute could there be than how excited his new teammates are? They really seem to respect his game -- Philly management says they've been trying to get him for years, and the players seem to always have wanted him since he works out in Philly. Sixers' wish granted with Thomas acquisition By PHIL JASNER jasnerp@phillynews.com This was a move the 76ers all but begged to make for at least 2 years. They needed a combination small forward/power forward with a touch of nastiness, who could score, defend and rebound and who takes a special satisfaction in doing all of the above. There he was in Philadelphia every summer, training and scrimmaging under the watchful supervision of John Hardnett. In the tiny Gustine Lake gym. At Temple. Even at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Sixers' practice site. Close enough for the Sixers' brass to watch, but not close enough to acquire. Even the other Sixers working out joked about it, never for a moment believing they were so close to the truth. But one day's moment of wonder became yesterday's taste of reality when the Sixers acquired 6-7 Kenny Thomas from Houston in a three-team deal with Denver. The Sixers sent Mark Bryant, Art Long and a conditional first-round draft choice to the Nuggets. The Nuggets dealt guard/forward James Posey to the Rockets; the Rockets provided the Nuggets with a second-round pick. Thomas was expected to arrive tonight. A Daily News telephone call to him was greeted with a voice-mail message saying "the mailbox is full." The Sixers gave up two guys at the end of their bench for a rugged guy who figures to play major minutes. "As I look back, it's real funny," the Sixers' Aaron McKie said after last night's 99-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. "We always told him he'd be a great fit with our team, not thinking for a minute that it would happen. I thought he was a fixture in Houston." If that ever were the case, the Rockets' situation changed with the arrival of Maurice Taylor and Eddie Griffin, not to mention the emergence of 7-6 rookie center Yao Ming. The Nuggets, mindful of stockpiling guys who will be free agents at the end of the season, were willing to give up Posey, who no longer fit their needs, to add the 37-year-old Bryant ($1.030 million), likely at the end of a long career, and Long ($637,435), who probably does not figure in their long-range plans. Thomas ($1,557,683) can become a restricted free agent after this season; the Sixers hold an option worth $2,225,526. "I think our initial reaction was about how we pulled this off," Sixers forward Keith Van Horn said. "I don't think this will cause any transitional problems, because, with the injuries we've had, we've been adjusting all season. We know how to do that." Assuming Monty Williams returns reasonably soon from surgery to repair a partly torn left meniscus, the Sixers will have more than resolved frontcourt shortcomings. With Williams, Thomas, Van Horn, Derrick Coleman, Brian Skinner and McKie, they would appear to have fewer matchup problems and better physicality. "I look at it as us getting a guy who can help us get to the level we want to get to," Van Horn said. "He's going to make us a better team. That's what it's all about." Sixers general manager Billy King and coach Larry Brown had told Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson that, if Thomas was being moved, they wanted an opportunity to make a bid. Brown acknowledged last night "my heart sank" the other day when a reporter - unaware of the Sixers' current interest - asked about a rumored four-way trade involving Houston, Denver, Memphis and Portland that included Thomas and Posey. "I was holding my breath," Brown said. King was in his car when Dawson called to finalize this deal. He also was there last summer when the Sixers acquired Van Horn and Todd MacCulloch from New Jersey for Dikembe Mutombo. "Maybe I need to drive around more," King said, laughing. Brown described his experience as "a hard day," because of a kinship with Bryant and the satisfaction of seeing Long make the roster as a non-guaranteed free agent. But that was clearly offset by his excitement in acquiring Thomas, who was averaging 9.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 29.3 minutes in 20 games. In his three previous seasons, he averaged 9.8 points and 6.3 rebounds. "We're getting a kid who works out with our guys in the summertime who we would have made a tremendous run at in the free-agency market," Brown said. "I think with Monty's injury, and as athletic as teams are getting, this was a great deal, but it was not a fun day. I just think [Thomas] can play; he's unselfish, he can defend, he can rebound, he plays more than one position. He's a real team guy, he's got toughness. "We've talked about him for years. We've tried ever since I've seen him in the league. I'd watch him play, I'd always think about him being part of our team." The players seemed equally as eager to make that step. "People are in, then they're out. You can be here one day, gone tomorrow," Skinner said. "What we have to do is make the transition as easy as possible for Kenny. He's part of this team now." Greg Buckner was more succinct: "We got better. In this league, that's all you can do."
I never heard that. I was going to say that I thought Kenny was a lot like Charles (on the court), but I thought most of you would think I was going overboard.
I still remember my first memory of Kenny Thomas, his big protruding eyes and chubby face, listed at 6'8" I thought to myself this guy won't last here long. But he change that when he subbed in for MoT one game. Small he was compared to the other PF and Centers jostling in for position, first couple plays nothing exciting. But then, Stevie drove in from the right, as a double team came, he quickly dish it off to the middle of the lane to Kenny Thomas and effortlessly Kenny leaped into the sky and threw down such a ferocity dunk that I haven't see such a rim racker since the days of Sir Charles. 'Wow' came out of my mouth, this guy has something special. After a year of subbing in for MoT, KT got his chance to play last year and played his heart out, even though the season for the Rockets was a total failure. This year a leaner and meaner Kenny came to play but little did he know his position was already given to a 20 year old...without a contract or any certainty for next year, Kenny tried his best to play SF or whatever Houston wanted him to play. Now after 20 odd games his play with the Rockets has ended, his love for the game shattered by the reality of this business world. Well, it's time for him to start anew and establish himself again with his emphatic dunk, hustle rebounds, incredible defense and incessant diligence that we Houstonians have gotten so accustomed to. Farewell KT, and Godspeed my friend, Godspeed.......
Good luck KT. I loved going to watch you with the Lobos and loved watching you improve the pros. You proved a lot of people wrong, myself included. Keep in touch (who knows there is always free agency)
Good Luck KT. I hope you find success whereever you end up. I think that you will do well in the Eastern conf. and expect to see you pick it up another notch. You go get 'em.
I was very surprised when I heard about the trade. The first time I heard about it was Bill and Calvin's Halftime Question "How will Posey contribute?" or something like that. I was thinking "Oh no! Who did they trade?" When I got home and checked the clutch headline, I was shocked, but then I realized that the trade makes sense because of the log jam at the 4. With that said, I will miss Kenny Thomas' raging bull basketball work ethic. Plain and simple, the man had hustle. He put an effort in every game and rebounded well. He definitely was underrated coming into the draft, and he certainly has proved himself in many ways. Good luck in Philly!
Posey balances the roster, makes us better. And KT made us a better and more enjoyable team. Tough love, onwards to the City of Brotherly Love, KT ... see you in the Finals!
