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Mahinmi or even Ratliff can accomplish the same thing. And they know the Spurs system better than Thomas. I don't get how Thomas is going to make the Spurs better.
Remember when everyone was dogging the out of Pietrus and his terrible basketball IQ? That was awesome (the dude truly is dumb as dirt).
And remember when he got that ridiculous contract from the Magic? Those guys were idiots; they'll never live that one down.
Oh, Oh ... and remember when that dumbass, overpaid guy was being one of the most integral parts of a team that went to the Finals last year? Hilarious.
It takes a thinking man (at every position and role) to be a real, contributing basketball player ...
Mahinmi or even Ratliff can accomplish the same thing. And they know the Spurs system better than Thomas. I don't get how Thomas is going to make the Spurs better.
He wont. We need to trade for a starting 2guard or for a solid down low defender. this tweener . Thomas will only bring more "small ball". Which is the last thing the Spurs need.
Pietrus still gets dogged by members of this forum.. despite being one of the most versatile defenders in the league and habitally nailing clutch shots in big games time and time again.
I'm not sure where the idea that Thomas is a ing moron comes from. Maybe off the court he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, I don't know. But on the court he is the typical young athletic guy who makes mistakes. Just like any other player. No one is going to accuse him of being an astute basketball mind, but he has never come across as total idiot either. I hate how Spurs fans think you need to be some mental genius to play with Pop.
As for on court, Thomas could help the Spurs. I'm not sure it does much for them this season, but it could certainly help in the future. Thomas has a future as a Marion type player; incredible athlete, rare quick jumping ability, decent defensive player who excels at highlight defensive plays, poor ball handling skills and an inconsistent jumpshot lacking range. Now I'm not saying he reaches prime Marion levels, but he could become a similar player. If the Spurs can get him in a trade for some scraps, they need to accept that straight away.
Salmons could really help this season. He is a pretty good defensive player with length. Offensively he is very well rounded, can do a bit of everything. I think in a Spurs offense he would become a tough cover because of he is a threat everywhere on the court and wouldn't be forced into isolations against a set defense. By no means would he put the Spurs over the top, but he is a better fit than Jefferson.
Of course, all this is moot if Pop decided to barely play Thomas and not allow him to make mistakes and turned Salmons into a guy who stands at the baseline 3 for 18 seconds every offensive possession... But that is a post for a different time.
How are those smart old men working out for the Spurs right now?..
Yeah, all I know is what I saw from him in the NBA Finals. Compared to what the Spurs were getting from Finley and others, I would take his all-around performance any day.
As for Thomas, at this point the situation is desparate enough for the Spurs to take a risk on what they would normally consider an unconventional player. This guy has raw physical talents, that could truly benefit this team - right now. And the beautiful thing about him is he's young, has upside and can be around while the Spurs go through the inevitable rebuilding project. Put him together with Hill and Blair.
They aint working out too well.
All of Pop's fear about young players not being equipped to play in the NBA is bull . Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi went for 27 and 18, respectively for the Kings on Tuesday night.
Tyrus Thomas went for 9 & 7 in 28 minutes.
Pop needs to recognize.
Pietrus does make plenty of mistakes on the court. He has terrible shot selection, makes some horrible defensive mistakes like fouling jumpshooters and makes some stupid offensive decisions causing turnovers.
But you take the good with the bad. He makes plenty of those bad shots, is fearless, makes defensive plays you don't expect. He is a wildcard and unpredictable and that is a quality in itself. I'd take him on my team anyday.
Not every player is Tim ing Duncan. Spurs fans seem to think you need a Larry Bird mind at every position. Not the case, it helps if your best players are elite basketball minds, but having some players who bring some unpredictability, ala Buckets in 03, gives a team a different, and sometimes more dangerous look.
Alright, let's leave his miniscule IQ out of it for a few minutes...
Why the do we need ANOTHER undersized PF project? We've got one of those already, and he's going to smoke those "best year" numbers of TT's next year.
If you're going to advocate a Forrest Gump, make him at least 6'11". You find someone like that, I'll jump on board, maybe reluctantly, but I'll jump.
Couldn't agree more on all points.
Also, let's stop acting as though ALL the Spurs players are perfect and flawless. As wonderful of a player as Manu is, HE still makes dumb mistakes of commission that you have to live with. From careless passes, to ill-advised shots, to the occasional silly foul. , he probably cost the Spurs a 5th le with his dumb decision to foul Dirk for that "and 1" in the waning seconds of that epic Game 7 of the WCSF series in 2006. Duncan, with his errant outlet passes, makes his share of mistakes, as does Parker with his occasional poor decisions to ignore open shooters, while dribbling into 2-3 defenders in the paint. That said, it doesn't diminish their value, they're just human and, even though they're veterans, they still make their share of mistakes too.
Blair is making his mistakes too, but he's more than making up for them with hustle, hard work,and a willing at ude. Pop has been surprisingly tolerant of him, so far. I wish he would've granted Ian the same leeway.
Young players need court time and repe ion in order to drive down their share of mistakes. Pop, and other coaches, sometimes give too short of a leash to younger players, versus olders players, who make the same mistakes.
For starters, because they don't have an athletic PF, who can block shots, rebound, run the floor or has the ability to step outside the paint and guard people effectively. Like him or not, there's no question that Thomas can do all those things. In fact, I purposely watched Thomas do all those things in the 28 mins he played versus the Pacers tonight.
Of course, Pop will have his hands full, in terms of teaching him to be a more disciplined player, but isn't that what he's paid to do?
You're probably right. I just hope RC will do his due diligence this weekend and start working on parameters of a trade that would bring both Thomas and Salmons to the Spurs.
First off, Thomas plays bigger than his listed height of 6'10. And 6'10 is not undersized at all. Athletically he's almost as gifted as Dwight Howard. He blocks and alters a ton of shots. That's the element that the spurs are missing right now. The one player that could have helped there (Ian) has been written off. So the spurs need a guy like Thomas.
I have nothing against your boy, Blair, but he doesn't hold a candle defensively to Tyrus Thomas. This is becoming readily apparent now that Bonner cannot hide this weakness... heck, Bonner has enough problems holding his own defensively. This combination is going to get exposed in the playoffs if nothing changes.
In short, the Blair / Bonner duo isn't going to cut it
Do you got some backup on this? A link or something? Because I've always thought of TT as closer to 6'8.
Again, where's your source? I agree he has these things to a degree, but I think your overestimating him by a considerable margin.Athletically he's almost as gifted as Dwight Howard. He blocks and alters a ton of shots.
Senorspur, I think we've found the real reason the Popalogist don't want to take on anyone who's a little rough around the edges and needs some direction, because the simple truth of the matter is Poppy has no idea how to coach.
In Pop's mind, he shouldn't have to "teach", .. or "coach"... these players should come to the team ready to contribute the moment they step on the court.
When you look at the needs of the Spurs and the personnel already in place, there's just not a better (feasible) option out there than Thomas-Salmons.
When you look at the frontline, what kind of player do the Spurs need?
Well, they're definitely in need of a rim deterrent and preferably a legitimate starting number 2. But when you look at the options available (Camby, Haywood, etc.), how are those guys going to co-exist with Tim playing number 2 minutes; Tim's a 5 now, whether he wants to admit it or not, and neither Camby nor Haywood are capable of defending out on the floor. Therefore, they'd find their ass seated on the bench most nights (and with Pop, maybe even when they shouldn't) and would be a wasted asset.
Now with a guy like Thomas, you give yourself another option. He gives you versatility defensively that can keep him on the court regardless of matchup and you maintain a rim deterrent as long as he's out there; with Tim, he's the weak-side shot blocker to compliment the strong-side defense (Tim sets them up, while Tyrus knocks them down) and his speed in transition allows the team to both benefit from, and deter, the break.
He and Blair would form a nice complimentary battery for Tim and 'Dyess, that could be utilized depending on play and matchup; I'll bet you're going to acquire a good soldier, given Tyrus' contract status, so the playing time shouldn't be an issue this year.
There's no long term commitment, cap ramifications or great loss of talent in acquiring the kid (the same age as George, if memory serves). What the do they have to lose?
Salmons is Salmons. I'd trade him for RJ if it were possible. Bogans shouldn't be seeing the court and Hill can't be the primary and sole perimeter defender at the wing. Salmons' all-around game would definitely be beneficial to the team.
It's not going to net a championship but it makes them better, and it gives them an opportunity to try some players out for next year; they need to start planning for next year.
This link from ESPN says he's 6'10".. he looks pretty tall out there from what I've seen. I don't know for sure, though.
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/player...?playerId=3032
He may not have Howard's strength but he possesses the quick leaping ability and timing that makes a great shotblocker.
Let's look at what the Spurs have on the frontline.
Ratliff can block shots, but is old, fragile and mysteriously doesn't play.
Blair can rebound with ferocity, but lacks size and isn't a polished defender yet.
McDyess is a good positional defender and rebounder, or at least he was last year, but can't really step out and guard people on the perimeter, can't block shots and looks very much his 35 years.
Bonner is just a shooter and hustle guy, who doesn't rebound, defend, block shots or anything else.
Mahinmi can run, rebound, block shot and looks to be competent offensively, but mysteriously has entered the Spurs witness protection program.
That leaves Duncan as the sole anchor of everything the Spurs do offensively and defensively on the frontline. At 33 years of age, the guy is working too hard and the load is just too much. We saw him wear down last year, and it appears to be happening again.
Let's face it, regardless of what you may think about Thomas, and despite the fact that he has fallen out of favor with his current team, the guy has all those tangible defensive skills that the Spurs have so very little of. He still needs to develop his offense, but he'd be an instant upgrade at the PF position.
Thomas is 6' 8.25" with shoes, has a 7' 3" wingspan and a 9' 0" standing reach.
Tyrus Thomas is 6-8.25 with shoes on.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Tyrus-Thomas-511/
Egad! I think we've got him dead to rights now!Senorspur, I think we've found the real reason the Popalogist don't want to take on anyone who's a little rough around the edges and needs some direction, because the simple truth of the matter is Poppy has no idea how to coach.
In Pop's mind, he shouldn't have to "teach", .. or "coach"... these players should come to the team ready to contribute the moment they step on the court.
9'0" standing reach.. yah I think that he could help protect the rim a little bit.
I just posted this on another thread so I'll throw it in here.
Honestly, even if spurs did trade for Thomas I think Pop would just give him the Gooden treatment.
He would just sit on the bench watching Finley out there trying to do his job.
Yep!!! And the sad part is Gooden has had some monster games for the Mavettes whereas Dice has looked like a 106 year old granny on most nights. We definitely need a big who can help Tim out but, we also need a closer who can take over in the 4th qtr. and keep us on track. These late 4th qtr. breakdowns are getting old real fast...!!!
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