Isaiah Thomas

[VF21]

I wouldn't mind seeing this as the starting lineup for next gamE:

1 Thomas
2 Fredette
3 Evans
4 Hickson
5 Cousins

Let Thomas run the offense for the most part, perhaps alternating now and then with Jimmer or Evans. Let Jimmer's shots be from set up plays, don't make him have to create his own. Also, we could set up some screens and plays to get Reke easy drives and open lanes. It just might work.

Um, really? I mean freaking really?

I will never ever never as long as I live (and it's already been a VERY long time) understand the insanity that strikes some Kings fans when they develop a fancy for a particular player.

Jimmer start? Oh hell no. You want to ruin him? You put him out there when he's clearly NOT ready and destroy his confidence.

I like Jimmer Fredette and I have every hope he'll develop into a true star for the Kings, but I'm not expecting it this year.

As far as Thomas goes, he's the kind of spark off the bench most teams would kill to have. He's Bobby Jackson reincarnated and we'd be fools not to utilize him properly.

I'm pretty happy with what Coach Smart has done so far, and I was very glad to listen to the interview with Thomas after the game. I think both he and Jimmer will be valuable assets for the Kings but neither of them need to be starting.

 

[VF21]

Yep, Thomas deserves some serious minutes for the remainder of the road trip. That will tell us if he should continue to get those minutes. But whether he starts or not, it's the minutes that count.

Now this I can cosign.

 

[OptimusRhyme]

I wouldn't mind seeing this as the starting lineup for next gamE:

1 Thomas
2 Fredette
3 Evans
4 Hickson
5 Cousins


Let Thomas run the offense for the most part, perhaps alternating now and then with Jimmer or Evans. Let Jimmer's shots be from set up plays, don't make him have to create his own. Also, we could set up some screens and plays to get Reke easy drives and open lanes. It just might work.

thats spelling disaster bro, Jimmers not ready. And I dont think IT is ready for that either.

I think its going to be healthy competition between Jimmer and IT for backup minutes, and so far IT is winning by a long shot.

 

[kennadog]

I like Thomas a lot, but would like to see more of him, before I make any judgements about where he fits on the Kings. He certainly looks like a steal as the 60th pick right now, though. They did say on the broadcast that Bobby Jackson has been working with him, though. If he could be our 6th man of the year, BJax type, I'd be thrilled.

Fredette is obviously struggling to adjust right now and has rookie jitters written all over him. I'm not going to rush to judgement on his future with the team either.

For tonight, though, WAY TO GO Thomas!

 

[Italics]

What is this Jimmer thing. I mean really. He hasn't shown anything to remotely deserve all these starting proposals, but you are relentless. So now we make ourselves small and tiny to keep him on the floor? So he can guard Kevin Martin even?

You would also have all of our remaining guards in the starting lineup with no reserves. Unless you are suggesting Thornton will be back and you'd still start both rookies over him.

Next game is not realy a great one for our Throntonless backcourt. The Rockets go tough physical bowling bowl Lowry, high scoring flopmaster Kevin, and then dirtywork roleplayer SF. If you have Reke and Salmons they can take Lowry and Maritn...and then leave eitehr IT or Jimmer on a SF?? Or they take Martin and the SF and leave Lowry to run over our little rooks? Its certianly not the time to break out TWO small rookies. That's asking for disaster.

1) Kings are 1-1 with Jimmer as their starter. Draw what conclusions you may.

2) EVERY time this year that Jimmer and IT have been on the court together, the team has looked good. They've had some ugly moments and they haven't been perfect, but it has brought a spark to the team

3) Jimmer at least has potential. Thornton has peaked. Thornton will never be anything more than the guy who occasionally has great games on losing teams. He is a good 6th man, nothing more. Your fantasies about Thornton being some sort of star are delusional. He will never be one.

4) The Kings are one of the WORST defensive teams in the league... and neither IT nor Jimmer are starters. You sure you want to pin down our defensive woes on them? If Reke, Thornton, Cousins, etc. are the pinnacle of defensive players... then why do they consistently play such awful defense... some of the WORST defense in the league?

Well?

I'll give you some time to recover from the logic overload.

 

[Uncia03]

1) Kings are 1-1 with Jimmer as their starter. Draw what conclusions you may.

2) EVERY time this year that Jimmer and IT have been on the court together, the team has looked good. They've had some ugly moments and they haven't been perfect, but it has brought a spark to the team

3) Jimmer at least has potential. Thornton has peaked. Thornton will never be anything more than the guy who occasionally has great games on losing teams. He is a good 6th man, nothing more. Your fantasies about Thornton being some sort of star are delusional. He will never be one.

4) The Kings are one of the WORST defensive teams in the league... and neither IT nor Jimmer are starters. You sure you want to pin down our defensive woes on them? If Reke, Thornton, Cousins, etc. are the pinnacle of defensive players... then why do they consistently play such awful defense... some of the WORST defense in the league?

Well?

I'll give you some time to recover from the logic overload.

I'm a big Jimmer fan. I watched almost every game of his last season and as soon as the team traded Beno on draft-day the only person I wanted was Jimmer, as I felt that he would be a clear upgrade to Beno once he got accustomed to the NBA.

He's a fantastic shooter, distributed it very well in college, has a good handle and can create his own shot.

With that said, Thornton is hand's down better than Fredette right now and it's not even close.

I fully expect Jimmer to become a major cog for our team, but he isn't there right now.

I'm not sure if you're aware, but Thornton was the 4th best player (according to PER which isn't everything, but at least it can give some sort of idea for a player) in the league at his position after the All-Star break last year.

So far this season he's 8th. Fredette is 49th.

No need to tear down Thornton in order to make a case for Jimmer. Jimmer is going to be just fine once he gets used to the league, but he isn't ready at the moment.

 

[matthew76]

3) Jimmer at least has potential. Thornton has peaked. Thornton will never be anything more than the guy who occasionally has great games on losing teams. He is a good 6th man, nothing more. Your fantasies about Thornton being some sort of star are delusional. He will never be one.

4) The Kings are one of the WORST defensive teams in the league... and neither IT nor Jimmer are starters. You sure you want to pin down our defensive woes on them? If Reke, Thornton, Cousins, etc. are the pinnacle of defensive players... then why do they consistently play such awful defense... some of the WORST defense in the league?

Really? Thornton has peaked and there's no room for him to grow whatsoever? I find that hard to believe. I, and I believe that many others, aren't blaming the Kings defensive woes solely on Jimmer and IT, however, you are the one who has been obstinate about starting both and others, myself included, pointed out at the a)defensive mismatches that would occur based on the times they have played together b)our size disadvantage and c) Jimmer should probably not be starting currently because of his poor play. I'm disappointed that you first deflect the argument in different directions so they you don't have to give a straight answer to anyone, and then proceed to attack posters themselves so that you can feel that you won the discussion/act macho.

 

[VF21]

1) Kings are 1-1 with Jimmer as their starter. Draw what conclusions you may.

There is no conclusion to be drawn, unless you're trying to bolster your love of Jimmer. IF Jimmer was the leading scorer or led in assists, then maybe you'd have a leg to stand on. As it is, however, you're tossing out random statements that simply do not stand up to scrutiny.

Let Jimmer EARN the respect of the fans. He's not Justin Bieber and deserves better than to have Kings fans screaming his name and crying at the mere sight of him. We've been through that before during the worst of the Peja worship, and most of us have no interest in going through it again.

You do make one good point, although it's contrary to what you're trying to prove. IT and Jimmer do look good together, which is an excellent reason to bring them off the bench for the "spark to the team."

I'd continue but I know full well your only response will be sarcasm or snide commentary. Quite frankly, there are very few posters who can manage to do either well enough to merit further discussion, and you're not one of them.

 

[Bricklayer]

1) Kings are 1-1 with Jimmer as their starter. Draw what conclusions you may.

2) EVERY time this year that Jimmer and IT have been on the court together, the team has looked good. They've had some ugly moments and they haven't been perfect, but it has brought a spark to the team

3) Jimmer at least has potential. Thornton has peaked. Thornton will never be anything more than the guy who occasionally has great games on losing teams. He is a good 6th man, nothing more. Your fantasies about Thornton being some sort of star are delusional. He will never be one.

4) The Kings are one of the WORST defensive teams in the league... and neither IT nor Jimmer are starters. You sure you want to pin down our defensive woes on them? If Reke, Thornton, Cousins, etc. are the pinnacle of defensive players... then why do they consistently play such awful defense... some of the WORST defense in the league?

Well?

I'll give you some time to recover from the logic overload.

What a silly post. Probabiy my favorite was the classic statistic abuse of the team being 1-1 with Jimmer as a starter, That was at least funny rather than lala land, although unfortunately I know you did not mean it that way.

BTW, Thornton is all of a year and a half older than Jimmer. You are so unreasonable on this issue there isn't much point noting more, so I'll just point out the obvious fact that he averaged 20ppg after the All Star break of his rookie year, including 20ppg as a starter. Same age as Jimmer mind you. He averaged 21ppg after the All Star break as a sophomore after he got traded to us. And that he's averaging 19ppg as a 3rd year player on a team that got off to a messed up start. And his "occasional good games" are occasional in that he scores 20ppg every other night, 5 of 9 times this year, and 22 of 36 games over his Kings career.

I won't bother comparing that to Jimmer, because the silly thing about fans like yourself is the immense damage you do to the reps of the very players you try to jock. You turn people against your guy as they respond to your ridiculous arguments attempting to denigrate the rest of the team for the sake of your guy, by denigrating your guy in turn. Which btw would be pretty easy to do at this point given Jimmer's obvious struggles. You create Jimmer enemies where there otherwise would be none. Minus Jimmermania Jimmer would just be a struggling rookie that Kings fans would naturally be concerned about but generally wish well. Now throw in the nuttiness and constantly pitch it as the struggling rookie against far more accomplished players, core players even, and Jimmer's own alleged jockers turn him into an enemy. It really is quite clumsy and Jimmer would probably send you a cease and desist order if he knew how many people you were turning off with this nonsense.

 

[Tetsujin]

1) Kings are 1-1 with Jimmer as their starter. Draw what conclusions you may.

Two can play that game.

The Kings are 1-0 in games where IT scores 20 points.

 

[Glenn]

I like Thomas a lot, but would like to see more of him, before I make any judgements about where he fits on the Kings. He certainly looks like a steal as the 60th pick right now, though. They did say on the broadcast that Bobby Jackson has been working with him, though. If he could be our 6th man of the year, BJax type, I'd be thrilled.

Fredette is obviously struggling to adjust right now and has rookie jitters written all over him. I'm not going to rush to judgement on his future with the team either.

For tonight, though, WAY TO GO Thomas!

You seem far too rational to be a fan of the Kings.

 

[swisshh]

Right now, IT's college experience at PG is helping him. Jimmer had less experience as a team facilitator and initiator in college. I don't doubt he can do that or become that, but right now it's something he's changing into while Thomas has always been that type. It's not a surprise that IT is doing better right now.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

Two can play that game.

The Kings are 1-0 in games where IT scores 20 points.

This is fun!

The Kings have won 100% of the games in which Tyreke Evans made a three point shot. They have lost 100% of the games in which he has not made a 3 point shot.

 

[mac]

Right now, IT's college experience at PG is helping him. Jimmer had less experience as a team facilitator and initiator in college. I don't doubt he can do that or become that, but right now it's something he's changing into while Thomas has always been that type. It's not a surprise that IT is doing better right now.

Agreed. Like Tyreke, Jimmer doesn't seem to have that natural knack for setting guys up and running plays. That's not to say they both can't function as PGs though. Jimmer's contributions to the team would be at least double if he were simply hitting the open 3s he's getting. It puzzles me as to why he's shooting at such a poor %. A big part of IT's contribution against the Raptors was that he was hitting his 3s. Whatever it is, I think we can all agree that IT is not your typical 60th pick of the draft.

 

[mac]

This is fun!

The Kings have won 100% of the games in which Tyreke Evans made a three point shot. They have lost 100% of the games in which he has not made a 3 point shot.

Kings 1-0 in games played in Canada?

 

[UK_King]

Wow; very very impressive and like others have said, what a mature head down the stretch for a rookie.

Wouldn't get carried away by one game but if he brings anywhere near that ability consistently, he jumps ahead of Jimmer no question.

 

[Siranthony]

To me its pretty obvious who should be the starting PG. Thomas is the only one on the team that even looks like a PG. Jimmer is a project. Have him back up Thomas. Make Salmons the defencive specialist. Cousins, Evans, Thornton are your other starters with the positions that are left.

 

[Kingster]

Thomas looks good. He's better than Jimmer in pg duties - handling, passing, and decision making. He has the quickness to break down any backcourt pressure. And he can shoot. To me, he's the most versatile backcourt player we have at the current moment. I was delighted when we drafted him, and am even more delighted now. He's just got to continue to grow. It sure makes a difference when you have good point guard play, doesn't it?

 

[Lafayette]

C- Cousins
PF- Hayes
SF - Tyreke
SG - Thorton
PG - Thomas

6. Jimmer
7. Hickson
8. Salmons
9. Thompson
10. Greene
11. Garcia
12. Outlaw

The real problem is that we have too many SF's and we need a legit backup center. I think they should move Salmons/Garcia/JT for a backup Center and then call up Honeycutt and Whiteside. That way Greene and Outlaw (can't trade him) rotate at the 3 and you have a backup PF and Center while developing Whiteside and Honeycutt learning the system. This is a foolish dream by a fool but dream on I do.

 

[Hadlowe]

To paraphrase Mr. The Wolf, let's not start picking each other's ticks just yet. Thomas had a great game against a team that got broken down by the Washington Wizards the night before. The Washington Wizards. Let that sink in a little bit.

The starting lineup is just fine as it is (assuming a healthy Hayes and Thornton.) The fact is that against any competent team, Thomas will still be 5'7" and no amount of hustle will overcome that. Let's see how he does against Kyle Lowry, or, more likely, Dragic and Flynn. That's a much faster and more aggressive backcourt than a grumpy Calderon and an 85 year old Anthony Carter.

Edit: Well, with the exception of Salmons who we could probably replace with, well anything, at this point.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Two can play that game.

The Kings are 1-0 in games where IT scores 20 points.

Since last year, the Kings are 2-0 in games where DeMarcus Cousins has been asked not to play/suspended by the team.

 

[Kingster]

It was interesting that even though Thomas had a great floor general game that Smart took the ball out of his hands (and into Tyreke's) at the end of the game. Regardless of whether it's Thomas, Jimmer, or Mr. X of the Future, if there is some guard that is obviously better than Tyreke in ballhandling on this team in the future, there is going to be an interesting adjustment period by Tyreke and the coaching staff.

 

[Section 101]

It was interesting that even though Thomas had a great floor general game that Smart took the ball out of his hands (and into Tyreke's) at the end of the game. Regardless of whether it's Thomas, Jimmer, or Mr. X of the Future, if there is some guard that is obviously better than Tyreke in ballhandling on this team in the future, there is going to be an interesting adjustment period by Tyreke and the coaching staff.

They had it in tyreke's hands because they were fouling. He has been hitting his FT's.

 

[Uk kings fan]

2 questions-

1. quite a few teams seemed to pass on him have any of the players they picked even played yet or been as good

2. when is he movie/documentay coming out

 

[CruzDude]

Online chatting with Bajaden this morning and he said IT reminded him of Spud Webb!! And IT is stronger and bigger even at 5-8. The following pic I took at the Impact Basketball training facility this past July after he got drafted. Look at his build and shoulder-arm muscles and really large hands. Gotta like this kid!

 

[funkykingston]

I loved watching Thomas last night and I think he's absolutely earned more minutes going forward to see if he can play at or near that level with any consistency. That said, he's a 5'8" rookie PG and the next two teams the Kings play start a physical Kyle Lowry and Delonte West (6'3") at the PG spot. If Thornton doesn't start against Houston I'd start Tyreke and Salmons at the guard spots with Donte at the 3. Force either Lowry or Martin to deal with Evans' physicality while theoretically being touch defensively at the guard spots too.

But I would absolutely give Thomas significant minutes as a spark plug and off the bench facilitator.

 

[bajaden]

To paraphrase Mr. The Wolf, let's not start picking each other's ticks just yet. Thomas had a great game against a team that got broken down by the Washington Wizards the night before. The Washington Wizards. Let that sink in a little bit.

The starting lineup is just fine as it is (assuming a healthy Hayes and Thornton.) The fact is that against any competent team, Thomas will still be 5'7" and no amount of hustle will overcome that. Let's see how he does against Kyle Lowry, or, more likely, Dragic and Flynn. That's a much faster and more aggressive backcourt than a grumpy Calderon and an 85 year old Anthony Carter.

Edit: Well, with the exception of Salmons who we could probably replace with, well anything, at this point.

While I agree with the overall premise of your post, lets make sure the facts are correct. Thomas measured out at 5'9" in his barefeet at the combine, and stood 5'10.5" in shoes. So he's not 5'7" tall. Which, but the way, Spud Webb was! And like Spud, Thomas has a plus 40" vertical to go along with his quickness. And Thomas is more quick than fast.

What I think we should be doing is counting our blessings that a player taken with the 6oth pick, is actually making a very nice contribution to the team, and not to the detriment of Thornton or Fredette. I'm a huge Jimmer fan, and also watched just about every game he played his last two years in college. But there is no way in hell I put him in the starting lineup over Thornton, who has proven he can play at a very high level in this league. Both Fredette and Thomas are getting valuable experience that they probably wouldn't be getting on the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs etc. I'm fine with things the way they are. So can we stop with the kneejerk reactions every time someone has a very good, or a very bad game. What happens if Jimmer gets hot and goes off for 25 points the next game. Believe me, it will happen at some point.

Thomas had a great game. Celebrate that! But at the same time, remember he wasn't facing Deron Williams or Derrick Rose. And trust me, it will be a lot tougher when he does face them one on one. In the first half, Jimmer looke like a very good defender guarding Calderon. Me thinks that has more to do with Calderon than it does Jimmer. And thats not meant as a slight on Jimmer. He did what he was susposed to do. But I think you see my point. One game does not a season make.. But it was fun to watch!

 

[bajaden]

Two can play that game.

The Kings are 1-0 in games where IT scores 20 points.

Its a proven fact that everyone that has gotten cancer, has drank milk at some point in his life.

 

[bajaden]

C- Cousins
PF- Hayes
SF - Tyreke
SG - Thorton
PG - Thomas

6. Jimmer
7. Hickson
8. Salmons
9. Thompson
10. Greene
11. Garcia
12. Outlaw

The real problem is that we have too many SF's and we need a legit backup center. I think they should move Salmons/Garcia/JT for a backup Center and then call up Honeycutt and Whiteside. That way Greene and Outlaw (can't trade him) rotate at the 3 and you have a backup PF and Center while developing Whiteside and Honeycutt learning the system. This is a foolish dream by a fool but dream on I do.

I guess that no one has noticed that JT has been playing quite well. And I would move him ahead of Hickson on your list, and if I'm making a trade, I'd replace Thompson on you list with Hickson. Hickson is not playing well, especially on defense. So far I've been very disappointed in him. Other than some good rebounding games, can anyone tell me one thing he's good at? Please, I really want to know!

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Online chatting with Bajaden this morning and he said IT reminded him of Spud Webb!! And IT is stronger and bigger even at 5-8. The following pic I took at the Impact Basketball training facility this past July after he got drafted. Look at his build and shoulder-arm muscles and really large hands. Gotta like this kid!

View attachment 3941

I was thinking he's more like a Derek Fisher...the younger years.