Jason Thompson injury update

[kennadog]

You know, I was shocked they didn't x-ray him either. I guess that tells me what kind of a training staff we have.

I expect JT told the trainer he was fine to play. And I believe that's what he said the other day on KHTK. They do have to place some trust is what a player tells them.

My grandfather was a contractor (mason). He had similar injuries after falling off a ladder. He was back at work the next day. Of course, he couldn't afford not to go back to work.

 

[Kingstime]

If there's one thing Jason has, it's heart. He may need to refine his skills but i think with how tough he is he will always be a great roleplayer and maybe a starter...

JT definately has alot of heart, he's the type of guy we wouldn't expect much from if he was one of our bench bigs. I think he'd even give us relatively the same production I wish him a speedy recovery.

 

[Kingsguy881]

out two weeks with a fractured back? no surgury? I totally expect Grant to go on the radio tomorrow calling JT soft.

"Jason Thompson is GUTLESS for sitting out these two weeks. This is the stretch run for cryin' out loud. That's just plain ..GUTLESS!"

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Dorsey needs to play and develop finally, which he never did in Houston...lucky for him, it's a different situation here.

 

[bajaden]

This injury of Thompson's is not all that surprising. Has anyone noticed that on many occassions when Thompson jumps on slams, especially with any kind of running start, it's like his feet go way out in front of him with his head way back? I'm surprised this has happened much earlier. It's like he's bottom heavy.

Someone grabbing your arm while your going up into the air with forward body motion might lend itself to you landing on your back. Most players will grab the rim to rebalance themselves. In both incidents Thompson had no chance to grab the rim. The first time he landed on his back he had his feet knocked out from under him, and in the latest incident a player grabbed his arm as he was rising into the air to dunk the ball.

 

[bajaden]

Dorsey needs to play and develop finally, which he never did in Houston...lucky for him, it's a different situation here.

I think Dorsey has some promise. He's actually a little shorter than Landry, but has a Blair body type. He was a very good defensive player at Memphis and a good rebounder. Like Blair, he has very long arms. Unlike Blair he hasn't developed many offensive skills. Not sure if it was as much about choice as its was team needs.

 

[Grawlix]

I think Dorsey has some promise. He's actually a little shorter than Landry, but has a Blair body type. He was a very good defensive player at Memphis and a good rebounder. Like Blair, he has very long arms. Unlike Blair he hasn't developed many offensive skills. Not sure if it was as much about choice as its was team needs.

Indeed. This just might be another injury scenario which actually improves the team. It will allow the new Kings to get some quality minutes on the court as Tyreke did when Martin was out.

 

[Entity]

I think Dorsey has some promise. He's actually a little shorter than Landry, but has a Blair body type. He was a very good defensive player at Memphis and a good rebounder. Like Blair, he has very long arms. Unlike Blair he hasn't developed many offensive skills. Not sure if it was as much about choice as its was team needs.

From what I can tell by watching him on the court it has alot to do with whats between his ears. Kinda like Justin Williams. Has no idea what he needs to be doing. Defense is easy for him guard the biggest guy and get a rebound. Offense he is lost.

 

[fnordius]

"Jason Thompson is GUTLESS for sitting out these two weeks. This is the stretch run for cryin' out loud. That's just plain ..GUTLESS!"

 

[Kings Fan Gerard]

"Jason Thompson is GUTLESS for sitting out these two weeks. This is the stretch run for cryin' out loud. That's just plain ..GUTLESS!"

Stretch run for what?

 

[Jechtsphere]

Forward @jtthekid practiced today. According to Coach W, if JT feels well on Sun. he'll be active for the Kings-Thunder game.

http://twitter.com/sacramentokings

 

[Entity]

i'd rather see jt than may. maybe our rebounding will improve a bit.

 

[gunks]

He was finally starting to come out of that slump when he got injured, hopefully he continues that progress when he's back in the lineup.

 

[bajaden]

All JT has to do is play defense and rebound. Just let the offense come to him and not force it.. But mostly we need rebounding. Who knows, this little break may be just what the doctor ordered.

 

[FaStRmAn]

Sure is good we alienated our other center.

We have another center ???? ...let me see.....looking down the roster.....nope, no one else.

I really hope that Jason Thompson is healthy enough to play. We desperately need his rebounding and defensive presence. The Kings do not have a lot of good options right now in the frontcourt. May is playing hard but we need help in the paint against teams that have two athletic bigs going after the rebound every time. The Kings need a Center that can bang under the rim, rebound, and play defense consistently. Hopefully Petrie will address this problem in the draft. But for now, lets hope that Jason can come back and add to the turnaround that the Kings have made defensively the last 7 or 8 games. If JT plays smart, stays out of foul trouble, and just plays his game, he is a very effective player in the paint. He has all the physical tools he needs to do the job.

 

[Merdiesel]

Don't rush it...
tbh, I'd rather him sit another week. Back injuries are not something to mess with.

 

[ParniValjak]

We have another center ???? ...let me see.....looking down the roster.....nope, no one else.

I really hope that Jason Thompson is healthy enough to play. We desperately need his rebounding and defensive presence. The Kings do not have a lot of good options right now in the frontcourt. May is playing hard but we need help in the paint against teams that have two athletic bigs going after the rebound every time. The Kings need a Center that can bang under the rim, rebound, and play defense consistently. Hopefully Petrie will address this problem in the draft. But for now, lets hope that Jason can come back and add to the turnaround that the Kings have made defensively the last 7 or 8 games. If JT plays smart, stays out of foul trouble, and just plays his game, he is a very effective player in the paint. He has all the physical tools he needs to do the job.

Defensive presence?! You must be kidding! SURELY?!

 

[jcassio]

Defensive presence?! You must be kidding! SURELY?!

It may be a stretch to call JT a defensive presence, but when he isn't his own worst enemy (like half of this season), he can hold his own.

I'm happy to hear that he's progressing well in terms of his back injury, but how about his progress with the mental injury? I don't think he's over that one yet.

 

[LWP777]

Ughhh. I guess it will be good having him back but now we have to watch him AND Casspi force up terrible shots. That can be really painful to watch sometimes.

 

[SacTownGrantFan]

All JT has to do is play defense and rebound. Just let the offense come to him and not force it.. But mostly we need rebounding. Who knows, this little break may be just what the doctor ordered.

I'm sure the doctor did order the break

 

[bajaden]

I'm sure the doctor did order the break

Ha ha, I missed that little play on words...

 

[bajaden]

Defensive presence?! You must be kidding! SURELY?!

JT's defense has improved over the last year and a half. Yes his defense wasn't great to start with, but at least give him credit for making good rotations. As far as man defense goes, he still has a ways to go. His footwork needs more work and his lateral problems are compounded by his bending at the waist instead of bending his knees. Its a simple thing, but bending at the waist tends to lock your hips and hinders lateral movement. And he does it all the time. Both offensively and defensively. He is a good rebounder, and what most don't realize is that rebounding is part of a good defense. Every rebound is one less possession for the other team and one more for us. As I said, he's still a work in progress, but he's hardly a terrible defender.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

There's little correlation with rebounding and defense. Troy Murphy is a very good rebounder, but an atrocious defender. Ditto with David Lee. Having a nose for a loose ball is different from having a nose to guard your man.

I agree with your assessment of JT's bending his waist instead of bending his knees...oftentimes he just seems mechanical out there on defense. Plays a huge factor. But he's a poor overall defender anyway, largely because his man defense is terrible. His team defense, while ok, isn't enough to save that.

 

[bajaden]

There's little correlation with rebounding and defense. Troy Murphy is a very good rebounder, but an atrocious defender. Ditto with David Lee. Having a nose for a loose ball is different from having a nose to guard your man.

I agree with your assessment of JT's bending his waist instead of bending his knees...oftentimes he just seems mechanical out there on defense. Plays a huge factor. But he's a poor overall defender anyway, largely because his man defense is terrible. His team defense, while ok, isn't enough to save that.

While I agee that rebounding and man defense are seperate issues, rebounding does help a team defensively. Particularly defensive rebounds. How many times have the Kings given the other team two or three chances on what should have been one possession. Everytime the other team gets a second chance and scores that could equate to a four point swing in their favor.

As far as Thompson's man defense goes, were in agreement that it needs a lot of work. But most of the things he does wrong are fixable. Its not about physcial ability, its about technique. That doesn't mean he'll ever fix them. But he is a hard worker and seems driven to improve, so hopefully that will begin to show up in results.

Maybe he'll learn some things from Landry on the offensive side. Most undersized PF's usually have a good post game. Probably from having to play against larger men most of thier careers. By the same token, when you look at a lot of the players that struggle with their post games when they came into the league, the majority of them are big men, who usually dominated at the other levels they played at because of their size. Now they can't get away with it, and are forced to either learn or become career backups.

If Thompson can improve his offensive game it will help compensate for what ever he's lacking on the defensive side of the ball. Particularly if the Kings can land a defensiver center. But he has to do one or the other. Both would be preferable. I'm willing to give him next year to see how he develops. But he needs to really show improvement next season.

 

[ParniValjak]

JT's defense has improved over the last year and a half. Yes his defense wasn't great to start with, but at least give him credit for making good rotations. As far as man defense goes, he still has a ways to go. His footwork needs more work and his lateral problems are compounded by his bending at the waist instead of bending his knees. Its a simple thing, but bending at the waist tends to lock your hips and hinders lateral movement. And he does it all the time. Both offensively and defensively. He is a good rebounder, and what most don't realize is that rebounding is part of a good defense. Every rebound is one less possession for the other team and one more for us. As I said, he's still a work in progress, but he's hardly a terrible defender.

Oh please!

You also proclaimed him to potentially be as good as Bosh which still gets a great laugh out of me!

There are PLENTY of good to great rebounders in the NBA who are just lousy defenders. Troy Murphy and David Lee are the first ones off the top of my head. Then there are very good to great defenders that are not great rebounders. A great example of this is Nene. Nene is not a great rebounder for a man of his size but he is a teriffic defender.

JT is active defensively but that doesn't mean he will bring defensive presence. He is no better defender than half the team out there. In fact he is faily average. The cause of that is irrelevant at this stage it is the actual results that matter in this discussion. Yes he has the potential to be a good defender but now, he is NOT one.

JT is solid, and active but to even suggest that he will bring defensive presence is just, well, laughable!

 

[bajaden]

Oh please!

You also proclaimed him to potentially be as good as Bosh which still gets a great laugh out of me!

There are PLENTY of good to great rebounders in the NBA who are just lousy defenders. Troy Murphy and David Lee are the first ones off the top of my head. Then there are very good to great defenders that are not great rebounders. A great example of this is Nene. Nene is not a great rebounder for a man of his size but he is a teriffic defender.

JT is active defensively but that doesn't mean he will bring defensive presence. He is no better defender than half the team out there. In fact he is faily average. The cause of that is irrelevant at this stage it is the actual results that matter in this discussion. Yes he has the potential to be a good defender but now, he is NOT one.

JT is solid, and active but to even suggest that he will bring defensive presence is just, well, laughable!

First off, I was not the one that suggested he would bring a defensive presence. I simply was giving him some credit for improving his defense since he came into the league. If you read what I posted, I agreed that he had a long way to go to become a good man defender. I don't quite get your point about rebounding and defense. I believe that I stated that they were two different issues. But that defensive rebounding does help the defense. And, Thompson is a good rebounder.

I'm glad that I able to entertain you. I believe that when I made the statement about Bosh it was in conjunction with people wanting to just throw Thompson in as an extra piece in a trade to get Bosh. All I said was that Thompson's numbers were as good his rookie year as Bosh's were. Now if you want to trade Thompson straight up for Bosh, then I'm with you. I sort of doubt Toronto would be on board. But I'm not going to trade half the team to get him.

I guess I just get sick and tired of people making blanket statements about players abilities. Yes Thompson makes mistakes in man defense. But he's not a terrible defender which is what was implied. At times he does play good man defense. At times he does block a shot or two. And at other times he puts two hands on the other player. Or he bites on a pump fake. Yes, he's a work in progress. But I think its important to take notice of where he's improved as well. Its not all just black and white. At the very least he'll bring a more physcial presence to the floor than Hawes does. At least he's not afraid to get in and bang some bodies.