Kenny Thomas

[gilly420]

Im begining to be a big fan of Kenny's, i really like what i see from him in terms of heart and his will to win, and a nice combo of quickness and toughness from the PF spot. I think he has earned the starting spot regardless of whether Songolia will be available for the rest of the season (good vibes to Darius). In fact, i can see Kenny as our starting PF for years to come. Just wish he was two inches taller . . . . . . . . . .


What do you think, is Kenny our man at the PF or is he too undersized to lead a team from that position. And theoretically speaking, if Peja is moved this summer, what about Kenny at the SF?

 

[NoBonus]

I too am impressed with Kenny Thomas. I am not sure how well he would do at SF though. Yes he is an undersized PF, but he sure makes a good case for himself with all of the rebounds and such. As far as SF, I guess it all depends on what GP does over the summer. It is just impossible to speculate with GP as GM.

 

[Folsom Al]

What Took Ya'll So Long ....

I was impressed with KT the very first game he played here.

I didn't need a tree to fall on me to convince me this guy can ball.

He's made an impact in EVERY game he's played in ... wins and losses.

I was concerned how much time it would take him and the others to learn a whole different offense. The defense he brings is something the existing King's could learn from.

 

[Bricklayer]

Im begining to be a big fan of Kenny's, i really like what i see from him in terms of heart and his will to win, and a nice combo of quickness and toughness from the PF spot. I think he has earned the starting spot regardless of whether Songolia will be available for the rest of the season (good vibes to Darius). In fact, i can see Kenny as our starting PF for years to come. Just wish he was two inches taller . . . . . . . . . .


What do you think, is Kenny our man at the PF or is he too undersized to lead a team from that position. And theoretically speaking, if Peja is moved this summer, what about Kenny at the SF?

He's too undersized. Especially when teamed with Brad -- means NO shotblocking and a parade to the hoop every night. He's a starter on a mediocre team, but I'm still not a believer that he's a starter for an elite team in a league dominated by massive superstar PFs -- Duncan, KG, Dirk, Amare, O'Neal etc. etc. The one and only successful model he would have would be Rodman, but KT, as they say, is no Worm.

Now trying him at SF is interesting -- because then you would actually have a toughness/rebounding EDGE from that position for the first time in forever (ironically we would still be getting smaller physically, but definitely more physical play). But not sure if he can consistently produce there or defend on teh perimeter, and his biggest advantage as a PF -- quickness, would be nullified a lot of the time.

This is what KT looks like against the guy we'd have to go through:

Spurs Nov. 18
Duncan 36min 13-27FG 8-13FT 34pts 13rebs 1ast
Thomas 16min 1-7FG 2pts 5rebs 2ast 3TO 3fl

Spurs Dec. 1
Duncan 25min 10-12FG 4-5FT 24pts 12rebs 1ast 6blk 4TO
Thomas 20min 1-7FG 2pts 5rebs 1ast 3TO 3fl

 

[HndsmCelt]

Kenny is NOT the PF this team needs... but he could be the SF.

 

[Diabeticwonder]

Yes, KT is an undersized PF, but the stats don't lie and if he continually puts up double doubles at the PF spot and he does an acceptable job on defense then IMO the Kings have to keep him unless they can obtain one of the premier PF's in the league. I keep hearing or reading how he is too undersized to play PF for the Kings and that on the defensive end he will especially hurt the team with his lack of size. I realize that he is undersized, but his numbers don't suggest it. Defensively, he is a much better defender than Webb was who is 3 inches taller than KT. Saying that he is out of the same model as Rodman is wrong. If anything he is more like Barkley in that Barkley may have been the most undersized PF of all time and he used his quickness, smarts and body to his advantage. KT is as quick as any PF in the league and he has the heart and desire to rebound and defend guys bigger than him.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Were the Kings to pick up an athletic stud PF this summer, does anyone think KT could resume the old Hedo backup 3/4 role? Of course, that's assuming he won't be moved.

 

[Folsom Al]

Ding-Ding ....

Kenny is NOT the PF this team needs... but he could be the SF.

This goes back to my comment about KT and Peja splitting the minutes. I even went as far as saying start KT and bringing Peja in off the bench.

I'll stop there ....

 

[Bricklayer]

Yes, KT is an undersized PF, but the stats don't lie and if he continually puts up double doubles at the PF spot and he does an acceptable job on defense then IMO the Kings have to keep him unless they can obtain one of the premier PF's in the league. I keep hearing or reading how he is too undersized to play PF for the Kings and that on the defensive end he will especially hurt the team with his lack of size. I realize that he is undersized, but his numbers don't suggest it. Defensively, he is a much better defender than Webb was who is 3 inches taller than KT. Saying that he is out of the same model as Rodman is wrong. If anything he is more like Barkley in that Barkley may have been the most undersized PF of all time and he used his quickness, smarts and body to his advantage. KT is as quick as any PF in the league and he has the heart and desire to rebound and defend guys bigger than him.

You might have to explain to Troy Murphy and Shareef Abdur-Rahim about what a great defender KT is. Tries hard on defense and great defender are not the same thing. He's a hustler and a pest. Unfortunately he's also small enough that bigger more experienced big men can treat him more like an annoying gnat than a stopper and do exactly what they want to do against him.

As an aside, Barkley was a poor defender too, although he had freakish strength and could jump right out of the gym to occasionally challenge bigger men. In any case, you tolerated his defense because of his enormous talents in other areas. You didn't laud him as a defensive player.

 

[bigbadred00]

How on earth will we get 1 of the premier PFs in the league. First of all there are many, yet they are all around max players.

KG, Dirk, Amare, Duncan, Jermaine and Brand are all impossible to get and all have max deals (Amare will get 1 soon).

Next tier you have Randolph, Boozer, Odom, Marion (really a 3), Webber, who are all making big money. Even Pao makes max money and I think Troy Murphy got one this summer.

Only guys I can see who are better are maybe Tyson, and maybe Stro who will both be hot commodities on the FA market. Centers are also hard to get if we move Brad to the 4th.

 

[Fillmoe]

i hope we can pick up chandler that would be awesome! skinner and chandler would dominate the boards! chandler is from california too.........

 

[Twix]

Adelman said that he's going to start Thomas. So we should be seeing Thomas start more now. He said he likes Darius and Corliss coming off the bench.

I think Thomas have done a good job so far. Keep it up, Thomas!!

 

[Jose]

I've been suggesting Thomas at SF for a while now, in the "next years lineup" thread under the assumption that we will not have Peja and Mobley next season. What I would LOVE to see is that we get a superstar OG this summer (Tmac/Pierce/whatever), a backup big guy to play behind Miller, and get Matt Barnes back. Then our squad will be:

Miller - C , backed up by whoever we get in the summer
Skinner - PF , backed up by Songaila/Corliss
Thomas - SF, backed up by Mo Evans/Corliss/Barnes
Pierce/TMac/other - OG, backed up by BJax / Kevin Martin
Bibby - PG, backed up by BJax / Kevin Martin

That team would be unstoppable!!!

 

[HndsmCelt]

How on earth will we get 1 of the premier PFs in the league. First of all there are many, yet they are all around max players.

KG, Dirk, Amare, Duncan, Jermaine and Brand are all impossible to get and all have max deals (Amare will get 1 soon).

Next tier you have Randolph, Boozer, Odom, Marion (really a 3), Webber, who are all making big money. Even Pao makes max money and I think Troy Murphy got one this summer.

Only guys I can see who are better are maybe Tyson, and maybe Stro who will both be hot commodities on the FA market. Centers are also hard to get if we move Brad to the 4th.

Same way we got a premier Center a few years back... find a guy that wants more than his team will give and make a trade. I of course do NOT think the team needs a pemier PF, I think that Skinner would make a perfect role player at PF, the real weakness on the team is CONSISTANT socre from the 2 and 3 that could be solved with easier trades. AND if Adelman can'twon't use Tag a decent back up could be found in the off season.

 

[bigbadred00]

Tmac and Pierce aren't moving as much as we like the 2. Maggette is probally the only guy who we could viably get. He aint a bad catch though. Reasons we can't get PP or Tmac, just look how well both teams are playing to end the year.

 

[bigbadred00]

Hndsmcelt. Difference is we had a good young player on our bench who we could use to move that trade on top of an overpaid role player (Who I love) with Pollard to move him as well. Hedo was reason we could pull that trade and this year in Orlando is the reason why the trade went through. Indy was looking to dump, but I don't see that happening this year.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Hndsmcelt. Difference is we had a good young player on our bench who we could use to move that trade on top of an overpaid role player (Who I love) with Pollard to move him as well. Hedo was reason we could pull that trade and this year in Orlando is the reason why the trade went through. Indy was looking to dump, but I don't see that happening this year.

If you don't think of Pedja as untradeable the world of possiblites opens wide. His contract is relitivly small so he can be packaged wtih one or more of the over paid forwards we got from Philly.

 

[bigbadred00]

Is Peja's value really that high. I like the guy because he's a King but I think his value has fallen. I wish we could get a guy like Artest, but there's no way in hell we get an elite 2 guard for Peja. There are only a couple and for Peja.........it's not going to happen. Peja's value I believe has plummetted. If we could S+T for Hughes that'd be perfect, but I'd like to see what happens.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Is Peja's value really that high. I like the guy because he's a King but I think his value has fallen. I wish we could get a guy like Artest, but there's no way in hell we get an elite 2 guard for Peja. There are only a couple and for Peja.........it's not going to happen. Peja's value I believe has plummetted. If we could S+T for Hughes that'd be perfect, but I'd like to see what happens.

His value has fallen but if a guy like Huges or Boozer wants out better an over rated SF who can shoot than nada... same situation Indy was in with Brad.

 

[ovrush]

Just to move back a step. I think when Brad gets back Kenny will turn into a fairly solid first big off the bench. I think with Skinner starting at the 4 and Brad starting at the 5 you have a pretty tough defensive, rebounding 4 to go with a really talented offensive high post big. Then you give Brad a rest and let Skinner play the 5 for a bit with KT at the 4 and you have a different dynamic for teams to contend with. I actually think that our current big man rotation is pretty solid. I know the West is FULL of great 4's but I think when we get healthy Skinner is a solid defensive 4 that will make those guys work, and Brad is about as good a 5 as there is in the West, maybe in the league as Shaq slows down.

 

[ovrush]

Is Peja's value really that high. I like the guy because he's a King but I think his value has fallen. I wish we could get a guy like Artest, but there's no way in hell we get an elite 2 guard for Peja. There are only a couple and for Peja.........it's not going to happen. Peja's value I believe has plummetted. If we could S+T for Hughes that'd be perfect, but I'd like to see what happens.

I don't know that this is true. Peja is having a rough year, and we won't get a guy like Sean Marion for him which may have been feasable a year ago. The guys talent is still undeniable though. The success Vince Carter has had in New Jersey has shown how a change of scenery can revitalize a guy in a hurry and Im certain several GM's in the league know this as well as GP. Artest is a flawed but talented guy whose value is probly actually lower than Peja's at the moment. I definitely think we could land a really good package for Peja if we decide to trade him at all.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Hndsmcelt. Difference is we had a good young player on our bench who we could use to move that trade on top of an overpaid role player (Who I love) with Pollard to move him as well. Hedo was reason we could pull that trade and this year in Orlando is the reason why the trade went through. Indy was looking to dump, but I don't see that happening this year.

I don't really understand. Indy didn't even take Hedo, they shipped him to San Antonio in a salary dump as part of the deal.

 

[Ryle]

I don't really like to pigeon-hole players into one position. I think Kenny is a really good BASKETBALL PLAYER and I'll leave it at that.

 

[bigbadred00]

But the only way the Spurs take part in it is if they get Hedo. They wanted to keep him but he wanted too much money. I believe the Pacers got Mercer and someone else who really didn't pan out. Maybe your right, maybe that's how NJ got VC, but things like that don't occur too often.

 

[iheartBrad]

I think Thomas have done a good job so far. Keep it up, Thomas!!

i agree...woot woot!!

 

[SacTownKid]

Im begining to be a big fan of Kenny's, i really like what i see from him in terms of heart and his will to win, and a nice combo of quickness and toughness from the PF spot. I think he has earned the starting spot regardless of whether Songolia will be available for the rest of the season (good vibes to Darius). In fact, i can see Kenny as our starting PF for years to come. Just wish he was two inches taller . . . . . . . . . .


What do you think, is Kenny our man at the PF or is he too undersized to lead a team from that position. And theoretically speaking, if Peja is moved this summer, what about Kenny at the SF?

He very well could be the man. I didn't know what to expect from the other guys in the trade (now we know they are all very good) but at first I knew we got a super good player in Kenny Thomas. His game is so diverse and he is very athletic. He can shoot it deep or just as easily charge the rim and throw it down, or get a foul call. Throughout the years I always thought he settled for jumpers a little too often and that is still somewhat the case. I would hate to see him go in the offseason.

BTW he isn't as undersized as everyone makes him out to be and is a pretty good defender.

 

[Bricklayer]

BTW he isn't as undersized as everyone makes him out to be and is a pretty good defender.

What do these players have in common?

Antoine Walker
Al Harrington
Emeka Okafor
Antonio Davis
Drew Gooden
Dirk Nowitzki
Kenyon Martin
Rasheed Wallace
Troy Murphy
Juwann Howard
Jermaine O'Neal
Elton Brand
Lamar Odom
Pau Gasol
Udonis Haslem
Joe Smith
Kevin Garnett
Jason Collins
PJ Brown
Kurt Thomas
Dwight Howard
Chris Webber
Shawn Marion
Zach Randolph/Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Tim Duncan
Reggie Evans
Chris Bosh
Carlos Boozer
Jared Jeffries


What do they have in common? Those are the starting PFs of every other team in the NBA. 29 of them. You know how many of those 29 are as short as Kenny Thomas? ONE (1). And that's Shawn Marion, who is not a PF at all, but a SF being played there because he can jump out of the gym and block shots like a bigger man. You may also recall what Webb did to him in the post because he was so small.

Kenny Thomas IS small. Painfully so for a starting PF in this league. Team him with a big shotblocking center who can cover for his size issues, and maybe. Maybe. Hasn't worked yet. But maybe. Team him with a groundbound finesse center, and no way. There are a number of guards around the league who can actually look down at Kenny. Makes it very hard to shut down the middle, and when you get posted up by a man 4-6 inches taller than you, its lights out.

Excuse me if I'm not excited about having THE smallest starting PF in the league starting for my team. Brings back memories of the (not so) good ole days.

 

[gilly420]

true true Brick

I still like what i see out of him. if the season ended today i would be in favor of trading Peja for talent and moving kenny to the three.

I guess the question is can we win without the big athletic shot blocker we've never had? . . . . . . . and i mean win it all, i know we can win games with a number of different players.

 

[gilly420]

last year it took two "big athletic shot blockers", and damn good ones at that to beat Shaq.

I dont see anybody taking him out this year

 

[HndsmCelt]

true true Brick

I still like what i see out of him. if the season ended today i would be in favor of trading Peja for talent and moving kenny to the three.

I guess the question is can we win without the big athletic shot blocker we've never had? . . . . . . . and i mean win it all, i know we can win games with a number of different players.

BIG PICTURE could be a front line of Miller, Skinner and Thomas- there you go shot blacking, defesense, inside and outside game and lots of rebounds... all positives. I like Pedja, bu his inconsistancy and incompleet game, expiring contract and trade value make me think that right now the team may be alot better off trading him and starting Kenny at the 3 next season.