That has more to do with our lack of options at C (while trying to get Hawes to keep improving) than our belief that JT would be best played there.
He's there by default, not by choice.And I still think that Hawes should be starting at C.
That has more to do with our lack of options at C (while trying to get Hawes to keep improving) than our belief that JT would be best played there.
He's there by default, not by choice.And I still think that Hawes should be starting at C.
jt at the 5 is our best defensive option right now no doubt about it. he isn't dikembe mutombo or shaq or Yao but he's still a young guy he tries a lot harder on defense than and hawes and is clearly more muscular strong and physical. he's athletic enough and long to be a guy who should be a shot alterer/blocker and has shown flashes of being a great rebounder. plus playing at center and having landry takes a ton of pressure off of him to be the guy who scores inside when he's still too raw to be a consistent inside scorer. maybe allow him to step up his game as an offensive rebounder and more time to develop and get used to his body.
it's clear there was no real interest in the grizz trading thabeet I'm sure petrie tried and was probably told no. still it's obvious getting a hibbert/thabeet/dhoward guy would be amazing for us and a much better fit at C than JT but those guys are almost impossible to get they don't grow on trees, but with all that's gone on in the past 2 years with the kings and Petrie even going back to the rockets trade which worked out beautifully for us by the way I've got a lot of faith in the front office and it's clear they're trying and doing what they can to try and get us one of those guys.
it's clear there was no real interest in the grizz trading thabeet I'm sure petrie tried and was probably told no. still it's obvious getting a hibbert/thabeet/dhoward guy would be amazing for us and a much better fit at C than JT but those guys are almost impossible to get they don't grow on trees, but with all that's gone on in the past 2 years with the kings and Petrie even going back to the rockets trade which worked out beautifully for us by the way I've got a lot of faith in the front office and it's clear they're trying and doing what they can to try and get us one of those guys.
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He frustrates me much more than Nocioni. Cast JT as a career long backup 4. My first draft pick Joe Kline had a beautiful body - end of story.
itzcoatl
Bench
IIRC, JT came in to summer league weighing quite a bit more than he does now. The added bulk seemed to be a major detriment to his athleticism.
I'm not really quite sure how strong JT is right now. To me, he loses a lot of power because he never really seems balanced (he's always running around, and out of control). I think that he, like all big men, needs to hit the weight room. But I also think he really needs to slow down, so he get his balance and foot work right.
I like him best at PF. He may be able to play C, if he adds strength and works on his footwork. If Nene can play the C, I don't see why JT can't.
edit: it was worrisome to me when Rasheed backed him down really easily the other night.
I'm not really quite sure how strong JT is right now. To me, he loses a lot of power because he never really seems balanced (he's always running around, and out of control). I think that he, like all big men, needs to hit the weight room. But I also think he really needs to slow down, so he get his balance and foot work right.
I like him best at PF. He may be able to play C, if he adds strength and works on his footwork. If Nene can play the C, I don't see why JT can't.
edit: it was worrisome to me when Rasheed backed him down really easily the other night.
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bajaden
Hall of Famer
I'm going to try and be kind here. First off, I'll admit that I was one who wanted us to draft JT. I watched him play in college and I liked what I saw. I also knew that he was going to take some time to develop. Lack of top flight competition in the conference he played in. And the fact that he shot up to 6'11" in the last two years of college. Players that grow into their bodies late take more time to get used to being as big as they are. They tend to go through a clumsy period.
But I thought that with patience we could have a pretty good player with skills that a lot of bigs don't have. He played point guard in highschool. He then became a SG in college and eventually in his last two years played center. He was the defensive player of the year there. Now I know some like Bricky tend to discount his defensive abilities there because of it being a lower conference. And that has some merit. But he was also a good rebounder there, and that part has translated to the NBA. So there's no reason he can't be a good defensive player.
Now I'm not sure how much some of the people here really know about defense and how its suspossed to be played. If your yardstick is shotblocking, then he's going to get an average grade. Average is not terrible. Its average. If your yardstick is man defense in the post, then it depends on who he's guarding, and what position he's playing. If your going to tell me that he has trouble with Howard, my response would be, well, who doesn't. Does someone like Shaq move him off the block? Well yeah! But then Shaq moves Howard off the block. I know! I watched him do it.
Ironicly, Thompson has more trouble with the small PF's in the league more than anything else. Its the Landry's and Millsap's that give him problems and get him into foul trouble. He plays better against the Biedrins of the world. Thompson has been asked to play both center and powerforward. Hawes has just played center for the most part. Thompson is a better defender than most of you are giving him credit for. And in part, thats why he gets into foul trouble. He's too agressive of a defender. He doesn't know when to just get out of the way and let the guy score, because there's no way to stop him without fouling him.
And therein lies his biggest problem. Some of you criticize his whinning. But none of you have taken noticed that he's become more restrained with his complaining. Of late he's gone to the sideline and talked off the court with the ref, instead of making a show on the court. So he's trying, and he deserves credit for trying to change. Look, he dug himself a big hole with the ref's, and now he just has to dig his way out. Lets not forget that he's still in his second year. He has a lot of ability. Some of which I don't think has really been tapped yet. He's a very good passer, but seldom gets the chance. He's a very good ballhandler for a big man. Those that don't think he has a very high basketball IQ are mistaken, and I'm not sure how much they really know about basketball. Knowing and doing are two entirely different things. And that has nothing to do with IQ. It has to do with refined skills and ability. Thompson is a little behind the curve in the refined skills area. But he still has a lot of time to catch up.
I won't bore you with anymore of this. I just get tired of seeing emotional responses with little real thought behind them. Oh, and by the way, I think Thompson can play some center in the right matchup. But I think his real position is powerforward. One of his main attributes is his quickness and end to end court speed for a guy that size. To play center on a regular basis he would have to add a lot more weight, hopefully muscle, and that would cause him to lose some of his quickness and speed.
But I thought that with patience we could have a pretty good player with skills that a lot of bigs don't have. He played point guard in highschool. He then became a SG in college and eventually in his last two years played center. He was the defensive player of the year there. Now I know some like Bricky tend to discount his defensive abilities there because of it being a lower conference. And that has some merit. But he was also a good rebounder there, and that part has translated to the NBA. So there's no reason he can't be a good defensive player.
Now I'm not sure how much some of the people here really know about defense and how its suspossed to be played. If your yardstick is shotblocking, then he's going to get an average grade. Average is not terrible. Its average. If your yardstick is man defense in the post, then it depends on who he's guarding, and what position he's playing. If your going to tell me that he has trouble with Howard, my response would be, well, who doesn't. Does someone like Shaq move him off the block? Well yeah! But then Shaq moves Howard off the block. I know! I watched him do it.
Ironicly, Thompson has more trouble with the small PF's in the league more than anything else. Its the Landry's and Millsap's that give him problems and get him into foul trouble. He plays better against the Biedrins of the world. Thompson has been asked to play both center and powerforward. Hawes has just played center for the most part. Thompson is a better defender than most of you are giving him credit for. And in part, thats why he gets into foul trouble. He's too agressive of a defender. He doesn't know when to just get out of the way and let the guy score, because there's no way to stop him without fouling him.
And therein lies his biggest problem. Some of you criticize his whinning. But none of you have taken noticed that he's become more restrained with his complaining. Of late he's gone to the sideline and talked off the court with the ref, instead of making a show on the court. So he's trying, and he deserves credit for trying to change. Look, he dug himself a big hole with the ref's, and now he just has to dig his way out. Lets not forget that he's still in his second year. He has a lot of ability. Some of which I don't think has really been tapped yet. He's a very good passer, but seldom gets the chance. He's a very good ballhandler for a big man. Those that don't think he has a very high basketball IQ are mistaken, and I'm not sure how much they really know about basketball. Knowing and doing are two entirely different things. And that has nothing to do with IQ. It has to do with refined skills and ability. Thompson is a little behind the curve in the refined skills area. But he still has a lot of time to catch up.
I won't bore you with anymore of this. I just get tired of seeing emotional responses with little real thought behind them. Oh, and by the way, I think Thompson can play some center in the right matchup. But I think his real position is powerforward. One of his main attributes is his quickness and end to end court speed for a guy that size. To play center on a regular basis he would have to add a lot more weight, hopefully muscle, and that would cause him to lose some of his quickness and speed.
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sactownfan
Guest
That has more to do with our lack of options at C (while trying to get Hawes to keep improving) than our belief that JT would be best played there.
And I still think that Hawes should be starting at C.
I definitely agree with not having a lot of options at the 5.... JT is a project at any position right now... and although hes playing the 5 right now out of lack of depth... i think If he just added the size and kept working on his defense i think he could work out as a 5...
sorta like an Amare Stoudemire type... Amare isnt a true Center... but seriously there are a lot of PF/C type of guys starting all around the league at the 5. more than half the league it seems
all im saying is JT can concentrate more now on being that tweener 5, than a true PF... and if he works at it he could be a good starting versatile 5.
GeraldWallace#3
Bench
Sorta off-topic here but I just wanted to say how much your posts impress me. I consider you the most insightful and intelligent poster on this whole forum
Well the JT we've seen is going to have to change somewhat. When he is on the floor with Landry, he won't have the ball in his hands much anymore. So whatever boneheaded offensive mistakes he made are going to go down because he wont have the chance. His best bet on offense is to play garbage man, set good picks and not drag his man near Landry for cheap double teams. He should get some nice easy dunks and put backs. Anything else would be like playing for the other team. On defense he needs to hit the boards like never before, and block some shots. I would ask him to defend better, but lets not get carried away. Maybe just not worry about the fouling problems as now they have a deeper rotation. So don't hold back on defending and maybe just maybe one less stupid foul a game?
JT has the opportunity here to see this as taking a load off him on offense and focus on being the role player needed. He might even be wise to start bulking up with weights to take on some of the stronger players. His fantasy days of leading the break and dribbling into touble should be over. On a team with talented wing players, he should stop pretending to think he is one.
JT has the opportunity here to see this as taking a load off him on offense and focus on being the role player needed. He might even be wise to start bulking up with weights to take on some of the stronger players. His fantasy days of leading the break and dribbling into touble should be over. On a team with talented wing players, he should stop pretending to think he is one.
itzcoatl
Bench
I agree with your post, and I think that JT will develop into a good PF. He's a bit older than most sophomores, but he may just be a late-bloomer. We'll need a little patience to see the player that he'll become - although, at this point in his career, his style as a player is beginning to become more clear.
Thompson should be our starting center for the meantime that soggy waffles remains the potential big bust on our faces. Yeah, I know Hawes is our great white hope/pride, a 7-footer who had shown some good passing skill, but that is not what we need from him and Thompson BTW is as good as a passer. If that is what we need from Hawes, then let us play him at point guard. J/K of course.
Thompson adding more muscle/weight is a must. Some say he is too much in hyper mode which makes him clumsy, but maybe adding more weight might make him play slower and refined. If he can play slower maybe it might give him more time to think before he makes those stupid mistakes.
We got your point. Thompson > Hawes. Also, when it comes to effort Hawes is nowhere near Thompson. And our chances of winning more games with Thompson playing the 5 is greater than our chances of winning with insisting that Hawes play the 5 over him.
And to please you some more, I agree that Hawes is a soggy waffles worth trading for a better defensive center. I hope I made your day.
Thompson adding more muscle/weight is a must. Some say he is too much in hyper mode which makes him clumsy, but maybe adding more weight might make him play slower and refined. If he can play slower maybe it might give him more time to think before he makes those stupid mistakes.
We got your point. Thompson > Hawes. Also, when it comes to effort Hawes is nowhere near Thompson. And our chances of winning more games with Thompson playing the 5 is greater than our chances of winning with insisting that Hawes play the 5 over him.
And to please you some more, I agree that Hawes is a soggy waffles worth trading for a better defensive center. I hope I made your day.
Mrs. Bajaden?
Is that you?
BTW, I also like his lengthy assessment of Thompson. And I agree with most of it. It makes a lot of sense.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Mrs. Bajaden?
Is that you?
BTW, I also like his lengthy assessment of Thompson. And I agree with most of it. It makes a lot of sense.
I've always liked a person with a sense of humor. Especially an intelligent one. Strange though, I thought it might be Mrs Prince... Oh well, great minds think alike. WOW, what a scary thought...
bajaden
Hall of Famer
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Its called pass the buck defense. Hey man, I tried! Its not my fault you can't block the shot of my man. Sorry about your in foul trouble. Beer's are on me..
Very good post, with emphasis on the bolded part. It's easy to criticize and just as easy to forget to go the other way when the occasion calls for it.
JT is working hard to improve his game and his attitude. If you think about the future, and a number of our kids all coming into their own at the same time, you could give yourself goosebumps.
Sparky6string
Bench
Agree with OP- I prefer JT at the 5. He may not quite be starter material yet but whenever I go into a draft all I really want is a good player, and I think he is that. No one here is saying there's no place for JT in the league- a quality guy off the bench is a valuable asset.
TheWileyVet
Starter
JT would get worked at the 5. I mean, the kid has had his struggles this year at the 4. JT as our 5 of the future is a bad joke
ivan_fiba
G-League
off topic hes brother went off for today 38 points 6 and 6
heres he stats for the this year he gets to the line alot
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201002200252
heres he stats for the this year he gets to the line alot
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201002200252
Arby's Roast Beef
Starter
Westphal's actually gave him equal time between PF and C this year...and in terms of man defense, he actually plays better at C. I agree with the poster who said that Thompson really struggles against quicker more agile smaller players, because that's what today's PFs are trending towards. But as stated, Thompson definitely is like a PF on offense--he'll hoist up as many jumpers as shots around the basket, and he lacks the base strength and fundamentals to work the blocks.
So I think to optimize Thompson we probably need to crossmatch him. His overall D anyway is on the poor side, and his numbers are good but his impact is that of a role player. Thompson definitely shouldn't play C (our offense would stagnate with the lack of a post presence) but at the same time he struggles to play PFs well. It's a weird situation with him.
So I think to optimize Thompson we probably need to crossmatch him. His overall D anyway is on the poor side, and his numbers are good but his impact is that of a role player. Thompson definitely shouldn't play C (our offense would stagnate with the lack of a post presence) but at the same time he struggles to play PFs well. It's a weird situation with him.
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sactownfan
Guest
So u think hawes will win the defensive player of the year, Sergio is the next Steve Nash, and we should have drafted rubio instead of tyreke who can't play PG.... Well then sir.. No offense to u but I disagree with everything u think or say... Wow
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He didn't say any of that. He said he disagrees with pretty much everything you post, which I actually tend to agree with.
Take the chip off your shoulder. You make outlandish comments so don't be surprised when people don't want to buy into the extremes. It's all good, dude. You just tend to push the edge of the envelope - a lot.
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sactownfan
Guest
Take the chip off your shoulder. You make outlandish comments
What's so outlandish??? Is hawes not soggy? Did sergio not get out of town fast enough? Was Evans over rubio not the better move. And is Evans not doing just fine at point?
These are things I post about...???
A far as JT playing the 5 in the future. OH MY! It's soooo outlandish that he's starting at the 5 right now!!! And probably the rest of the year cause Hawes is just so lame... So really what's so outlandish??? Is it that crazy to think a "run and gun" coach would want JT to be the starting 5?
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NewArena
All-Star
I was obviously upset and frustrated with this young team earlier (pissed off) so i went into the archives and looked at our game threads from the 06 playoffs against the spurs...i cant wait to feel that excitement and nervousness for games again.Very good post, with emphasis on the bolded part. It's easy to criticize and just as easy to forget to go the other way when the occasion calls for it.
JT is working hard to improve his game and his attitude. If you think about the future, and a number of our kids all coming into their own at the same time, you could give yourself goosebumps.
Just wondering when it will be.
