# Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?/ KG and T-Mac? (merged thread)



## nybullsfan (Aug 12, 2005)

*Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

Here is a guy that can be a bust or a superstar, I can't seem to get a feel on what type of player he will become. Sometimes his potential reminds me of a Amare type player, then sometimes i think of a more defensive swift. Then i hear the comparison of Shawn Marion (i dont like that one). I personally think he will be a healthy kenyon martin, but thats besidest he point. One comparison i have not heard of is Shawn Kemp (90s), now before everybody jumps on me I am in no mean comparing the two, (shawn kemp in the 90s was a monster). but they do seem to have some traits mainly the explosive fearless play and the defense. also before he discovered burger king lol he was listed at 6"10 230. so my question is can Thomas if he ever pans out (i hear this kid has tremendous work ethic), can become a shawn kemp level player in his prime?


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

I'm leaning closer to bust on Thomas. He has major attitude and confidence problems, and likes to talk up his work ethic more so than prove it. He's afraid of Rudy Gay, a guy who is completely projected as a small forward, and if a small forward like Gay could be a better fit at powerforward than Thomas (Gay wants the workout with Thomas on the 19th to prove he can be a better powerforward AND smallforward than Thomas) so Thomas will probaly drop out....Its beginning to look like Thomas will be one of those combo forwards, similiar to Nocioni, but its no question whose better. I'd rather take Aldridge, a legit powerforward/center guy.


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## nybullsfan (Aug 12, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



sloth said:


> I'm leaning closer to bust on Thomas. He has major attitude and confidence problems, and likes to talk up his work ethic more so than prove it. He's afraid of Rudy Gay, a guy who is completely projected as a small forward, and if a small forward like Gay could be a better fit at powerforward than Thomas (Gay wants the workout with Thomas on the 19th to prove he can be a better powerforward AND smallforward than Thomas) so Thomas will probaly drop out....Its beginning to look like Thomas will be one of those combo forwards, similiar to Nocioni, but its no question whose better. I'd rather take Aldridge, a legit powerforward/center guy.


i respect that well said, iam hoping we can get aldridge and brewer on draft day myself but i think he will be a kenyon martin type of guy but i could be wrong


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



sloth said:


> I'm leaning closer to bust on Thomas. He has major attitude and confidence problems, and likes to talk up his work ethic more so than prove it. He's afraid of Rudy Gay, a guy who is completely projected as a small forward, and if a small forward like Gay could be a better fit at powerforward than Thomas (Gay wants the workout with Thomas on the 19th to prove he can be a better powerforward AND smallforward than Thomas) so Thomas will probaly drop out....Its beginning to look like Thomas will be one of those combo forwards, similiar to Nocioni, but its no question whose better. I'd rather take Aldridge, a legit powerforward/center guy.


how is he afraid of rudy gay?

go look at my post in the drAft thread

Lebron, Yao, Dwight, Emeka & Carmelo are just SOME of the names that DIDN'T work out against anyone. That doesn't mean he's scared.

Where are these attitude and confidence problems u speak of? I've never heard of none of that.

Regardless of if he's drafted by Chicago or not, he won't be a Bust. Kid's with that type of work ethic and drive NEVER are.


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## TripleDouble (Jul 26, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



The ROY said:


> Regardless of if he's drafted by Chicago or not, he won't be a Bust. Kid's with that type of work ethic and drive NEVER are.


Where have you heard about his work ethic?


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



TripleDouble said:


> Where have you heard about his work ethic?


Read the NBA insider in the draft thread...i posted quotes and someone else posted some...

most of the comments about his work ethic are from randy livingston btw


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

I heard about Thomas having a temper tantrum and walking out of practice at LSU. I heard about Thomas untrusting of people. And this entire work ethic thing is getting blown out of proportion. People think because he says he just wants to play basketball that he has a work ethic. When Tim Thomas and Eddy Curry said that, we got rid of them from our team. I'm sure that every player in the NBA just wants to play basketball. And then people look at all this stuff he's doing with his trainer, and saying, wow, he's working really hard, but in reality, he's just doing the norm, nothing different than LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Jay Williams. The reason why Aldridge is just being forgotten about (not by Paxson I'm sure) by the media and fans is because he doesn't open up his blow hole as often as Thomas.


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



sloth said:


> I heard about Thomas having a temper tantrum and walking out of practice at LSU. I heard about Thomas untrusting of people. And this entire work ethic thing is getting blown out of proportion. People think because he says he just wants to play basketball that he has a work ethic. When Tim Thomas and Eddy Curry said that, we got rid of them from our team. I'm sure that every player in the NBA just wants to play basketball. And then people look at all this stuff he's doing with his trainer, and saying, wow, he's working really hard, but in reality, he's just doing the norm, nothing different than LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Jay Williams. The reason why Aldridge is just being forgotten about (not by Paxson I'm sure) by the media and fans is because he doesn't open up his blow hole as often as Thomas.


some of those comments are ridiculous man, and u know it LOL

you know damn well tim thomas and eddy curry COMBINED don't have the heart this kid has, nor the drive or determination to be BETTER.

he should be UNTRUSTING, grow up in the ghetto and see how much u TRUST people when u get older and deal with folks not IN your position. At the same time, that's just a part of being young.

Amare once said the thing that seperated HIMSELF from Tyson and Eddy was, they didn't WORK as hard as him, they didn't strive as hard to be BETTER. The same things I hear from Tyrus, are the same things I heard from Amare, from A.I., from M.J., from Dwight, from Shaq. I've never heard of a player with that much heart and will-power become a BUST, never in my 17 years of watching the nba. regardless of WHERE he ends up, he won't be a bust, period.


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## McBulls (Apr 28, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



The ROY said:


> how is he afraid of rudy gay?
> 
> go look at my post in the drAft thread
> 
> ...


The players you mention were better known quantities than Tyrus Thomas. He's played only one year of college ball, and his stats were good, but not as spectacular as most of the players you mention.

Anyway, I think the business of players asking for guaranteed contracts to play a professional athletic sport without a competitive tryout is ridiculous. Apparently Paxson does too, based on his treatment of Deng when he refused to work out prior to the draft.

I hear it might turn out that TT is closer to 6'7" than to 6'10" tall. And I hear he's saying his natural position is small forward -- that he can shoot, dribble & pass. Problem is he didn't get a chance to show these skills in college and is a bit shy about showing it now in tryouts. 

It would be unwise to spend a #2 pick on a guy whose resume consists of inconsistent, but occasionally spectacular performances in a few college games and some rumors if he refuses to work out competitively for the Bulls.


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## Bulls4Life (Nov 13, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

Tyrus Thomas=Cliff Levingston

:swammi:


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## Avalanche (Nov 17, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

stromile swift with a better work ethic in the pro's

and thats not meant as a bad thing either... stro had mass potential in my opinion


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



McBulls said:


> The players you mention were better known quantities than Tyrus Thomas. He's played only one year of college ball, and his stats were good, but not as spectacular as most of the players you mention.
> 
> Anyway, I think the business of players asking for guaranteed contracts to play a professional athletic sport without a competitive tryout is ridiculous. Apparently Paxson does too, based on his treatment of Deng when he refused to work out prior to the draft.
> 
> ...


yeah, but some of them didn't even PLAY college ball.

like I said before, about his competitive workouts, Emeka, Luol, Dwight, Carmelo, Yao and a host of other great players didn't workout against anybody. What does that say about them!?

I haven't heard about him being shy in workouts, they say he's hitting nba 3's with ease and running fastbreaks with his right and left hands..

if he's more of a SF, I don't think I want him either..but Randy seems to think he can be a scoring, slashing, defensive 6"9 PF...so we'll see...

Oh and they briefly talked about him on chicago's tribune show today on comcast.


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## jbulls (Aug 31, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



sloth said:


> I heard about Thomas having a temper tantrum and walking out of practice at LSU. I heard about Thomas untrusting of people. And this entire work ethic thing is getting blown out of proportion. People think because he says he just wants to play basketball that he has a work ethic. When Tim Thomas and Eddy Curry said that, we got rid of them from our team. I'm sure that every player in the NBA just wants to play basketball. And then people look at all this stuff he's doing with his trainer, and saying, wow, he's working really hard, but in reality, he's just doing the norm, nothing different than LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Jay Williams. The reason why Aldridge is just being forgotten about (not by Paxson I'm sure) by the media and fans is because he doesn't open up his blow hole as often as Thomas.


Those are fun stories to have heard. Fact is, Tyrus Thomas dominated in the NCAA's (pre-Florida anyway), and Rudy Gay was underwhelming. Rudy Gay YAWNED at halftime of the Sweet 16.


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

We won't know if Tyrus Thomas is the next Shawn Kemp until we find out how he handles baby-making, drugs and liquor.

Hopefully, the answer is "better than Shawn did."


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## jbulls (Aug 31, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



TomBoerwinkle#1 said:


> We won't know if Tyrus Thomas is the next Shawn Kemp until we find out how he handles baby-making, drugs and liquor.
> 
> Hopefully, the answer is "better than Shawn did."


If he follows the Kemp plan he won't discover that stuff till his rookie deal is done. Draft him!

(and he can ask Skiles about the drugs)


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

Tyrus Thomas will be lucky if he proves better than Tim Thomas...who the Bulls wouldn't let play last year.


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## jbulls (Aug 31, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



futuristxen said:


> Tyrus Thomas will be lucky if he proves better than Tim Thomas...who the Bulls wouldn't let play last year.


IMO, that's a total load. Tim Thomas has career highs of 15 PPG and hasn't ever averaged 5 rebounds or 2 assists per game. He's never averaged a block a game either. Tim Thomas and Tyrus Thomas are totally different players. I would hope that everyone thinks it's a given that Tyrus Thomas is going to average way more than 5 rebounds and a block a game. Tim Thomas didn't average in the teens scoring wise until year 5 in the NBA, I think Tyrus will get there well before that. If this post is meant to highlight the fact that the Bulls wouldn't play Tim Thomas this year, dandy. If it's actually meant to compare Tim and Tyrus Thomas as players it's misguided - at best.


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## Bulls_Bulls_Bulls! (Jun 10, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



Bulls4Life said:


> Tyrus Thomas=Cliff Levingston
> 
> :swammi:


We definitely need someone on the team to indicate the time at all times....

Does that make him "Good News"????


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## giusd (Apr 17, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

Come on the Tyrus Thomas=Cliff Levingston is just plan wrong and we all know that.

Thomas is going to be an awesome pro.

And the thomas is a poor mans Shawn Kemp i think a reasonable comparison.

david


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



Bulls4Life said:


> Tyrus Thomas=Cliff Levingston
> 
> :swammi:


Awesome smiley for that post.


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



giusd said:


> Come on the Tyrus Thomas=Cliff Levingston is just plan wrong and we all know that.
> 
> Thomas is going to be an awesome pro.
> 
> ...


A shorter Tyson Chandler may be a reasonable comparison, too.

HUGE gamble.


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## BULLS23 (Apr 13, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



DaBullz said:


> A shorter Tyson Chandler may be a reasonable comparison, too.
> 
> HUGE gamble.


I agree with you DaBullz . . . The kid is just such an unknown that though I think he will be a pretty good pro, I personally don't like him for our team unless we are going to comepletely change the way we play (ie: go get a new coach). If we had an opening at SF and two bangers inside he's a no brainer, because I personally feel that he's more of a SF than PF. He can play PF for stretches (I got to see plenty of their games living here in SEC/ACC country), but I'm not convinced he can get big enough to play it full time.

I think Aldridge, who is closer to a legit PF in size and weight makes more sense for us given our style. Just my two cents . . .


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## ace20004u (Jun 19, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

Wow, a lot of surprising hating on here for Thomas! I think the fact that the rumor that said that he wouldn't workout for teams lower than 3 has swayed a lot of people. Of course that was refuted by his agent in the papers today saying he would go up against anyone, but perception is reality I guess. It sounded from the articles I read that Thomas is absolutely working harder than the other guys and pretty much always has. Couple that with his outstanding atheleticism and the fact that he didn't even start playing basketball until 11th grade and he has immense potential.

I actually like the Shawn Kemp comparison a lot, sounds pretty accurate in terms of skillsets. I think Thomas will be a 3/4 hybrid sort of like Nocioni probably.


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



ace20004u said:


> I think Thomas will be a 3/4 hybrid sort of like Nocioni probably.


Which is why he doesn't fill our need for size and an inside threat. Of all of the big 3 bigs in this draft, Aldridge is the closest to that.

We need someone who is going to put Chandler back at 4.


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## ace20004u (Jun 19, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



TomBoerwinkle#1 said:


> Which is why he doesn't fill our need for size and an inside threat. Of all of the big 3 bigs in this draft, Aldridge is the closest to that.
> 
> We need someone who is going to put Chandler back at 4.



True but we have some things we can do in free agency and we certainly could use an offensive minded 3/4 like Thomas, even if we will mostly be playing him at the 4. Aldridge may be a good pick and maybe not. I mean, Aldridge COULD end up being the Joe Smith pick and Thomas being the Amare pick, would you take Smith over Amare because you need size? I wouldn't.


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## TripleDouble (Jul 26, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



ace20004u said:


> True but we have some things we can do in free agency and we certainly could use an offensive minded 3/4 like Thomas, even if we will mostly be playing him at the 4. Aldridge may be a good pick and maybe not. I mean, Aldridge COULD end up being the Joe Smith pick and Thomas being the Amare pick, would you take Smith over Amare because you need size? I wouldn't.


Or Aldridge could end up being a Jermaine Oneal type and Thomas a Stromile Swift type.


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## Babble-On (Sep 28, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

Kemp is another possible comparison. I personally don't see how any of us can make any definitive comparisons for the guy's game given the fact that he was a relative unknown until this past season and most if not all of us only got to see him play a few times during the season. Plus, as is the case with many players in college systems, there is word that he has some extra dimensions to his game that he wasn't able to show off. 

We also need to see whether or not the guy is a legit six foot nine, because if he's a tweener, he probably wouldn't be a good fit unless he was super special. If he can be a legit four though, and if the word on his level of offensive skill is legit to go with the rebounding and shot-blocking skills that we've seen, then he could be the guy.


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## ace20004u (Jun 19, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



TripleDouble said:


> Or Aldridge could end up being a Jermaine Oneal type and Thomas a Stromile Swift type.



Thats true of course in that scenario Pax wouldn't pick him...hopefully! lol


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## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*

Back in the early to mid 90s, the top PFs in the game were Malone, Barkley, and Kemp. If we could have another Kemp (in his prime), I could not be any happier. The guy was a total stud. Could hit the J from the elbow, had a great inside game. Could run the floor.


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## Babble-On (Sep 28, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



TomBoerwinkle#1 said:


> Which is why he doesn't fill our need for size and an inside threat. Of all of the big 3 bigs in this draft, Aldridge is the closest to that.
> 
> We need someone who is going to put Chandler back at 4.


I disagree with that thinking for three reasons:

1. Chandler as of now doesn't warrant enough consideration to influence draft choices. Until he proves that he can avoid foul trouble enough that he can play full times starter's minutes, we need to look for guys who can legitimately start at both the four and five positions.

2. I don't subscribe to the idea that he needs to play the four to be effective. The fact is, most of his best ball has been played at the center position, alongiside Donyell Marshall, Antonio Davis, and
whoever was starting at the four during Tyson's stretch of good play this past season. 

3. Unless you acquire Greg Oden, or Aldridge ends up being a center and is very good(which I think is possible, I think he might be a guy everybody is gonna want more out of but who still puts up 15 and 10 and blocks a couple shots), you probably aren't going to find a center to pair with Chandler who is going to comprise a contending team's starting frontcourt. You gotta take whomever you think is gonna be the best player between Aldridge, Bargnani and Thomas.


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



ace20004u said:


> I mean, Aldridge COULD end up being the Joe Smith pick and Thomas being the Amare pick, would you take Smith over Amare because you need size? I wouldn't.


Hey, its that time of year...that's what makes it fun.

Is Morrison going to be the next Bird?

Is Thomas going to be the next Shawn Marion?

Is Bargnani really another Dirk?

Most likely the answer is no to all of the above.

If one of them is, I hope we are the one smart and lucky enough to get him.


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## GB (Jun 11, 2002)

*Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*

And he doesn't want the Raptors to draft him.



> Chad Ford Watched Tyrus Thomas Work Out
> --
> The biggest influence in Thomas's professional basketball life is former NBA guard and LSU alum Randy Livingston. Livingston steered Thomas to his former agents, and is now Thomas's trainer.
> 
> ...


http://www.truehoop.com/2006-draft-14597-chad-ford-watched-tyrus-thomas-work-out.html


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## DengNabbit (Feb 23, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*

no he is not


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*



GB said:


> And he doesn't want the Raptors to draft him.
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.truehoop.com/2006-draft-14597-chad-ford-watched-tyrus-thomas-work-out.html


Methinks Randy Livingston is overselling his product just a wee bit.


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## thebizkit69u (Feb 12, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*

Wow.
On a side Note Randy Livingston called Glen Davis a mixture of Shaquile Oneal and Jesus.


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## ScottMay (Jun 15, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*

I thought _Tim_ Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*

I don't know if you all know this, but I am a mix of Thor, William Wallace, and the Dread Pirate Roberts. Probably a little Hercules, too.


In any event, this sounds like a wee bit of puffery.


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## mizenkay (Dec 29, 2003)

fyi - i merged this thread so we can have one big Tyrus Thomas is the next ______________ discussion.


thanks.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*

lol, yeah this was pretty funny. First he says, "Oh, at first I thought he was a mix of Amare and Marion, but now it's perfectly clear...this kid's KG/T-mac combined!"

I have to admit, I'm cooling on Tyrus Thomas a little...all we're hearing is talk, talk, and more talk, but absolutely nothing indicating that he can perform in workouts. It smells fishy and feels like him (or his agents) are hiding something.


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## mizenkay (Dec 29, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*

i'm a little bit country. a little bit rock and roll.


:biggrin:


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

Oddly enough, I am a combination of Kirk Hinrich (size) and Will Purdue (athleticism, skill and complexion).


And I mean Will Purdue _today_...not in his "prime" :no:


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*



mizenkay said:


> i'm a little bit country. a little bit rock and roll.
> 
> 
> :biggrin:



:rofl: Can we get you to sing a Paper Roses/Puppy Love medley?


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## DengNabbit (Feb 23, 2005)

i am a combination of Tyrus Thomas comparisons and Andrea Bargnani comparisons. and i hate every inch of myself.


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## Ron Cey (Dec 27, 2004)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*



jnrjr79 said:


> I don't know if you all know this, but I am a mix of Thor, William Wallace, and the Dread Pirate Roberts. Probably a little Hercules, too.
> 
> 
> In any event, this sounds like a wee bit of puffery.


With your mighty hammer Mjolnir you killed a Hydra to free Scotland in your efforts to woo Butternuts, err Butterstuff, I mean Buttercup? Thats some manly ****. 

(get the Butternuts/Butterstuff reference?)


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*



Ron Cey said:


> With your mighty hammer Mjolnir you killed a Hydra to free Scotland in your efforts to woo Butternuts, err Butterstuff, I mean Buttercup? Thats some manly ****.
> 
> (get the Butternuts/Butterstuff reference?)


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*



Ron Cey said:


> With your mighty hammer Mjolnir you killed a Hydra to free Scotland in your efforts to woo Butternuts, err Butterstuff, I mean Buttercup? Thats some manly ****.
> 
> (get the Butternuts/Butterstuff reference?)



Of course. Half Baked!


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## mizenkay (Dec 29, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/index


top video (on the right side of the screen). tyrus thomas was on the *hotlist *yesterday.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



jbulls said:


> IMO, that's a total load. Tim Thomas has career highs of 15 PPG and hasn't ever averaged 5 rebounds or 2 assists per game. He's never averaged a block a game either. Tim Thomas and Tyrus Thomas are totally different players. I would hope that everyone thinks it's a given that Tyrus Thomas is going to average way more than 5 rebounds and a block a game. Tim Thomas didn't average in the teens scoring wise until year 5 in the NBA, I think Tyrus will get there well before that. If this post is meant to highlight the fact that the Bulls wouldn't play Tim Thomas this year, dandy. If it's actually meant to compare Tim and Tyrus Thomas as players it's misguided - at best.


And yet he made near Max money. Which Tyrus Thomas will never do. The comparison isn't on playing styles. It's on level of player. Tyrus Thomas will never be regarded as the level of player that Tim Thomas has been in his career. He is a walking bust.


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## ace20004u (Jun 19, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



futuristxen said:


> And yet he made near Max money. Which Tyrus Thomas will never do. The comparison isn't on playing styles. It's on level of player. Tyrus Thomas will never be regarded as the level of player that Tim Thomas has been in his career. He is a walking bust.



Wow, I would say thats very speculative. I think Thomas has tremendous upside since he is very young and only started playing ball in 11th grade. He very well could end up being a max player someday, maybe your crystal ball is broken?


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



futuristxen said:


> And yet he made near Max money. Which Tyrus Thomas will never do. The comparison isn't on playing styles. It's on level of player. Tyrus Thomas will never be regarded as the level of player that Tim Thomas has been in his career. He is a walking bust.


Tyrus isn't "my guy" for the Bulls in this draft, but I just don't see him being a bust, by any means.


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## Ron Cey (Dec 27, 2004)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas is a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett*



jnrjr79 said:


> Of course. Half Baked!


"Officer down! Officer down!"


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## Ron Cey (Dec 27, 2004)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



TomBoerwinkle#1 said:


> Tyrus isn't "my guy" for the Bulls in this draft, but I just don't see him being a bust, by any means.


If I recall correctly, this guy said that *all the guys at the top of this year's draft* are basically second round pick caliber players. These are nothing but wildly ill-informed generalizations and conclusions. 

Certainly this does not appear to be a dream crop, but there's some serious talent to be had.


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## jbulls (Aug 31, 2005)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



futuristxen said:


> And yet he made near Max money. Which Tyrus Thomas will never do. The comparison isn't on playing styles. It's on level of player. Tyrus Thomas will never be regarded as the level of player that Tim Thomas has been in his career. He is a walking bust.


So you're backing up your claim that Tyrus Thomas will be a bust by comparing him to a guy with a totally different playing style and the same last name? Interesting.


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## Tommyo22 (Jun 5, 2006)

Why does "The Roy" have a man crush on Tyrus Thomas?


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

Tommyo22 said:


> Why does "The Roy" have a man crush on Tyrus Thomas?


Welcome aboard, but you don't have enough posts under your belt to give The Roy that kind of lip.

I don't want to discourage your participation, but you know, we try to encourage cordial debate. The guys who know each other may get away with a bit of ribbing, but it comes across different from a stranger.

You know?


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Tommyo22 said:


> Why does "The Roy" have a man crush on Tyrus Thomas?


He doesn't, it only might seem that way because there's a large faction of posters who think Tyrus is going to bust and there's alot of back and forth debate.


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

Tommyo22 said:


> Why does "The Roy" have a man crush on Tyrus Thomas?


I admire the kid's game...please don't come at me with the gay stuff


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

*Re: Tyrus Thomas the next Shawn Kemp?*



jbulls said:


> So you're backing up your claim that Tyrus Thomas will be a bust by comparing him to a guy with a totally different playing style and the same last name? Interesting.


lol

futuristxen is a wild dude...i've never seen someone with so many negative views on a message board in my life...


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## Tommyo22 (Jun 5, 2006)

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't trying to imply that someone is gay. It's not gay to have a man crush. I have one for Jack Bauer and Charles Bronson.  I was just trying to figure it out. I've been reading a lot of post on here and have seen a lot of post with him defending Tyrus Thomas. I just didn't get why he appears to be so pro Thomas. I understand a person having his guy, but he just seemed as if he would argue with anyone against drafting the guy. I respect his opinion. 

IMO, I think he will be a bust. Too much of a project on the offensive end. I was forced to watch him a lot this year being in SEC country. He seems to generate his scoring by getting a lot of garbage points. That's fine in HS and College. However, in the NBA to be a #2 pick, you need to be able to create your own shot. Something I don't think he can do.

I've been a Bull fan for years. Heck the only games I could choose from on TV for a while were either the Bulls (WGN) or the Hawks (TBS), I chose the Bulls. I just don't want them to blow this pick. I almost wish they'ed trade down and pray for a poor season for the Knicks next year.


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

Tommyo22 said:


> Thanks for the reply. I was just trying to figure it out. I've been reading a lot of post on here and have seen a lot of post with him defending Tyrus Thomas. I just didn't get why he appears to be so pro Thomas. I understand a person having his guy, but he just seemed as if he would argue with anyone against drafting the guy.
> 
> IMO, I think he will be a bust. Too much of a project on the offensive end. I was forced to watch him a lot this year being in SEC country. He seems to generate his scoring by getting a lot of garbage points. That's fine in HS and College. However, in the NBA to be a #2 pick, you need to be able to create your own shot. Something I don't think he can do.
> 
> I've been a Bull fan for years. Heck the only games I could choose from on TV for a while were either the Bulls (WGN) or the Hawks (TBS), I chose the Bulls. I just don't want them to blow this pick. I almost wish they'ed trade down and pray for a poor season for the Knicks next year.


Chandler was the #2 pick in the draft and can't score a LICK. So that theory is out the window.

If we knew what we know NOW about Ben Wallace, he woulda been a TOP 5 pick instead of a 2nd rounder.

As far as me defending against drafting him, if people don't want to draft Thomas, that's FINE! Everyone doesn't feel like I feel about the kid's game and that's cool. But by no means do I ARGUE with them over Thomas, c'mon now. You can call him a bust, it happens every year, folks love to coin someone before they get a chance, it's cool. ESPECIALLY when their's alot of hype involved, it happened with Bryant, Lebron, Dwight & countless others who were coined the same thing and told they wouldn't make it in the NBA.

As far as his offense is concerned, on ESPN he said his coach told him coming in as a rookie that the only thing he wanted from him was blocked shots, rebounds and energy. He said Davis & Mitchell were the main scoring options and he had no problems with that. Scouts, Columnists (Hollinger, Ford) & other GM's say he has more offensive talent than he got to showcase in his rookie season.

But we shall see.


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## ace20004u (Jun 19, 2002)

The ROY said:


> Chandler was the #2 pick in the draft and can't score a LICK. So that theory is out the window.
> 
> If we knew what we know NOW about Ben Wallace, he woulda been a TOP 5 pick instead of a 2nd rounder.
> 
> ...


I think Wallace was actually undrafted man!


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

ace20004u said:


> I think Wallace was actually undrafted man!


I think you're right, I said "2nd round" to be on the safe side lol


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## Tommyo22 (Jun 5, 2006)

The ROY said:


> Chandler was the #2 pick in the draft and can't score a LICK. So that theory is out the window.
> 
> If we knew what we know NOW about Ben Wallace, he woulda been a TOP 5 pick instead of a 2nd rounder.
> 
> ...


The Chandler deal proves my point. He should not have been that high of a pick. He was an offensive project. 

If all the NBA teams had to release all of their players today and had to redraft a new team, I don't think Ben Wallace would be picked within the first five picks. He will be for sure picked within an individule teams top five, but not top five overall.

Anyone who looked at Lebron and Bryant knew they had that special something a lot of other hyped up players just didn't have. I always thought they would make it. I was fooled on Kwame Brown. I never bought into the hype of Curry and Chandler. This year I didn't buy Noah or Thomas. You see Noah went back to college.


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

Tommyo22 said:


> Anyone who looked at Lebron and Bryant knew they had that special something a lot of other hyped up players just didn't have. I always thought they would make it. I was fooled on Kwame Brown. I never bought into the hype of Curry and Chandler. This year I didn't buy Noah or Thomas. You see Noah went back to college.


Noah will be excellent in the NBA. Franchise player? probably not but he'll be a game changer. A guy 6"11 with that much drive and versitility has everything it takes to excel in the NBA. He'll be a top 5 pick next year, no question. Only guys definintely being drafted before him are Greg Oden & Kevin Durant.


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## Tommyo22 (Jun 5, 2006)

The ROY said:


> Noah will be excellent in the NBA. Franchise player? probably not but he'll be a game changer. A guy 6"11 with that much drive and versitility has everything it takes to excel in the NBA. He'll be a top 5 pick next year, no question. Only guys definintely being drafted before him are Greg Oden & Kevin Durant.


I'll agree with that. If the Bulls could luck up and get the #1 pick next year and take Oden, our team will be solid for the foreseeable future (may qualify for the understatement of the decade). That kid is a man from everything I've seen from him. He just needs a little more push to be more agressive. He kinda reminds me of David Robinson without the consistent jumper. What's up with Durant, I don't know a lot about him?


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## ScottMay (Jun 15, 2002)

The ROY said:


> Noah will be excellent in the NBA. Franchise player? probably not but he'll be a game changer. A guy 6"11 with that much drive and versitility has everything it takes to excel in the NBA. He'll be a top 5 pick next year, no question. Only guys definintely being drafted before him are Greg Oden & Kevin Durant.


I actually think he is set up to slide just like Corliss Williamson did. If Florida gets bounced from the tourney early and Noah doesn't show much of an improvement overall, some of the younger bigs are going to leapfrog him.

I didn't participate much in the vexed discussion over whether Noah was doing a smart thing by going back to school, but I think it's almost impossible to argue that the decision didn't considerably hamper his chances to be drafted in the top five. Whether or not he cares about that is another topic entirely.


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

Tommyo22 said:


> What's up with Durant, I don't know a lot about him?


check out my thread on the top prospects of 2007.


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## Tommyo22 (Jun 5, 2006)

ScottMay said:


> I actually think he is set up to slide just like Corliss Williamson did. If Florida gets bounced from the tourney early and Noah doesn't show much of an improvement overall, some of the younger bigs are going to leapfrog him.
> 
> I didn't participate much in the vexed discussion over whether Noah was doing a smart thing by going back to school, but I think it's almost impossible to argue that the decision didn't considerably hamper his chances to be drafted in the top five. Whether or not he cares about that is another topic entirely.



Another guy that happened to is Chris Porter (Auburn). He should have declared for the draft after his Jr. season. He was a hot player and everyone was drooling over him. But he stayed in, went in the second round, and fell out of the NBA.

Another guy that should have went pro after his break out year in college comes from my old school (Western Kentucky) and he is Chris Marcus. He stayed got hurt and his stock fell off the map. I think you should always leave school when you're hot and work out for teams as little as possible. Don't give them a reason to second guess them picking you. Then sit back collect your check and look on message boards and watch that teams fans bash the he11 out of ya for sucking and taking up a roster spot.


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## jbulls (Aug 31, 2005)

Tommyo22 said:


> Another guy that happened to is Chris Porter (Auburn). He should have declared for the draft after his Jr. season. He was a hot player and everyone was drooling over him. But he stayed in, went in the second round, and fell out of the NBA.
> 
> Another guy that should have went pro after his break out year in college comes from my old school (Western Kentucky) and he is Chris Marcus. He stayed got hurt and his stock fell off the map. I think you should always leave school when your hot and work out for teams as little as possible. Don't give them a reason to second guess them picking you. Then sit back collect your check and look on message boards and watch that teams fans bash the he11 out of ya for sucking and taking up a roster spot.


Chris Marcus. Wow. I haven't heard that name in forever. Patrick O'Bryant reminds me of him a little, a legit big body/late bloomer who somehow ends up at a fairly small program. Hopefully O'Bryant will have better luck.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

jbulls said:


> Chris Marcus. Wow. I haven't heard that name in forever. Patrick O'Bryant reminds me of him a little, a legit big body/late bloomer who somehow ends up at a fairly small program. Hopefully O'Bryant will have better luck.


He will, no doubt in my mind. If I recall, Chris Marcus was dominating a really weak conference. O'Bryant on the other hand played in the Missouri Valley, which isn't the ACC but still a very solid (and very underrated) conference. O'Bryant is also far more athletic than Marcus and won't struggle with weight issues either.


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## Tommyo22 (Jun 5, 2006)

yodurk said:


> He will, no doubt in my mind. If I recall, Chris Marcus was dominating a really weak conference. O'Bryant on the other hand played in the Missouri Valley, which isn't the ACC but still a very solid (and very underrated) conference. O'Bryant is also far more athletic than Marcus and won't struggle with weight issues either.





Western Kentucky is in the Sunbelt conference. The Sunbelt and Missouri Valley are both still considered mid major conferences. Believe me, I hate hearing it as much as anyone that's gone to a school that plays pretty good BBall and still doesn't get any respect because they are not in a BCS conference (I went to WKU). This year WKU actually played Evansville and won and lost a nail biter to Butler (OBryant didn't play). This year the MVC got a lot of props and had some really good teams. At the time Chris Marcus played, the Sunbelt had some pretty good teams and comp, plus Western played a pretty good out of conference schedule to showcase Marcus. Those years he still put up good numbers. Marcus had bad ankles (same deal as Grant Hill) and never got over that issue. Once he couldn't beat the ankle issues, he got fat and went down hill from there. He was 7-1, 285 lbs, and the last year before his injury avg. 17 pts and 12 rebounds and led WKU to the NCAA 2001 and 2002. When I first saw O'bryant he reminded me a lot of Marcus, but I have to say that after watching them I can't say who is better. Both need/needed a lot of work to be a solid NBA player.


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## rlucas4257 (Jun 1, 2002)

I like Tyrus alot but are we saying he is the next Shawn Kemp, Tracey McGrady and KG all wrapped into one?


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## jbulls (Aug 31, 2005)

yodurk said:


> He will, no doubt in my mind. If I recall, Chris Marcus was dominating a really weak conference. O'Bryant on the other hand played in the Missouri Valley, which isn't the ACC but still a very solid (and very underrated) conference. O'Bryant is also far more athletic than Marcus and won't struggle with weight issues either.


The MVC is a strong conference by mid-majors, but it's not exactly a hot bed of NBA 4/5 prospects. O'Bryant's performance against Aaron Gray was strong, but he's going to need to pick on people his own size a lot more often in the pro's. I'm not suggesting he's going to go the way of Chris Marcus, but I don't think the competition he faced last year was all that strong.

A quick perusal of O'Bryant's game log shows Bradley edging Western Kentucky (Marcus' alma mater) 78-76 in a non-conference game this year. That's not really relevant to the discussion and O'Bryant was ineligible at the time, but it's kind of a funny coincidence.


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