He would have 28 points instead of 18 because he would have had more open lanes to the basket. That charge he did on Funderburke, that only happened for one reason, Kenny Thomas did not want to shoot the ball. He had enough room. There are times when Kenny drives but cannot finish. That is because defenders are clogging up the lane, which causes KT to put up some wild shots. KT makes some J's but not enough to command respect from the opposing team. [ Clutch the above would be a good quote to put on the front page ] All that being said, KT had a hell of a game tonight. There are times when he does finish, as he was able to finish off plays with layups. He laso made some tough shots I thought. Danny Ainge said Thomas could be a star in this league if his outside shooting was more consistent. Oh, how I miss the first quarter of the November 9th game at Denver. Some of you know that I am not that big of a Thomas fan. But tonight I was impressed, and if he can continue to be an inside presence (and increase his scoring by about 3-4points/game), my opinion will change. A question though: If KT continues to improve, will the rockets trade him? I mean, They have signed Taylor to a six year deal. I can't see the Rockets keeping Thomas and Taylor for a long tenure. Do you know why I think that......? Because Kenny Thomas is too good.
Yes, if we could somehow make a composite player of KT's speed and rebounding with Mo's outside shooting touch and size...we would have the star PF we need. I guess we will just have to settle with the platoon approach in getting that combo.
Anybody notice the way the KT runs up and down the court; he drags his arms like a cape or something. Very interesting. Man, I remember all the chirping about trading KT last summer.
I have always been on record in saying that KT should not be traded unless we can get a star for him.
Griffin isn't even close to having the speed of KT. Come on. It took some Rockets fans 2 years to admit that Mobley is faster than Francis, and some still say that Dickerson is faster. (This is not a 40yrd dash; Dickerson is not faster with the ball). Give credit where credit is due. There is probably only one or two power forwards faster than Kenny Thomas...hell, maybe none. I can't even think of one. There are probably only a handful of Small Forwards faster than Kenny off the dribble. Did you see that screeming dunk passed his man and right down the lane from the top of the key? I mean, that was faster than Francis. Had Griffin done that, this board would be ablaze with Eddieeeee! threads. If that didn't make you shake your head, you were asleep or having sex. Name some power forwards THAT fast!
you're missing the boat, crispee. not only is he FAST...kenny thomas probably has THE BEST footwork of any power forward in the nba. before someone cries out tim duncan's name, let me refute that one: tim duncan is a legit 7 footer. tim duncan is a center who has the luxury of being guarded by power forwards, thus he usually has a weight and/or height advantage on his opponent. that GREATLY helps your footwork. kenny thomas is an undersized power forward who consistently finds a way to get a good shot off. his spins are almost always correct (left v right), and - THE FEW TIMES RUDY DOES PUT HIM IN THE POST - his jump hook is almost never blocked. kenny thomas - so far - is in a tie for Most Improved Player in the NBA with danny fortson, imo. in fact, if kt can keep up this level of play, it forces the rockets' hands w/griffin. i'd go ahead and consciously groom eddie griffin to be a 5. then you could stick w/he and kt up front with motay backing up the 4/5 spots. you (crispee) know i have not been a big kt fan, because of his lack of finishing ability. but kt has played like a man possessed this year. i'm lovin' some kt right now!
KT is already BETTER than I ever imagined. He may be our smartest player overall. Good passer, great rebounder, and relentless. More than anyone else, he "brings it" every nite. He needs to fuggett the 3 pointer, but his mid-range jumper is already better than last year. KT doesn't say much (anything? ever??), he simply leads by example. I love his commitment to improving his game with weight loss, conditioning and extra off-season work, and the results speak for themselves.
Kenny is awesome. When he came into the NBA I thought "just another tweener forward, too small to play in the post and not a good enough shooter to play on the perimeter". Well his perimeter shot is not the best, but he certainly CAN make those shots. At least, he keeps the defender honest, allowing him to use his superior speed, footwork, and first step to beat them to the basket. Add to that the fact that he is a hard-nosed rebounder and an active defender (I couldn't believe those blocks yesterday!). And it's just his third season! K9 has a great future in this league, and I hope he stays with the Rockets for a long time.
This all saddens me very much. Kenny is such a great player, and his footwork is fantastic. His defense is absolutely genius. The sad part is, his size. Unfortunately, Kenny is a Hall of Fame PF in a small body. Don't give me the Barkley comparisons, because Barkley isn't the same type of player. Kenny is like a quicker, emotion-showing version of Tim Duncan. That is why it will be even sadder when the Rockets have to trade him next year. Mo Taylor - not getting traded Eddie Griffin - not getting traded KT - odd man out Just like Bonzi Wells will be out of Portland sometime this season, so will Kenny. The only way this doesn't happen is if Griffin becomes a C, and KT becomes the 6th man of the year for us. Actually, I think he's a perfect candidate for 6th man of the year. This year, Most Improved isn't too far off, but I think it's gonna go to Penny or Fortson or Dampier. Maybe Brad Miller. *Fingers crossed* Maybe Griffin will become our C of the future. If he puts on 20lbs till next season, it's a possibility.
I think its agreed that kenny has the speed and height of a sf but the strength of a pf...so why not move kenny to the 3? He's power could give the sf of the league fits on offense and defense. In the portland game kenny guarded ruben patterson and ruben couldn't move kenny an inch! And patterson's suppose to be noted for his strength against other small forwards. If kenny could develop his jumper we could just get rid of the underproducing glen and keep walt coming off the bench, unless Tmo starts producing, in which case he replaces walt. Think of it in a couple of years: pg...Steve sg...Cat sf...KT (with improved shot) pf...Griffin (25 pounds heavier) c...hopefully a decent draft pick.(or Duncan? ...okay I'm reaching)
severe rockets fan, try this instead pg-francis/norris sg-mobley/torres/walt(if he stays if not langhi or play brown instead) sf-kt/rice/morris pf-taylor/willis(i figure he will want to finish out here cheap) c-griffin/willis/cato i realize walt likely may be in front of oscar, and as for shandon supporters we have shandon at bargain pricing in torres so we got rice for free if you choose to look at it like that
I'd just like to point out that Kenny Thomas is 10 times better than that overhyped, joke of a lottery pick, Marcus Fizer. btw: I'm liking Kenny recieving the ball on that high pick and roll at the top of the key; His first step and passing ability are put to better use; No tricky angles like he encountered when setting up around the baseline.
Kenny has great hops too - you should have seen him skying for rebounds and blocks last night. His biggest difference between this year and last year is finishing on layups. He's looking like the best finisher on the team right now - last year he was the worst. By the way, a month ago someone was saying that Kenny couldn't rebound much better than Mo Taylor. How's that crow tasting?
not bad, but in a couple of years willis' ability will diminish A LOT, as well as rice's. So they are more than likely gone. If griffin could put on another 25-30 pounds and grow an inch or 2 then center would fit him great, but now it doesn't seem like a good idea to put him there. what we need is a good steady center who doesn't need to score to be happy...I think the league has been looking for someone like that since Bill Russell retired.
Sometimes i get the feeling that Kenny is just on another level intellectually than our other players. How many times have you seen him make a brilliant pass to Cato or Willis only to have them fumble it out of bounds? He just gets this look on his face where he knows he is on another level, and he just wishes his teammates could have his incredible skills and knowledge.
Once, when my pimp insisted I work Sundays, Kenny stepped in for me and said "HEY! He doesn't have to work Sundays! Sunday is a day for family!" Kenny is so sweet, and gentle. Ceweally though, that dunk was siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiickkk. Kenny was peeossed throwing that crap down on the vladdizzo to the izzo.
