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Tag Archive - Tyrus Thomas

Have Ball, Will Travel: Tyrus Thomas

November 16, 2010 in by with 7 Comments

‘Have Ball, Will Travel’ is a recurring video feature here at Hardwood Paroxysm, in which we take a closer look at debatable traveling calls and non-calls with documented rule in mind.

In this installment, we’ll look at a play in last night’s game between the Bobcats and Timberwolves, in which Tyrus Thomas’ drive was whistled for a travel.

At full speed, it’s hard to pinpoint a violation. It appears that Thomas catches the ball, faces up for the shot fake, and launches off his left foot toward the rim. However, if we look at his feet more discerningly, it’s clear that a slide of Thomas’ left foot effectually declares his right foot as his pivot, and that pivot is then lifted when he attempts to make his move toward the basket. It’s a subtle shift, but Tyrus really does flip his pivot with only the slightest of shuffles after the catch. It’s a tough call to make in real time, but the sideline official was all over it.

Hit The Breaks, Watch Them Fly Right By

February 25, 2010 in by with 5 Comments

High five. From Compton, California to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Sante Fe, Argentina to Yaonde, Cameroon to Melbourne, Australia, this starting lineup couldn’t have come from much further apart. And yet, in just their second start as a fivesome ever, Jennings/Salmons/Delfino/Mbah a Moute/Bogut looked like a crew that grew up ballin’ on the same block, late into the night, sky is as dark as the pavement, hoop dimly lit by that light across the street, an hour and a half past when mom said i’s time to get in house.

The Bucks have tried plenty of starting lineups this season, but they needn’t try any more.

via Recap: Bucks 115, Hornets 95 – Brew Hoop.

The Bucks and Bobcats are headed in opposite directions, and the trade deadline has a lot to do with it. It’s  a gamble, every time. We act like just adding pieces or replacing them will automatically improve the team, but you’ve got to look at it from a chemistry standpoint. That’s obvious, right? But it’s not as simple as “this guy’s a complainer” or “this guy’s got an ego.” It’s just about guys clicking. The Bucks? They’re clicking, folks. It’s rare that I’ve seen a traded player fit in so seamlessly on the floor as Salmons.

Most of that is a function of the fact that essentially, Salmons is just sliding into Redd’s spot. Salmons on the court isn’t trying to force himself into a leadership role, he’s just slashing and shooting. And it’s one of those trades where you look at it, and you can’t really believe you didn’t see its impact before.

Bogut is dominant right now. I’m not exaggerating. DOMINANT. There was nothing the Hornets could do last night, and they were bringing Okafor and a double team for large stretches of the game. Bogut’s combination of size, savvy, and touch is just not something teams are able to handle right now. They have a point guard tandem that can score in bursts or manage the game (Ridnour,  who’s also shooting the lights out, even though he’s the Mike Bibby to my J.E. Skeets). They have a defensive stalwart  in Mbah a Moute, and all of a sudden Carlos Delfino matters again. They’re playing smart, and well. For all the crap Scott Skiles has gotten over the years, he has this team playing really well and in line for a playoff push.

The Bobcats, on the other hand, are in trouble. Bonnell points out how essentially the Bobcats pushed past the really useful point of expecting to win and into the dreaded ‘entitlement’ phase. They’ve come to a standstill as long as you lock down on CapJack. Losing Flip Murray was a significant loss for them, one which Larry Brown should have anticipated. Adding Thomas helps you inside, but losing Murray brings that offense back a step when it had just become decent. Thomas scored 20 points last night, and maybe he really is becoming the guy most of us want him to be. But even with the injuries to their frontcourt, the Bobcats have to figure out how to get cohesive in a hurry.

The Devil Is In The Details. Ricky Davis, Too.

February 23, 2010 in by with 10 Comments

Simmons: “I hate adjusted plus-minus. I just think it’s stupid. Is this even a stat you guys are messing around with, do you take it seriously, where do you stand?”

Morey: “Well, I think it’s something to look at. I always think of, you know, all these things are just different views, nothing perfect. There’s never going to be any sort of analysis that will isolate how good a player is.”

The B.S. Report Podcast Bill Simmons – The Sports Guy – Page 2 – ESPN.

I continue to marvel at how people think that just because you use a stat for an analysis that it’s somehow proclaiming that is the end-all, be-all. Rest assured, there are guys who take that approach (Winston), but for the most part, any numbers guy is going to tell you that A. you can’t just look at one measure, and B. you can’t just look at the numbers and make conclusions. What’s interesting is that conversely, most “WATCH THE GAMES!” fools will not tell you the same. They won’t say that “well, you should look at the numbers to see if your perceptions are accurate.”

An example: I tend to be pretty unimpressed with Eric Gordon. I think he’s an undersized dude that launches too many 18 footers, and is basically Ben Gordon before he started thinking he was the best and only offensive option on the floor and started hijacking possessions like they were lost tourists.

But then I look at his numbers. And he doesn’t take a lot of 16-23 footers. He just doesn’t. He’s 20th among shooting guards playing 30+ minutes a game per 40 in attempts from there. And the natural thing would be to say, “Well, Matt, it’s pretty clear you suck at watching basketball.” Which is probably true. But it stuns me that people think they’re so good that they don’t need any other information to inform them. If you’re not a professional scout, it’s pretty likely you’re missing some stuff.

Another example, that presents more of the nebulous nature of this stuff: Tyrus Thomas (who we’ll talk about in a post later). I’m talking to Ziller and defending Taj Gibson, who I think does exactly what Vinny Del Negro wants him to do. If you think that’s the problem, that’s fine, but I can’t fault a coach for playing the guy who does what he’s supposed to versus the guy who randomly goes rogue in search of the weakside block, mopes, and in general is a pain to deal with. Just can’t do it. But Ziller points out that his defensive rating is off the charts every year since he entered the league. In short, the Bulls play better defense when he’s on the floor, and that’s just kind of it. He’s got the blocks, he’s got the steals, which aren’t indicative of good defense, necessarily, but when paired with his defensive rating, it’s really difficult to argue with. He’s a big, aggressive defender that blocks a lot of shots and when he’s on the floor, the defense gives up fewer points. I don’t know how to argue with that, even though I’ve watched Thomas get completely lost on plays, thoroughly give up on possessions, freelance way too much, and of course, he was surrounded by good defensive players on a good defensive team.

So which is it? Is Tyrus Thomas an awesome defensive player that just wasn’t getting playing time? Or a headcase that was covered by the Bulls’ defense and Gibson deserved time? That opinion’s going to fluctuate, from person to person, and it’s likely that Thomas’ performance in Charlotte will end up impacting the answer, when it shouldn’t.

The central point here is something Morey talks about later, which is that the teams at least very rarely use these tools to determine whether a player is good or not. They’re descriptors. And people that know what they’re doing use them that way. For example, saying, Player A’s PER is better than Player B’s PER, so Player A is a better player than Player B is both false and short-sighted. But, if you’re examining what player is the weakest of your starting five, and one player has a significantly sub-15 PER, that’s at least going to point you in the right direction. And that’s if it’s a writer, not a team. A team’s looking at lineups, potential compatability, situational stats, etc.

Long story short, the polarization of this issue muddles the value on both sides. If I tell a stat guy, “But I’ve seen him play! He doesn’t defend well!” they respond with an insinuation that I’m pulling the “WATCH THE GAMES!” card that’s thrown out there with no further thought to the implications. If I use numbers to prove a point, I get drowned with “WATCH THE GAMES!”

Hopefully, the Sloan Conference will help provide context, as Morey states in the podcast. Not that I get to go. Sigh.

TRADE DEADLINE: Where Donnie Walsh Being Possessed By Isiah Thomas Happens

February 18, 2010 in by with 16 Comments

The Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks have agreed to terms that will expand the Houston-Sacramento deal into a three-way trade that lands Tracy McGrady with the Knicks, according to NBA front-office sources.

The Knicks will acquire McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez from Sacramento, sources said.

The Rockets get Kevin Martin, Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries from New York and will have the right to swap first-round picks with New York in 2011 as well as take on New York’s 2012 first-round pick.

Sacramento obtains Houston’s Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey and New York’s Larry Hughes.

via Tracy McGrady traded to New York Knicks in 3-team deal, sources say – ESPN.

Let’s just be clear in what just happened here.

The Knicks gave up:

  • Jared Jeffries, a versatile defender that’s actually played really well this year.
  • Jordan Hill, who has developed really well, has killer upside, and is a legit scoring big, which they’re going to need once Harrington and Lee are gone in six months.
  • The expiring corpse of Larry Hughes
  • Their control for their first round pick in 2011 NOT to be swapped to a perennial playoff team that just acquired cap space and Kevin Martin.
  • Their 2012 first round pick, meaning they could not be picking in the top 15 for the next 3 YEARS.

And in return, they got:

  • An over-30 forward who has had injury problems every year for the past five years, and his expiring contract which will end up saving them a grand total of $9 million dollars.

THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!

Seriously? This just happened?

What on EARTH are they going to offer LeBron/Wade/Bosh/Amar’e this summer? “Hey, come on by! You get to play with Sergio Rodriguez! Eddie House is in the corner, smokin’ a pipe! Chill out! Galinari’s going to make his famous pesto chicken!”

THIS is the master plan? To leverage any hope of the future to try and buy your way out of purgatory? This isn’t Mario Bros. You can’t just skip a level, I don’t care how much money you have or what market you play in.

This is an abject disaster.

The Kings’ side of this gets better and better. They just cleared out enough space to build a new kitchen downstairs AND remodel Chrissy’s room with that walk-in closet she’s always wanted. They managed to hold on to Kenny Thomas (woof), so they save that money and pick up Hughes’ expiring as well. And they get Carl Landry, who’s going to annihilated people on the pick and roll with Evans.  Having Hughes around for six months is a shame, but what else is new? And he wasn’t playing badly in New York for the first few months.

Daryl Morey runs the game. That’s it. I’m having T-shirts printed that say “Daryl Morey Runs The Game.” He just spun the guy who he told to go hang out in Chicago instead of playing for Jordan Hill, Kevin Martin and two first round pick advantages. This is sick. This is a disgusting trade for the Rockets. They get Hill to develop like they did Landry, they get Kevin Martin to pair with Brooks and Ariza, they get youth in the future and they still have Yao Ming and saved money. Seriously. I’m pretty sure Morey is an alien with advanced technology. This is absurd.

Okay, I’m going to go lie down and try and figure all this out.


WHAT DO YOU MEAN TYRUS THOMAS IS A BOBCAT?!

/passes out

NBA TRADE DEADLINE: David Kahn….Super.Genius.

February 15, 2010 in by with 7 Comments

Several league executives suggested the Minnesota Timberwolves could be a sleeper for him. Minnesota general manager David Kahn has been researching Thomas and has plenty of assets – three 2010 first-round picks, multiple second-rounders and a host of expiring contracts – to make it happen. Once the Timberwolves trade Al Jefferson(notes) this summer, they can re-sign Thomas and plug him into the frontline with Kevin Love(notes). Jefferson is expected to be traded for a talented, young small forward.

Trading for Thomas would be a way to get a long, athletic power forward with upside, and the Timberwolves could easily re-sign him this summer.

via Timberwolves could make bid for Thomas – NBA – Yahoo! Sports.

For the sake of this article, let’s pretend this little rumor is true, which I hope it is not.

David Kahn drafted two point guards, one who obviously did not want to play in Minnesota and the other who was a reach, then used free agency money to sign Ramon Sessions, a point guard. Now, he’s talking about trading his best player, Al Jefferson, for a player that is widely regarded as a bust, whose most ardent supporters (of which I have been a member of until this year) have abandoned, who plays power forward but only contributes in ways that do not help the overall problems of his team.

This would be over a matter of months, not a straight up trade, but who is he going to land in return for Al Jefferson during a summer where everyone has their pick of free agents?

I’m trying to think of exactly how many offensive moves Al Jefferson has that Tyrus Thomas also has. And the only number I can come up with is… armbar.

We could end up with Ricky Rubio throwing turnovers off Tyrus Thomas’ hands. If we can get Darko and Joe Alexander on this team, I’m going to be ecstatic.

Good For The Goose, Bad For The Gander

January 11, 2010 in by with 2 Comments

Taj versus Tyrus:“Should Tyrus start over Taj?” is one of the biggest questions about the Bulls right now…which probably explains why they’re a sub-.500 team. But after a hot three-game stint after his return, Ty has been struggling. He was woeful against the ‘Wolves, as foul trouble 5 limited him to 22 minutes. He finished with 9 points 3-for-7, 5 boards, 2 steals, 3 blocked shots and a game-high 6 turnovers although several of those TOs came in garbage time.Meanwhile, Gibson had 13 points 4-for-8, 9 rebounds and zero turnovers in his 23 minutes. The reality is, Gibson is the more steady and consistent player, while Thomas is the more effective and impressive game-changing defensive force. If only there was some way we could merge them into a single player…

via A timely win: Bulls 110, Timberwolves 96 » By The Horns.

Tyrus Thomas is Amir Johnson is Tyrus Thomas.

I’ve been a supporter of Taj Gibson. He came into a hard situation and has made the most of it, while everyone screams he sucks. He’s old. He has no jumper (even though it’s fallen for most of the season). He doesn’t rebound. He sucks. He sucks. He sucks.

Tyrus Thomas has been the occasional golden calf of this site. I wish nothing but the best for Thomas and hope he becomes a productive player. But I do have some questions which Bulls fans are a little too close to home to answer.

Why is it that two different coaching staffs over four years have elected to keep Thomas’ ass chained to the bench? Okay, Scott Skiles is a wackaloon that’s too much of a hardass and hates puppies. I get that. I watch Luke Ridnour play tons of minutes. I understand. But then for VDN’s crew to do the exact same thing? Oh, VDN sucks. Well, that’s fine, but you’re telling me with Del Harris on the bench last year, with all those assistants, and in such desperate times, that there’s no reason that Thomas hasn’t escaped the bench’s gravitational pull? There’s got to be a reason. Misunderstood by two different coaching staffs?

The component with Taj Gibson is frightening to me, in that I can see why they’re opting for him. He plays hard, he does what they want, he efforts towards doing what they’re looking to do. Thomas is the superior talent, but he doesn’t play well with the others. They’re role players, and Gibson knows his role. I can understand Bulls fans dismissing this, because the team’s not winning. It just seems to me that there’s got to be a point where you let him go and pray it doesn’t come back to haunt you. Because Thomas could turn into an explosive Josh Smith Jr. clone. Or he could go elsewhere and be stuck on the bench all the same.

We’re so far into Thomas’ pro career, and we still know almost nothing about him other than “he can jump really high.”

Podcast Paroxysm 12.09.09: What’s The Point Of The Bulls?

December 11, 2009 in by with 3 Comments

In this episode Matt from Blogabull.com stops by to talk about Bulls’ fans overall skepticism and exactly how hopeless this franchise is. So basically, it’s the hap-hap-happiest podcast you’ve ever seen in your life! This was recorded right after the Nets’ loss so you can really feel the anger and disappointment fester. Such beautiful moments.

Oh, and check us on iTunes, sweetheart. You’ll never love anyone like you love us.

When The Idol Becomes Fodder: The Tyrus Thomas Trade Discussion

December 4, 2009 in by with 8 Comments

Several sources believe the Bulls are agreeable to a package of Thomas and Jerome James for Knicks forward Al Harringtonn. Thus far, Walsh has resisted parting with Harrington, but discussions are still active and the teams have explored different combinations in recent days that would ultimately deliver Thomas to the Knicks.“Nothing is imminent, but both sides would like to figure out a way to do this,” one league executive briefed on the talks told Yahoo! Sports.The Bulls believe Harrington’s ability to score coupled with a $10.2 million expiring contract make this a worthy exchange. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni has long been fond of Thomas, a 6-foot-9 forward whose nimbleness and athleticism makes him an intriguing fit for New York.

via Bulls weigh trade options for Thomas – NBA – Yahoo! Sports.

Ah, my favorite part of the season. December through trade deadline. Let’s begin with the Bulls’ side of this, shall we?

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As for the Bulls, they would get a certified frontcourt scorer (which they desperately, desperately need) who can play both power forward (as a starter) and small forward (to relieve Luol Deng). Adding scoring and versatility never hurts. But just as (if not more) importantly, Harrington has a $10.2 million contract that’s set to expire next summer. Ergo, the Bulls would still have plenty of spare cash to pursue impending free agents like Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, et al. (I didn’t include LeBron James on that list because, let’s face it, he’s not coming here.)

It’s been fairly obvious since the preseason that Taj Gibson is being groomed to replace Thomas anyway. And, frankly, he’s probably worth about 70 percent of “Good Tyrus” and around 127 percent of “Bad Tyrus” already. So if the Bulls can bring in a stopgap player who can provide instant offense and frontcourt versatility with no long-term obligations, it seems like a borderline no-brainer.

via Tyrus Thomas for Al Harrington? » By The Horns.

BTH goes on to outline the numerous concerns regarding why it may not be a good deal, namely, Thomas’ unending potential, which like the fountain of youth, will never run dry, and the fact that Harrington is like a slimmer, less-problematic, more efficient Zach Randolph. Puts up the numbers, seems like a good player, never has been a part of a winning formula (unless you count the UNSTOPPABLE, BABY! year).  But you still get the feeling that he supports the deal, as he should. Blog-A-Bull has yet to formally weigh in on the subject, but their readers are predictably negative about it as I would expect Blog-A-Bull to be, since they could have cancer and be cured miraculously and would then complain about all the time they spent thinking they were going to die or the hospital food or something. (UPDATE: Blog-A-Bull weighs in and they do not disappoint with the “It doesn’t matter because the franchise already screwed up by not making him into a star even though Noah is becoming a star and Rose is becoming a star they suck at developing talent.” I should have noted, however, that the reason I even listed Blog-A-Bull here is because they have some of the smartest fans on the planet over there. It’s just that they seem to hate their team at an elite masochistic level. I get that Paxson, Gar, et al have not shone brightly as you may like, but they have 2010 cap space in a huge market with Rose, Noah, Miller, Deng, Salmons, and some young dudes. But to hear the commenters tell it not only is this a dumb trade, but there’s no trade they could manage that would be decent. Also, I totally wanted to respond to their criticism of me over there, but my Blog-A-Bull membership doesn’t approve until tomorrow. I’ve lost sight of what this was about. Let’s move on.) NQTC isn’t getting too excited about it because to them it means very little.

Key to what B-a-B’s fanpost is missing (and which is outlined in the comments) is that Harrington’s a bigger expiring contract. So let’s just review what the Bulls will be getting in this deal.

  • A better low-post at-the-rim scorer (I’ve seen Harrington get some buckets out of the post, but there’s a lingering perception that he sucks at it. So I’ll rephrase. This could possibly limit the number of Brad Miller 18 footers for the Bulls offense, which would cut their available set-plays in half, but would probably be better in all. Harrington’s 16-23 footer numbers for last year are better than Thomas or Miller’s, but this year it’s lower. He does shoot fewer per 40 than Miller an Thomas, though.  His at the rim numbers, in particularly, are considerably better. Harrington’s at 65% on 7.8 attempts per 40, while Thomas last year (we’re scrapping this year on account of injury, while of course remembering that he could be primed for a breakout year, just like last year, and the year before, and the year before) was at 59% on 4.5 attempts at the rim, and Miller’s at 50% at 3.4.  A really important thing to remember is the difference of offenses that Harrington has been running in compared to Miller and Thomas.  Harrington’s been a part of the fastest and highest octane offenses in the league while the Bulls’ offense (and Kings last year) was much more plodding and average (or as a Bulls fan would say, “sucky”). Still, if you look at Harrington as a scorer, a majority of his shots are coming at the rim, which is what the Bulls need. Throw in Noah’s ability to get putbacks and his expanding offense, and the team looks drastically different.
  • More flexibility in terms of play. Harrington is long enough to spell Deng at the 3 in a big-lineup situation. If Thomas is on the floor, you have to play Deng in order to be able to create scoring opportunities. Otherwise you’ve got the Miller and Noah combination, which is in their two best offensive sets. Adding Harrington to that combo means you can play those two and not lose the scoring punch without Deng, like you see when Salmons tries to play the three. You can run Harrington at the 4 and Miller at the 5 and have Miller draw the interior defender out because of his range, which will open up things for Deng or Rose. You can run Gibson at the 4 and Harrington at the 5 in a small-ball lineup which won’t completely decimate you on both ends of the floor, allowing you to rest both Noah and Miller for a fourth quarter surge/lockdown. The versatility it creates is important, plus, Harrington’s entering his prime. His PER has been climbing each year (please ignore the Nellie-doghouse era in 09 GS, since I think we can all excuse that), and is now at 18.93 this year.
  • More cap flexibility, not less. As I said above, an important thing to remember is that Harrington’s contract is expiring. Thomas’ is a restricted free agent, qualifying offer year. Nabbing Harrington means you have a huge expiring contract, even after giving up the lifeless corpse of Jerome James, and keeps you in prime position for the Wade/Amare sweepstakes. So you get a better player for this season without damaging your long-term prospects. What’s the downside?

I get the “Harrington’s not a winner” aspect, but let’s remember how when he wasn’t being flogged on the bench by Captain Morgan that he was an integral part of that team’s success. And in New York, he hasn’t been a distraction, hasn’t been a problem, hasn’t done anything but worked hard and produced. The Knicks’ roster problems go far beyond Al Harrington. This is an excellent chance to get a guy in his prime, without having to give up 2010 dreams (a la, the Dumars route). I love the idea of giving Rose Harrington to work with, and the end result being Bulls fans backing off of Taj Gibson who they inexplicably hate (“He tries really hard! The bastard! I want a guy whose phenomenally talented and doesn’t make the most of it!” Okay. Maybe in actuality it’s just “I want DeJuan Blair!” which is reasonable.), then all the better.

So what about the Knicks?

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As for the actual meat of the deal…I just don’t know. Harrington’s an expiring contract and Thomas is, I believe, a restricted free agent this summer. If the Knicks were to trade for him then let him walk, it could be a wash financially, though it’s hard to see the logic of making such a move unless you’re actually interested in keeping the incoming player. As far as actual output, Harrington’s tendency to swallow the rock on offense has had P&T up in arms all season. Thomas is more athletic and capable of blocking a shot now and then, which is something we’ve been missing. Very interesting. Does this sparkle with all you crazy kids? Tyrus has always struck me as someone either love or hate, although I’ve never really felt that strongly one way or the other about him.

In closing…Jerome James!?

via Rumor: Knicks in the market for Tyrus Thomas? – Posting and Toasting.

Posting and Toasting is very warm to the idea, based on Harrington’s black hole issue (not really a problem with the Bulls, since they can pass all they want, no one can shoot). And Thomas is one of those guys who fans will always be allured by. The man can jump 14 feet in the air. Even if he can’t put it together, you want to see that.

I guess trying to evaluate him on the Knicks is useless. Their rotations are bizarre on account of D’Antoni trying to do something he’s very bad at: play the youth for next year instead of the best guys in order to win games. Benching Nate is a sign he’s moving in that direction, and a Toney Douglas-Wilson Chandler-Gallinari-Thomas-Jordan Hill spread is something interesting, but also kind of horrifying. And they might re-sign him, if he makes an impact and they land a big free agent, or if they don’t sign a big free agent. Committing to Thomas would be a big “we know we’re screwed on signing one of the free agency Big 3.” Ziller, though, likes the idea:

While we’re here and discussing a potentially less depressing future for the Knicks, might I suggest this non-LeBron, non-Bosh, non-Wade blueprint? Trade for Tyrus, throw a max contract offer at Amar’e, and offer restricted free agent Sergio Rodriguez a contract Sacramento will refuse to match. None of those individual ideas are either easy to accomplish nor obvious wins, but supposing Sergio’s recent electric play has a modicum of truth, and supposing either Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler can defend high-powered wings with a few years, I’d say that’s a core D’Antoni can take to the playoffs. And there’s no sense building for anything other than that right now.

via Tyrus Thomas to the Knicks? Yes, Please — NBA FanHouse.

As usual, he makes a good set of points, but in reality, New York can’t go that route. Not after what they’ve put fans through. We’re past “we just want to see them get better” mode. That ship sailed in the last year of Isiah. From time to time I think about the immense damage that man did to this franchise. You realize that a year and a half after his departure, this team is still paying out free agents who he gave monstrous contracts to? That they’re still trying to dig themselves out of a hole? That they’re still giving up picks to try and just get back to zero? I understand Knick fans’ issues with the development of the team in terms of D’Antoni coaching, but seriously. This wasn’t a bad situation. Golden State is a bad situation, but the players are at least capable and the contracts are manageable. MSG is still a freaking disaster zone, and I’m not sure D’Antoni’s going to survive the crisis period to see the recovery efforts. And as much as Tyrus Thomas has always been an idol for this site and a personal favorite of mine, I’ve started to accept that idolatry as nothing more than gazing at the Wizard’s visage on the curtain. It’s impressive, but there’s just not anything there that will change your life.