arthurracoon
The Cardinal Smiles
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=65040
Thomas very willing to stick around
By Jerry Brown, Tribune
May 8, 2006
He saved the Suns in Game 1 against the Lakers with 25 points and 13 rebounds. He rescued them again in Game 6 with another double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds) and a last-second shot to force overtime and extend the series.
Where the Suns would be without Tim Thomas is obvious — the offseason would have began four days ago. But as the Suns open their series with the Clippers tonight, the question of where Thomas will be once the postseason ends is far from cut-and-dried.
Thomas made $14 million in the final year of a six-year, $67 million deal, although less than $400,000 of that came out of Phoenix’s pocket after picking him up in March as a free agent. With Amaré Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas injured, playing time and scoring opportunities have been plentiful.
But when that duo returns, the Suns will have four interior players (along with Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion) and the team has already made clear its resistance to exceed the salary cap and flirt with the bottom line. A team source said the Suns will likely break even now that the team has reached the second round, the scenario for which the budget was based.
And Thomas’ production with the Suns has surely attracted the interest of teams in need of size and shooting and with money to spend.
Thomas, however, wants to make one thing clear: Outside of the heat, he loves everything about being a Phoenix Sun — and he’s willing to make the numbers work to stay if he’s wanted.
“I don’t need money. I’ve already seen over $100 million. I’m not thinking past that right now, but my mind is fixed on doing whatever it takes to stay here,” Thomas said. “I don’t need to be a starter or a 20-point scorer or all that. I need to be a winner. It’s foremost in my mind, and I think this team is an elite team with a great future ahead of it.
“This style is great; it’s like playing in a video game. Just imagine Kurt, Stat (Stoudemire), Shawn, Boris, Raja (Bell), Steve (Nash) all together . . . a coach can do so many things, go so many ways. Why would I want to go anywhere else?”
Thomas remembers talking to friend and former Knicks teammate Nazr Mohammed after he was traded to San Antonio last year. Mohammed said he was upset about leaving New York for Texas.
“I said ‘Are you out of your damn mind?’ You can always come back and hang out in New York, but you don’t get many chances to win a championship. And once he got his ring, he told me I was right, it was all worth it and he was having a great time.
“I was close once (when Milwaukee reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals before falling to Bell and Philadelphia) and as the years start creeping by, you think about whether you will get another chance to play a major role in helping a team go all the way.
“People say you can never have too much money. Well I’ve made my share. Money’s not what I’m missing. This — being in the chase, on a great team with a great group — is what I was missing. And I’m going to make sure I do all I can from my end to make sure it lasts.”
Thomas very willing to stick around
By Jerry Brown, Tribune
May 8, 2006
He saved the Suns in Game 1 against the Lakers with 25 points and 13 rebounds. He rescued them again in Game 6 with another double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds) and a last-second shot to force overtime and extend the series.
Where the Suns would be without Tim Thomas is obvious — the offseason would have began four days ago. But as the Suns open their series with the Clippers tonight, the question of where Thomas will be once the postseason ends is far from cut-and-dried.
Thomas made $14 million in the final year of a six-year, $67 million deal, although less than $400,000 of that came out of Phoenix’s pocket after picking him up in March as a free agent. With Amaré Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas injured, playing time and scoring opportunities have been plentiful.
But when that duo returns, the Suns will have four interior players (along with Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion) and the team has already made clear its resistance to exceed the salary cap and flirt with the bottom line. A team source said the Suns will likely break even now that the team has reached the second round, the scenario for which the budget was based.
And Thomas’ production with the Suns has surely attracted the interest of teams in need of size and shooting and with money to spend.
Thomas, however, wants to make one thing clear: Outside of the heat, he loves everything about being a Phoenix Sun — and he’s willing to make the numbers work to stay if he’s wanted.
“I don’t need money. I’ve already seen over $100 million. I’m not thinking past that right now, but my mind is fixed on doing whatever it takes to stay here,” Thomas said. “I don’t need to be a starter or a 20-point scorer or all that. I need to be a winner. It’s foremost in my mind, and I think this team is an elite team with a great future ahead of it.
“This style is great; it’s like playing in a video game. Just imagine Kurt, Stat (Stoudemire), Shawn, Boris, Raja (Bell), Steve (Nash) all together . . . a coach can do so many things, go so many ways. Why would I want to go anywhere else?”
Thomas remembers talking to friend and former Knicks teammate Nazr Mohammed after he was traded to San Antonio last year. Mohammed said he was upset about leaving New York for Texas.
“I said ‘Are you out of your damn mind?’ You can always come back and hang out in New York, but you don’t get many chances to win a championship. And once he got his ring, he told me I was right, it was all worth it and he was having a great time.
“I was close once (when Milwaukee reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals before falling to Bell and Philadelphia) and as the years start creeping by, you think about whether you will get another chance to play a major role in helping a team go all the way.
“People say you can never have too much money. Well I’ve made my share. Money’s not what I’m missing. This — being in the chase, on a great team with a great group — is what I was missing. And I’m going to make sure I do all I can from my end to make sure it lasts.”
