Posted on Sun, May. 28, 2006
On the NBA | As Phoenix Rises...
By David Aldridge
Inquirer Columnist
Every day the Phoenix Suns remain in the NBA playoffs could be meaningful for 76ers fans.
Because with each passing day, Phoenix's success looks less like a gimmick and more like a system of play that can transcend seasons.
And that makes veteran big man Kurt Thomas look more and more like a piece that doesn't fit.
With the Suns in the Western Conference finals for the second straight year, it's hard to continue arguing that you can't have big success playing the pedal-to-the-metal style Phoenix does. With every Steve Nash drive and dish, with every Shawn Marion three-pointer, with every 115-point game, the Suns' offensive system looks more and more viable.
Phoenix traded guard Quentin Richardson to New York last summer for Thomas, thinking it needed to upgrade its defense if it was going to be a serious contender in the West this season. The Suns signed free-agent guard Raja Bell to a big contract for the same reason.
The Suns' defense has improved somewhat, but it's mostly happened without Thomas, who suffered a stress fracture in his right foot in February and hasn't played since. He's back in uniform and available in Phoenix's series with Dallas, but it's unlikely he'll see a lot of playing time.
No matter how their playoff run ends, the Suns will have to make some decisions this summer. Assuming a return to health and dominance next season by injured forward Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix will have to find playing time for Stoudemire; emerging star Boris Diaw; Tim Thomas (who will be a free agent this summer, but who is expected to remain in Phoenix); Kurt Thomas; and Marion, the all-star forward.
It will be hard enough for one of those players to accept limited minutes off the bench next season, let alone two.
Phoenix also will have to soon decide how much it will pay the 24-year-old Diaw, who is eligible for a contract extension next summer.
There's a remote possibility the Suns could move Marion - a max player who doesn't seem to be held in high esteem by owner Robert Sarver. It's more likely, though, that Stoudemire and Marion will play 35 to 40 minutes apiece in Phoenix next season. Diaw also has earned minutes and money with an outstanding postseason, as has Tim Thomas.
That, combined with the Suns' amazing success playing a small-ball style that favors shot-making over boxing out and threes over post-ups, seems to make Kurt Thomas the odd man out.
And so, in keeping with our occasional series that humbly suggests ideas on how to fix the home white, we ask: Should the Sixers pursue Kurt Thomas?
Thomas will be 34 by the time next season begins. He has a screw in his foot. He would not be a long-term solution to the Sixers' woes. On the other hand, he's also not a long-term contract risk, either, with only two years at $7.3 million and $8.09 million remaining on his deal.
He has earned a reputation as one of the league's better low-post defenders and rebounders. Since becoming a full-time starter six years ago, he's never averaged fewer than 7.8 rebounds in a season. And he's increased his offensive repertoire over the years.
With Thomas playing either power forward next to Samuel Dalembert or center next to Chris Webber, the Sixers would have a much different defensive look. Thomas would strengthen their interior defense, leaving Dalembert free to provide weakside shot-blocking, or Webber free to use his still-quick hands to get into passing lanes and create deflections.
If Kyle Korver interested the Suns, he could be dealt in a package after his base-year compensation status expires July 1. (That would make him much easier to trade.) But if the Sixers want to hold on to Korver, they could put together a package featuring rising free-agent swingman John Salmons.
Phoenix has a $6 million trade exception after executing the sign-and-trade with Atlanta that sent Joe Johnson to the Hawks and brought Diaw to Phoenix. If Salmons agreed to a similar sign-and-trade deal but didn't become a base-year player himself (too complicated to explain - don't ask), he could fit into that slot.
The Suns also have two first-round picks (21 and 27), either or both of which could be thrown into the mix for the Sixers' No. 13 selection.
Some think Salmons needs to go elsewhere for his game to blossom.
"John Salmons can play," said an NBA veteran who's gone against him many times the last few years. "Just wait until he gets out of there."
If Salmons turned into a star in Phoenix like Diaw, it would be agonizing. And Thomas may well still be a vital part of the Suns' immediate future. But a numbers crunch is a numbers crunch, and Thomas is strong where the Sixers currently are weak.
Is it a gamble worth considering?
On the NBA |
Is He Worth It?
If the 76ers have their eyes on Kurt Thomas of the Phoenix Suns, here's what they might look forward to:
He has averaged 10.6 points per game for his career, but really he was a role player on some good Knicks teams in the late 1990s before becoming a starter in 2001-02.
In his four seasons as a Knicks starter, and as a starter for more than half of this season with Phoenix, he has scored 12.1 points per game.
Despite missing the last 29 games this season plus the playoffs, Thomas played in all but five games the previous four seasons as a full-time player.
In rebounding, Thomas' 7.6 career per-game average jumped to 8.8 in the last five seasons.
On the NBA | As Phoenix Rises...
By David Aldridge
Inquirer Columnist
Every day the Phoenix Suns remain in the NBA playoffs could be meaningful for 76ers fans.
Because with each passing day, Phoenix's success looks less like a gimmick and more like a system of play that can transcend seasons.
And that makes veteran big man Kurt Thomas look more and more like a piece that doesn't fit.
With the Suns in the Western Conference finals for the second straight year, it's hard to continue arguing that you can't have big success playing the pedal-to-the-metal style Phoenix does. With every Steve Nash drive and dish, with every Shawn Marion three-pointer, with every 115-point game, the Suns' offensive system looks more and more viable.
Phoenix traded guard Quentin Richardson to New York last summer for Thomas, thinking it needed to upgrade its defense if it was going to be a serious contender in the West this season. The Suns signed free-agent guard Raja Bell to a big contract for the same reason.
The Suns' defense has improved somewhat, but it's mostly happened without Thomas, who suffered a stress fracture in his right foot in February and hasn't played since. He's back in uniform and available in Phoenix's series with Dallas, but it's unlikely he'll see a lot of playing time.
No matter how their playoff run ends, the Suns will have to make some decisions this summer. Assuming a return to health and dominance next season by injured forward Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix will have to find playing time for Stoudemire; emerging star Boris Diaw; Tim Thomas (who will be a free agent this summer, but who is expected to remain in Phoenix); Kurt Thomas; and Marion, the all-star forward.
It will be hard enough for one of those players to accept limited minutes off the bench next season, let alone two.
Phoenix also will have to soon decide how much it will pay the 24-year-old Diaw, who is eligible for a contract extension next summer.
There's a remote possibility the Suns could move Marion - a max player who doesn't seem to be held in high esteem by owner Robert Sarver. It's more likely, though, that Stoudemire and Marion will play 35 to 40 minutes apiece in Phoenix next season. Diaw also has earned minutes and money with an outstanding postseason, as has Tim Thomas.
That, combined with the Suns' amazing success playing a small-ball style that favors shot-making over boxing out and threes over post-ups, seems to make Kurt Thomas the odd man out.
And so, in keeping with our occasional series that humbly suggests ideas on how to fix the home white, we ask: Should the Sixers pursue Kurt Thomas?
Thomas will be 34 by the time next season begins. He has a screw in his foot. He would not be a long-term solution to the Sixers' woes. On the other hand, he's also not a long-term contract risk, either, with only two years at $7.3 million and $8.09 million remaining on his deal.
He has earned a reputation as one of the league's better low-post defenders and rebounders. Since becoming a full-time starter six years ago, he's never averaged fewer than 7.8 rebounds in a season. And he's increased his offensive repertoire over the years.
With Thomas playing either power forward next to Samuel Dalembert or center next to Chris Webber, the Sixers would have a much different defensive look. Thomas would strengthen their interior defense, leaving Dalembert free to provide weakside shot-blocking, or Webber free to use his still-quick hands to get into passing lanes and create deflections.
If Kyle Korver interested the Suns, he could be dealt in a package after his base-year compensation status expires July 1. (That would make him much easier to trade.) But if the Sixers want to hold on to Korver, they could put together a package featuring rising free-agent swingman John Salmons.
Phoenix has a $6 million trade exception after executing the sign-and-trade with Atlanta that sent Joe Johnson to the Hawks and brought Diaw to Phoenix. If Salmons agreed to a similar sign-and-trade deal but didn't become a base-year player himself (too complicated to explain - don't ask), he could fit into that slot.
The Suns also have two first-round picks (21 and 27), either or both of which could be thrown into the mix for the Sixers' No. 13 selection.
Some think Salmons needs to go elsewhere for his game to blossom.
"John Salmons can play," said an NBA veteran who's gone against him many times the last few years. "Just wait until he gets out of there."
If Salmons turned into a star in Phoenix like Diaw, it would be agonizing. And Thomas may well still be a vital part of the Suns' immediate future. But a numbers crunch is a numbers crunch, and Thomas is strong where the Sixers currently are weak.
Is it a gamble worth considering?
On the NBA |
Is He Worth It?
If the 76ers have their eyes on Kurt Thomas of the Phoenix Suns, here's what they might look forward to:
He has averaged 10.6 points per game for his career, but really he was a role player on some good Knicks teams in the late 1990s before becoming a starter in 2001-02.
In his four seasons as a Knicks starter, and as a starter for more than half of this season with Phoenix, he has scored 12.1 points per game.
Despite missing the last 29 games this season plus the playoffs, Thomas played in all but five games the previous four seasons as a full-time player.
In rebounding, Thomas' 7.6 career per-game average jumped to 8.8 in the last five seasons.
