Everybody loves/hates Tyrus
Everybody in Chicago wants to coach Tyrus Thomas. While Vinny Del Negro and his staff are the ones actually getting paid to do it, Thomas has more volunteer advisors trying to get at him than Shaq‘s free-throw form, and only slightly less than Barack Obama. (And please believe that President Obama, a Bulls fan, has his own opinion on how Tyrus can get better.)
Pay attention the next time you watch a Bulls home game. Whenever Tyrus does anything hinting at progress, it’s like the United Center is filled with 19,000 supportive Little League parents. The last time Chicago was on national TV, Reggie Miller took it upon himself to openly (drunkenly?) challenge Tyrus to average 10 blocks next year. And every time I’ve seen a local broadcast on League Pass, the Bulls announcers take it upon themselves to tell Tyrus what he should be doing: Early in last night’s loss to the Pacers, on a play where Thomas (20 pts, 1 reb, 2 blks, 2 stls) went to the rack and got fouled, the play-by-play guy said, “That’s what you should be doing every time. Don’t settle for that jumper that you’re, um, not particularly effective at.”
You can see why everybody wants to help.
Thomas can’t be discussed for three minutes without the word “potential” popping up. (Or the word “surly.” Really, that picture above might be the second time I’ve ever seen him smile.) He’s 22 years old, 6-foot-9, is one of the most athletic players in the League at any position, and he’s just starting to produce like a No. 4 draft pick should: Tyrus’ 220 combined blocks and steals this season rank fourth behind Dwight Howard, D-Wade and LeBron.
And by the end of next season — the all-important Summer of 2010 — the Bulls have to decide whether they’re going to make a long-term, big-money investment in Tyrus or let him walk and (maybe) become a star somewhere else. Behind Derrick Rose, Thomas is the most important player in the organization, and right now he’s on the verge of becoming either the next Amar’e or the next Stro Swift. The right — or the wrong — coaching will ultimately push him one way or the other.
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April 1st, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Notorious says:
He is a talented, tall, physical beast with all the tools and things appear to come easy for him. I just get the feeling that he doesn’t LOVE basketball like others do, more that is simply something he is good at and so he does it. To be honest, I don’t know if he will ever have the heart and desire to be great at it.
Lots of Potential, but without the heart to compete and the desire to be great all we will ever get is a glimpse of what could have been.
April 1st, 2009 at 1:28 pm
BigSteve says:
I don’t think he is gonna get any better. Hell of a college player, and a good nba defender, but thats all we gonna get from him. Ben Wallace had a couple of 20 pt games too, and look where he at.
April 1st, 2009 at 1:29 pm
bull says:
No more mid-range jumpers. Step back and hit the three ball.
April 1st, 2009 at 1:30 pm
BigSteve says:
>>> I just get the feeling that he doesn’t LOVE basketball like others do….
Exactly!
April 1st, 2009 at 1:31 pm
E$ says:
Everybody but Tj Ford gets shine today….HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE
April 1st, 2009 at 1:33 pm
craig990 says:
Stro’ Swift!
Damn.. they should have kept Aldridge!
April 1st, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Chaos says:
he can be better than Stro but i think its gonna take some tightness with his team and a good coach to bring it out of him. With the potential or rose, ty, noah, deng (another potential tag there that doesnt live up to his hype) and possibly gordon and salmons, they can be a good team.
April 1st, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Kudabeen says:
Love is a key word with many of the players in the L that and WORK…
We hear about the Kobe’s and LeBron’s work ethic, but other lesser known guys still put in the WORK to produce in the spots they are needed…
Ben Gordon – crazy crazy regiment
T-Mac in his best season had a excellent regiment, then he went away from it…seemed to then rest is what his body needed, but didn’t seem to work out too good him
Dwight gets it in
Nate stays active no matter what…
Dre I, gets it in in LA and Chicago
Think about the Ben Wallaces and Bruce Bowens who go from obscurity to borderline Stars by out working guys…Will Bynum is that kind of player and Brandon Bass…
The work behind the Love of the game is what makes you a winning piece to the championship puzzle…Not alot of that now…People play ball as a matter of circumstance and convenience (Tournaments, lack of options, friends all do it)…
I wonder…
does Eddy Curry Love BBall or is he just 6’11″ and it is natural…Same for 60% of the L…
DIME!! I have an article series or Idea:
Series Name: Basketball Jones
Concept: Get players that we all watch to give us a glimpse into their passion for the game…Not the money, girls, cars, but how they feel when they touch a BBall or are just in a gym for hours at a time…
April 1st, 2009 at 2:19 pm
shake&bake says:
Everytime Tyrus Thomas even thinks about shooting a jumper, Stacey King (Bulls play-by-play guy) goes crazy. It seems like teams are willing to leave him open more than most players in the 15′ range. His jumper is improving and he obviously has other strong points about his game. He gets out of control a lot of times but I think that’s just because he is a high energy guy.
You see all of these players drafted on potential that don’t end up being anything. Hopefully he is a player that is starting to see his potential develop into a good player.
April 1st, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Kobeef says:
The Bulls plan is to unload Deng and Tyrus to Toronto for Chris Bosh and then trade Hinrich for an up and coming SF – Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster are a nice package deal and the salaries work.
Chicago starts
PG: Derrick Rose
SG: John Salmons
SF: Travis Outlaw
PF: Chris Bosh
C: Brad Miller?
April 1st, 2009 at 2:53 pm
rell says:
Tyrus Thomas has the “Tim Thomas syndrome”. He have all the talent in the world but he just don’t have “it”. “IT” could be motivation(to be the best in the game), heart(not scared of pressue), or love (for the game). Right now I don’t think Tyrus Thomas have the motivation to be the best in game or have a serious love for the game. He shows glimpses but so have player like Tim Thomas. If you are a bull fans you can look foward to one thing. If Tyrus is anything like Tim, he will look a all-star his contract year.
April 1st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
quick wit it says:
austin- great post
April 1st, 2009 at 3:41 pm
alex says:
“The Bulls plan is to unload Deng and Tyrus to Toronto for Chris Bosh” – oh god please don’t! at least CB4 is funny.
April 1st, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Brown says:
@Kobeef
Why would Portland trade Outlaw and Webster for Hinrich? Is Hinrich any better than Steve Blake? Hinrich is grossly overpaid and I don’t think Portland wants any of those types of contracts, unless it nets them another building block, which I don’t see Hinrich as, at least not for that price.
April 1st, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Brown says:
I doubt the Raptors would take that trade either. They can get more than an overpaid, underproducing SF and a “high-energy” PF with “potential.”
April 1st, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Kobeef says:
@Brown
Chicago wants bosh and the only other team with as good a shot at Bosh is Golden State which has Andy Beans (biendrins), a first round pick and Anthony Randolph to offer for bosh. I am not sure that is much better or worse.
For Portland, I think hinrich is an upgrade over blake. Hinrich is a better floor general and would be a very good fit beside Roy. Outlaw and especially Webster are expendable in Portland with the emergence of Batum and Fernandez.
Bosh is considered one of the most likely players to be moved since he is non-commital about resigningin 2010 and hasn’t shown the ability to carry the raptors. So far Chicago and GS seem to be the frontrunners with maybe Dallas as an outside threat (if they flounder in the playoffs and kid doesn’t resign they will be in rebuilding mode…Bosh for Dirk?)
April 1st, 2009 at 7:19 pm
doc says:
We’ll take Tyrus in Philly.
April 1st, 2009 at 7:20 pm
doc says:
I think if Tyrus played for Cleveland he would be a better Andy out there.
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:24 am
Coop says:
Stro Swift or STAT? Unlikely; he’s nothing like STAT other than being an athletic black man.