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djsunyc
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May 7, 2006
Thomas Gets His Night in the Sun
By HOWARD BECK
PHOENIX, May 6 — To the Knicks, Tim Thomas was nothing but a trading chip. To the Chicago Bulls, he was a malingering veteran. But by late Thursday night in Phoenix, Thomas was nothing less than a savior.
Of all the strange routes taken to Saturday night's Game 7 between the Suns and the Lakers, none was more circuitous and haphazard than the one taken by Thomas. As of Oct. 3, he was a returning starter with the Knicks. A day later, he was a member of the Bulls, the key piece of a trade that sent Eddy Curry to New York. By late November, Thomas was an exile.
The Bulls, believing that he was a bad fit with a bad attitude, sent Thomas home to New Jersey and continued to pay his $14 million salary. Chicago waived him on March 1, and Thomas signed with the Suns two days later. Phoenix needed Thomas to replace Kurt Thomas, another former Knick, who was out with a foot injury.
If not for that complex chain of events, the Suns' season might have ended Thursday in Los Angeles. The Lakers had a 3-2 lead in the series and a 105-102 lead in Game 6 with less than 10 seconds left. Steve Nash missed a 3-pointer, Shawn Marion grabbed the rebound and passed to Thomas in the right corner. Thomas hit the game-tying 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left, and the Suns prevailed, 126-118, in overtime.
Even before hitting that shot, Thomas was enjoying his strange fate. The Knicks missed the playoffs. The Bulls were eliminated in six games by the Miami Heat. Thomas was still playing, and for one of the most collegial teams in the league.
"It was a good one," Thomas said of his season. "Nice vacation, got to spend all the major holidays home. I didn't have all the wear and tear. I've probably got the freshest legs in here. So it's been great. Especially going through what both teams have gone through."
Thomas was a starter until spraining his left knee in Game 3. He scored in double figures in each of the first six games, tallying 22 points and 15 rebounds in the Suns' Game 1 victory and 21 points and 10 rebounds in Game 6. A capable post-up scorer as well as a solid 3-point shooter and open-court threat, Thomas is a perfect fit for the Suns' wide-open style. A small forward for most of his career, he is comfortable, at 6 feet 10 inches, at power forward in Phoenix's small-ball lineup.
He said it was the most fun he had had "since probably high school, college" and his early days with the Milwaukee Bucks. "This team, it's like a college atmosphere. We hang out together, we go out to eat together, our wives hang out together. In other situations, you had so much separation. The major goal here is just to win. Everybody's on one page."
That description is in stark contrast to the foreboding, politically charged atmosphere of Madison Square Garden, where Thomas spent a season and a half with the hapless Knicks.
A New Jersey native, Thomas had hoped for better when the Knicks acquired him in a 2004 trade. But, like many players, he often found it difficult to thrive in an offense dominated by point guard Stephon Marbury.
"With a guy like Steph, you can't really get involved unless he lets you get involved," Thomas said. "He's a scoring point guard. And scoring point guards don't really look to give the ball up as much."
In Phoenix, Thomas is yet another role player enjoying a renaissance alongside Nash, the reigning most valuable player.
"He's always looking to give the ball up," Thomas said. "And it makes your job a whole lot easier, because if you run the floor, you definitely know you're going to get it, rather than running the floor knowing that you're not going to get it. And then the next time you don't run the floor and everybody looks at you like you're crazy."
In Chicago, the Bulls had two younger, harder-nosed small forwards, Andrés Nocioni and Luol Deng. They acquired Thomas because his expiring contract would help them reduce their payroll. But Thomas was unhappy with his role, and the Bulls, concerned that he could become a distraction, sent him home.
"They made the trade to write me off at the end of the year," Thomas said. "I just hate all the negativity that comes with it. And I heard 15 million stories — I didn't work hard, I was bad in the locker room, all kinds of stuff. But the bottom line is, they really didn't want me there, to take away from the guys like Nocioni and Luol."
Looking back, the forced vacation looks good compared to losing 59 games in New York.
"I would rather be sitting out than to be in a losing situation or a situation that doesn't want you around," he said.
Now Thomas is sure he has found a new N.B.A. home. He said he hoped to re-sign with the Suns this summer.
"To end up in this situation is just a blessing," he said. "I'm not going nowhere."
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5/7/2006 9:52 AM
