As the start of the season approaching, I just thought that I would go around and revive a discussion that I had started at the end of last season. I stated that TT should unequivocally be our go to guy. Forget about Houston, Crawf for a moment. Here is a guy that possesses all the skills in the world to be a very dominant player, a 6'10" SG/SF/PF that can do it all, for Lenny or Isiah not to be able to realize the assets that this guy has, is in my opinion not right. Granted that this dude doesn't impose his will consitently, but as a coach, it is your job to coegraph certain things specially when the players on the court can not realize it.

Marburry and Crawff should make it a point to dish the ball inside to TT, because this dude can open the flow of the game considerably for them to operate if they go to him. TT can make everyone's game much better because of his skills. I know that this team is guard orriented, I also know that they can't wait to have Houston back, but our best kept secret in my opinion is TT. It is highly important that we get this dude involve very early on in the game, because we know what he can bring in the second half. This dude is very efficient with his shots selection, and most of all, he is very talented.

My message to all of you in N.Y. is this, do what you have to do to bring attention to TT. It is too bad that I am not in N.Y at the moment, and there is not much that I can do. I am going to mail them a letter, or better yet, I will mail that same letter to TNT, ESPN, and to a local sport radio station in N.Y.

Help me out folks. TT is and should be our number one option.

We should start a campaign that TT be the man? Dude, Put down the cool aid man!

That is kinda nutty man, write letters to ESPN?

Dear Lenny Berman,

Please construct editoral content favoring my main man, Mr. Timothy Thomas urging his teammates for him to be the "go to" guy on the team. If we all rally around him maybe he will be motivated to do more.

Even though he makes 14 million dollers a year, he still needs our support.

IT seems wearing his jersey is not enough.

Thank you for your support.

best regards,

Nalod Nedyal Haisi

I hear you my friend, but I have also learned that if its not in a person to do or be somthing, it just don't happen.

In the armed services, its about breaking down a man and rebuilding him/her to be a part of the big picture. But NBA players are way to egotistical to get up on that hype. They won't even full court press on a regular basis!

Your right, TT needs to be the man, and he has the tools, but one tool is missing, and its a big one.

Jordan had the tools, but what made him the greatest was his heart and desire to win. IF has yet to come out, Im not sure it ever will.

Its not that I don't want it to happen, I just don't think you can change the stripes of some people. I have hired and had to fire some very capable people whom had all the makings of greatness, but they lacked one ingrediant. I tried and tried to help them, but now I realize when it is not there, its time to make a change.
Isiah is an emotional person, and I believe he will try, but one day he might come to the same actualization. Or he may succeed! and if so, even better!

I agree with you my friend, but I still believe in a place call hope. TT shows flashes of the desire that he needs to bring everygame, but I don't know if in the past his team-mates have realized how to utilize or motivate this guy. You have to understand one thing, TT doesn't have the rock on his hands enough in my opinion, and we can't go around and blame him for that. His coach has to preach dumping the ball inside to him and allow him to make decisions with it. His PG in this case, Marburry, has to realize that TT 95% of the times as a mismatch when he is on the court and utilize that mismatch. That is why I don't want to quickly giveup on this cat. Every team that he played for in the past never utilized him properly. When he was with Milw, Ray Alan, Big Dog, and Cassell were the first 3 options, this dude has yet to be utilize as a #1 option throughout his years in the league, and that in my opinion is a mistake.

Posted by Nalod:

I hear you my friend, but I have also learned that if its not in a person to do or be somthing, it just don't happen.

In the armed services, its about breaking down a man and rebuilding him/her to be a part of the big picture. But NBA players are way to egotistical to get up on that hype. They won't even full court press on a regular basis!

Your right, TT needs to be the man, and he has the tools, but one tool is missing, and its a big one.

Jordan had the tools, but what made him the greatest was his heart and desire to win. IF has yet to come out, Im not sure it ever will.

Its not that I don't want it to happen, I just don't think you can change the stripes of some people. I have hired and had to fire some very capable people whom had all the makings of greatness, but they lacked one ingrediant. I tried and tried to help them, but now I realize when it is not there, its time to make a change.
Isiah is an emotional person, and I believe he will try, but one day he might come to the same actualization. Or he may succeed! and if so, even better!

man, this argument about tim has been going on his ENTIRE career. at what point do you just give up the idea of him being a franchise player? let's see him put up 20 & 5 for at least 40 games before we think about making him our go-to-guy. h20 is the go-to-guy on this team first and foremost b/c he's proven that he can be that guy. tim needs to earn a bigger role.

now, cut and copy this to the van horn thread on some milwaukee board somewhere.

again, if we go inside with the ball and utilize TT as the go 2 guy inside a la Germaine O'Neal, you never know what you may come out with. Germaine is not bigger nor taller than TT. Germaine is not even more athletic than TT, the only difference between the two is that Germaine touches the rock about 80% of the times and TT touches the rock about 10%. That is it.

Posted by BRIGGS:

Tim Thomas plays like an NBA all star 15 times a year. Thats the problem. He was doing a good job hiting wide open shots and using his size on Kirilenko. But I doubt he will be left open like that and he has a long way to prove that he can do these things consistently. It outweighs KG, now let's se him use it on him.

Who's "Germain"?

that's why i like lenny, he don't give a flying F who's out there. he'll bench you if you play like crap. and we have solid backups at the SF.

i will say this, tim really has gotten bigger and the team is clearly looking to feature him in the post where he's virtually unguardable by other SF's. i just hope he realizes that and takes advantage.

Posted by diderotn:

I am going to continue to correct you all until you see my point. TT has yet to be a #1 anywhere that he has been. He has always been the #4 option. Last season with the Knicks, once we found out that Houston wasn't going to come back, Lenny had no choice but to utilize TT as the number 2 man, and that was a brilliant move. Although Marburry at that time was taking about 25 shots a game, TT still proved that he was the X-factor specially in the 3 and 4th quarter. Folks, believe me, it is time that we realize what we have. We keep on complaining about our lack of talent in our frontline. Yes, we are weak up-front, but TT is the answer. If you all remember, Miami was faced with the same dillema last season. They had Odom playing exceptionally well, it was mainly because of the way they have utilized him. He was the most improve player of the league, and I do believe that TT should be used that same way.

Use TT as the #1 option, let him make the decision to either dish or punish the opposition front-line.

Posted by djsunyc:

man, this argument about tim has been going on his ENTIRE career. at what point do you just give up the idea of him being a franchise player? let's see him put up 20 & 5 for at least 40 games before we think about making him our go-to-guy. h20 is the go-to-guy on this team first and foremost b/c he's proven that he can be that guy. tim needs to earn a bigger role.

now, cut and copy this to the van horn thread on some milwaukee board somewhere.

the one season when ray allen, glenn robinson, and payton/cassell were all gone, it was his team. but redd outplayed him and became their franchise player. he got lost in the shuffle and then they dealt him. joe smith was outplaying him on those nights he decided to take off. EVERYBODY knows he has the talent but there's a reason he's been traded so many times or not the "#1" guy.

the good thing is, that he is solid late in games and he doesn't need to be the #1 guy here. on any night, we have 3 players (4 when h20 comes back) that can carry the offensive load. when you feature a guy, he's going to give you numbers - case in point, sweetney got the ball the entire 4th quarter against the nets and got 12 FT's out of it. you give tim the ball and he gets the green light, he'll give you numbers but i guess lenny feels that the team needs something different to win more games.

George Karl was the fall guy, but not not the problem. George took the fall, and for the World Championship team in Indy. And in the end, larry brown could not deliver the team either.

Last nite TT had 2 rebounds! Azira had 9. TT is Soft. S_O_F_T.
Lazy Miss Gazy soft!

You want to run the rock thru this guy in the post? He does not rebound! Putting a guy close to the rim who fight for the rock is a disaster. He won't work on the offensive end!

We got two problems, Lazy miss gazy inconsistantcy, and Jamals low shooting %.

Jamal will make good money as a backup to allan, and in two years he will be ready for prime time. Thats not hating, he is just not ready, and I still feel he has major upside. Just not allstar quite yet!

P.S. I saw the highlites of Ariza last night and all I can say is WOW.

I have read what has been said on the board, but this kid is amazing. I think he could step in and be our starting 3 but thats just me. If he is as good as he looks, TT is totally expendable.

Think Ariza could play the 2 with TT at the 3?