Knicks · Last 9 games, Lance Thomas has quietly been very good (page 3)

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

Sure you can.

a) We had actually seen Lance play in real games and seen the positive effect he had on the team.

b) a $1.6M 1yr deal has a lot less value than the highest draft pick the Knicks have had in 30 years.

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

Sure you can.

a) We had actually seen Lance play in real games and seen the positive effect he had on the team.

b) a $1.6M 1yr deal has a lot less value than the highest draft pick the Knicks have had in 30 years.

nah ... he played terrible. He is a complete shock to most of us.

as far as picking at 4, KP was really a no brainer. I probably would have taken the other 3 first but knowing what I know now, I take KP number 1 in a second.

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

Sure you can.

a) We had actually seen Lance play in real games and seen the positive effect he had on the team.

b) a $1.6M 1yr deal has a lot less value than the highest draft pick the Knicks have had in 30 years.

nah ... he played terrible. He is a complete shock to most of us.

as far as picking at 4, KP was really a no brainer. I probably would have taken the other 3 first but knowing what I know now, I take KP number 1 in a second.

I would still take Towns first overall. But KP second, for sure.

But I don't buy he was a no-brainer for people who hadn't see him play. He may've been a no brainer for people who had seen him play complete games, but I don't think many people posting here were in that group. To me, you never know how a guy's game is going to translate until he hits the floor. The draft is an inexact science. If it were Paul George would've been drafted over Evan Turner, Klay Thompson would've been taken over Jimmer Fredette, etc.

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

Sure you can.

a) We had actually seen Lance play in real games and seen the positive effect he had on the team.

b) a $1.6M 1yr deal has a lot less value than the highest draft pick the Knicks have had in 30 years.

nah ... he played terrible. He is a complete shock to most of us.

as far as picking at 4, KP was really a no brainer. I probably would have taken the other 3 first but knowing what I know now, I take KP number 1 in a second.

I would still take Towns first overall. But KP second, for sure.

But I don't buy he was a no-brainer for people who hadn't see him play. He may've been a no brainer for people who had seen him play complete games, but I don't think many people posting here were in that group. To me, you never know how a guy's game is going to translate until he hits the floor. The draft is an inexact science. If it were Paul George would've been drafted over Evan Turner, Klay Thompson would've been taken over Jimmer Fredette, etc.

I watched all his games that were available from europe and I can't see how any GM would not have been forced to take him at 4.

People were pushing Mudiay but the shooting eeeeeeeesh yet most dismissed that as "he will learn how to shoot later" as if its a given.

crzymdups wrote:[ i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

I have some teams I've been following from before they even existed (my gawd, how awful the Denver Broncos were in the 1960s . . .).

But with the Knicks I'm a newcomer. Instead, I've been following Jackson since LA Laker days . . .

How Lance Thomas’ grueling summer made him Knicks weapon

While Knicks coach Derek Fisher is always finagling with his bench rotation, he doesn’t mess with Lance Thomas’ minutes.

They have remained constant. It is no surprise. Thomas has been long regarded as the coach’s favorite Knick — even if his profile with fans still is lacking.

Thomas has been their most consistent bench piece and on another roll — having scored in double-figures in five straight games, and seven of the past eight. He’s not going away. In fact, Thomas, Brooklyn-born and raised in Scotch Plains, N.J., is playing his way into a potentially handsome contract next July.

In the offseason, Thomas added range to his jump shot, becoming a legitimate 3-point threat. Training in New Orleans, Thomas said he was lofting 500-to-600 shots a day, sometimes twice that if he did a two-a-day session.

Thomas gained 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason, with a renewed dedication to weight lifting. Defense, hustle and 3-point shooting have kept him in Fisher’s penthouse and even have the coaching staff considering starting him over underachieving center Robin Lopez and moving Kristaps Porzingis to center.

Thomas is averaging 8.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and shooting 47 percent. His 3-point percentage of 41.5 is second best on the Knicks. His 52 3-point attempts is more than double the number he took in his first four seasons combined (23).

“I feel like I’m in the best shape of my career right now,’’ Thomas said, referring to his weight gain. “It’s helping me defensively. My rebounding numbers don’t show it, but I’m holding off guys, allowing guards to come in and get rebounds. I feel a lot stronger on the floor without fatigue, which is something that’s amazing. It’s hard not to play the game tired. I don’t feel tired when I’m out there. I’m giving all on defense but still have something in the tank on offense and taking advantage.’’

When the Knicks embarked on free agency in July, the scuttlebutt at Las Vegas summer league was how hard forward Thomas had been working on his shot. It wasn’t surprising the Knicks re-signed Thomas to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. But even considering Fisher’s infatuation with Thomas, few figured he’d be in the rotation.

“Coaches do appreciate guys who don’t appear to be as talented or have statistics that stand out the most, but do things coaches appreciate,’’ Fisher said. “Those are things important to me. My evaluation of performance, I’m not looking at field-goal percentage and points, but how committed are you to things that don’t stand out on the stat sheet?’’

It’s almost the one-year anniversary of Phil Jackson breaking up the 2014-15 team and obtaining Thomas as a throwaway of sorts in the Iman Shumpert/J.R. Smith three-team fire sale with Cleveland and Oklahoma City on Jan. 5. The Knicks waived Thomas’ non-guaranteed pact and signed him to a 10-day deal. Now he’s earned Carmelo Anthony’s respect as the lone Knick who can guard all five positions.

“I trust my work ethic,” said Thomas, a co-captain on Duke’s 2010 NCAA title team but who didn’t always start. “I knew after the first couple of years in the NBA what I had to work on to make an impact.”

http://nypost.com/2015/12/20/how-lance-t...

CrushAlot wrote:^^^^Have to wonder if Berman monitors Knick forums. His off day articles often mirror the current topics on UK.

Isola's done it a few times, too!

crzymdups wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:^^^^Have to wonder if Berman monitors Knick forums. His off day articles often mirror the current topics on UK.

Isola's done it a few times, too!

They definitely watch UK and realgm forums for these types of topics. That being said, i wonder what sort of contract Lance earns this summer.

You win some and you lose some.

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

Sure you can.

a) We had actually seen Lance play in real games and seen the positive effect he had on the team.

b) a $1.6M 1yr deal has a lot less value than the highest draft pick the Knicks have had in 30 years.

nah ... he played terrible. He is a complete shock to most of us.

as far as picking at 4, KP was really a no brainer. I probably would have taken the other 3 first but knowing what I know now, I take KP number 1 in a second.

I would still take Towns first overall. But KP second, for sure.

But I don't buy he was a no-brainer for people who hadn't see him play. He may've been a no brainer for people who had seen him play complete games, but I don't think many people posting here were in that group. To me, you never know how a guy's game is going to translate until he hits the floor. The draft is an inexact science. If it were Paul George would've been drafted over Evan Turner, Klay Thompson would've been taken over Jimmer Fredette, etc.

Love KP but not anyone in a front office that wouldn't go Towns, OK4 then KP at this point in the season.

HofstraBBall wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

Sure you can.

a) We had actually seen Lance play in real games and seen the positive effect he had on the team.

b) a $1.6M 1yr deal has a lot less value than the highest draft pick the Knicks have had in 30 years.

nah ... he played terrible. He is a complete shock to most of us.

as far as picking at 4, KP was really a no brainer. I probably would have taken the other 3 first but knowing what I know now, I take KP number 1 in a second.

I would still take Towns first overall. But KP second, for sure.

But I don't buy he was a no-brainer for people who hadn't see him play. He may've been a no brainer for people who had seen him play complete games, but I don't think many people posting here were in that group. To me, you never know how a guy's game is going to translate until he hits the floor. The draft is an inexact science. If it were Paul George would've been drafted over Evan Turner, Klay Thompson would've been taken over Jimmer Fredette, etc.

Love KP but not anyone in a front office that wouldn't go Towns, OK4 then KP at this point in the season.

ok4? You're kidding, right?

HofstraBBall wrote:LT $1.6 Million
Rolo $16 million

You win some and you lose some.

Rolo is $13M

martin wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:LT $1.6 Million
Rolo $16 million

You win some and you lose some.

Rolo is $13M

My mistake. I was Two Lance Thomas annual salaries off. Or so.

mreinman wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

Sure you can.

a) We had actually seen Lance play in real games and seen the positive effect he had on the team.

b) a $1.6M 1yr deal has a lot less value than the highest draft pick the Knicks have had in 30 years.

nah ... he played terrible. He is a complete shock to most of us.

as far as picking at 4, KP was really a no brainer. I probably would have taken the other 3 first but knowing what I know now, I take KP number 1 in a second.

I would still take Towns first overall. But KP second, for sure.

But I don't buy he was a no-brainer for people who hadn't see him play. He may've been a no brainer for people who had seen him play complete games, but I don't think many people posting here were in that group. To me, you never know how a guy's game is going to translate until he hits the floor. The draft is an inexact science. If it were Paul George would've been drafted over Evan Turner, Klay Thompson would've been taken over Jimmer Fredette, etc.

Love KP but not anyone in a front office that wouldn't go Towns, OK4 then KP at this point in the season.

ok4? You're kidding, right?

Like I said, love KP and happy to have him. But yes. He is considered top two. Can't refute he looked real good head to head. Liked his down low post up presence. Well taught. Fundamentals strong. Duke product. Do like KPs upside potential. But as safe picks. Towns and OK4 would be top picks. Just another opinion.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-bask...

But Lopez was a mistake… after 28 games?

There's a lesson in there somewhere.

HofstraBBall wrote:

mreinman wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

Sure you can.

a) We had actually seen Lance play in real games and seen the positive effect he had on the team.

b) a $1.6M 1yr deal has a lot less value than the highest draft pick the Knicks have had in 30 years.

nah ... he played terrible. He is a complete shock to most of us.

as far as picking at 4, KP was really a no brainer. I probably would have taken the other 3 first but knowing what I know now, I take KP number 1 in a second.

I would still take Towns first overall. But KP second, for sure.

But I don't buy he was a no-brainer for people who hadn't see him play. He may've been a no brainer for people who had seen him play complete games, but I don't think many people posting here were in that group. To me, you never know how a guy's game is going to translate until he hits the floor. The draft is an inexact science. If it were Paul George would've been drafted over Evan Turner, Klay Thompson would've been taken over Jimmer Fredette, etc.

Love KP but not anyone in a front office that wouldn't go Towns, OK4 then KP at this point in the season.

ok4? You're kidding, right?

Like I said, love KP and happy to have him. But yes. He is considered top two. Can't refute he looked real good head to head. Liked his down low post up presence. Well taught. Fundamentals strong. Duke product. Do like KPs upside potential. But as safe picks. Towns and OK4 would be top picks. Just another opinion.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-bask...

That ranks the last week each rookie had. It isn't a season-long culmulative list.

bigbasketballs wrote:So many fans will admit they were wrong about KP and probably premature on Thomas and Gallaway.

But Lopez was a mistake… after 28 games?

There's a lesson in there somewhere.

Haha, co-sign on this.

I like Lopez. We definitely need him against certain teams. I think we should use him the way GSW uses Bogut. He's a quality big when you need him and he's professional enough not to complain if he's getting less minutes because you want to go "small" with KP in the middle for long stretches against certain teams.

His attitude fits the team and he's been nothing but a team player here. He's underperformed so far and looked rough during the winning streak, but hopefully he'll come out of it. Galloway had a brutal stretch that lasted for about two weeks and he's playing very well again.

bigbasketballs wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

mreinman wrote:

HofstraBBall wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

Sure you can.

a) We had actually seen Lance play in real games and seen the positive effect he had on the team.

b) a $1.6M 1yr deal has a lot less value than the highest draft pick the Knicks have had in 30 years.

nah ... he played terrible. He is a complete shock to most of us.

as far as picking at 4, KP was really a no brainer. I probably would have taken the other 3 first but knowing what I know now, I take KP number 1 in a second.

I would still take Towns first overall. But KP second, for sure.

But I don't buy he was a no-brainer for people who hadn't see him play. He may've been a no brainer for people who had seen him play complete games, but I don't think many people posting here were in that group. To me, you never know how a guy's game is going to translate until he hits the floor. The draft is an inexact science. If it were Paul George would've been drafted over Evan Turner, Klay Thompson would've been taken over Jimmer Fredette, etc.

Love KP but not anyone in a front office that wouldn't go Towns, OK4 then KP at this point in the season.

ok4? You're kidding, right?

Like I said, love KP and happy to have him. But yes. He is considered top two. Can't refute he looked real good head to head. Liked his down low post up presence. Well taught. Fundamentals strong. Duke product. Do like KPs upside potential. But as safe picks. Towns and OK4 would be top picks. Just another opinion.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-bask...

That ranks the last week each rookie had. It isn't a season-long culmulative list.

So KPs numbers are better than OK4? Look, I want KP to be the next Nowitsky as much as anyone. Just making a point that most still see him behind Ok4 and Towns. You can't deny OK4 is a very good player and a sound pick. As well as the fact he is doing it on a bad team with no support. But AGAIN, I hope all the NBA will regret they didn't pick KP! For the argument can only be won in the next 3 to 5 years or longer.

HofstraBBall wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

mreinman wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Never really understood why people were down on him to begin with.

You should've been here when he was signed for $1.6M this past summer, the board almost imploded with hatred for Phil Jackson.

you should have seen some nut jobs implode on this board with hatred when phil drafted kp

i was not a believer. but i have lived through frederic weis, maciej lampe, gallinari's injury ridden rookie season, and of course bargs, so I think it is fair to have been a little gun-shy on that front as a knicks fan.

but you can't make fun of the fans who did not buy into LT.

Sure you can.

a) We had actually seen Lance play in real games and seen the positive effect he had on the team.

b) a $1.6M 1yr deal has a lot less value than the highest draft pick the Knicks have had in 30 years.

nah ... he played terrible. He is a complete shock to most of us.

as far as picking at 4, KP was really a no brainer. I probably would have taken the other 3 first but knowing what I know now, I take KP number 1 in a second.

I would still take Towns first overall. But KP second, for sure.

But I don't buy he was a no-brainer for people who hadn't see him play. He may've been a no brainer for people who had seen him play complete games, but I don't think many people posting here were in that group. To me, you never know how a guy's game is going to translate until he hits the floor. The draft is an inexact science. If it were Paul George would've been drafted over Evan Turner, Klay Thompson would've been taken over Jimmer Fredette, etc.

Love KP but not anyone in a front office that wouldn't go Towns, OK4 then KP at this point in the season.

Towns might be the top rookie in a decade, so you are right. But no way about OK4. He has limited ceiling compared to KP and is putting up empty stats. Philly is better with him off the floor, if thats even possible, and has shown off the court behavior that we are trying to avoid. No one in the league would take OK4 over KP. Towns and KP are the top 2 by a long shot and have franchise changing talent. OK4 looks like he will be a great scorer, but lacks potential to be great.