Bill Simmons on Tim Thomas

[bozo_casanova]

VOTT

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[TheFied]

The funny thing is before the Spurs won the lottery to get Duncan, Tim Thomas is the guy I wanted. Remember after Duncan, it was guys like Tim Thomas and Van Horn.

 

[Mister Falcon]

That column is hilarious.

On Vince Carter:

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[kicksumass]

I like what he had to say about Durant

Our 2008 Rookie of the Year for four reasons.

1. Has a highly touted rookie ever been thrown into a worse situation than Durant in Seattle? As a teenager, KD was expected to lead a dysfunctional lottery team with a new coach; he played out of position at 2-guard because the Sonics didn't want him to take an unneccessary pounding down low; his two point guards were alternatingly feuding/sulking/pining for more playing time; he had veteran teammates complaining because they were worried about their own stats; and if that's not enough, the potential of a sleazy Oklahoma City move hung over everything and sucked the life out of the season and the franchise. This made Michael Jordan fighting for shots with Orlando Woolridge and Quentin Dailey as a rookie look positively pleasurable by comparison.

2. Somehow, Durant evolved into a legitimate scorer after the All-Star Break (21.3 points and 47 percent shooting) even though defenses were keying on him and he weighs about 120 pounds. Check out the sidebar to the right -- he's well ahead of Nowitzki and KG and right there with LeBron and Melo, right? When his 3-point shooting comes around (a safe bet) and he moves to forward and starts getting easier baskets (especially off offensive rebounds), he's going to average 30-plus a game. And it's going to happen sooner than you think. Like, potentially next year.

3. Durant gets extra credit for his performance in Seattle's last (and potentially final) two home games. In a revenge performance against a Denver team that desperately needed to win, Durant hit game-tying 3s in regulation and OT -- the last one was a 35-foot bomb in which Durant was so far away, you couldn't even see him celebrating when the half-court camera followed the shot into the basket) -- and finished with a career-high 37 points. And then, in an emotional season finale against Dallas, KD scored the go-ahead and clinching baskets in the final minute, celebrated like he just won the championship and admitted he almost cried afterward.

4. Of all the cruel footnotes for the Sonics getting hijacked from Seattle by a group of guys who have been proven to be lying sleazeballs, losing the chance to follow a potential superduperstar pains Sonics fans nearly as much as losing their team. Despite impossible circumstances, Durant managed to forge a connection with a broken city that tried like hell not to care about him because it didn't want to get too attached, yet ended up getting attached to him, anyway. Over everything else, that's why he's the 2007-08 Rookie of the Year. Keep your head up, Seattle. Life ain't fair.

 

[hornfan_82]

ahhh i remember that duncan draft. ron mercer was the guy i wanted if we didnt land the number 1 pick.

 

[AustinBadger]

I saw Thomas in person during the Suns-Mavs playoff series a few years back. At the time, he was playing hard.

Guy is unreal when he gives a what. Just unreal. Too bad he doesn't care.......well, I guess he cares about money but not being a great hoopster.

 

[TheFied]

I have in my life only watched 1 lottery live... and it was that lottery. When they announced #2, I went apeshit in my apartment....