KC: Thomas struggles to earn Vinny's trust

[Tommy Udo 6]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ba ... 1052.story

As Bulls practice ended Monday, veteran Lindsey Hunter stepped up and directed some pointed advice toward Tyrus Thomas in front of all his teammates and coaches.

It's the kind of behind-the-scenes leadership that occurs countless times throughout an NBA season. This instance stood out for two reasons.

It came on the heels of Thomas, according to team sources, taking exception to coach Vinny Del Negro harping on him for failing to rotate defensively. And it followed Thomas again falling out of the fourth-quarter rotation.

Thomas has played just 92 seconds in the fourth quarter through three games, sitting the entire final quarter against Boston -- because of the blowout loss -- and again Sunday during a close loss to Miami.
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much more at link

[AirP.]

It would have been nice to know what Lindsey said. Sure wish it would have been a starter that got in Tyrus' face, but then again we don't have anyone who wants to speak up... and now you know why Hunter is still on this roster.

[The Force.]

Maybe he needs some more time to develop? I say by the time he's 31, he should have a good grasp of the NBA game.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

Maybe he needs some more time to develop? I say by the time he's 31, he should have a good grasp of the NBA game.

I mean he's only got the second best PER on the team (17.9). Only 8 more years until he's 31.

[The Force.]

Maybe he needs some more time to develop? I say by the time he's 31, he should have a good grasp of the NBA game.

I mean he's only got the second best PER on the team (17.9).

Clearly Vinny is not aware of this PER, otherwise Tyrus would be getting 35mpg and be a unanimous team captain.

[clancy]

This is kind of like with Ben, where I can't help but wonder what goes on behind the scenes that there seems to be such a low (or maybe mixed is a better word) opinion of Ty. We see what's happening on the court and wonder how the guy could be so (apparently) undervalued. Yet that doesn't seem to be what the team/coaches/org is seeing. I know the popular opinion is to assume the FO is full of idiots (or Vinny is an idiot, as the case may be), but there is an awful lot of non-game-time we don't see.

[Gray Poster]

Maybe he needs some more time to develop? I say by the time he's 31, he should have a good grasp of the NBA game.

I mean he's only got the second best PER on the team (17.9).

Clearly Vinny is not aware of this PER, otherwise Tyrus would be getting 35mpg and be a unanimous team captain.

Thats very funny!! NOT!!

I used to cringe when Tyrus took his jumper, but not any more. I still almost vomit when Deng shoots a Jumper in the 4th quarter. Lu should have gone to the basket in the 4th with the ball in hand and no one between him and the hoop except Micheal Beasly. Same goes for Kirk Hinrich. Love Kirk's defense, hate his shoot. That is why Portland wouldn't him and I guess why Paxson loves him.

But back to Tyrus, he is getting it and he is making smarter plays. No plays are run for Tyrus and he has to make his own offense, so he will always be behind on that end. But he is a very good defender on the 3 and the 4 and Haslem only had 2 points against him and Beasley sucked wind(3-12 and looked out of sorts, but did get 11 rebs). Deng defense against Halsem was stellar!!!


Hell, why shouldn't the Bulls try Tyrus in the 4th quarter, everyone else is choking then.

[ballerkingn2]

Ty isn't the problem.

Our problem are we shot to many jumpers.

No inside game(been saying that for 5 yrs now which falls on the gm not coaches)

Streaky shooters,with limited range on there jumpers.

We have no offensive flow or go to player at the end of games we can depend on. **This is prob gonna cost us a lot of games because i don't trust kirk,deng with the game on the line. Esp with rose hurt leaves us with no goto player, and it showed in the heat game.

[anorexorcism]

^^Kind of? This is EXACTLY like ben. They are going to milk this "he's a headcase/he's not getting the playing time" thing until the end of the year, and then they will let him go for peanuts.

The Bulls wouldn't be able to stand the PR heat of the media knowing they can't pull off trades that have more impact than just clearing salary, or letting a talented young guy go for nothing, so they figure they can cook up a built in excuse that will justify why it was "better for them to let him go". They did this with Ben last year, pushing the "he's too short/he doesn't play defense" angle not openly but through their mouthpieces in the media like KC. Now they are doing it with Tyrus, but they figure this can be open as possible. It's gotten to the point where they are willing to sabotage a few games here and there (because hell, we're not winning anything this year anyway) just to convince others that Tyrus is "that bad."

I am rooting for Tyrus and hopes he gets that nice new contract from some other team next year, then comes back to shove it up the Bulls' collective a$$. No professional basketball player deserves to be smeared the way the Bulls treat their young guys.

[AirP.]

Maybe he needs some more time to develop? I say by the time he's 31, he should have a good grasp of the NBA game.

I mean he's only got the second best PER on the team (17.9).

Clearly Vinny is not aware of this PER, otherwise Tyrus would be getting 35mpg and be a unanimous team captain.

Nor is he aware that preseason stats don't directly convert to regular season, yet he utilizes Taj like they do.

[Gray Poster]

^^Kind of? This is EXACTLY like ben. They are going to milk this "he's a headcase/he's not getting the playing time" thing until the end of the year, and then they will let him go for peanuts.

That is exactly what they should do!! THis is bull sh*t. VDN is at least playing Tyrus in the 1st and 3rd quarters and that will at least give him some value . Also Tyrus seems to be keeping a positive attitude. I do not know why he is positive, but he is.

It would be nice to know wtf is going on on the locker room. If Hunter is really the voice of the team in practive, then the team is trouble. Rose, Deng, Kirk or Salmans or even Tyrus need to step up and take some heat and get mean.

[coldfish]

Person 1: "This is the problem with Tyrus. The damage he does to a team really doesn't show up in a box score, but if you watch, its there. He makes bad decisions on a regular basis on both sides of the court and it puts other players in a bad position."
Person 2: "That's completely subjective and just your opinion."
Person 1: "We have now heard complaints from two coaches on Tyrus' ability to execute schemes. Its not just me."
Person 2: "Vinny is an idiot. Skiles had a problem with young guys and jerked them around to the point where they can't learn."
Person 1: "Well, it is two coaches and what I see, that trumps what you got."
Person 2: "Listen, his PER overall isn't bad and if you look at the games where he got consistent minutes, his PER is good. Stats are far more objective than just a few people's opinions."
Person 1: "Well, Tyrus' +/- is pretty poor recently too. That shows that his problems really are hurting the team."
Person 2: "+/- is a horrible stat. It shows that Rose sucks too. Do you believe that?"
Person 1: "It doesn't really matter, because Tyrus will be gone in a year."
Person 2: . . . convulsive seizures

Wash, rinse, repeat

[Magilla_Gorilla]

Maybe he needs some more time to develop? I say by the time he's 31, he should have a good grasp of the NBA game.

I mean he's only got the second best PER on the team (17.9).

Clearly Vinny is not aware of this PER, otherwise Tyrus would be getting 35mpg and be a unanimous team captain.

That makes absolutely no sense. Vinny doesn't choose the team captains, and the captains aren't based on level of skill. My god man, read a newspaper.

[theanimal23]

I cared more over the years, but the writing is on the wall. Tyrus is not a Bull anymore after this season. I have wanted him to do well due to his talent/potential and what it means for this team -- but since this is the end of the road for him, I've become apathetic.

[UNBULLIEVABLE22]

If this 4th quarter rotation continues to prove that it can't make clutch shots (see Exhibit "1" Games 2 and 3), than I believe Vinny will be making the necessary changes. The problem with TT is that he does not know who he is on the court. Clearly, that scares Vinny. What I am refering to is TT's belief that he is a jumpshooter that can create his own shot. How many times have you seen TT pop a j and say "that's not your shot, Tyrus"? On the other hand, yes, we've seen him make clutch shots, but I have never not felt something quiver in my stomach right before his release, and never felt confidence in his jumper. I believe TT would have gotten atleast a lowball offer from da BULLS if he played his role ala Noah. Instead he puts his mojo over what he needs to do in the system and we are left scratching our heads wondering what's his high ceiling matter without consistency?