Tyrus Thomas

Tyrus Thomas To Join Grizzlies D-League Team

TUESDAY, 12:33pm: The Iowa Energy, the D-League affiliate of the Grizzlies, has claimed Thomas, sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The club has yet to make an official announcement. Thomas will remain free to sign with any NBA team no matter the D-League club he plays for.

FRIDAY, 6:11pm: Former lottery pick Tyrus Thomas is set to enter the NBA D-League, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link). Thomas has been out of the NBA since the Hornets (then the Bobcats) put him on amnesty waivers back in July of 2013. The 28-year-old will go through the D-League’s waiver process to determine which team he will play for. The 6’10” forward out of LSU is trying to work his way back to the NBA, and had reportedly worked out for the Grizzlies and the Lakers back in November, but failed to generate a contract offer from either franchise.

Thomas has gone through some tough times since he was last in the NBA, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. In addition to losing his job in the league, Thomas also went through a divorce and what could have been a career-ending surgery to remove a cyst from his back, Kennedy notes. “I can’t begin to tell you what was going through my mind,” Thomas told Kennedy. “It all felt overwhelming – being released, going through a divorce and then the injury that led to me ultimately having to have surgery. I would wake up, pick my basketball up off the floor, bounce it around the house and say, ‘I want to play. I have something to prove to everyone who believed in me. I have something to prove to myself. I can do this. Then, I’d wake up the next day not feeling good physically and I’d think, ‘This surgery isn’t worth it.’ I had good days and I had bad days.”

The big man had his share of maturity issues during his career, something that he is eager to show is behind him, Kennedy writes. “I was 19 years old when I first entered the NBA; it’s no excuse and I’ve owned my mistakes, but whew have I grown a lot,” Thomas said. “Over the last two years, I’ve grown not only as a player but as a person. I now realize the opportunities that, at times, I took for granted. I look back now and I was just a poor kid from South Baton Rouge. I didn’t understand then what I understand now. Everything happened at once: getting amnestied, going through a divorce and making the decision if I wanted to come back and play basketball because of the severity of the surgery. Going through all of that, I definitely grew up.

In 400 career games, Thomas has averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. His career slash line is .438/.235/.732.

Western Notes: Thomas, Johnson, Hayward

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers admits he was mystified when the Suns signed-and-traded for Isaiah Thomas this past offseason, adding that he thought Phoenix was merely insuring itself against the loss of Eric Bledsoe, relays Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Rivers has gained appreciation for the Suns‘ three point guard strategy since then. “When you think of those three guards they have, it’s amazing,” he said. “It’s hard for everybody to guard. I didn’t see it but now I do.

Here’s the latest from the Western Conference:

  • Tyrus Thomasworkout with the Lakers is scheduled for this Thursday, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Thomas also gave the Grizzlies a look at his skills last week, though he left without receiving a contract offer.
  • The Rockets have assigned guard Nick Johnson to the Rio Grande Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. The rookie has appeared in three games for Houston this season, totaling two points and a rebound in 11 minutes of action.
  • Gordon Hayward‘s contract with the Jazz is based more on what he’ll become than what he has done thus far in the league, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes. But with continued improvement and the new TV deal set to kick in, there’s a decent chance the deal will look like a bargain in the near future, Powell adds.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Grizzlies, Lakers Audition Tyrus Thomas

The Grizzlies have brought in Tyrus Thomas for a workout, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Thomas apparently left Memphis without an reaching an agreement with the team because he’s scheduled to let the Lakers take a look at his wares next, Kennedy adds, though the date of the Los Angeles workout was not relayed in Kennedy’s tweet.

Memphis looks to be in the market for a reserve big man with the team having brought in veteran forward Kenyon Martin earlier this week, though the reports were conflicting as to whether or not Martin was being looked at as a player or a coach. The Grizzlies have only 14 players on their roster after waiving Kalin Lucas this past weekend, so the team has the flexibility to take on Martin without needing to let anyone else go.

With Memphis less than $1MM shy of the luxury tax line, any deal would likely be a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary arrangement so as not to hamstring the franchise for any further moves later on in the season. But with Thomas looking to make a comeback after being out of the NBA since the Hornets placed him on amnesty waivers back in July of 2013, that would likely be in line with what the player and his new agent, Roger Montgomery of the Montgomery Sports Group, would expect.

As for the Lakers, the team has the league-maximum 15 players currently on its roster, so a corresponding move would be needed to accommodate Thomas if the team chose to sign him. The NBA recently granted Los Angeles a disabled player exception worth $1,498,680 as a result of the season-ending injury to Julius Randle, but it’s unlikely that the team would spend any more than the minimum salary to ink Thomas, though that is just my speculation.

Thomas’ career averages through 400 contests are 7.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.9 APG, and 1.3 BPG. His career slash line is .438/.235/.732.

Southeast Notes: Jordan, Webber, Hawks

Hornets owner Michael Jordan isn’t on board with shortening games, an idea the NBA is experimenting with this weekend, as Jordan tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Jordan said the league didn’t indicate to him when it let him know of Sunday’s planned 44-minute game between the Nets and Celtics that it was seriously considering such a change for regular season games, Broussard notes. The iconic former player also expressed his disagreement with LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki, who told reporters this week that they’d like to see the NBA shorten the season.

“It’s not like football,” Jordan said. “We don’t really have to worry about concussions and some of the physical damage that football players deal with after they retire. I can understand football players wanting to play fewer games from a physical standpoint. But basketball’s not the same. I’m not diminishing the fact that we go through a grueling season. But I wouldn’t want to shorten the game or play 15-20 fewer games.”

Still, shorter games clearly have their proponents, so it’ll be interesting to see if Jordan can prevail on his fellow owners to make Sunday’s game a one-time experiment. Here’s more from MJ’s Southeast Division:

  • Chris Webber took to Twitter to confirm his interest in the Hawks, and while he doesn’t disclose the identities of the investors he’s partnering with, he insists they would keep the team in Atlanta.
  • The formal sale process and vetting of prospective owners can’t start for the Hawks until all of the team’s existing owners determine whether they’re selling, and they’ve yet to schedule a meeting to discuss the issue, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • Free agent power forward Tyrus Thomas has changed agents as he attempts to return to the NBA, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Thomas hired Roger Montgomery of the Montgomery Sports Group, according to Kennedy, replacing John Hamilton of Performance Sports Management. Thomas has been out of the league since the Hornets (then the Bobcats) put him on amnesty waivers in July 2013.
  • Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel takes a stab at predicting the Heat‘s opening-night roster amid his latest mailbag column.

Trade Retrospective: Aldridge To Blazers

In professional sports, one of the most exciting things that can happen from a fan’s perspective is a blockbuster trade. These deals can alter not just the fates of the franchises involved, but can shape the direction of the entire league. The biggest deal of this offseason so far was the trade that sent Kevin Love to the Cavaliers for the last two No. 1 overall picks, Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, plus the Wolves also landed Thaddeus Young from the Sixers as part of the transaction.

It will be years before we can accurately judge who won the trade, but if the Cavs hoist the NBA Championship trophy next Spring they will certainly be thrilled with the results. The Wolves haven’t been to the playoffs the last 10 seasons, so for them the deal was about building for the future and trying to change the losing culture in Minnesota.

I’ve been taking a look back at some of the bigger deals that have transpired in recent NBA history. So far I’ve examined the trades that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers; Deron Williams to the Nets; Kevin Garnett to the Celtics; Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks; Chris Paul to the Clippers; Stephon Marbury to the Knicks; and the trade that sent Shaquille O’Neal from the Lakers to the Heat.

Not all big trades involve established players and stars, but they still carry a high risk. Trading away prospects and draft picks ramp that risk up even higher than when dealing away established NBA talent, since it is so difficult to accurately predict how a player’s production will transition from college to the pros. It’s with this in mind that I look back at the June 2006 Draft night trade between the Bulls and the Blazers that landed LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland.

I’ll begin by running down the players involved:

The Bulls were infatuated at the time with Thomas’ athleticism and defensive potential, which led then-GM John Paxson to take a chance and deal Aldridge, whom the Bulls selected with the No. 2 overall pick, for Thomas, who was selected No. 4 overall. The Bulls were more enamored with Thomas’ physical tools and potential, but this trade shows the risks involved when dealing away draft picks prior to seeing them perform at the next level.

The Bulls were just beginning to climb out of the post-Michael Jordan era blues at the time of the trade. Here’s a look at their records in the seasons leading up to this deal:

  1. 2001/02: 21-61
  2. 2002/03: 30-52
  3. 2003/04: 23-59
  4. 2004/05: 47-35 (Lost in first round to the Wizards)
  5. 2005/06: 41-41 (Lost in first round to the Heat)

The acquisition of Thomas was supposed to strengthen the Bulls’ frontcourt and help the franchise take the next step back toward contention, but Thomas never lived up to his potential and has been outperformed by Aldridge every season of their careers.

Here are Thomas’ career stats:

  1. 2006/07: 5.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.6 APG, and 1.1 BPG. His slash line was .474/.000/.606.
  2. 2007/08: 6.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, and 1.0 BPG. His slash line was .423/.167/.741.
  3. 2008/09: 10.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, and 1.9 BPG. His slash line was .451/.333/.783.
  4. 2009/10: 9.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.0 APG, and 1.6 BPG. His slash line was .462/.000/.687.
  5. 2010/11: 10.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.7 APG, and 1.6 BPG. His slash line was .471/.000/.787.
  6. 2011/12: 5.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.6 APG, and 1.1 BPG. His slash line was .367/.333/.759.
  7. 2012/13: 4.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, and 0.6 BPG. His slash line was .353/.375/.839.

The Bulls’ records for the seasons that Thomas was on the roster were:

  1. 2006/07: 49-33 (Lost in second round to the Pistons)
  2. 2007/08: 33-49
  3. 2008/09: 41-41 (Lost in first round to the Celtics)
  4. 2009/10: 41-41 (Lost in first round to the Cavs)

Thomas was injured four games into the 2009/10 season, and he missed nearly six weeks with a fractured forearm. During this stretch he was replaced in the starting lineup by Taj Gibson, who performed well enough to make Thomas expendable. On February 18, 2010, Thomas was traded to the Hornets for Flip Murray; Acie Law; and a 2014 first-rounder (Jusuf Nurkic).

That offseason the Hornets signed Thomas to a five-year, $40MM deal. Thomas would spend another three seasons with Charlotte, averaging double-figures in points only once. His time in Charlotte and his NBA career would come to an end on July 10, 2013 when the Hornets waived Thomas using the amnesty provision to make room for the franchise to sign Al Jefferson.

Murray only appeared in 29 games for the Bulls, and averaged 10.1 PPG and 2.9 RPG. This was his last season in the league and he’s since split time between the NBA D-League and playing overseas.

Law appeared in just 12 games for the Bulls, averaging 5.5 PPG and 1.3 APG. After the 2009/10 season he became a free agent, signing a one-year deal with the Grizzlies, who would release him after 11 games.

The first-rounder that Chicago had acquired from Charlotte was part of the 2014 NBA Draft night trade with the Nuggets that sent the rights to Doug McDermott and Anthony Randolph to the Bulls for Jusuf Nurkic, Gary Harris, and the least favorable of the Bulls’ pair of second rounders in 2015 (Chicago has both its own second-round pick and Portland’s second-rounder that year).

Viktor Khryapa didn’t provide much of a return for the Bulls. In parts of two seasons with the franchise, he appeared in a total of 42 games, averaging 2.9 PPG and 1.9 RPG. Khryapa only played an average of 9.3 minutes per contest while in Chicago.  He expressed to management his frustrations about his lack of playing time, and in February of 2008 he and the team reached a buyout agreement. Khryapa has been out of the NBA ever since.

From the Bulls’ side of things, this is a deal that I’m sure they would like to change if they could. It’s hard to predict what the team’s won-loss records would have been the first two seasons after the trade was made, and if Chicago would have still been in line to draft Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose in 2007 and 2008, respectively, if it was Aldridge and not Thomas manning the power forward position. But when simply comparing the assets that changed hands, the Bulls have to regret this deal when looking back.

The Blazers were floundering as a franchise in the seasons prior to this trade. Here’s a look at their records prior to acquiring Aldridge:

  1. 2001/02: 49-33 (Lost to the Lakers in the first round)
  2. 2002/03: 50-32 (Lost to the Mavs in the first round)
  3. 2003/04: 41-41
  4. 2004/05: 27-55
  5. 2005/06: 21-61

Portland had quite a busy draft night back in 2006, acquiring Aldridge as well as Brandon Roy in a separate deal with the Wolves. Roy would go on to win Rookie of the Year honors for the 2006/07 season, when he averaged 16.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 4.0 APG. Aldridge didn’t begin his career quite as successfully, but by his second season he already began to show flashes of being the star player that he has evolved into.

Here are Aldridge’s career numbers:

  1. 2006/07: 9.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.4 APG, and 1.2 BPG. His slash line was .503/.000/.722.
  2. 2007/08: 17.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, and 1.2 BPG. His slash line was .484/.143/.762.
  3. 2008/09: 18.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.0 BPG. His slash line was .484/.250/.781.
  4. 2009/10: 17.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 0.6 BPG. His slash line was .495/.313/.757.
  5. 2010/11: 21.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.2 BPG. His slash line was .500/.174/.791.
  6. 2011/12: 21.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 0.8 BPG. His slash line was .512/.182/.814.
  7. 2012/13: 21.1 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 1.2 BPG. His slash line was .484/.143/.810.
  8. 2013/14: 23.2 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 1.0 BPG. His slash line was .458/.200/.822.

Here’s how the Blazers have fared since acquiring Aldridge:

  1. 2006/07: 32-50
  2. 2007/08: 41-41
  3. 2008/09: 54-28 (Lost in first round to the Rockets)
  4. 2009/10: 50-32 (Lost in first round to the Suns)
  5. 2010/11: 48-34 (Lost in first round to Mavs)
  6. 2011/12: 28-38
  7. 2012/13: 33-49
  8. 2013/14: 54-28 (Lost in the second round to the Spurs)

Aldridge has been a big part of the turnaround in Portland, which has had a few setbacks, most notably the selection of Greg Oden instead of Kevin Durant back in 2007, and Roy’s retirement due to injuries back in 2011. Aldridge is on track to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season, and even if the Blazers don’t re-sign him, they still win this deal.

The second-rounder that Portland acquired from Chicago was used in a trade with the Knicks, which saw New York receive Zach Randolph; Dan Dickau; Fred Jones; and the pick that was used to select Demetris Nichols. In return, the Blazers received Steve Francis; Channing Frye; and a 2008 second-rounder that was used to select Omer Asik.

As far as trades go, the Aldridge one wasn’t a multi-player deal involving numerous teams, but it was still a rather important one–especially for Portland. The Blazers haven’t advanced past the second round during Aldridge’s tenure in Portland, but it’s difficult to argue that he is the cause. The Bulls most likely lament this deal, especially since Thomas is out of the league altogether, while Aldridge is entering his prime and has made three consecutive All-Star games. But in all fairness, had Derrick Rose not fallen under the injury bug, Chicago may well have won an NBA title in the last few years.

It’s interesting to see the difference in production each franchise received from players taken a mere two selections apart. It also makes one wonder which of this year’s draft night trades will be looked back at as being steals or huge misfires. Will the Cavs regret dealing away Wiggins? If Cleveland fails to win the title, Love doesn’t perform up to his previous levels, or if he leaves as a free agent after the season, then they absolutely will. But if they finally hang a championship banner from their rafters, then they will consider it absolutely worth doing.

As for some of the other teams that took a gamble this year, time will tell if the Nuggets will regret trading McDermott to the Bulls, or if the Magic will rue dealing Dario Saric to the Sixers for Elfrid Payton. As the Aldridge-Thomas trade has demonstrated, a few spots in the draft order can yield remarkably different results down the line. It’s a risk anytime a deal is made, and sometimes it’s even more so when gambling with draft selections. Cleveland certainly better hope that Wiggins doesn’t become a superstar, or they need to win at least a couple of titles if he does. Otherwise, there will be some angry Cavs fans in a few years.

Note: If there’s a particular trade that you would like to see me take a look back at, please feel free to sound off in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter at @EddieScarito.

Southeast Notes: Muscala, Thomas, Chalmers

The Hawks put in a call last week to Obradoiro of Spain about Mike Muscala, whose NBA rights belong to Atlanta, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Still, the Hawks made no offer for the 44th overall pick from the 2013 draft, Sierra notes, adding that Obradoiro has rejected entreaties from other European clubs for the center from Bucknell (Twitter links).  More out of the Southeast..

  • Tyrus Thomas is not an option for the Wizards due to a back injury, a person close to the situation tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter).  Besides, it looks like Washington has their eye on another 2013 amnesty victim in Drew Gooden.
  • Mario Chalmers, a free agent this summer, says that he’s more comfortable than ever with the Heat, writes Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel.
  • A fun fact courtesy of Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (on Twitter): the Magic haven’t signed anyone to a 10-day contract since the team signed Seton Hall product Andre Barrett on March 31, 2005.

Camp Notes: Cavaliers, McGuire, Thomas

Currently, only the Bulls and Pistons are carrying 15 or fewer players, meaning that at least 28 NBA teams will be making cuts before the regular season gets underway later this month. As players continue to compete for roster spots, let’s check out some Wednesday links related to those end-of-the-bench openings….

  • Camp invitees Kenny Kadji and Henry Sims are likely battling for a single roster spot with the Cavaliers, but Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal says not to read too much into either player’s performance or usage in yesterday’s exhibition game.
  • Dominic McGuire, who has bounced around among several teams in recent years, is looking to stick around longer with the Jazz than he has in his last few stops, writes Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune.
  • Since being amnestied by the Bobcats in July, Tyrus Thomas hasn’t been able to land an NBA job, and isn’t in camp with a team this fall. However, Mark Deeks of TheScore.com writes that Thomas’ physical tools will likely convince another team to take a chance on him, in spite of the holes in his game.
  • As noted above, dozens of players will be cut from NBA rosters over the next several weeks as teams trim their rosters down to 15 or fewer players for opening night. Most of those new free agents will weigh a variety of options, including the D-League and international leagues. As Daniel Curtin of Three Eye Sports tells Keith Schlosser in an interesting piece at Ridiculous Upside, that decision isn’t always an easy one.

Free Agent Notes: Wiz, Byars, Powell

Despite news that Emeka Okafor is out indefinitely with a herniated disc and Chris Singleton will undergo surgery today, the Wizards cannot guarantee money to any free agents to replace them (without letting go of someone else on a guaranteed contract by opening night), tweets NBA.com's David Aldridge.  Washington already has 15 guaranteed deals on their roster, including Okafor and Singleton, but as Aldridge points out (via Twitter), a trade is always possible.  CSN Washington's J. Michael confirms Aldridge's report, via Twitter, adding that the Wizards are likely to bring two or three other players to camp in addition to the 15. 

Let's take a look at some other free agent notes from around the league:

Poll: Which Amnestied Player Would You Rather Sign?

Yesterday, Luke Adams ran down the status of this year's amnesty victims.  Only 14 NBA teams came into the summer of 2013 with the ability to use the amnesty provision and just five took advantage of the provision and released a player in July during the '13 amnesty period.  Three of those players have already found new homes for the 2013/14 season.  Metta World Peace hooked on with the Knicks after intimating for a good while that he would explore opportunities in China.  Mike Miller returned to the Grizzlies after being cut loose by the Heat.  Linas Kleiza had his $4.6MM deal taken off the books by the Raptors and signed a two-year pact in Turkey.  Still left: Drew Gooden and Tyrus Thomas.

Things have been fairly quiet on both players.  Thomas was said to have been of interest to the Knicks, but we haven't heard anything on that front in over a month.  Meanwhile, we haven't heard any reports on Gooden since he was let go on July 16th.  

The Bobcats cut bait with Thomas, the former No. 4 overall pick, in order to give themselves enough breathing room to sign Al Jefferson.  Thomas hasn't been able to stay on the floor much in his last three seasons, seeing time in just 121 games.  In that stretch, he averaged just 7.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG, not quite the production they would have liked from someone making $17.1MM over the next two seasons.

Gooden, 32 in September, was on the block for a while in Milwaukee, so it wasn't a surprise to see him cut loose last month.  He had arguably his best season as pro in Milwaukee in 2011/12, averaging 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game, which added up to a PER of 18.88.  However, he was only able to play in 16 games for the Bucks last season.

Both veterans are on the market for any NBA club to pickup – who would you rather have on your team?

Update On 2013 Amnesty Victims

Only 14 NBA teams came into the summer of 2013 with the ability to use the amnesty provision to remove a player from their roster and their cap. Of those 14 teams, just five took advantage of the provision and released a player last month during the '13 amnesty period.

Often, a team will amnesty a player not simply to remove his salary from the books, but also because he no longer has a role in that club's rotation. That's not always the case though — in a couple instances this summer, we saw players who contributed to recent championships amnestied to help reduce their teams' tax bills.

Of this year's five amnesty victims, three were scooped up by new teams fairly quickly, while the other two are still looking for new deals. Here's a recap of where 2013's amnestied players have landed:

Metta World Peace
Amnestied by Los Angeles Lakers (one year, $7,727,280 remaining)
Signed with New York Knicks (two years, $3,251,550; second-year player option)

Mike Miller
Amnestied by Miami Heat (two years, $12,800,000 remaining)
Signed with Memphis Grizzlies (one year, veteran's minimum)

Linas Kleiza
Amnestied by Toronto Raptors (one year, $4,600,000 remaining)
Signed with Fenerbahce Ulker, Turkey (two years, terms unknown)

Drew Gooden
Amnestied by Milwaukee Bucks (two years, $13,374,800 remaining)
Unsigned

Tyrus Thomas
Amnestied by Charlotte Bobcats (two years, $18,082,645 remaining)
Unsigned

Due to set-off rights, the Lakers and Heat will recoup a little of the money they would have owed World Peace and Miller, had those players not signed new deals. The amount of money the Raptors owe Kleiza should also be reduced, since the set-off rule applies to a new deal with any professional team, not just an NBA club, and Kleiza's contract in Turkey is reportedly quite lucrative.

As for Gooden and Thomas, I expected to see NBA teams take fliers on both guys, and that still may happen, but the rumor mill has been fairly quiet. We haven't heard anything on Gooden since he cleared waivers, and while the Knicks were initially reported to have interest in Thomas, his name hasn't resurfaced for several weeks.