OT Jason Thompson goes to Paul Pierce school of interviews

[tk76]

Slow news day...

I don't mind Jason Thompson going out there and trying to prove himself- but he he is pulling a P.P.. 1st he says he should have been drafted high that #12- and would have if he put up the same numbers at a big time program...

Guess what- you went to a no name program, so don't start acting like your 20 ppg should count like soemone who puts up those numbers at UNC. Disrespected? He got drafted #12 based on workouts and hype. If anything, he benefitted from not going to a big name program.

The bigger issue was that he called out Marvin Williams, essentially laughing at him for being a #2 overall pick. That is where he pulled a Paul Pierce. He needs to actually prove he can do something before taking pot shots at other players. Comments like that show the kid has no respect for the game. Even if he does succeed, its poor form to criticise other NBA players- even more so when he has not even played a game in the NBA.

I guess humility is out of style.

Kings' rookie Jason Thompson believes that he would have been a much-higher pick in June's NBA Draft if he had gone to a more high-profile college, according to The Sacramento Bee.

"One of the only reasons I might have been projected (in the June draft) where I was projected was because of the school I went to," Thompson said last month in Las Vegas.

"It had nothing to do with talent," he continued. "If I would've gone to North Carolina, or an (Atlantic-10 Conference) school, or to Temple, or a place where the conference was higher up, and averaged what I averaged (statistically) or something close to it..."

Sacramento took Thompson with the 12th overall pick less than two months ago.

"I mean, you've got a guy like (Atlanta's) Marvin Williams, who comes out of North Carolina and wins the championship, coming off the bench and maybe averaging eight points," Thompson continued, the exasperation building. "And he's a No. 2 pick (in 2005). I mean that's what's crazy to me."

[Skates]

OK, maybe you want to think about a new name for embellishing your basketball resume. "Pulling a P.P." has way too many other connotations I don't really want to think about with NBA players.

[tk76]

Fixed.

[jmon]

Throwing Marvin under the bus by name was totally uncalled for.

I think Thompson is a talented big who can rebound. Something tells me he will be around for awhile.

[barkley34]

I don't think scouts/front offices really care what school a kid goes to. They have to evaluate international and high school players. Him saying his projection in the draft had nothing to do with talent is ridiculous.

They draft on potential, pure and simple.

Okafor was a stud at a huge college program and was chosen behind a high school kid in Dwight Howard.

Melo was a stud for Syracuse and was drafted behind Darko.

[tk76]

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was referring to predraft mock drafts that had him going later... still no excuse for him talking smack about NBA players before he's shown himself capable of anything. I try to root for local talent, but I sort of would not mind seeing him schooled a bit. Maybe a "welcome to the NBA, this ain't no Ryder" kind of thing. I'm sure somewhart like Amare will be happy to oblige.

[The Guilty Party]

Let me play devil's advocate for a second.... is he wrong?

The problem is that he wouldn't have had the same numbers at a bigger school because he would have been playing better teams. This isn't a very good start for him. While this doesn't mean much as far as in-court performance goes, there's something very wrong about a rookie disrespecting those who have been drafted above him and Marvin Williams. There are plenty of players that think highly of themselves, however... those who have said things of this sort publicly haven't exactly had the greatest of success.

[Skates]

The guy that Thompson always reminds me of, similar build and big numbers at a small school, is Vin Baker. If he can copy Vin's game and avoid his lifestyle he could have a nice career.

BTW, and completely off topic, the All-time Sixers team thread got me thinking about comparable players for Lou Williams. if Williams can make the transition to full-time PG the former Sixer he would most remind me of is Johnny Dawkins. Dawkins was more of a scorer than the guy he replaced, Mo Cheeks, but he was ultra-quick, had natural scoring ability and was undersized as a two guard. He was about the same size and build as Lou. If Williams could transform himself into a J Dawkins style PG with a good ball-handler like Iggy next to him in the back-court it would really help this team going forward.

[dbodner]

The problem is that he wouldn't have had the same numbers at a bigger school because he would have been playing better teams

And he wouldn't have been the focal point as he was at Rider.

Yes, had he put up those numbers at UNC, it would have helped. That's a stretch to say those numbers directly translate, to say the least. Thompson's hype may have been held back by the school he went to, but let's not pretend NBA scouts didn't get enough footage of him to make an evaluation. He should probably be quiet and let his play do the talking. He was, after all, a lottery pick, and I think he should be thankful for that, because I don't think he's going to end up being worth the pick invested to select him. Had he gone to a bigger school, his shortcomings very well might have been on display just as much as his talent, and he might not be a lottery pick.

[The Sixer Fixer]

I could easily flip this arguement that he would not have been so great statisically if he went to a big school and say this...

If he went to a bigger school, that had better players around him, he also would have not faced the entire opposing teams defensive attention every game. Playing as the best player in a weak conference meant he was the guy teams planned there D against. He still put up the numbers despite that so it has to say sometihng. This is one of those arguments that has no right or wrong answer. He didn't play in a big conference so there's no way to say what he would have done if he did. Same way we have no idea if some other guys, who went to a big school and didn't put up great numbers (Marvin), would have put up a lot better stats vs. weaker competition.

What I do know about Thompson (I saw enough games) is that he is a top 5 PF/C talent skills wise from this draft. I don't think I saw any other PF/C (unless you consider Anthony Randolph one) who can handle the ball better. He's more like a SG/SF with his handle than a PF/C. He's got multiple effective moves on offense. He's not an athletic stud, but he's got a high BBIQ IMO.

What I don't know about Thompson is if his thin frame (for an NBA PF) will be effective vs. bigger competition in the NBA. Truth is though, I had the same questions about Chris Bosh when he came out of college too and is hasn't seemed to affect him too much.

Just one other thing to keep in mind....I know it's a very small sample, but he did play a few games this year vs. other big time prospects. The fact that he outplayed them has to say a little.

vs. NC State (Hickson) he put up 24 pt and 15 reb
vs. Kansas St. (Beasley) he had 24 pts, 7 reb, 4 blocks, 3 assists and 2 steals (Beasley had 13 pts, 10 reb, 1 assist and 1 steal)

[geiger]

I'm guessing Marvin Williams lights him up for about 35 this season, if Thompson is on the floor long enough.

Fact of the matter is, the kid does have talent, but does he honestly think that 20 and 10 at Rider is the same thing as 20 and 10 in North Carolina? It's akin to saying that a guy putting up 20 in the Russian league will put up 20 in the NBA.

[monks]

Hey, first time poster, semi-long time reader here.

I've followed Rider for the past few years because a guy I played against in high school was on the team with Thompson and his brother, and I've heard nothing but good things about how "high character" he is, so this quote is surprising to me. The part about Marvin Williams really stood out to me, but I think he was just looking for a recent example and not targeting Marvin specifically. Thompson, who went to high school less than an hour away from Rider, didn't get on a big-time team and instead made the choice to play for a low-profile team. In that regard, it's his own fault and he shouldn't complain.

On the other hand, keep in mind that Marvin went #2 the year UNC won the National Championship, and even though he didn't play the biggest part in the run, he had the biggest upside of all. Williams could have been substituted with any other freshman prospect that year (LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay, both from his class, benefited from making big tournament runs the next year) and they would've reaped the same benefits from being on a big-time team. It happens every year; luckily, Thompson can only be drafted once so this'll be the last time we'll hear it from him.

[geiger]

That's the other difference - when you take a 19 year old kid, you try to map out his physical tools and what he has shown to date, and try to predict his growth in the next few years. With a 22 year old senior, there is less growth to account for, both physically, and in terms of skill, so the boost on potential is lower. It's like the stock market - you have one company that makes $10 million now, but has potential to grow 1000 fold and you have another that brings in $100 million, but it's growth potential is estimated no more than double of what it is now. The markets tend to value the first company more even though there is no guarantee that it will ever grow and the second company might very well exceed expectations. It's gambling and most gamblers try to score big.

[tk76]

Iguodala wearing #9 is his own remark on his draft position in relation to where he thought he should be picked. Likewise the Hibachi never shuts up about being taken in the second round, even though he's making 100M+. No problem using this as motivation, but it does come accross as somewhat shallow- especially when you start naming names.

[geiger]

I think that's the biggest difference. It's one thing to show confidence and use a drop in the draft as motivation for playing harder against teams who passed you up, it's another to call out other NBA players by name and suggest that they were drafted higher than their talent warrants - especially unprovoked. It's just unprofessional and oversteps the boundaries of how these guys interact with one another.

[PowerElite]

I like this guy. His mental makeup reminds me of Scottie Pippen. Hopefully he can be that great of a player for the Kings.

[NetsForce]

I don't mind Jason Thompson complaining about where he was drafted (even though he was drafted about 5-6 spots too high), but why call out Marvin Williams? I mean even though Marvin hasn't blown the league away since being drafted I'd take him over Jason Thompson anyday of the week...

[is1531]

I don't mind Jason Thompson complaining about where he was drafted (even though he was drafted about 5-6 spots too high), but why call out Marvin Williams? I mean even though Marvin hasn't blown the league away since being drafted I'd take him over Jason Thompson anyday of the week...

In the end, I think your going to change your mind. Thompson is going to be a big time player and he has no pressure playing in Sacramento.

[geiger]

Define big time? Starter, borderline all-star, all-star, super star? He has good size, solid athleticism, and what looks to be an above average motor and he is coming in as a 4 year senior, so he should be more ready and more polished than many kids coming into the league these days, but I just don't see anything that he does that is particularly great and I know next to nothing about his defense.

You think he will be a 4 in the league long term or a 5?

[monks]

I saw several of Thompson's games last year and one or two the previous year. Two years ago only he and Kevin Durant averaged 20 and 10 in Division I, and Thompson had much less help. It's true that he didn't play against the same caliber of competition night in and night out, but he provided top-notch, efficient scoring from 17 feet and in, was consistently guarding the opposing team's best frontcourt player, and even ran the break off of rebounds several times. He's got many skills that would make him a lethal SF if he was a bit quicker, but I can definitely see him being a starting PF for many years.

Actually, a teammate of his in his prime is who he kind of reminds me of skill-wise: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, just with a bit more size and the ability to play some minutes at the 5 rather than the 3.