The LSU Alum: Davis vs. Thomas. Who would you rather have?

[Cyclical]

After game 7 was over I got into a conversation with a friend about the draft, 2nd round pick, and eventually an argument about who's the better player. IMO there's no doubt Davis is more valuable and a better choice for most teams. In his? No way. Big guys take longer to develop and he's a guy with endless potential. One problem - his brain potential seems very, very finite. The 2nd coming of Stro Swift? Perhaps. But, is it still better than having Big Baby? Maybe... Maybe not.

Big Baby

Pros: Versatile. Very quick feet. good hands. High energy. Smart. Great teammate. He cares; a lot. Good mid-range shot. Improving rebounder. Good nose for the ball. An immovable strong bench body for defending big 5's.

Cons: Not very athletic. Undersized. A jack of all trades but a master of none.


Tyrus Thomas

Pros: Extremely athletic and long. Great shot blocker. Good rebounder. Solid outside shot. Bigs take longer to develop - potential, potential, potential.

Cons: No back to the basket game. Not much to write about from the neck up.



So, which one would you rather have - the 4th pick or the 35th pick?

[humblebum]

Thomas has a considerably higher upside and with Clifford Ray around you know that he could really blossom in Boston. His jumper is solid and his shotblocking instincts are very good. He's got a young mentality though and he's definitely not as savvy as Davis. I think it's more immaturity than lack of feel for the game. I'd take Thomas because there's just so much potential there for him to be a Great roleplayer. I don't think Davis ever exceeds being a solid role player with moments of brilliance.

[wigglestrue]

Tyrus Thomas about 15 million times over.

[Mahoney_jr]

Tyrus Thomas has All-Star Athletics. I don't know if he would have developed better with a better big man coach. I think the Bulls didn't develop their rookies very well. But I'm pretty suspect about the current product Tyrus Thomas. I wouldn't want him as a starter (as well as Baby). As a backup? Sure! But that's not realistic and therefore I stick with Baby.

[BRUNiNHO91]

Big Baby makes an bigger impact on the game. TT has way better defense, shot blocking and all that. But has some pretty weak offensive skills. Baby on the other hand, has a really good offensive game. He can drive, he can fadeaway..and his defense is decent. Tyrus has potential to be better, but Baby has progressed better so far. That definately has something to do with playing along with KG...put Thomas next to Kg for an year and he turns into Amare Stoudamire IMO...but since that won't happen, give me Glen all day...

[humblebum]

Eh, I think that Thomas was simply the more raw talent coming into the league. He was essentially a project big man when he came in vs. Davis who had a more polished skillset but lacked dominant physical characteristics. I don't see Thomas ever developing into a consistent offensive threat beyond jumpshots, alley oops, and offensive rebounds but his defense and rebounding potential is off the charts. So far, both players are developing along the lines that most expected given their status upon entering the league.

For the Celtics minus KG and Powe though Davis is more valuable because the Celtics need offense out of the front court. With KG in the lineup Thomas would be much more valuable.

[chakdaddy]

The funny thing is the Bulls fans are at it again, they think they can trade Thomas, Hinrich, and a low #1 for Amare.

Somebody on there said they should trade Thomas/Hinrich for Al Jefferson!

They are certainly on the same wavelength as their lowballing GM!

[cisco]

Right now Big Baby is a better player. But Thomas has much greater potential. Davis is a very smart player, while Thomas seems to lack some BBIQ. Sometimes a low BBIQ can really cripple a players chances of reach his full potential (see Tony Allen, Gerald Green).

[humblebum]

Thomas suffers from emotional immaturity much moreso than low BBIQ. Sometimes his heart outweighs his head IMO...

[chakdaddy]

Yeah I don't think it's BBIQ. He's just a knucklehead.

He has so much talent it would be tempting to see what he could do with a change of scenery, but who knows if he'll ever get it. Right now I'd keep BBD

[Rocky5000]

LaMarcus Aldridge. Don't know what the hell Chicago was thinking. \

Right now Davis is better, but in the future, who knows? Thomas has the tools to be better, but that doesn't mean it's inevitable that he will be.

[armageddon]

I don't care how athletic a player is, give me basketball players who can make an impact. For all I can remember, Thomas played a couple of minutes in the series, or that's all of the impression he made. A couple of key jumpers in game 1 then that was it. Not a good one on one defender (great help defender), not a good rebounder, not a low post player. He just disappeared.

Would I want him on my team - yes. Would I take him over BBD, tough question, depends on the rest of our lineup, but no, I'd prefer BBD right now. Davis constantly stepped up at critical moments - and - BBD has the higher upside because you play basketball on the floor, not in the air - GG, TA, KB, etc.

[chakdaddy]

I would've taken him over LMA, he has all the tools...if he had a brain I'd still take him over Aldridge. It'd be close because Aldridge has exceeded expectations.

The Bulls should have known better after meeting the guy or hearing about his knuckleheadosity though.

I remember some hope that Aldridge would fall to us that draft. Instead we got Bassy

[GuyClinch]

Tyrus Thomas - though I would then trade Thomas is possible. He is the better player but too much of an a-hole to really root for..or at least thats the perception I get from watching him. His constant smirking combined with his comments about the dunk contest makes me dislike him. BBD is a lovable goof..not a great basketball player but personality wise he owns Thomas.

[billfromBoston]

Thomas has a considerably higher upside and with Clifford Ray around you know that he could really blossom in Boston. His jumper is solid and his shotblocking instincts are very good. He's got a young mentality though and he's definitely not as savvy as Davis. I think it's more immaturity than lack of feel for the game. I'd take Thomas because there's just so much potential there for him to be a Great roleplayer. I don't think Davis ever exceeds being a solid role player with moments of brilliance.

I'd take Davis actually...

Thomas has much better "potential"...the problem with that is he just isn't going to reach it - the guy is a mental migit - he reacts to every situations emotionally and doesn't think through the game - i doubt any level of aging/maturity will progress him enough to be anything more than what he is - a hit or miss type who will always be inconsistent.

I think Thomas' best years will be statistically solid - 17pts/8rbs/2blks maybe - but he will never be more than a uber-role player IMO - filling in the blanks and far, far too unreliable to count on as a primary offensive option - he's like Rasheed - there one day, not the next...good player in the rotation but a lock to be overpaid by someone.

Davis' biggest weakness is probably his discipline, but I think he's intelligent enough to become a very reliable system player - if he doesn't hang with the hamburgler as often, I think he can put up similiar numbers - 17pts/8rbs/3asts maybe - but will be more consistently reliable to execute as a true 3rd option offensive player - he is just better equiped mentally to learn game plans, study opponents, and NOT get sucked into on-court emotional wars...which Thomas will always be susceptible to...

[billfromBoston]

The funny thing is the Bulls fans are at it again, they think they can trade Thomas, Hinrich, and a low #1 for Amare.

Somebody on there said they should trade Thomas/Hinrich for Al Jefferson!

They are certainly on the same wavelength as their lowballing GM!

Don't laugh too loud...you might not hear it when the trade goes down...its not as far-fetched as it sounds...could see Amare going for a big package: Hinrich/Deng/Thomas and a 1st pick for Amare...Bulls put Noah/Amare/Salmons/Gordon/Rose out there and get rid of two large contracts they can afford to move while re-upping "Big Shot Ben" and Salmons - trade improves Chicago significantly.

Phoenix would lose Amare, but they'd be fast on their way toward rebuilding - Shaq/Thomas/Deng/Richardson/Nash fixes the issue of Amare's shots vs. everyone elses for a year and lets Lopez develop. Hinrich learns from Nash and takes over down the road - team hopes Thomas develops into a real PF, but has quality players to work with for the future and can work the draft/FA/trade to tweak...

[sunshinekids99]

Right now Davis is the better player, he's got a more polished game than Thomas. However Thomas has a huge amount of upside with his freakish athleticism.

[spf211]

I think if Tyrus Thomas had two years playing on the Celtics along with KG he'd be a much better player than he currently is. He needs to find a mentor sometime in the next two years or he's headed for Kwame Brown territory.

[MyInsatiableOne]

I say Davis but Thomas is going to be a good player once he gets some more seasoning...

[UGA Hayes]

I would take Thomas. I don't really understand why he didn't play more. Miller had a nice game 6 but I thought he was pretty big negative for the bulls in this series.