The major difference between Thornton and Thad

[Stanford]

Lets live in reality sixers fan This kid Thorton has had games where hes put up 50pts in college.

1. Thorton scored 45pts on miami in a major game in march(I apologize for intentionally decieving the Jury)

That went from multiple 50 point games to ONE 40 point game pretty quick. I would hope that a guy known for his scoring could put up at 40 points at least once against kids up to 4 years younger then him.

2 Believe it or not The sixers may be in the lottery this year(Atlanta is Beating Goldenstate at the half)

That has nothing to do with managements expectations in June.

3.The sixers picked Larry Hughes over Paul pierce under simallar circumstances as the ....young over thornton ...pick

LOL. Pierce was not 24 years old at the end of his rookie year.

[THFM]

Thorton has NO back to the basket moves at all and for somebody the same size as Thad he defense is as good as Korver's and he can't rebound at 6'8? Honestly he averages the same as Young but Young was put on the bench and barley got mintues in the start of the season. I bet my account, I bet ANYTHING Young will be better then Thorton and Thorton will be out the league in 6 years.

[SendEm]

There isn't any comparing Thornton to Thad. Thornton is 5 years older than Thad. Thad is still a teenager. Thornton is Willie Burton, a gunner. The Clippers drafted a high energy gunner. We all know that certain kinds of basketball fans can ONLY understand points scored and highlight reel plays made. Thad is a high percentage shooting teenager who is developing a complete floor game. Thornton will NEVER be anything more than a player looking for his own shot like Willie Burton and Vernon Maxwell.

[Sixerscan]

Make the comparison between a healthy Michael Redd (or Eddy Curry if you want a big guy) and a healthy Marcus Camby/ younger Dikembe Mutombo level defensive player and it's a lot closer call for who you build around.

I'll amend what I said by saying a dominant defensive big man is a little different than great defensive wings and guards. Thornton and Thad don't apply to this.

But I do have to ask, is it really fair to compare Mutombo to Curry? Deke is one of the great defensive players of all time, Curry is averaging 13 ppg right now and has been a top 30 scorer once in 7 years. Even Camby is one of the top defenders in the game today and would have made a couple all star teams if could stay healthy. At least in the Redd/Bowen comparison Bowen has widely been known as one of the best wing defenders around for a couple years now.

[Stanford]

-= original quote snipped =-



I'll amend what I said by saying a dominant defensive big man is a little different than great defensive wings and guards. Thornton and Thad don't apply to this.

But I do have to ask, is it really fair to compare Mutombo to Curry? Deke is one of the great defensive players of all time, Curry is averaging 13 ppg right now and has been a top 30 scorer once in 7 years. Even Camby is one of the top defenders in the game today and would have made a couple all star teams if could stay healthy. At least in the Redd/Bowen comparison Bowen has widely been known as one of the best wing defenders around for a couple years now.

Plus, there's no comparing Deke on offense to Curry on defense/rebounding. Deke is lightyears ahead.

[dbodner]

Thads bball i q is tremendous in all facets of the game except on the offensive end

I stopped reading right there. I'd love to hear why you think Thad doesn't have a good offensive basketball IQ.

[dbodner]

I don't think you can build a winning team around a one dimensional scorer or a one-dimensional defensive player

Do you mean build a team around, i.e. be the best player on that team, or be a member of that team? Ben Wallace and Bruce Bowen were certainly offensively inept, but were both big contributors to champions.

As 'Scan said, I would rather have a top flight scorer (re: top 10 in league) that can't play defense than a lock down defender that can't score. But if we're talking about role players, or even mid-tier scorers (15-18 ppg)? Give me the defender. Guys like Ben Wallace (at least in his heyday) and Bruce Bowen are, IMO, more valuable than guys like Cuttino Mobley or Antoine Walker. I don't think either Thornton or Thad will be top 10 scorers in the league. I definitely like Thad's all-around game a lot more than Thornton's.

[carltong23]

Since when does scoring more points mean you have a better offensive IQ. I mean, this isnt little league or even high school. This is the NBA. It isnt all about who scores the most points. Its about knowing where to be on plays, knowing when to pass and when to shoot, setting picks and moving without the ball. Just because Thornton at age 24 scores more than Thad doesnt mean hes a better offensive player. And lets not forget, Thad doesnt have any plays run for him yet he still manages to contribute offensively almost every night. Of course Thorton is going to score more when Dunleavy is running plays for him like hes Kobe.

[Sandalf42]

Thaddeus Young is 19. Al Thornton is 24. End of discussion.

[kingofthecourt67]

I remember one of the knocks on Thornton was that he puts his head down a lot while driving, well I saw that a lot yesterday which was one of the reasons for his turnovers. He needs to look up and figure out when to pass so his patterns aren't necessarily so predictable.

[Stanford]

Thaddeus Young is 19. Al Thornton is 24. End of discussion.

Come on bro. Petteri Koponen is 19 too. I'm 19. Big deal.

[P2K]

Since when does scoring more points mean you have a better offensive IQ. I mean, this isnt little league or even high school. This is the NBA. It isnt all about who scores the most points. Its about knowing where to be on plays, knowing when to pass and when to shoot, setting picks and moving without the ball. Just because Thornton at age 24 scores more than Thad doesnt mean hes a better offensive player. And lets not forget, Thad doesnt have any plays run for him yet he still manages to contribute offensively almost every night. Of course Thorton is going to score more when Dunleavy is running plays for him like hes Kobe.

Agreed, but you can just watch their games and see that Thornton is much more natural scorer. That's not a slight on Thad. I'd rather much have Thad right now. I just hope Thad develops more aggressiveness on the offensive end. That's what I like so much about Lou Williams.

[UptownPhilly]

I don't think Young will be a very passive player when his offensive game matures. He'll more than likely develop a respectable handle, and his jumper will definitely improve.

[76ciology]

The difference between Al Thornton and Thaddeus Young are their potential, which is different based on personal opinions.

Right now, there is no question that Thornton is better than Thaddeus Young. Thornton's game is more refined, especially on the offensive end. And on Thaddeus Young's defense, he is five years younger than Thornton.

But If I would be to choose between the two, I'd still take Thaddeus Young over Al Thornton. Because I do believe that Sixers are in a situation where they need to keep taking risks to find that franchise player that would carry us over this hump. And based on my personal opinion, Thaddeus Young is the risk worth taking.

[freshie2]

I don't think Young will be a very passive player when his offensive game matures. He'll more than likely develop a respectable handle, and his jumper will definitely improve.

I was thinking about this as well. He appears to have such a mild demeanor, but it doesn't carry over onto the court. When he gets the ball inside of 15', he's looking to score. He hesitates on the 15-20' jumper right now, but I think that confidence will come in time as he continues to develop his shot.

[dbodner]

Agreed, but you can just watch their games and see that Thornton is much more natural scorer

Since when does being a natural score equate to basketball IQ? I would say Louis Williams is a much more natural scorer than thad. But I would say Thad has a higher offensive IQ than williams. Settings screens, moving without the ball, playing within your limits, coming to the top of the key when they're in a zone. This has nothing to do with your natural inclination IMO.

[SendEm]

I think that Michael Jordan's impact on the game of basketball has made too many basketball fans overvalue scoring. Thornton is a bum player and will always be a bum player. He is the poorman's verson of the poorman's Tracy McGrady. Thornton can go get your team 15-17 points EASILY but with no rebounds, no assists, a few turnovers and a low shooting percentage. When Thornton was Thad's age he was like the millionth best college player. Thad is ALREADY in the NBA and doing well. It isn't even close.

[steveb21]

Last time I checked basketball was still a TEAM game. What point is there in comparing two rookes who play in two different systems, who have different supporting casts, who are asked to do different things?

Wasn't Thornton expected to come in and make a contribution right away? Wasn't Thaddeus considered more of a project player? I think you're talking apples and oranges here but for what it's worth I think Thaddeus has outperformed his expectations so far.

[P2K]

Agreed, but you can just watch their games and see that Thornton is much more natural scorer

Since when does being a natural score equate to basketball IQ? I would say Louis Williams is a much more natural scorer than thad. But I would say Thad has a higher offensive IQ than williams. Settings screens, moving without the ball, playing within your limits, coming to the top of the key when they're in a zone. This has nothing to do with your natural inclination IMO.

Wholeheartedly agree. That's why I didn't understand when someone else brought up the IQ deal.

[P2K]

I think that Michael Jordan's impact on the game of basketball has made too many basketball fans overvalue scoring. Thornton is a bum player and will always be a bum player. He is the poorman's verson of the poorman's Tracy McGrady. Thornton can go get your team 15-17 points EASILY but with no rebounds, no assists, a few turnovers and a low shooting percentage. When Thornton was Thad's age he was like the millionth best college player. Thad is ALREADY in the NBA and doing well. It isn't even close.

I don't understand what and whom you are arguing. Pretty much everyone here are taking Thad.


Overvalue scoring is false. Nobody is talking up big points. What I, personally, am talking about is an aggressiveness on the offensive end. To where the playere is actually someone that needs to be looked after by the opposition in an offense. Thornton has that. I'm still taking Thad by alot, though.