Is JT the odd man out?

[NashtyNas]

Hey Kings fans, I'm a Suns fan and I have a few questions for you about your team and players.

I've noticed that Jason Thompson, your savior from just a couple seasons ago, has lost his starting spot. Not only that, the man has had his minutes cut nearly into half (from 29 to 15) in just his third NBA season. Is there a reason for the demotion, or is it just because there's too many bigs that need minutes on your team.

To me, it looks like Landry is definitely the better option for your team, considering his man-to-man defense and ability to stretch the floor on offense. Does this mean Thompson is the odd man out and on the block? My Suns are in DIRE need of a PF/C, and some of us believe Thompson would flourish alongside Nash.

So on to my next question, does anyone know if Thompson is available (insider sources) and what would Sac be looking for in return? Where do you guys need an upgrade?

Thanks in advance for your help guys, much appreciated!

[sacking101]

Jt does seem to be the 4th big but Landry is definitely the better offensive player and I personally prefer him but there is a chance him and Dalembert are gone after this season. JT is locked up for a few years so if management trades anyone it will be Dally and westphal loves him so that is even not likely.

[LosBreezy]

Well I'd prefer giving Thompson more minutes than Landry but we have a hell of a coach. *sigh*

[SacKingZZZ]

No question, both he and Donte are the odd men out. I'm sure one of Landry or Thompson will be available for the right price come the deadline. I can say with some certainty however Petrie will not give JT away. Unfortunately for him much more time in the role he's currently in he may have to. I think with him playing more at SF his minutes will go up. Just an assumption on my end but I think Petrie let Westphal know that he wants to see more time from JT if for nothing more than to preserve some value out of a very talented young-ish player.

[SacKingZZZ]

Well I'd prefer giving Thompson more minutes than Landry but we have a hell of a coach. *sigh*

Landry is clearly the better player between the two and there are serious questions with both as to whether or not they even fit this team.

[SacKingZZZ]

Jt does seem to be the 4th big but Landry is definitely the better offensive player and I personally prefer him but there is a chance him and Dalembert are gone after this season. JT is locked up for a few years so if management trades anyone it will be Dally and westphal loves him so that is even not likely.

Not entirely something to rely on however, he'll be in the same position next fall that guys like Jeff Green and Greg Oden are in now. Do you extend him? Or chance losing him the next summer?

[Wolfay]

Well I'd prefer giving Thompson more minutes than Landry but we have a hell of a coach. *sigh*

Landry is clearly the better player between the two and there are serious questions with both as to whether or not they even fit this team.

To say that he's clearly better is pure bias. Landry has the edge on offense, but pretty much everything else is a wash or JT has the edge. I don't know how you can argue otherwise.

[SacKingZZZ]

One thing I dislike about message boards, or sports talk in general, is the idea of "bias". I'm not some kind of Landry fan boy or a JT hater. I simply look at the games and relay what I see to formulate my opinion. Hell, the only thing I'm biased about this year is playing Dalembert and Cousins together! Take that JT and Landry!!!

JT is very, very inconsistent and that can have an entirely negating effect to whatever talents he can possibly bring over Landry. I do think JT has way more potential as an overall player just in terms of his capabilities, but so does Darko Milicic, i.e, doesn't tell me much. Consistency means so much in this league and usually separates ones who start from ones who come off the bench all the way to who even sticks in the league and who doesn't. In this age old battle of "JT vs. Landry" it usually comes back to the fact that JT rebounds and Landry doesn't. Something that lessens the argument for Jason in my mind is the fact that we aren't necessarily getting creamed on the boards night after night, so since playing him probably relies heavily on the basis of need, the consistent offensive play, screening, defensive positioning, etc. that Landry brings almost every game far outweigh the level to which JT can bring those very same things even more so. DISCLAIMER: not in a potential sense however. I think JT has more athletic tools to be able to surpass Landry in most, if not all those areas outside of individual offense. Haven't seen it yet though, and considering JT isn't really a "young pup" anymore, as the days go by it becomes less and less likely we will see it.

I still would like to see more of that "big" lineup with Landry, JT, and Cuz/Daly in there at the same time. Good way to at least give JT minutes because he's CLEARLY, and I'm sure we can all agree on this, more talented than being relegated to "Jon Brockman" minutes.

[ICMTM]

To be honest with you neither guy has shown to be the guy! They say in the NFL if you have two quarterbacks that you really don't have a QB (yes the Eagles are proving the saying wrong)? I see that here being the case with us @ PF.

You can also follow the money. Carl Landry's contract was not extended and he will be a free agent. Jason Thompson's rookie deal was extended. The Kings, if Landry plays well, have a valuable S&T piece at the worst while Jason is locked up regardless. So if CL gets 18/8/3 he's easily worth $10m a year. Add him with another player and you can trade for a max guy, or another very good player. If you give that playing time to JT, then JT BETTER pan out. Although he has the tools on some nights he plays like a tool on other nights.

Playing CL is kind of a no brainer when you look at it that way. You have JT locked up, but you have the option with Carl there as well. I don't think either guy gives us a better chance to win though right now. Dalembert's arrival is what has cut into JT's minutes. JT was playing the 4/5 off the bench a lot and it works fairly well. With Cousins and Dalembert taking all of those minutes his role is only to play behind Carl.

I'm not too worried about the minutes though as I am with who's playing at what time. I also don't like the Cousins/Landy/Thompson lineups I've been seeing.

[ICMTM]

One thing I dislike about message boards, or sports talk in general, is the idea of "bias". I'm not some kind of Landry fan boy or a JT hater. I simply look at the games and relay what I see to formulate my opinion. Hell, the only thing I'm biased about this year is playing Dalembert and Cousins together! Take that JT and Landry!!!

JT is very, very inconsistent and that can have an entirely negating effect to whatever talents he can possibly bring over Landry. I do think JT has way more potential as an overall player just in terms of his capabilities, but so does Darko Milicic, i.e, doesn't tell me much. Consistency means so much in this league and usually separates ones who start from ones who come off the bench all the way to who even sticks in the league and who doesn't. In this age old battle of "JT vs. Landry" it usually comes back to the fact that JT rebounds and Landry doesn't. Something that lessens the argument for Jason in my mind is the fact that we aren't necessarily getting creamed on the boards night after night, so since playing him probably relies heavily on the basis of need, the consistent offensive play, screening, defensive positioning, etc. that Landry brings almost every game far outweigh the level to which JT can bring those very same things even more so. DISCLAIMER: not in a potential sense however. I think JT has more athletic tools to be able to surpass Landry in most, if not all those areas outside of individual offense. Haven't seen it yet though, and considering JT isn't really a "young pup" anymore, as the days go by it becomes less and less likely we will see it.

I still would like to see more of that "big" lineup with Landry, JT, and Cuz/Daly in there at the same time. Good way to at least give JT minutes because he's CLEARLY, and I'm sure we can all agree on this, more talented than being relegated to "Jon Brockman" minutes.

The thing is SacKingZZZ is I know you're going to come with an anti JT message BEFORE I read it. I'm not saying you're frontin' or anything like that. I'm just saying as a player you've made it clear you're not a fan of his game.

That's fine with me. I am a fan of his potential, but I'm finding myself going back and forth on whether he can reach it.

[Wolfay]

Even where JT is at now, disregarding his potential, I still don't know how you can say Landry is clearly better than JT. You can say he is a little better, and I might even agree with you, but he's not clearly better. Using that word indicates to me some sort of bias.

[SacKingZZZ]

The thing is SacKingZZZ is I know you're going to come with an anti JT message BEFORE I read it. I'm not saying you're frontin' or anything like that. I'm just saying as a player you've made it clear you're not a fan of his game.

That's fine with me. I am a fan of his potential, but I'm finding myself going back and forth on whether he can reach it.

And why should it be any different!? HE'S NOT PRODUCING consistently. The truth is anti-JT all of a sudden!? No, I think the "bias" is truly coming out and it ain't from this end.

I've never once neglected the positives about his game and in fact, I posted a few in my message above. Anyone that wants to pick out certain things is more than welcome to do so, but don't pick them out and base an entire argument around them as if that's all that is there.

[Wolfay]

The thing is SacKingZZZ is I know you're going to come with an anti JT message BEFORE I read it. I'm not saying you're frontin' or anything like that. I'm just saying as a player you've made it clear you're not a fan of his game.

That's fine with me. I am a fan of his potential, but I'm finding myself going back and forth on whether he can reach it.

And why should it be any different!? HE'S NOT PRODUCING consistently. The truth is anti-JT all of a sudden!? No, I think the "bias" is truly coming out and it ain't from this end.

I've never once neglected the positives about his game and in fact, I posted a few in my message above. Anyone that wants to pick out certain things is more than welcome to do so, but don't pick them out and base an entire argument around them as if that's all that is there.

And neither is Landry. The only consistent things from Landry is his poor defense and poor rebounding. The anti-JT thing from you is not all of the sudden either, as you've been doing it for a while now.

[SacKingZZZ]

And neither is Landry. The only consistent things from Landry is his poor defense and poor rebounding. The anti-JT thing from you is not all of the sudden either, as you've been doing it for a while now.

And when have I been championing the name of Landry as of late!? You can't have it both ways. Neither is doing all that great, in spurts maybe, but once again, if I'm anti-JT then I guess the coaching staff is too since they are the ones dictating his minutes when all I heard on this board was about JT being "the guy" at that spot before the season and moving forward. Heh, maybe I'm the delusional one, but I can say everything I've seen thusfar points to the opposite.

[Wolfay]

And when have I been championing the name of Landry as of late!? You can't have it both ways. Neither is doing all that great, in spurts maybe, but once again, if I'm anti-JT then I guess the coaching staff is too since they are the ones dictating his minutes when all I heard on this board was about JT being "the guy" at that spot before the season and moving forward. Heh, maybe I'm the delusional one, but I can say everything I've seen thusfar points to the opposite.

You said, "Landry is clearly the better player between the two". And again, you said clearly. You're the one who is trying to have both ways.

[longfellow44]

The issue truely at play here is that thompson makes a lot of careless mistakes and westphal has been pulling him for making the same mistakes over and over again. If thompson can go out there and play some solid minutes with fewer mistakes his playing time will increase. I just see the minute cut back as a result of westphal trying to make him be more careful on the court.

[ICMTM]

If you don't like a player it's not the end of the world. Remember it was Spencer v. JT and now it's Landry v. JT. It seems like if there is an option not named Jason Thompson you'd rather explore that. If that's how you see it...that's how you see it.

In my eyes the only absolute we have on the team is Tyreke Evans.

[sacking101]

If you don't like a player it's not the end of the world. Remember it was Spencer v. JT and now it's Landry v. JT. It seems like if there is an option not named Jason Thompson you'd rather explore that. If that's how you see it...that's how you see it.

In my eyes the only absolute we have on the team is Tyreke Evans.

Well demarcus has shown flashes that show he can definitely be a very good-great starter. Landry, cisco, Dally, and beno would be solid off the bench but definitely not starters on a contending team

[SacKingZZZ]

Yeah, and surprise surprise, here's the option I'd like to explore: Daly and Cousins vs. EVERYBODY.

I didn't like JT starting at C, sorry, still don't. Starting at PF? In the right situation, as of yet, this isn't it.

[SacKingZZZ]

Well demarcus has shown flashes that show he can definitely be a very good-great starter. Landry, cisco, Dally, and beno would be solid off the bench but definitely not starters on a contending team

Oh, Daly and Beno most certainly can in the right situation. I've seen enough of Daly and Cousins to know they will work together more often than not. Sure, there may be some bad matchups or growing pains, but Daly is fast and athletic enough (Chris Webber agrees) to play next to Cousins. Cousins has to have some type of shotblocker next to him. Cousins carries the offensive load and somebody has his back on D while both munch up boards. Whiteside and Daly are here and I think there's your rotation next to Cousins in the future perhaps.