Al Thornton bought out and waived

[Dat2U]

Ruzious didn't say he couldn't play in this league. He just said he's not surprised that we didn't get anything for him. Thornton is a 9th or 10th man who has pretty much peaked as a player. Who is going to sacrifice anything of value for a guy like that just to rent him for 25 games?

I'm pretty certain Thornton will be on somebody's roster next year. He's not a bum. He's just not a
trade asset either.

Agreed. Thornton is just a step above an NBDL player. I'd have been shocked if he did have any trade value. He's honestly a guy who just fills out a roster. I wouldn't even consider him a reliable rotation player considering his inconsistencies. Certainly, he's capable of having a good game here and there but so are most guys who play in the NBA and get an opportunity.

Good luck to Al but he really won't be missed all that much.

[tontoz]

Al's inability to shoot outside 15 feet is a pretty big flaw for a wing player. I think he is probably better than average relative to backup 3s but that's about it.

[Ruzious]

Sorry, but Al has not been a productive or efficient player in the NBA, and age-wise - he should have reached his peak - so what upside is there? And not being able to adjust to what should have been an easy system for him to adapt to - didn't help and doesn't say much for his BBIQ. It didn't make much sense to expect to get anything for him.

sorry to your sorry, but i disagree. since when is 12 pts, 4 boards, 1.6+ steals+blocks, on 47% shooting unproductive, or inefficient for a 27mpg sf? at such a cheap contract to boot?

he might not have upside, but he's definitely worthy of an NBA roster spot. loads more than say... adam morrison. or miami's james jones. and as for his bball iq? i never saw any problems with it. sure he broke away from the system with his slashing and off-ball movement, but that's because Al had to play to his strengths. he isn't a "sit and wait for penetration" sf. he's a "move around and create space" sf,

i really liked thornton and thought his movement was pretty crucial in times when the wiz were shooting ice cold. a few thornton baskets here and there made the game exciting again. i loved that he got his buckets off-ball, and at the rim. he seemed angry when he had to settle for a jumper, and that's a lesson that AB would have benefited from learning.

again, sorry Ruz, but i think you're dead wrong on your AT assessment.

It's okay to disagree, but I never said he isn't worthy of an NBA roster spot. He is worthy of a roster spot. I said it was unrealistic to expect to get anything for him - and the fact that they tried and couldn't - and the fact that the Wiz got him for basically nothing - backs that view up. You're more impressed with those stats than I am, but I think you're off on the steals+blocks. Per basketball-reference.com, it's only 0.8 this season in 21.8 minutes and 1.1 for his career - in 29.1 minutes. And his FG % is good, but when you consider how few 3's he attempts, it's not very good. Him not even presenting a threat from 3 hurts his team - because most SF's at least present a threat. He's consistent in that each season he gives you about a 12 PER and decent defense. And at this stage of his career, that's not likely to change. He is what he is - worthy of a roster spot but not someone who's likely going to be a rotation player on a good team. Also, and maybe I'm not being fair here - but... he was the last guy I wanted to see on the court in crunch time of close games. That seemed to be the time when his lack of BBIQ really stuck out.

Edit - sorry nate - I missed your post - didn't mean to repeat what you said.

[Nivek]

Al's inability to shoot outside 15 feet is a pretty big flaw for a wing player. I think he is probably better than average relative to backup 3s but that's about it.

In a starter, you'd usually want either a well-rounded game or an elite specialist. By "elite," I mean someone like Bruce Bowen. Off the bench, you usually want some kind of specialty -- something that you don't have in the starting lineup that can add a dimension. Three-point shooting, lockdown defense, rebounding, ball handling, screen setting, physicality, toughness, speed, energy. Folks could probably add to the list. Al doesn't have a specialty and his all-around game isn't very good. It's tough to carve out a role when he doesn't do anything great.

His best bet is probably to make a commitment to being an elite defender and learning to shoot the corner three. Bowen, for example, didn't really break in until he was 26 years old. He didn't become a starter until he was 29. But Al's going to have to sublimate that ego, change the way he thinks about the game and work his ass off.

[closg00]

Is AT playing against us tonight?, you may see him get a season high against us tonight.

[pineappleheadindc]

Is AT playing against us tonight?, you may see him get a season high against us tonight.

No, not yet.

[Liverbird]

maybe they just were doing the right thing and giving Thornton a 25-game tryout with a new team to try and boost his free agency value.

I'm wondering why this doesn't happen more in the NBA. I'm sure there are a ton of players in the final year of their contract that are languishing at the end of the bench and need to boost their value. Is it possible that AT knew that GS wanted him? If he did, then isn't that against some sort of tampering rule? Maybe there is some secret black market among GMs where they make it known to the rest of the league who they're willing to buy out? I guess this would be a good thing since this kind of deal is apparently a win-win for everyone involved.

I think EG's willingness to "do right" by the player is underappreciated. Looking back over the past 2 years, EG has either traded players or bought out players into/seek a better situation. I believe that when we're ready to contend and begin to sign free agents etc...this will prove beneficial.