Tim Thomas (basketball)
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- For the NHL goaltender, see Tim Thomas (ice hockey).
| Position | Small forward |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Weight | 230 lb (100 kg) |
| Team | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Jersey | #2 |
| Born | February 26, 1977 Paterson, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| College | Villanova |
| Draft | 7th overall, 1997 New Jersey Nets |
| Pro career | 1997–present |
| Former teams | Philadelphia 76ers (1997–1999) Milwaukee Bucks (1999–2004) New York Knicks (2004–2005) Chicago Bulls (2005) Phoenix Suns (2006) |
Timothy (Tim) Mark Thomas (born on February 26, 1977, in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers.
After spending one year at Villanova he was drafted seventh overall by the New Jersey Nets in the 1997 NBA Draft and immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for the Sixers' draft pick Keith Van Horn. In 1999, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2004, he was traded, again in exchange for Van Horn, to the New York Knicks. While with the Knicks, after a playoff game against the New Jersey Nets, he referred to Kenyon Martin as a fugazi. On the eve of training camp in 2005, he was again traded, to the Chicago Bulls along with Michael Sweetney in a package that brought Eddy Curry to New York. Chicago sent him home for good in early 2006, waived him in March, and he finished that year with Phoenix. With the Suns, he became known as the one who knocked the Los Angeles Lakers out of the opening round of the playoffs that year with his shattering 3-pointer near the end of game 6; before his team ultimately went on to lose in the Western Conference Finals to Dallas.
Thomas stands at 208 cm (6 ft 10 in) and weighs 108.9 kg (240 lb). Thomas can play shooting guard, small forward and power forward, but spends most of his time at small forward. He has tremendous range and athleticism, and has, throughout his career, been able to make an immediate impact coming into a game cold. His career stats are 11.9 points per game, 1.4 assists per game, and four rebounds per game.
Thomas was at his prime in the 2000-01 season where he averaged a career high 13.4 ppg. On January 5th, 2001, Thomas connected on eight three-point field goals in the second half of Milwaukee’s 119-115 victory over Portland, breaking the record of seven three-pointers made in one half shared by 10 players. He currently shares the record with Michael Redd. During his time with the Bucks, then teammate Ray Allen was quoted as saying "Tim Thomas could be the best player in the league".[citation needed] Ray Allen was also quoted as calling him a quantifiable underachiever and all Tim Thomas could is threaten him with violence. After that year, Thomas was rewarded with a large contract by then GM Herb Kohl, with the deal worth roughly 6 years at $66 million. While bouncing around from team to team, Thomas rejuvenated his career in the 2006 playoffs playing alongside 2-time MVP Steve Nash. He signed a 4 year, 24 million dollar contract with a well known struggling franchise, the Los Angeles Clippers on July 13, 2006.
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[edit] NBA highlights
On May 4, 2006, in game 6 of the first round of the western conference divisional playoffs, Thomas hit a crushing game-tying three pointer with 6 seconds left in regulation to spare the 2nd seeded Phoenix Suns from elimination against the 7th seeded Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns went on to win that game in the overtime period when Thomas hit another important three pointer to force a game 7; a game in which they won by 31 points to claim the series and complete the 3-1 series comeback.
[edit] Criticism
Many people in the basketball business have criticised Thomas for not reaching his full potential as a player mostly because of his poor work ethic. The Chicago Bulls actually sent him home during 2005-06 season and eventually waived him because the organization believed Thomas would have a negative effect on the team.[1]
[edit] Awards
- Thomas was on the Second NBA All-Rookie Team in 1997-98 season.
- He won the The Sporting News Freshman of the Year during the 1996-97 season.
- Was three-time All American at Paterson Catholic High School in Paterson, New Jersey.[2]
[edit] Trivia
- Traded for Keith Van Horn at two separate times (1997 - Nets/Sixers, 2004 - Knicks/Bucks)
- Was considered to be better than Kobe Bryant by many during his days at Paterson Catholic.Won the MVP award for the Magic Johnson Roundball Classic, scoring 21 points.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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