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The Mavs' Tim Thomas: Can You Cheer For Him While He Cheerleads?
How Veteran 3-Point Ace Compares To Others In NBA 11th-Man Role
Mike Fisher and Jonathan Grishman-- DB.com
Fans’ initial reaction to the Mavs’ acquisition of Tim Thomas was something less than welcoming. Part of that comes from Thomas having conflicted with Dirk Nowitzki in the 2006 NBA Playoffs, of course. But just as influential, we think, is the belief that the 13-year veteran might no longer worthy of being a front-of-the-rotation player for a title contender.
But what if he’s not front-of-the-rotation? Would he be acceptable then?
Thomas seems to have come to grips with his role.
“It doesn’t matter,’’ Thomas tells tells DallasBasketball.com. “I was saying to coach (Rick Carlisle) when I signed, ‘However you want to use me, use me. If you want me to be a cheerleader tonight, so be it. If you want me to play 100 minutes tonight, so be it.’ It doesn’t matter.’’
So now it’s just the rest of us who have to come to grips with Thomas as a Mav – starting with understanding what his role might be … and comparing him to the other 29 NBA players who assume that same modest role.
What if Tim Thomas is Dallas’ 10th or 11th man? A backup-backup who indeed plays “cheerleader’’ for the bulk of the games? Isn’t he worthy of that? How does he compare then? Is he welcome then?
Let’s take an NBA-wide glance …
After studying the stats of all 30 NBA teams during the 2008-09 season, we’ve determined who served as the “11th man’’ for each squad. We’ve based it on nothing more than minutes per game (of course, for different teams at different times, reality isn’t quite so cut-and-dried) but we do find it rather instructive.
To wit:
Team Player Minutes Stats
Atlanta Hawks Speedy Claxton PG 7.5 min 2.5 pts 1.5 asst
Boston Celtics Leon Powe F 17.5 min 7.7 pts, 4.9 reb 0.54 blk
Charlotte Bobcats Juwan Howard PF 11.5 min 4.4 pts, 1.8 reb
Chicago Bulls Tim Thomas PF 14.1 min 5.8 pts, 2.3 reb
Cleveland Cavaliers Darnell Jackson PF 5.0 min 0.4 pts 1.0 reb
Dallas Mavericks James Singleton SF 14.3 min 5.1 pts 4.0 reb
Denver Nuggets Renaldo Balkman F 2.5 min 0.5 pts 0.5 reb
Detroit Pistons Will Bynum PG 14.1 min 7.2 pts 1.3 reb 2.8 asst
Golden State Warriors Marco Belinelli SG 21.0 min 8.9 pts 1.0 reb 2.1 asst
Houston Rockets Brent Barry SF 15.3 min 3.7 pts 1.7 reb
Indiana Pacers Stephen Graham SF 13.2 min 5.4 pts 1.8 reb 0.6 asst
Los Angeles Clippers Brian Skinner PF/C 16.5 min 4.2 pts 4.0 reb
Los Angeles Lakers Josh Powell PF/C 5.2 min 2.1 pts 1.2 reb. 0.3 asst
Memphis Grizzlies Darius Miles SF 8.8 min 3.5 pts 1.7 reb 0.5 asst
Miami Heat Chris Quinn G 14.6 min 1.6 pts 1.0 asst
Milwaukee Bucks Dan Gadzuric C 14.0 min 4.0 pts 3.8 reb
Minnesota T’Wolves Brian Cardinal PF 14.2 min 3.0 pts 2.2 reb
New Jersey Nets C Douglas-Roberts SG 13.3 min 4.9 pts 1.2 asst 1.1 reb
NO Hornets Morris Peterson SG 12.0 min 4.4 pts 1.5 reb
New York Knicks J. Crawford SG 11.5 min 4.5 pts 2.0 reb - Total 2 games
Okla City Thunder D.J. White PF 18.6 min 8.9 pts 4.6 reb
Orlando Magic Marcin Gortat PF 12.6 min 3.8 pts 4.5 reb
Philadelphia 76ers Royal Ivey PG 12.1 min 3.0 pts 0.6 asst
Phoenix Suns Louis Amundson PF 13.7 min 4.2 pts 3.6 asst
Portland Trailblazers Sergio Rodriguez PG 5.4 min 0.8 pts 1.4 asst
Sacramento Kings Donte Green PF 13.2 min 3.8 pts 1.6 reb
San Antonio Spurs George Hill G 16.5 min 5.7 pts 1.8 asst 0.6 stls
Toronto Raptors Quincy Douby G 11.1 min 4.3 pts 27 total games
Utah Jazz Kosta Koufos 11.8 min 4.7 pts 2.9 reb
Washington Wizards Darius Songaila PF 19.8 min 7.4 pts 2.9 reb
What do we learn here in the raw numbers?
*Seven of the 30 players who could be called “the 11th man’’ started or consistently produced for their team playing more than 10 minutes.
*Six of the 30 players played less than 10 minutes per game.
*Five of the 30 players were rookies.
*James Singleton performed this function for the 2009 Mavs.
More, what do we deduct from the numbers?
*Only one player, Marcin Gortat, seems to have been able to use his role at his team’s 11th man to springboard into celebrity, a notable payday or a massively upgraded role.
*The Mavs seem to be a leading breeding ground for such players, with former Dallas team members Juwan Howard and Josh Powell joining Singleton and Thomas.
*If you get eight points per game out of such a player … or if you get four rebounds per game out of such a player …
*You might have yourself an emerging contributor. But more likely, as with the Warriors, Thunder and Wizards, you have yourself a bad team giving playing time to people all the way down to the end of the bench out of desperation.
The Mavs are neither “bad’’ nor “desperate.’’
They do need an upgrade from the arc, as Dirk Nowitzki notes. “We were in the bottom five or six in 3-point shooting last season,’’ Dirk says, “and he can help us in that area.’’
Yet they can afford to be patient waiting for Thomas, who underwent minor knee surgery this week and is expected to miss at least a month.
“Tim Thomas is a guy who's been a three-position player and has played at a high level in the playoffs, a guy the Mavs have played against,’’ Carlisle says. “He's been difficult for them as a matchup. He's got a knee issue right now, which he's getting through, but we know he's a guy who can help us.
So Dallas isn’t bad and Dallas isn’t desperate and they are paying the guy the vet’s-minimum $1.03 mil on an expiring deal and he’s going to spend a lot of time “cheerleading.’’ …
“Look at our roster and look at the guys we have,’’ says Thomas, again bowing to his position down the Dallas totem pole. “I’m just excited to be with a team that is going for the ultimate goal.’’
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340pm sept 30 2009
