Tyrus Thomas drives baseline on San Antonio's Matt Bonner during the Bulls' opener. (Scott Strazzante/Tribune)
By K.C. Johnson
The Bulls sent Tyrus Thomas home from Tuesday morning's shootaround with flu-like symptoms.
Coach Vinny Del Negro said Thomas is expected to show up for Tuesday night's home game against the Bucks, at which time a determination will be made on his availability. Taj Gibson will start in Thomas' place should he not play.
The incident comes on the heels of Thomas not playing the entire fourth quarter of a close loss to the Heat in Miami on Sunday and one day after the deadline passed for Thomas to receive a contract extension.
The Tribune reported Monday that Thomas also took exception to Del Negro singling him out for failing to rotate defensively during a film session. Captain Lindsey Hunter talked to Thomas in full view of teammates and coaches following Monday's practice.
Thomas will be a restricted free agent next summer.
Well, maybe not so ideal – but big change to the world of internet.
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Hey.
I hope Tyrus Thomas will rocover soon from his illness. Upto next summer, I will get free form his restriction. Next time he will come with new enthusiasm to play his matches. Anyway Thanks.
Geez...three games into the season and you guys are ready to ship T.T. out of town for a bag of beans. Aldridge won't be playing anyways for a while (stress reaction in his knee).
I wouldn't put all the blame on Thomas. Our coach is a joke. Vinny Del No Knowledge doesn't have a clue to coach and consistently does not have our guys prepared for our games. If Scott Skiles was still coaching (who by the way should have never gotten fired) Thomas' development would not have been stunted. I respect Reinsdorf immensely but he needs to open his moneybags to get a real coach who can properly develop our guys and take this team to the next level.
Another misleading headline. Who is the editor for online sports??? You'd think Thomas was sent home with some disciplinary reason. But alas, it's the flu, with a bunch of insinuations that because of recent events it could be something else.
I wonder how many people would have clicked on the story if the headline was "Thomas sent home with flu".
OK - the experiment is over. Stop drafting unproven 19 yr olds. I am glad the Bulls did not give Tyrus an extension. It would have been a mistake (see Luol Deng). Time to cut the losses and trade him or bench him. I like what I have been seeing from Taj Gibeson. At least he is mature enough to be a professional.
Okay blandest22, so Chandler didn't "blossom" with CP3, but his opportunities went way up with a creative, and matured PG. He was an afterthought in Chicago and became an effective piece of the Hornets. Watch Okafor grow this year. The point is, even the best offensive 4's (of which Tyrus was never billed or sold as becoming) are on teams where they generate a ton of their own shots, save for maybe Dirk. If the PG doesn't draw a second defender on a drive or bring the respect of switch or chaser on a pick and pop or pick and roll (which Rose doesn't always get YET), the 4 will never get the looks that make him look like an offensive stud. Kidd, DeRon Williams, CP3, and Nash all draw extra-attention leaving the 4 to be dished to.
And let's please stop crying about an undersized SG who maintained a PER in the mid-teens like he was some kind of basketball Jesus. Salmons had a PER right in the same range. Get over it. Move on.
Actually, BG turned it down the first time and I believe the Bulls said at that time they would not offer it again. But at any rate, all I can say is THANK THE LORD they pulled it off the table!
"I'm tired of people crying about Ben Gordon, he's the one that rejected the contract (identical to the one he signed in Detroit)." - Paul O.
Wrong. Ben tried to sign a 6-year, 54 million contract before the start of training camp in 08 ($9 million per year). The Bulls pulled the offer off the table. He signed a 5-year, 58 million offer with the Pistons. ($11.6 million per year). Get your facts right before you start calling other people "idiots", you idiot.
NO Basketball I.Q. !
Should been a high jumper...
BPR, that's usually the case, but I think in this case it's code for DNP-VDN's sick of the guy.
I just wish Chicago would go ahead and move this guy. It's not that I do not like his talent. It's clear that he is a defensive player and in most regards a good one. He's undervalued in that respect. I'm pretty sure any time he's around the rim, the other teams offense is forced to adjust. Tyrus has 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in the 1st and 2nd quarter against Miami and was benched for what Vinny called "a lineup to spread the floor OFFENSIVELY." I'm pretty sure Tyrus Thomas came through quite big in the season opener just 2 games ago??? Did Vinny acknowledge that by allowing him to finish that game? No. So obviously if anyone didn't already know. Del Negro is an OFFENSIVE coach. If he really cares about defense, then bench Rose for Hinrich who is currently playing much better. Neither one really makes plays for their team (Rose in particular off a pick and roll), but Hinrich plays Defense.
Also image Tyrus Playing with a play maker like D-Wade (Think of Haslem or Moon) He would be talked about like an All Star.
I put the break up on Chicago and Paxson, not Tyrus.
Strengths: summarized by the often repeated description, "amazing athleticism".
Perhaps other teams will pay a premium for the potential he has to be a star. For the Bulls, he seems to lack enough professionalism and maturity to justify his cost.
I've met Tyrus. He's a jerk. A personality as bad as his outside shot. Feel sorry for anyone who has to coach him.
Your point is valid Vincent, but I would hardly say Chandler 'blossomed' with CP3. Chandler is terrible. He is a decent rebounder, but horrible offensively. He is not a good enough rebounder to make up for his terrible offense, like a Rodman or B. Wallace in their primes.
Tyrus has shown enough shades of talent that he's not worth getting rid of just yet. While quality at the 1-3 spots can largely be self-generated, quality from a 4, especially a young 4, is predicated on solid play from teammates. Tyson Chandler blossomed with CP3. Boozer plays better with DeRon, and Aldridge shines with Brandon Roy in Portland. Where do you see a 4 killing it without either a solid 1 or 2 driving and dishing or creating more pressure on the pick and roll? Tyrus' future hangs on the shoulders of Rose development. As teams learn to respect Rose and his game improves, expect Thomas to shine.
Unfortunately, this was a bad move by Paxson (and I thought so on draft day). We should have just kept Aldridge. He was better at the time and he is better now. This gamble didn't pay off.
Trade Tyrus for someone who can make shots and put points on the board.
So which one is it K.C.? Was he sent home for flu-like symptoms which you state early in the article. Or is this more of a punishment situation which you insinuate with the rest of the article regarding him taking exception to being called out in a film session. I guess it could be a mixture of both, but I read this article and just come away confused. If it's only the flu, you really do Thomas a disservice here. If it's him being reprimanded, you need to change first sentence of your article.
You guys know that "flu-like symptoms" is code for hungover, right?
Ben Perez...you seriously want the bulls to sign Thomas to an extention? Thomas sucks just in case you don't notice.
Also, Ben Perez how do you know what their intentions are with free agents?
You are correct, the Bulls didn't "draft" Thomas but since they traded their pick for him he still is the person that they left the draft with. What's the point in being technical when the point still stands that in the opinion of Ben Perez it ended up being a wasted move?That is the underlying point in case you missed it. In a sense I agree because Aldridge is currently better and because the bonus player in the trade ended up barely playing. However, if the Bulls stuck with Aldridge then maybe other things would have changed and we wouldn't have eventually ended up with Rose. . Therefore I'm cool with the fact that they traded for Thomas and hope that the circumstances (on the Bulls end and Thomas's) allow him to be the player that many of us believe that he can be. Unlike Ben Perez I am not going to predict that there will be no returns cause who knows what scenarios will play out.
Still a free country last time I checked. Perez is right. I HATE coaches that think they don't have to manage personalities. Bulls just going to be a team of glee club players??? Phil Jackson has to do it - so who does Vinny think he is??? He can join Scott Skiles if he wants to!
Ben Perez, how does having the flu make Thomas a wasted draft pick. He's been a decent player though he hasn't lived up to expectations. The season has just started, so hold your judgment to the end of the season. Oh and try to read the article.
You're an idiot...I'm tired of people crying about Ben Gordon, he's the one that rejected the contract (identical to the one he signed in Detroit). Tyrus Thomas wasn't drafted 4th by the Bulls, they traded for him. And he was only drafted 4th because of his jumping ability....1 year at LSU, c'mon. Outside of MAYBE 5 players, that draft was terrible.
Another wasted draft pick in Thomas and just like Gordon they will let him go and recieve nothing in return,(thats the 4th pick in the draft and the 2nd pick in the draft with no returns!) also they have no intention in signing any of the high priced freeagents so lets boycott the United Center and Jerry Reinsdorf for ruining one of the best franchises in Chicago sports history!