It's a slam dunk

Tyrus Thomas is a villain. Why? Because he was honest. He was only going to go to the slam dunk competition to pick up a check. Now that's a stupid thing on at least two levels. First, it's stupid to admit that. We know what ESPN and the sports talk scene is going to do with that.

Secondly, the winner gets like $35k. Thomas is being paid $3.25 mil or so. And he's going for a check? Stupid.

However....that's not the real story here. There are two better stories.

The first one is that he was fined for saying it. John Paxson said how much of an honor it should be for Tyrus to participate. It reflected badly on Tyrus and the Bulls. But, the fine itself brought more attention to it than the actual quote did. The fact is that the NBA is very sensitive about it's image. They have a problem in that people think these guys are overpaid mercenaries who care more about style than substance and only do it for the money.

Thomas' comments seem to validate that image. But let's step back a second. The reigning dunk champ is noted turd Nate Robinson, who lost a game for the Knicks because he wanted to showboat. The dunk competition is a complete joke in the first place. It hasn't been noteworthy for 15 years at least. It is a problem in and of itself. It celebrates style over substance. Wait. Could it be possible that the NBA has made a bed selling style over substance and now has to face some small consequences?

The dunk competition should be scrapped for a 3 on 3 tournament featuring current players and possibly recently retired guys like Pippen, Malone, Jordan, and Shaq. Oh, wait, technically Shaq is still active.

The second part of the story is Thomas' relationship to the Bulls. Before the story broke he was a seldom used PF with huge upside and an incredible quick jumper. Today, if you read Sam Smith, he's a condescending jerk who the Bulls only drafted because it was a weak draft, and hey he has some talent.

There are hints that he doesn't fit the mold of what Paxson is putting together. Tie that together with the fact that the Bulls have a 3-4 year window with Big Ben, and the fact that Gasol (and Garnett?) are on the market, and I think there is a very good possibility that Thomas is gone before the trade deadline.

Thomas, Brown, pick + ?? for Gasol and Warrick anyone?