| Re: Ethan Thomas Powers Wizards
For much of his first five years with the Wizards, the brutish 6-foot-9 center was relegated to being an extremely large understudy. Though respected throughout the league for his physical play and relentlessness around the basket, Thomas had started just 34 games and never averaged more than 24.1 minutes a game in a season.
But after four consecutive years sitting behind Brendan Haywood, Thomas was looking to step to the forefront. "I know he wasn't happy coming off the bench," says Jordan, who was coaching Washington in the Las Vegas Summer League at the time of the phone call. "He wanted to know what he could do to change that."
Jordan's response was simple: rebound, defend and hustle. In other words, do what you do best. Washington has been one of the league's most prolific offenses since Jordan was hired in 2003, finishing in the top six in scoring in each of the last two seasons. With gunners Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison dominating the ball, Jordan had little need for another scorer in his lineup.
"He told me he didn't care if I had 'X' number of points or 'Y' number of assists," Thomas says. "We already have guys who can score. He just wanted me to go out there and be a presence."
Refreshing...a player wanting to know what he needs to do to start...  | 
11-17-2006, 06:50 PM
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