Fresh Look for Final Stretch
February 24, 2009 by Jason Thompson
Big trade deadline last week. We made a lot of moves and had a lot of vets go. Brad Miller and John Salmons were traded to the Bulls. It’s cool for John since he’s from Philly and he gets to be closer to home. And for Brad, besides being a starter, he gave me a lot of good looks and advice on how to be a player in this League. He told me how he worked from being an undrafted player to an All-Star. Then we saw Mikki and Quincy waived as well. I had great relationships with all those guys. But that’s just the business of the NBA — people can be moved at any time. It’s a tough situation but we have to move on with the new guys. Obviously the organization wanted change. I guess that’s the big word of this new year with the President and our team. Hopefully he’s successful and we are too.
I’m still going to keep in contact with the guys that left, especially the older guys. I thanked them for putting me underneath their wings — just not for the popcorn! I’m kidding. I learned a lot from them. Obviously as a team, we’ve had ups and downs. And as a rookie, I’ve been through a lot. Even though we’re not on the same team anymore, I still have a lot of respect for those guys. I’m going to miss them, but I know I’ll see them again later on down the road.
It’s early, but I’m trying to build a relationship with the new guys as well. It’s obviously going to be a process. I don’t think a lot of our guys knew any of the new players before. The more opportunities we have in practice and games, the more comfortable we’ll become. I think it’s going to be a good opportunity for us. The core guys who’ve been here are going to eventually gel with the new guys.
A lot has been made of my frustrations on the court lately. I think if I’m not frustrated when I’m in foul trouble, then I don’t know how I should act. People tell me to play through it, but if I’m in foul trouble, I’m not playing. So that myth goes out the window. Also people have told me that it’s normal because I’m a rookie, but I try to have an aggressive mentality because I don’t want to play like a rookie. Obviously I want to be great, so I’m going to go through these rocky roads in my career. I’m trying to adapt and learn how to play defense differently, which might mean I can’t be as aggressive as I want. But I still want to put my stamp on the game. When I play, I’m not going to let guys push me around. I’m willing to take a foul for the team. I may get upset when I’m not playing due to foul trouble, but I have faith in my team to maintain the energy I bring even when I’m off the court.
Everyone is going to have their opinion on my style of play. I haven’t played a full season yet, so I don’t think you can judge how I play yet. Besides, naysayers aren’t on the court experiencing the situations I’m going through — it’s a matter of perspective. You may look at one guy who’s supposedly not whining, and they’ll say he’s playing tough defense, taking charges, taking it strong to the hole and going up to block shots. People who watch me play closely know I’m an emotional guy. If I go for a dunk, I’m screaming right in my opponent’s face and I expect them to come right down the other end and be just as aggressive toward me. Like I said earlier, I’m willing to take fouls because I’m aggressive — not soft. Even though I’m a rookie, I’m not going to let guys have it easy because I don’t want to have that reputation. If I have to take a foul, then I’m going to take one for the team.
We may be going through rough times right now, but I want to be the positive spark of this team. I try to mingle with Kings fans because I love the support they give me and the team. I’m just trying to keep doing what I have to do on the court, despite all the adversity I’m going through. You all know I like doing stuff off the court. I’m still trying to go to as many events as I can and help kids. I know a lot of people out there want to see me but if I can’t make it out, it’s not because I’m ignoring you. It’s still a busy time of the year because we still have the season to go through. But continue to hit me on Twitter.com/jtthekid, if you want to contact me! I love doing it and responding to your questions. The more questions you ask the more answers I’ll give, just as long as they’re appropriate!
Hope to see you at ARCO Arena on Wednesday when we go to battle with the Bobcats!
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