Lance Thomas will be a free agent this summer, and would ‘love to come back’ but wants to play for a Playoff contender.
New York Knicks forward and glue-man Lance Thomas was having a decent 2015-16 campaign, averaging 8.2 points per game off the bench in 22.3 minutes.
Unfortunately Thomas suffered a non-contact knee injury during warm-ups for the Denver Nuggets game in March, and needed assistance just to get off the court. Thomas went on to miss the final 18 games of the season.
With Thomas, the Knicks were 25-34, with a 42.37% winning percentage. Not a great percentage… but considering the Knicks were 7-16, with a winning percentage of 30.34% without Thomas… you can see the impact he has on the team.
Thomas will be a free agent this summer and would love to stay in New York, as per Marc Berman of the New York Post.
"“I love New York,”“I really don’t know what’s going to happen, to be honest. I love New York, I’m from the area. If it works out that way, I’d love to come back.”"
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Thomas is a Brooklynite and was a four-star recruit from Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School.
Last season Thomas was brought onto the Knicks as part of a three-team trade that sent away guards Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith. Shortly after, he was waived and brought back under a couple of ten-day contracts before finally receiving a permanent spot on the team. Last summer, Thomas signed a one-year deal for $1,650,000 (which now looks like a mistake on the Knicks part that New York didn’t lock him up for multiple years).
With Thomas being a free agent again this summer, he feels that he has made improvements and warrants a larger contract (especially given the fact that the salary cap is projected to be $92 million for 2016-17).
"“I feeI I got better from last year to this year,’’“I think I did really good things on the offense end and really good on defense. I’ll be a Knick till July 1. I’ll deal with that bridge when I come to it.’’"
Thomas has indeed improved this season, he is having a much more positive effect on the team as a whole. Last season Thomas was a minus-5.6 plus/minus, improving to a minus-0.7 plus/minus this season.
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Thomas has improved defensively this season, holding opponents to -3.4% lower than their normal field goal percentage, as per NBA.com. Last season Thomas essentially had no effect defensively, with a .01 diff %, as per NBA.com.
Despite averaging four less minutes this season, Thomas is averaging just about the same amount of points per game.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Thomas injury was not that significant and could have returned if the Knicks were in the Playoffs.
"According to a source, Thomas inflamed a nerve inside the knee — a different injury than his knee sprain from late January.Thomas said he would’ve been ready to return had the Knicks made the playoffs."
Which was something that was upsetting to Thomas, not being able to help New York return to the Playoffs.
"“It was frustrating,’’“I love to compete with teammates. It was hard for me to watch. I just love to compete. It was very frustrating for me. I decided to keep a level head and do things I needed to do to get healthy.’’"
And according to the same source, making the Playoffs maybe a deal breaker during free agency for Thomas.
"A source said signing with a playoff contender also will be a factor for Thomas now that he finally may have choices."
If Thomas sincerely wants to play for a Playoff team, it might be an indication that he will not return to the Knicks despite it being his hometown team.
Interim head coach Kurt Rambis has praised Lance Thomas for his overall positive effect on the team.
"“He’s a huge asset for us,’’“We miss him a lot. He plays so hard that he almost embarrasses other guys if they’re not playing as hard as he does.”"
That definitely sounds like the type of player that Phil Jackson and management need to keep! A player holding other players accountable is a must, especially given the fact that New York’s superstar Carmelo Anthony is not a vocal leader. More of a lead by example type of leadership.
Next: Carmelo Anthony Wants to Win a Championship NOW
Bottom line, BRING BACK LANCE THOMAS!