King's Thompson Won't Complain

Jason Thompson is never going to cry in public. He's never been a whiner, except for those frequent occasions – mostly in the past – when he became a little too demonstrative in front of the referees.

Few players were more theatrical than the old J.T. The arms thrust into the air. The wide smile frozen in frustration. That exaggerated shake of the head.

But that's not his problem these days. One technical. That's it. The Kings' third-year forward only wishes he had more opportunities to overreact and draw a fine.

Thompson, who was drafted 12th overall in 2008, is averaging a career-low 15.6 minutes and is days removed from his first DNP. As the Kings' slide continues, the one-time starter not only has been relegated to backup small forward – already a double smackdown because he considers himself a power forward – his name has been mentioned in trade rumors.
Geoff Petrie, who tried to pry Darren Collison from New Orleans before the former UCLA star was traded to Indiana, more recently inquired about Atlanta Hawks backup Jeff Teague, with Thompson reportedly part of the conversation.

"It's the NBA," Thompson said after Tuesday's practice, in a matter-of-fact manner. "It's a business. It's kind of good when your name is floated out there. It means you're well-known, you're wanted. The story book is me ending my career here and winning some division titles and getting to the playoffs. But the book isn't finished yet, so you never know."

A superbly conditioned athlete at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, Thompson, 24, envisions himself as an emerging star in the chiseled mold of Karl Malone. Thompson's long-term goal is to lead the league in rebounding, and secondarily, to establish himself as a consistent interior scorer. His more immediate plan is reclaiming his lost playing time, and if that means earning minutes at small forward? He'll swallow hard. He'll be the good soldier. He'll try to earn minutes at small forward.

Some within the organization have long maintained that Thompson is better suited away from the basket, relying more on face-up jumpers than power moves.

Pete Carril, for one, theorizes that Thompson's size-20 sneakers – encasing feet that angle outward – hamper his balance and footwork, leading to an inordinate number of missed layups and close shots. Paul Westphal is a bit skeptical; he sticks with the fundamentals.

"I think Jason should use the backboard more often," said the Kings' second-year coach. "I think he's better off shooting one-legged layups instead of gathering with his feet too close together. That's an area (finishing) that he needs to improve on. We work with him on it, but it's hard to change your habits."
"Last year and the year before, I was getting drop passes, easier passes for dunks," said Thompson. "Now my points are harder than ever. If Tyreke (Evans) makes that outside jumper, it can open the floor more. Now, (opponents) have a lot of people clogging the paint instead of creating those openings. We just have to keep working at it."

No complaints. No tirades. No trade demands.

"Nothing good comes when you're negative or unhappy in your situation," he added, nodding. "You never know."