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Training Camp Q & A: Tim Thomas
With 2006 Training Camp under way, Clippers.com wants to give the members of Clipper Nation a chance to ask the players and coaches whatever is on your mind.
Edwin G.: Welcome to Clipper Nation! How does it feel to join up with the Clippers and to play in your hometown? Here to a great season!
Kenneth Park: Your addition to the team has been the team's biggest offseason move. What do you feel you can bring to this team?
Justin Reed: How does it feel to be on the Clippers now considering you were on the team last season that ended the Clips’ season?
Tim Thomas: The first couple of days were awkward, but at the same time it’s cool because I grew up with most of the guys here. Elton (Brand) and I grew up together, Cuttino (Mobley) and I grew up together, and Sam (Cassell) and I played together in Milwaukee for five years. It felt awkward at the beginning, but now it feels like I’ve been playing here for two or three years. We’re just trying to get familiar with each other each and every day out there on the court, and the sooner we do that the better we’ll be.
Rendon Dominguez: What do you feel your roll will be on the team this season? Will you be playing more power forward, and backing up Elton Brand? Or do you think you will be working in more at center behind Kaman? Or might you work in some at small forward with Maggette and Ross?
Tim Thomas: Being so versatile, it all depends on wherever Coach (Dunleavy) wants to put me. I can play the four, I can play the three, I can even play the five. So it really depends on which line-up he wants to use – whether he wants to go big or go small. It all depends on Coach.
David Diep: Welcome aboard, Tim. Are you excited about playing the season opener against your former team, the Suns?
Tim Thomas: It’s going to be a thrill. When the schedule came out and I realized we’d be playing them the first game of the season I was thrilled. I’m definitely looking forward to going back to Phoenix and seeing some old faces. It should be a fun game.
Adam Benner: What are your personal goals this year for yourself as well as for the team?
Tim Thomas: I don’t really have any personal goals. I’m about winning and that’s pretty much it. All-Star games are nice, but it only lasts three days. The ultimate goal for me is to win the NBA Championship.
Bryan Stout: Tim, having played such a tight series last year with the clips, do you think that will allow you to transition in here easier?
Tim Thomas: Absolutely. Basketball is basketball. Right now the most important thing is to get familiar with the organization, the sets and my teammates. Once that happens, everything else will take care of itself.
Have a question for a player? Submit it below!
Next up: Clippers forward Tim Thomas.
Edwin G.: Welcome to Clipper Nation! How does it feel to join up with the Clippers and to play in your hometown? Here to a great season!
Tim Thomas: It feels good to be with the Clippers. It’s one of the cities that I live in. I grew up in New Jersey, but to be living in LA the last four years it feels great to be playing somewhere you have a home.
Most importantly it feels good to be part of an organization that’s on the up rise and that I know has a legitimate chance of winning the NBA Championship.
Kenneth Park: Your addition to the team has been the team's biggest offseason move. What do you feel you can bring to this team?
Tim Thomas: I bring with me experience, versatility and the ability to play so many different positions there out on the court. My ultimate goal is winning basketball games and having the chance to win a championship, so I can help the team in that aspect.
Justin Reed: How does it feel to be on the Clippers now considering you were on the team last season that ended the Clips’ season?
Tim Thomas: The first couple of days were awkward, but at the same time it’s cool because I grew up with most of the guys here. Elton (Brand) and I grew up together, Cuttino (Mobley) and I grew up together, and Sam (Cassell) and I played together in Milwaukee for five years. It felt awkward at the beginning, but now it feels like I’ve been playing here for two or three years. We’re just trying to get familiar with each other each and every day out there on the court, and the sooner we do that the better we’ll be.
Rendon Dominguez: What do you feel your roll will be on the team this season? Will you be playing more power forward, and backing up Elton Brand? Or do you think you will be working in more at center behind Kaman? Or might you work in some at small forward with Maggette and Ross?
Tim Thomas: Being so versatile, it all depends on wherever Coach (Dunleavy) wants to put me. I can play the four, I can play the three, I can even play the five. So it really depends on which line-up he wants to use – whether he wants to go big or go small. It all depends on Coach.
David Diep: Welcome aboard, Tim. Are you excited about playing the season opener against your former team, the Suns?
Tim Thomas: It’s going to be a thrill. When the schedule came out and I realized we’d be playing them the first game of the season I was thrilled. I’m definitely looking forward to going back to Phoenix and seeing some old faces. It should be a fun game.
Adam Benner: What are your personal goals this year for yourself as well as for the team?
Tim Thomas: I don’t really have any personal goals. I’m about winning and that’s pretty much it. All-Star games are nice, but it only lasts three days. The ultimate goal for me is to win the NBA Championship.
Bryan Stout: Tim, having played such a tight series last year with the clips, do you think that will allow you to transition in here easier?
Tim Thomas: Absolutely. Basketball is basketball. Right now the most important thing is to get familiar with the organization, the sets and my teammates. Once that happens, everything else will take care of itself.
Have a question for a player? Submit it below!
Please note: not all questions will be answered online.
