This is from the Weekend Dime on ESPN.com:
> I'm told that Thomas legitimately believed he was going to prevent
another
> distraction in a Bulls season filled with them when he didn't show for
the
> March 5 workout.
> The story, as I hear it from one team insider, is that Thomas recently
had
> witnessed heated confrontations between Bulls coach Jim Boylan and two
of
> Chicago's more veteran players -- Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich -- that
wound
> up pitting multiple players against the coaching staff. I'm also told
that
> Thomas figured he was heading for a similarly nasty blowup of his own
with
> Boylan but that he also concluded that the punishment for an argument
with
> Boylan would be a lot steeper than what Gordon or Hinrich faced, given
where
> he stands in the Bulls' pecking order and the growing stress of a
> tension-drenched season.
> So Thomas -- confused by recent nine-minute stints against Wa****ngton
and
> Memphis after being told he'd be getting steady minutes off the bench in
the
> wake of the Bulls trading away Ben Wallace and Joe Smith -- thought it
best
> to take a one-day leave to clear his head. He couldn't understand why
his
> minutes had declined so sharply soon after posting a big stat line (18
> points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals) in a
victory
> over Denver. But he also drew the unfortunate conclusion that the
smartest
> move was staying away without as opposed to presenting his case directly
to
> Boylan.
Can't we all just get along?
And not blow huge 4th quarter leads at home?
How can a team go from so likeable to so unlikeable in so short a period
of
time?
