Doubting Thomas

Rounding out our prospects who were MIA in 2007-2008 is the backup center of Brendan Haywood, who was not lost on our radar after recalling his heart problems and several fights of theirs during ordinary and routine scrimmages. FantasyTank concludes its section of last season's absentees with a cold bucket of water coming from the big man out of Syracuse University: Etan Thomas.

* Etan Thomas
* #36
* Forward-Center
* Washington Wizards
* Height: 6-10
* Weight: 260

Why you should get him:
FG% - Although he does not attempt a lot of shots (career 4.6 FG attempted/game), he knows how to operate down low, converting close to 54% over the past three season prior to his injury. You can't help but like the fact that he knows how to dominate against smaller opposition, as highlighted by his higher clip against teams without a dominant big man based on his season splits.

One block away - Thomas is always deferred to for his hustle and defense over his capability to score, and has always been the guy who will make life hard inside the paint. If reports are true that he is close to 100% after his heart surgery, then it will be a cardiac game for his opponents when the season goes underway.

Why you shouldn't get him:
Brendan Haywood's career year - Last year, Haywood finally brought the goods to the table, filling in nicely during Thomas and Gilbert Arenas' absence. The improvement looks to carry over this year, and his presence down low is more effective than Thomas, so expect Haywood to get a larger bulk of the minutes, unless Eddie Jordan sends in Haywood and Thomas together while sliding down Antawn Jamison to the 3 spot.

Foul-prone - One reason Thomas only stays around 20 minutes a game is that he is too pesky on defense, swarming his opponent and getting a lot of arm instead of the ball. Getting three fouls in such a short span of time is unhealthy and gets him sent to the bench, preventing him from maximizing his ability to block and alter shots down the lane.

Projected 08-09 statistics:
GP: 59
Ppg: 6.8
Rpg: 6.6
Apg: 0.6
Spg: 0.3
Bpg: 1.6
TOs: 0.8
FG%: 51.1
3sM: 0.0
FT%: 59.3



Verdict:
Methinks that Etan Thomas will go undrafted and will eventually be picked up when a couple of big men on your fantasy team go down with sustaining injuries.

Photo courtesy of Lakers Top Buzz