I just dropped Jeff Green for this guy. Green is so overrated, he's not much on the boards and they have like 5 other guys built just like him with similar skills. Jason Thompson is the only player of his type on the Kings roster (big and athletic), they will probably rely on him heavily. He's also not super young for a rookie, I like that fact.

Brad Miller is also out, you have to consider that in your decisions. I doubt Thompson will have much, if any fantasy impact this year.

Like I said it is just as much a condemnation of Green as a coronation of Thompson. But I think you are wrong, he will be solid. He played next to a huge 7 ft guy tonight who had 14 boards. There is no one else on their roster similar, he definitely has his place. He performed well all preseason. It's not like I just looked at his stats tonight and picked him up. I have been reading up on him for over a week, youtubing him and checking him out thoroughly. I like him.

I liked what I saw of him tonight too. He was active, had some outside shots, slashed to the basket, looked nothing like a rookie. He played 22 minutes, had 18 points and 8 rebounds, 1 blk and two TO's. It looks like his competition for playing time is K. Thomas and Mikki Moore. And he looked a lot better than either one of those guys. So I think he will get minutes in the Sac even when Garcia and Miller come back.

I think Darrell Arthur is worth a look before Thompson now, he actually has a good chance at starting soon.

Arthur could be good, but he would really be defying the odds. Two of the biggest things that usually hold back young players is how young and inexperienced they are (obviously) and just being too darn skinny and weak. Thompson is two years older and has an NBA body, Arthur is two years younger and scrawny. That's alot to overcome, but maybe he's not typical and can defy the odds. But I would go with the odds (as I see them, I've never actually seen Arthur play)

Can I go ahead and drop Westbrook for him?

Brad Miller is going to make the front court minutes a mess when he comes back..

Has Miller ever played power forward before, I can't remember? I would think the two big white guys would be fighting for minutes between themselves. Like I said Thompson is the only athletic big they have, so I think he is unique and no one else really gets in his way.

Hawes is better than Thompson but you're saying Thompson is still going to play more than him ? Brad Miller will start at C most of the time and Hawes will play PF/C . Then you have Mikki Moore/ Kenny Thomas both play PF. Both of those guys are below avg but they'll still get burn more or about the same amount of burn as thompson

I would expect a line of 5 ppg / 5-6 rbp ... 1.0 bpg from thompson

No way I'm dropping Green for Thompson...that's a hasty move.

Hawes playing Power Forward, I just hit my head on the keyboard laughing so hard! Hawes is WHITE, enough said. Thompson > Hawes. Thompson is an agile power forward. Hawes is a center.

No way to completely tell what this guys gonna do... I'd stay pat and watch what happens with the PF position before drafting either of them... There was one topic where a guy dropped Charlie V for Chalmers... Granted that Chalmers had a decent game today but I can firmly say that a guy like CV is going probably have more consistent numbers than a rook... I'm not hating on JT, I'm just observing him just like I was in day one when I noticed that the people weren't hyped about this kid who averaged a 20-10 in his HS/College years(can't remember which one it was)...

This has to be one of the dumbest posts I've ever read. So Hawes can't play PF because he's white? Nothing about his abilities just about his skin color? That can't be a serious post. David Lee and Dirk are white , that doesn't hold them back from producing at this level.

Mikki Moore is a stiff though. I really don't see him holding that starting gig all year. Miller and Hawes should split time at center, maybe play a few minutes of twin towers ball, but power forward is really wide open in my opinion. Kenny Thomas is more of a roster filler than anything. I can't imagine he averages more than 8 or 9 minutes. Thompson should end up with a solid 20 minutes I would think once Moore loses that starting job.

I expect someone here will get traded at some point, perhaps Miller.

Trade Brad Miller already. i'm sure contenders could make a good use of a skilled big man (San Antonio? Orlando?). Sacto is rebuilding and they should be encouraged that guys like Hawes and Thompson are playing well.

How does Geoff Petrie keep spotting these players? Despite all the criticism after the draft, looks like this Thompson could make impacts.

I thought this shoe was going to drop in the offseason to be honest but it didn't.

Yes, in his first season with the Kings, he played PF with Divac at Center with Webber on the shelf and looked very good doing it. I thought most of his time in Chicago was at PF as well.

You seem to be awful ignorant in your assessment of Hawes. He is a more athletic version of Miller and he is likely to eat up any of the minutes that Thompson got tonight. Hawes will spell Moore and Miller when Miller gets back, relegating Thompson to mop-up duty. The only way Thompson will have large value is if Miller is dealt. Hawes can and will play a lot of PF this season regardless of what people think and they can always shift Miller back to his old role of PF if they had to. People seem to forget that he lost like 20 pounds heading into last year and had a renaissance type of season before breaking down late. You can be in great shape, but age still takes it's toll. He looked like he was in excellent condition in camp again this year, even with the 5 game suspension. I think he knows that if he doesn't perform, Hawes will take his job outright. He might anyway.

I liked what I saw tonight but like others are worried about his minutes once Miller comes back. Would any of you drop Brandon Bass or Jason Maxiell for Thompson?

I wouldn't. I would need to see sustained production from Thompson AFTER Miller comes back to consider it.

Bass and Maxiell have a lot more experience than Thompson, and they each have room to get better. It will be a struggle for Thompson to even get minutes.

Thompson only played 22 minutes tonight. I would think that the Kings should be able to find some way to give him that many minutes a night even when Miller comes back.

The Kings probably are not going to be in the Playoff hunt this year with all the tough teams in the west. So why wouldn't they give a rookie more minutes than Moore/Thomas?

From watching his game last night, he hit outside shots, and was good around the basket. So his versatility should get him time. And 18 points on 7-11 shooting, 10 rebounds and a block in 22 minutes is very productive and has to impress the Kings coaching staff. Certainly rookies will have ups and downs. But he did not look like a rookie last night.

I thought Thompson looked good last night as well, but I wouldn't drop Green for him... I watched the OK game as well, and Green had atleast 3-4 sure assists just completely doinked by his teammates (I am talking layups). I think Green is going to turn into a Boris Diaw type player here real soon. He is probably the best passer on that team, and should score around 13-15pts a game once he gets in a groove.

As for Thompson, I think he is a great longterm bet if you can stash him, because I think that Miller is as good as traded this year. Hawes is a younger more athletic version of Miller, and my guess is that the Kings will play better with Hawes at C and Thompson at PF than with Miller at C and Mikki at PF. Until Miller is traded though expect Miller and Mikki to start with Hawes the first big man off the bench. This will limit THompson's production in the short term.

1 more thing, the comment about Hawes not being about to play PF because he is white is silly..Hawes is actually a great fit as a PF because he has unlimited range for a big man. He can stretch the defense or school them in the post. I am a big Hawes fan at PF or C...Thompson did look good last night...the Kings have to be excited about their future with Hawes, Thompson, Garcia, Salmons, Martin, Udrih....they are going to have a competitive young team here very soon and if they play the Brad Miller situation right, they should get either some cap room or a valuable pick from that deal.

What about dropping Noah for Thompson???

Definitely, Noah is not going to be valuable this year. Read the SacBee just now and found some nuggets:

Rebound or else – Kings coach Reggie Theus made a declarative statement after the Kings' 98-96 loss that he will play the "guys who rebound." Mikki Moore had already learned that lesson.

After being whistled for two fouls early and going without a rebound in 20 minutes, Moore did not play in the final 16 minutes, 25 seconds of the game. The Kings – who won the overall boards battle 45-40 – gave up 10 of Minnesota's 11 offensive rebounds in the first half en route to 15 second-chance points for the T-wolves.

This is from the piece where Kevin Love is talking about how impressive Thompson is. But the really interesting part is the statement that Theus wants to play the guys who rebound, and people who have followed Miller over the years know that he is not the greatest rebounder. Neither is Moore. So if there is any meaning to this statement at all, I think we could quickly see Moore relegated to the bench, and I'm not so sure that the Hawes/Miller frontcourt would work as well as Miller/Thompson or Hawes/Thompson.

Everything I have read about this kid today sounds really positive. I am really tempted to drop Stuckey for him. Or Moon.

more from the coach:
“I thought Jason Thompson played extremely well, made a few mistakes defensively, but overall played big, like big guys are supposed to do down around the basket,” Theus said.

Stupid Jeff Green and his 5 turnovers.

Expect more of the same from Green. What ever happened to the guy who was the dynamic iniater of the highly calculated princeton offense at Georgetown?

I don't know.. I could see Brad Miller moving to PF and Thompson remaining as the starting C. Miller's ability to pass and his mid-range shot could make him a darn good PF.

Are you forgetting Spencer Hawes? He's got to be ahead of Thompson on the depth chart. You're also forgetting that Mikki Moore is their current starting PF (although he's a scrub, I won't dispute that).

Thompson is benefitting from Miller's absence more than Hawes is. Hawes will be the one maintaining his minutes when Miller gets back, not Thompson IMO

I think the guy who loses out here is Moore. He just isn't a consistent offensive threat and not a better rebounder than Hawes and Miller. I don't know relative to Thompson since I have only seen the numbers from one game and against a poor shooting team (Minnesota) at that. My guess is that as the season goes on Miller, Hawes and Thompson will split minutes with the split depending on injuries, matchups and fouls.

Miller and Hawes have a history of knee and leg problems so they may not necessarily be consistent 30 minute per game guys. However, I think they are the main men. Hawes played 33 last night. Miller averaged 35 last year. That leaves about 28 to 30 minutes a night not taking into account injuries and fouls. It will be a battle for minutes but I can see Thompson sucking up a large portion of the minutes not allotted to Miller and Hawes.

Of course, he could end up like Sean Williams - and have an extraordinarily long superthread on Rotoworld - only to become an afterthought.