Tyrus Thomas is a name most Bulls fans would like to forget.
Chicago made a draft night deal with the Blazers to acquire Thomas (and the rights to Victor Khryapa) in exchange for ... LaMarcus Aldridge.
Thomas never lived up to his potential with the Bulls, and was gone in a trade to Charlotte after just three-and-a-half seasons. Injuries limited his production from there, and he appeared in just two games for Memphis last season after sitting out 2014 entirely.
But he's been working hard this summer, with the hopes of getting a training camp invite to prove himself once again.
“Physically, I’m doing fine now,” Thomas said, in an interview with Basketball Insiders. “I’m in San Antonio training and just the biggest thing right now for me has just been conditioning and strength, just getting back to 100 percent.
“In hindsight, when I signed with Memphis, I think I was only at about 50 percent. So right now, it’s been just getting my body all the way where it needs to be with strength, weights and conditioning. That’s really my main focus right now and if I can get those things where I want them to be, the other things won’t be so hard.”
“I talked to my agent and we are just trying to see what’s the best fit,” Thomas said of his training camp options. “I would love to be on a training camp roster. What I do understand is that now I have to take a different path than [in the past] and a different path than I’m used to. I’m sure that I’ll be healthy enough to do what I have to do to make a team if I do make a training camp roster.”
Thomas had his best season statistically in 2009, when he averaged 10.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per contest.
(h/t: Basketball Insiders)
