Here is a story on Tyrus i found in the Tribune:
Bulls' Thomas adding to his arsenal
Thomas hopes midrange jump shot will make him more valuable to offense
QUOTE
By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter
July 12, 2007, 10:40 PM CDT
MAITLAND, Fla. -- Immediately after the ball missed its target, fell off the rim and bounced out of bounds, a tossed mouthpiece followed.
Tyrus Thomas is seeking perfection.
His missed jump shot Wednesday night prompted his response, which illustrated his expectations emotionally because of the effort he has put into improving his midrange game.
"I guess so," Thomas said. "I'm just trying to get better and trying to win. That's it."
Thomas missed the Bulls' summer league 88-72 loss to Orlando on Thursday because of tendinitis in his right knee. But in three summer-league games thus far, he's averaging 16 points, nine rebounds and 4.7 blocks.
Everybody knows about the highlight-reel dunks and breathtaking ability to block shots. But Thomas' commitment to improve his midrange game could go a long way to him commanding more minutes in his sophomore season.
"His attitude has been good, and he has been making an effort on his shot with [assistant] coach [Ron] Adams," general manager John Paxson said. "That's all part of it. I still have to keep in mind that he's a young guy without the experiences that a lot of guys his age have had, the AAU systems and all those things. He's still trying to figure this league out.
"There's a lot riding for him the next couple of years. With his athleticism we all believe he will develop that skill level to go along with it and become a player who will help us win a lot of games."
Thomas' 42.9 percent summer shooting is below his rookie percentage of 47.5 and reflective of his being on the perimeter more. Thomas still attacks the basket at all opportunities. But his work with Adams—they drill shooting almost daily—is attempting to develop a comfort zone when he can't drive the lane.
"I'm trying to develop an all-around game so I can play better however I'm used," Thomas said.
This attention to detail is refreshing to a coaching staff that often spoke publicly of Thomas' tendency to drift during his first season. Lapses at the Berto Center often offset the awesome athleticism that quickly made Thomas a United Center favorite.
"When he first got here, he was engaged in about 50 percent of the possessions," coach Scott Skiles said. "He would be off one, on one, off one, on one. So far, in the few days we've been here, and even as the season went on last year, he got much better at that. He's into about 75 percent of the possessions now.
"We just want to keep moving in that direction because, with his athleticism, his potential is limitless."
Indeed, that's why the attitude is more important than the averages. Summer league is summer league. Showing a willingness to attempt a midrange jumper within the flow of the offense is, at this stage, perhaps more important than if Thomas makes it.
"Whether or not his role increases next season is going to depend on if he can operate on the top-flight players the way he can against second-unit guys," Skiles said. "He had a lot of blowout minutes last season."
With P.J. Brown almost certain to sign elsewhere if he doesn't retire, and the free-agent market moving slowly, Thomas, rookie Joakim Noah, forgotten man Viktor Khryapa and the smallish Andres Nocioni are currently the Bulls' power forwards.
"The game has gone smaller, obviously," Paxson said. "I'm not worried about who starts. For four years, I've watched Scott use his roster. He never has been afraid to get a lot of guys playing time.
"Tyrus has the ability to impact a game with the minutes he's given. I'm not putting that [starting] expectation on him right now. He's going to have his chance. He just has to work and show the coaches he's ready to play."
kcjohnson@tribune.com