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Al Thornton News & Rumors

Al Thornton is considering signing with Nuggets
December 5
Denver Post
 
"6-foot-8 free agent forward Al Thornton is considering signing with the Nuggets, though he said he has 4-5 other teams also interested in his services. NBA gyms are open now to players from any team – for instance, Ty Lawson has been working out at the Wizards facility near his home in the D.C. area – so Thornton worked out at Pepsi Center today, as did Nuggets Andre Miller, Jordan Hamilton, Kosta Koufos and Gary Forbes. Asked if he'll sign with Denver, Thornton said, "We'll see. Hopefully. We'll see.""
Warriors coach Keith Smart likes Al Thornton's aggressive style
March 6
Contra Costa Times
 
"Warriors fans, hoping for major moves by Golden State's front office, may not be too excited about the signing of Al Thornton. But Warriors coach Keith Smart sure is happy to have Thornton, the 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward Golden State picked up Thursday. Thornton, who cleared waivers after being bought out by Washington on Tuesday, gives Smart something extra with which to work. First, Thornton has a skill the Warriors didn't previously have -- a perimeter player who can post up. Second, Thornton has a mindset that isn't pervasive in the Warriors' locker room -- nonstop attack mode. "He's different from a lot of guys that we have," Smart said. "He has size, he has a post game, and he's"
Warriors likely to add forward Al Thornton
March 2
Oakland Tribune
 
"The Warriors, if everything goes according to plan, will be signing small forward Al Thornton this week. Thornton, who had one year and $2.8 million left on his contract, was bought out by the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. He must clear waivers before the Warriors can sign him. Thornton -- who is 27 and is 6-foot-8, 235 pounds -- can be picked up by any team until Thursday at 3 p.m. But that is unlikely considering that team would have to pay him nearly $600,000 the rest of the season. Once Thornton clears waivers and becomes a free agent, the plan is for the Warriors to sign him for a prorated amount of the veteran's minimum -- which for Thornton comes out to about $200,000. Of course, a"
Al Thornton gets buyout from Wizards
March 2
Washington Post
 
"About 90 minutes before the Washington Wizards played the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, Coach Flip Saunders ruled out playing Al Thornton since he was unable to practice after missing the previous three games with a sprained left ankle. Inside the locker room, Thornton was lacing up his sneakers, preparing for the game and was stunned when he was informed that Saunders didn't plan on using him. "I'm playing," Thornton said. "Far as I know, I'm playing." When the Wizards submitted their roster about an hour later, Thornton was on the inactive list. At the time, Thornton was unaware that his agent, Bill Duffy, was already deep into buyout negotiations with Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld,"
Al Thornton struggles to find his role with Wizards
February 7
Washington Post
 
"Al Thornton caught a pass from Kirk Hinrich, saw Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia standing in the lane and knew immediately that punishment was in store for anything in his path. Thornton took a drop step, cocked the ball behind his head and jack-hammered the most ferocious dunk at Verizon Center this season. The slam was replayed on the giant scoreboard twice during Saturday night's game, in slow motion and regular time, and elicited the same reaction from fans and Thornton's towel-waving Washington Wizards teammates on the bench. Pachulia's teammates could only express sympathy for being on the embarrassing end of a possible poster. Thornton didn't deny that the anger behind his dunk"
Wall, Thornton practice Tuesday and are expected to play Wednesday
December 1
Washington Post
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"The most encouraging sign for the Wizards (5-11), however, wasn't the fighting. It came before their 105-94 loss against Miami, when Wall shot some midrange jumpers on his bruised right knee in hopes of being prepared for a comeback against the Raptors. "Being banged up, really, that's an excuse," Hinrich said. "We've just got to find a way to get some wins on the road." Wall and Thornton both practiced on Tuesday and are expected to be available on Wednesday, when the Wizards hope to end a three-game slide. Thornton has been sidelined for the past three games with a sprained left ankle, while Wall has missed the past two, putting the Wizards in a challenging situation, with key reserve Yi"
Al Thornton to miss "a couple of games" with sprained left ankle
November 26
Washington Post
 
"Al Thornton was understandably disappointed on Thanksgiving. He was back in his home state of Georgia, but won't be able to play against the Hawks tonight because of a sprained left ankle that he aggravated in the first quarter of the Wizards' 116-114 win over Philadelphia two days before. "And the games on TNT, too? What? Are you serious?" Thornton said when asked if he was upset that the injury would keep him out of the game. But Thornton said the ankle injury will likely keep him out for "a couple of games," especially since it is the same ankle that forced him to miss two games in the preseason. He said that he tweaked the ankle last week in Boston but it worsened when he went up for a"
Al Thornton's injury and rebounding woes contribute to loss
November 13
Washington Post
 
"Al Thornton's night was over when he was slow to chase down Charlotte's Gerald Wallace and fouled him, allowing the human wrecking ball Wallace to convert a four-point play early in the third period. Thornton appeared out of sorts on Friday night, when his energy level was lower than it had been through the first six games of the season. At first, it seemed that Thornton was simply getting outplayed by his first battle against all-star small forward, but he later explained that his problems might be more serious. "I had a bad, pulling sensation in my stomach. I couldn't even go through my pre-game routine with my shots," Thornton said after the game. "I might've pulled something, I'm not"
Arenas returns, Thornton watches, Wizards fall
November 7
Washington Examiner
 
"As soon as Gilbert Arenas checked into his first game of the year on Friday, notices might as well have been placed in the lockers of Kirk Hinrich and Al Thornton. It will only be a matter of time until he replaces one of them in the Wizards starting lineup. Thornton, a small forward, and Hinrich, a guard, both made compelling arguments in their own respective defenses of why they should retain their place in the starting rotation on Saturday against the LeBron James-less Cleveland Cavaliers. For Thornton, making his case wasn't enough. Despite his team-high 23 points, including 12 in the third quarter, he found himself on the bench for the final nine minutes of the fourth, watching the"
Wizards' Al Thornton trying to get career back on track
November 1
Washington Post
 
"The deadline to receive a contract extension will pass at midnight Tuesday and Al Thornton isn't upset that he never got so much as an offer from the Washington Wizards to avoid being a restricted free agent next summer. He wasn't expecting one, nor did he want one. After arriving from the Los Angeles Clippers at the trade deadline and being thrust into a foreign system and environment, Thornton didn't have much time to leave an impression on the Wizards. And, unfortunately, the reputation he left in his short stint wasn't what he would like to use as a means to set his market value. "I had a bad year last year and I got a bad rep and I feel I have to prove myself all over," Thornton said"
Al Thornton will not sign extension by deadline, will become a restricted free agent
October 27
Washington Post
 
"Al Thornton will definitely be a restricted free agent after this season. Billy Duffy, Thorton's agent, said on Tuesday that his client would not sign an extension by next Monday's deadline. "I think Al's about to go to a whole other level and I think the way he's perceived right now, I think there is going to be an ability to enhance his reputation around the league and within that organization," Duffy said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "I don't think he's had enough time there to really demonstrate what his new value will be moving forward. I think he has a huge upside and will have a huge role on that team." Duffy added, "It's worth our while to wait." According to a league"
Al Thornton uncertain of what role he'll be playing with the Wizards
October 11
Washington Post
 
"In one of the more bizarre training camp incidents, Al Thornton managed to hurdle a car traveling about 20 mph on George Mason's campus and came away relatively unscathed, with Coach Flip Saunders jokingly calling him, "Superman." But Thornton couldn't avoid getting hurt on Sunday after grabbing a rebound during the Washington Wizards' grueling three-hour practice and landing on JaVale McGee's foot. Thornton hobbled up the stairs afterward with an ice pack covering his sprained left ankle. He doesn't expect the injury to keep him from playing against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, but Thornton isn't quite sure what his role will be whenever he is back on the court. He entered training camp"
Al Thornton discusses getting hit by a car, Wizards practice in the dark
October 3
Washington Post
 
"Al Thornton had a brief encounter with the woman who hit him with a car on Thursday evening. He hopped on the hood, wrapped his arms around a side to hold on, then looked at her through the windshield. Thornton had an understandable reaction when the woman told him that she didn't see the 6-foot-8, 225 pound forward. "I was looking directly in the window," Thornton said. "I was like 'You didn't see me? What are you doing? A tall black guy walking and you didn't see me?' " Thornton said he was walking from practice at George Mason's Patriot Center, wearing his shorts and sandles, and heading up a hill toward the team hotel on campus when he saw the car approaching. It was raining, but"
Cavaliers get Antawn Jamison in three-way trade with Wizards and Clippers
February 18
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 
"It was going to take a special opportunity to get the Cavaliers to trade franchise pillar Zydrunas Ilgauskas. That chance came Wednesday amid a wild day of negotiations for the team's front office as they attempted to upgrade their roster ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. With two deals on the table, one for the Phoenix Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire and one for the Washington Wizards' Antawn Jamison, the Cavs had to make a decision. When the dust had settled, the Cavs took Jamison in a three-team trade that also involved the Los Angeles Clippers. The team has agreed to send Ilgauskas, the Cavs' 2010 first-round draft pick and the rights to Slovenian forward Emir Preldzic to the Wizards. The"
Players clipped: Kaman questionable monday, Thornton game-time decision
January 18
Los Angeles Times
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"Last Sunday, the Clippers beat Miami and, a day later, center Chris Kaman was named Western Conference player of the week. Kaman hasn't played since and it's no coincidence the Clippers haven't won a game in that stretch, dropping four straight. He remains questionable because of a sore lower back. Small forward Al Thornton, who has a sprained left ankle, did not play against Cleveland and will be considered a game-time decision against New Jersey."
Blake Griffin's rehab progresses; Camby, Thornton are injured
December 26
Los Angeles Times
 
"Looks as if that Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill arrived at the Clippers' training facility just in time. It was, of course, supposed to be for one injured patient named Blake Griffin, representing another step in his long-and-winding rehabilitation assignment. The Clippers' rookie power forward went through the paces on the machine Thursday, and his close buddy and teammate DeAndre Jordan decided to try it out and looked like a cartoon character, clowning around on the high-tech apparatus. Will there be other anti-gravity clients? Considering the Clippers' past and present . . . well . . . probably. Two others could be Al Thornton and Marcus Camby, both suffering injuries in the Clippers'"
Al Thornton's turnaround fueled by diet, demotion
December 11
Los Angeles Times
 
"Aside from following a diet that focused more on protein and fruit, Clippers forward Al Thornton says something else this season also gave him an energy jolt. After scoring in double digits and shooting over 50% only once in the first four games, Thornton lost his role as a starter for three contests in favor of Rasual Butler. Thornton said after Thursday's practice that his demotion helped spark a turnaround. He has since reclaimed his place as a starter and has scored in double digits in 12 of the last 13 games. "You want to start," said Thornton, who is fourth on the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game. "You're competitive. This is what you love doing. The best players usually"
Al Thornton focusing on conditioning
October 12
Los Angeles Times
 
"Before eating chicken-fried steak and yams following Sunday's practice, Clippers forward Al Thornton sprinkled so much salt that it caught the attention of guard Baron Davis. "That doesn't have enough seasoning, huh?" Davis said, laughing. Apparently not, but Thornton doesn't mind. After spending an entire season last year eating what he described as "greasy foods," Thornton hired a personal chef three weeks ago to improve his diet. He hopes that leads into becoming a leaner and quicker player. The team has already noticed the change in Thornton, who will start at small forward tonight when the Clippers play host to the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center in what will be their third"
Clippers exercise option year of Thornton's contract
October 22
L.A. Daily News
 
"Mike Dunleavy's instructions to Al Thornton were simple: Work on passing and defense. That's it. Thornton had a stellar rookie season, even made the All-Rookie team, though somewhat quietly because the Clippers were all but off the NBA radar by March. Dunleavy, the Clippers' coach, knew Thornton was capable of doing more over the summer, but there was no need to overwhelm the kid. Only, Thornton's no kid. He's one of the rare players who finish all of their collegiate eligibility and go on to become a lottery pick in the NBA (No. 14 overall in 2007). In today's league, even with the new age-limit rules, that's quite rare. So after their end-of-the-season meeting, Thornton thanked his coach"