A Case for Marcus Thornton

First off I would like to say that I am so glad to see that the nba is back and the die hards of this community are still around and excited for not only bulls basketball but the nba as a whole. Secondly I know that Thornton is not an UFA this year but I would like to make a case and see what the community thinks.

Marcus Thornton came into the league in the 2009 draft (the same one we drafted JJ and Taj). That draft if we remember was deeper than some in recent memory and included the likes of Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, and Brandon Jennings. We also watched Dejuan Blair slide into the second round because of fear about him not having acl's in both knees. Thornton (who I liked coming out) went in the second round to the hornets. 
At first glance his rookie campaign wasn't really much to look at.  

LIT	GP	MIN	FGM-FGA	FG%	3PM-3PA	3P%	FTM-FTA	FT%	OR	DR	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PF	TO	PTS
Total	73	25.6	5.5-12.1	.451	1.6-4.3	.374	2.0-2.4	.814	1.0	1.9	2.9	1.6	0.2	0.8	1.7	1.0	14.5

I mean those are hardly the number of a guy who is setting the world on fire despite having some very nice games. However at the tail end of his rookie year an injury allowed him to crack the starting line up and look what happened to his production. 

By Position	GP	MIN	FGM-FGA	FG%	3PM-3PA	3P%	FTM-FTA	FT%	OR	DR	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PF	TO	PTS
As Starting Guard	17	37.2	7.3-16.1	.454	2.1-6.0	.353	3.1-3.7	.841	1.2	2.6	3.8	2.6	0.2	0.9	2.2	1.2	19.8

The percentages state relatively the same but he increased his production by 5 points per game. Again not really setting the world on fire but as a rookie shooting .45% from the field and .35% from the 3 while averaging a clip under 20 ppg is solid production. Then in the summer after the dust settled with Ledusche and the "The Decision". There were rumors in the summer that he might be one of the potential candidates to fill the SG spot but it never materialized. 
His second year was split between a New Orleans and Sacramento via mid season trade. Even though he produced well as a starter his second year began with him coming off the bench in a 6th man, "instant offense" role. His numbers here took a dip because of loss of the starting role and team turmoil. 

By Position

GP

MIN

FGM-FGA

FG%

3PM-3PA

3P%

FTM-FTA

FT%

OR

DR

REB

AST

BLK

STL

PF

TO

PTS

Off Bench

50

17.2

3.4-7.9

.426

0.9-2.3

.381

1.3-1.7

.762

0.5

2.3

2.9

1.0

0.1

0.5

1.2

0.8

8.9

But around the All-Star break it was rumored that Thornton could be had for draft picks and I was hoping that the Bulls would make a big push to get him being that his a major upgrade over anything that we have now. However we did nothing (sounds about right for garpaxdorf) and went to the Kings for Carl Landry. Being able to start an next to a dynamic guard Thornton's numbers took off.

By Position	GP	MIN	FGM-FGA	FG%	3PM-3PA	3P%	FTM-FTA	FT%	OR	DR	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PF	TO	PTS
As Starting Guard	23	39.7	7.9-18.0	.441	2.0-5.5	.354	3.5-4.3	.810	1.5	3.5	5.0	3.7	0.1	1.7	2.2	2.3	21.3

And so here is my case. Again I know that Thornton isn't and UFA this year, but if Thornton can be had for draft picks or maybe even a role player do you think he should make a jump at this? My thinking is that here is a guy who has proven he can flat our score, both create his own shot and create for others and teams focus on him. He can shoot the 3 consistently at a healthy rate. I think that as a scorer and secondary ball handler he has an immense upside. His detractors are that he doesn't hav the height and maybe isn't athletic as a O.J. Mayo or Jason Richardson but he is younger and if he works out might be extended for cheaper because he is undervalued. Besides my personal opinion of Mayo is that his is far over valued because he has largely been the same player since he entered the league and has not made any improvements to his game and in his third year Memphis actually drafted his replacement and moved him to the bench.

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2008–09	Memphis	82	82	38.0	.438	.384	.879	3.8	3.2	1.1	.2	18.5
2009–10	Memphis	82	82	38.0	.458	.383	.809	3.8	3.0	1.2	.2	17.5
2010–11	Memphis	71	17	26.3	.407	.364	.756	2.4	2.0	1.0	.4	11.3
Career		235	181	34.5	.438	.378	.828	3.4	2.8	1.1	.2	16.0

So what are your thoughts and opinions? If Thornton can be had for a role player and a pick do you think the bulls should it? Do you think that Thornton would be a good fit to fill the SG role that we need? If not then why not? In closing here are Thornton's career stats. Discuss. 

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2009–10	New Orleans	73	17	25.6	.451	.374	.814	2.9	1.6	.8	.2	14.5
2010–11	New Orleans	46	0	16.2	.410	.376	.758	2.8	.9	.4	.1	7.8
2010–11	Sacramento	27	23	38.1	.450	.361	.805	4.7	3.4	1.7	.2	21.3
Career		146	40	25.0	.443	.371	.801	3.2	1.7	.8	.1	13.6