Kurt Thomas

Thomas is long on NBA experience, with 16 years spent plying his trade as a savvy defender and rugged rebounder. In 2010-11, the 39-year-old appeared in 52 games for Chicago, averaging 4.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per game. As the result of Portland's only foray into free agency to date, Thomas' primary service will be as a backup to Camby at center and Aldridge at power forward. If Coach Nate McMillan manages his minutes well in such a condensed schedule, he could have value in very deep leagues.

Thomas was brought in to replace Brad Miller as the veteran center in Chicago. He will be looked on to provide leadership and a defensive presence

The Bucks needed some strength on the defensive end of the floor and they’ll look to the veteran Thomas to help out. It’s doubtful that he’ll get significant playing time, but will provide help with his rebounding and defense.

Thomas came to the Spurs from the Sonics last season and started nine of his 28 games. Thomas is seen primarily as a rebounder and defensive player who helps to keep Tim Duncan out of foul trouble. Thomas is a good mid-range shooter but will get limited shot attempts and will be in a time share with Oberto.

Thomas brings some veteran savvy to the Sonics this season and likely will see time at both power forward and center. The Sonics have needed a quality big man for years, and though Thomas is just 6-9, 225, he'll provide some much-needed muscle and defense inside. The Sonics likely will limit his minutes to keep him fresh as he enters his 13th year in the league.

Thomas isn’t the first name we think of when discussing the Suns. He’s better in the half-court game and is not a floor-runner. He missed 29 games with a foot injury, but he seemed to be a fish out of water before that. It’s not that his per-game production was that bad, but it dropped considerably after leaving the Big Apple for the Valley of the Sun. Thomas has very solid low-post skills at both ends of the floor and is also a good rebounder for being a bit undersized. His skills might come in handy on a given night here and there, but he’ll struggle to get 25 minutes a night as a backup to Shawn Marion at power forward and Amare Stoudemire at center, assuming Stoudemire is able to log anywhere near his pre-injury minutes. If Stoudemire is unable to return, bump up Thomas' value even though he's less than ideally suited to the Suns' system.

There were only eight players in the NBA to average a double-double last year, and Thomas was one of them. Thomas could score a little more on the run-and-gun Suns; when defenses collapse on Amare Stoudemire, Thomas can find ways to get open for his mid-range jumper. His rebounding numbers may suffer a bit, however, with Stoudemire and Shawn Marion around to scoop up the boards. Thomas will contribute about a steal and about a block per game as well, but he's on the wrong side of his career at age 33, and will be hard pressed to put up comparable numbers to last season.

He's undersized. He fouls too much and complains even more. His game isn't sexy… all eight-footers, boards and gritty defense. But he's consistent, and he'll probably qualify at center in most leagues, which adds to his value. Pencil him in for around 14 and eight, with 50% shooting. How many centers will give you that these days?

Thomas will start at center and be a solid fantasy contributor in the middle. His scoring will retreat closer to 10-11 PPG but combine that with 7-8 RPG and 48-49% from the field and you've got yourself a fine center option in any league.