Spurs getting Thomas countered Suns’ Shaq deal

SAN ANTONIO - Before they finally landed him in a trade on Feb. 20, power forward Kurt Thomas had been on the Spurs’ player personnel radar for several years for reasons that had little connection to Shaquille O’Neal.

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Always valued for his defensive toughness, tenacious rebounding and a reliable mid-range jumper, Thomas’ professionalism and court savvy gained from 13 NBA seasons enhanced his worth when the Spurs realized they had to respond to the Suns’ acquisition of O’Neal and the trade that put center Pau Gasol alongside Kobe Bryant on the Lakers’ roster.

When Thomas became a Spur, neither general manager R.C. Buford nor head coach Gregg Popovich knew how important he would be in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. The left knee contusion that has kept veteran Robert Horry sidelined since March 21 has made the 35-year-old Thomas crucial to the team’s chances of advancing past their first-round matchup against a Suns lineup that includes O’Neal and Amaré Stoudemire.

“I think we’d really be in a tough spot without him at this point,” Popovich said. “He’s somebody we tried to get for several years. But when Shaq and Pau Gasol came, it became more important to try and keep pace, because those were great trades for those two teams.”

When Suns coach Mike D’Antoni heard the news that Thomas was headed to San Antonio, he knew precisely what the Spurs had gained: A savvy power player who will do whatever is necessary to help his team secure victory.

D’Antoni had Thomas on his roster for two seasons. He knew his bag of defensive tricks included the occasional flop to enhance his chances of drawing an offensive foul.

“Oh, yeah,” D’Antoni said Sunday morning. “He’s a great big flopper.”

O’Neal believes the tactic unmanly. D’Antoni calls it gamesmanship.

“ Raja (Bell) is a flopper,” he said. “Dirk (Nowitzki) is a flopper. (Manu) Ginobili is probably the king of floppers. There’s levels of flopping. Europeans do it all the time. That’s documented. Vlade Divac might have been the father of flopping.

“That’s gamesmanship, and Kurt does a great job. Raja does a great job. You love them when you’re with them and you hate them when they’re against you.”

Thomas already has had an impact on the series. In Game 1 he drew three charges, one on O’Neal and two on Stoudemire. The second Stoudemire charge, with 12.6 seconds left in the first overtime period, fouled out the Suns’ top scorer.

“I’m just trying to play solid defense,” Thomas said, “whether it’s getting a steal, getting a block, getting a great rebound or taking a charge.

“A lot of people don’t realize how important it is to take charges. It also can get an opposing player in foul trouble. I just want to go out and do whatever I can to contribute to the team.”

Ask Thomas about flopping, and he just flashes an angelic smile.

His goal, he said, is more akin to survival.

“My main objective is just keep my body between him and the basket,” he said. “But he’s so strong, such a wide body and so strong it does make it very difficult. We were very fortunate he got in foul trouble early in the game. Hopefully, it will happen again.”