Thomas the key?

''He's a great player, and we're going to need him to be a great player to get to the next level.''

So far, Thomas has been anything but great. He has played limited minutes in 32 of the Bulls' 39 games --compiling underwhelming averages of 3.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks -- and has yet to earn the complete trust of coach Scott Skiles to leave him on the court for long stretches.
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In just over 22 minutes against the Spurs, Thomas showed both why his playing time has been sporadic and why his development might be the key to the Bulls' playoff fortunes.
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''He's a heck of an athlete,'' Duncan said. ''He's a leaper, and on that weak side, he's dangerous. He was affecting a lot of shots.''
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''He's a phenomenal athlete,'' Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich said. ''His ability to jump and make plays is something we haven't had. Hopefully, this chance to start will jump-start him and get him to play more consistently.''
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''I don't think my confidence ever failed,'' Thomas said. ''I'm more relaxed now out on the floor, and that was a problem in the beginning. I'm more relaxed and more composed, and I think good things are going to happen for me.''

If they do, good things should happen for the Bulls.