If they're going to drop one set, why the bottom set? My thumb operates those buttons and my thing does the cursor position...maybe some people are the opposite.

Because most people who use a thinkpad use the trackpoint. I disable my trackpad.

Buttons at the bottom of the touchpad are not usable with the TrackPoint. Well, you could use them, but you'd have to move your hand down every time you wanted to click. One of the big attractions of the TrackPoint is that you can use it directly from the home row without moving your hands.