[CaliforniaRaisin]

Noah, Brewer and Horford aren't coming out.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2401235

 

Good. Hopefully we'll see those bastards in the national championship game next April.

[Mark_R]

Noah, Brewer and Horford aren't coming out.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2401235

 

Good. Hopefully we'll see those bastards in the national championship game next April.

 

If they're returning their entire team, what makes you think you'd beat them next year?

[Andy]

Noah, Brewer and Horford aren't coming out.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2401235

 

Good. Hopefully we'll see those bastards in the national championship game next April.

I could be reaching here, but it seems like you might not be over Monday's game yet.

[SouthSideRyan]

Noah, Brewer and Horford aren't coming out.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2401235

 

Good. Hopefully we'll see those bastards in the national championship game next April.

 

If they're returning their entire team, what makes you think you'd beat them next year?

 

I'd bet a lot of money on neither team being in the championship next year.

[srbin84]

If Farmar and Afflalo actually do go pro, which would be a terrible move for either, UCLA will be lucky to make the NCAA tournament

[CaliforniaRaisin]

If Farmar and Afflalo actually do go pro, which would be a terrible move for either, UCLA will be lucky to make the NCAA tournament

 

Afflalo is returning, Farmar will probably enter but not hire an agent and when he realizes he won't be a first rounder, I expect him back next year.

 

Noah, Brewer and Horford aren't coming out.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2401235

 

Good. Hopefully we'll see those bastards in the national championship game next April.

 

If they're returning their entire team, what makes you think you'd beat them next year?

 

Because UCLA's best player should play all season, as opposed to just four games this year? (Josh Shipp)

[Mark_R]

How's the replacements for Bozeman and Hollins?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

How's the replacements for Bozeman and Hollins?

 

Shipp will easily replace Bozeman, both on offense and defense (and most importantly, will give UCLA an offensive player willing to go to the basket and not settle for the jumper like Arron and Jordan do).

 

Hollins' athletic ability will be tough to replace (it will be tough getting used to not having a 7-footer, especially one with his leaping ability). Lorenzo Mata was actually starting ahead of Hollins for most of the season. I believe Lorenzo had a bad final game but he has been nails most of the season. I expect Alfred Aboya to also make a big leap next season - before his knee injury, he was supposedly more impressive than Mbah a Moute. Incoming freshman 6'8" James Keefe should also help.

[Andy]

Hollins' athletic ability will be tough to replace (it will be tough getting used to not having a 7-footer, especially one with his leaping ability).

Yes - but did he have amazing leaping ability?

[Derwood]

espn now has the Bulls taking Thomas or, if he's gone, Barganini (sp?). No 2nd lottery pick if the season ended today :D

[YearofDaCubs]

When do they draw for the lottery and when is the actual lottery?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

When do they draw for the lottery and when is the actual lottery?

 

IIRC, the draw is during the conference finals(maybe the semis), and the draft is in late June.

[snoodmonger]

Dear Bulls,

 

Please do not draft Tyrus Thomas, a shorter version of me.

 

Sincerely,

 

Tyson Chandler

[1908]

Tyson doesn't evaluate talent any better than he shoots, apparently.

[snoodmonger]

I have seen nothing from Thomas to indicate he'll be more than a defender/rebounder in the NBA. We need a big man who can take pressure off the guards.

[1908]

I have seen nothing from Thomas to indicate he'll be more than a defender/rebounder in the NBA. We need a big man who can take pressure off the guards.

Deng and Noch have taken on an increased scoring load in the second half, and I expect Deng's scoring rate to continue to increase -- he'll turn 21 this weekend, after all. That said, I disagree with your assessment of Thomas. He's raw offensively at the moment, but he's only 19 and relatively new to the game. People had similar things to say about Amare Stoudemire back in the 2002 draft.

[Andy]

The lottery is on Tuesday May 23, and the Draft is on Tuesday, June 27.

[Mark_R]

I have seen nothing from Thomas to indicate he'll be more than a defender/rebounder in the NBA. We need a big man who can take pressure off the guards.

Deng and Noch have taken on an increased scoring load in the second half, and I expect Deng's scoring rate to continue to increase -- he'll turn 21 this weekend, after all. That said, I disagree with your assessment of Thomas. He's raw offensively at the moment, but he's only 19 and relatively new to the game. People had similar things to say about Amare Stoudemire back in the 2002 draft.

 

At the time, Stoudemire didn't miss a season because of a knee injury either.

[1908]

At the time, Stoudemire didn't miss a season because of a knee injury either.

Meh, I read that Thomas was ready to come back during the season but his coach didn't want him to burn a year of eligibility while playing half a year.

[jjgman21]

At the time, Stoudemire didn't miss a season because of a knee injury either.

Meh, I read that Thomas was ready to come back during the season but his coach didn't want him to burn a year of eligibility while playing half a year.

 

just jumping in here. I know nothing of this player, and little about assembling a basketball team, but it seems to me that if a coach thinks his player is good enough to go play in the NBA right now, he would get as much PT out of him as possible since he'll lose him to the NBA before his eligibility is up anyway.

 

so either that coach thinks that player is not good enough to go to the NBA, which doesn't say much about his talent, or the player did not return this year for some other reason.

[1908]

I know nothing of this player, and little about assembling a basketball team, but it seems to me that if a coach thinks his player is good enough to go play in the NBA right now, he would get as much PT out of him as possible since he'll lose him to the NBA before his eligibility is up anyway.

Thomas developed incredibly fast this season. He was on nobody's top 100 NBA prospects list last fall. So I doubt his coach thought he was ready for the NBA during Thomas' first (redshirt) year at LSU. Nobody did at the time.

[1908]

At the time, Stoudemire didn't miss a season because of a knee injury either.

Wait, Thomas was a medical redshirt because of a neck injury. I think I misunderstood your point.

[Derwood]

Is Thomas declaring for the draft for sure? Is it official?

[Mark_R]

At the time, Stoudemire didn't miss a season because of a knee injury either.

Wait, Thomas was a medical redshirt because of a neck injury. I think I misunderstood your point.

 

You're right, it was a neck injury. However, if he was ready to play in January of 05 apparently, then either his coach made a grave error considering that team was on the brink of being really good, or there was more to his injury than was let on.

 

A search of Amare's injury history netted no questions about his injury-laden past like Thomas' does.

 

I'm not saying I wouldn't be happy with Thomas, I'm just saying there's some injury issues about Thomas that didn't exist with Stoudemire.

[Holy Cow]

My draft board:

 

1. Aldridge

2. Thomas

3. Noah

4. Bargnai

5. Gay

 

 

I really think it would be a big mistake for the Bulls to take Thomas while Aldridge is still on the board, but I'd like to see how other people have it ranked. Obviously, I mean as a fit for the Bulls, not overall. Also, how about drafting Glen Davis in the second round? We need a "presence" on the inside, right?