Yes, he could gain a LOT by staying another year or two. But, if he's projected to be a top 5 pick (possibly #1), that would be tough to turn down. BB was projected as a late 1st round selection which is an entirely different scenario than top 5. I'm just enjoying the moment. T-time has all of the athleticism of Stro plus the intangibles that Stro never has developed, even after 5 years in the NBA.
you tiggers are delusional if you think a top 5 pick stays for another year. when the scouts explain to him how much money a 10 million dollar signing bonus is, he'll have a new house for his family and a range rover later that day.
If he's a lottery pick he has to go. Big guaranteed money and he will get as much or more development (no knock on Brady) than in the college game but getting paid big time for it. It's a no brainer IMO. I really think its out of his hands, whether the NBA decides he is worth it now or not will decide. Regardless i wish the kid the best......he's a freak!
I agree. Defensively, he's got all the skills. Offensively...it's another story. Sure, he can put up 20 points...but half of those come by way of jumping over the opponent. He needs to develop an outside shot.
Of course like all LSU fans I would really love to see Thomas in purple & gold for another season. But if he was allegedly off the radar a bit with the ankle injury, his performance on the big stage, against the best, in the biggest games, has put him back with a bullet. He's a top 3 pick. The point about him possibly being considered injury prone is only more reason to go now and get the money. Certainly he needs more work and development but at the rate he seems to be going, he could contribute to an NBA team next year. The comparison to Bass is off - Bass was never considered to have the NBA potential that Thomas has, and their respective draft positions show it. Bass should have stayed, Thomas should go. Ironically, in that case we might have had Bass leaving this year and Thomas exploding next year. We should enjoy him this next week and if we get more, great, but I would be surprised.
It just warms the cockles of my heart to know that Adam Morrison and JJ Redick are sitting at home watching Thomas saying, "So what, I'm better than he is. Dickie says so."
He doesn't need to look at Bass. He needs to look at Stromile Swift. Everybody said the same things about Stro and look at him. He's basically a role player and Stro was better offensively than Thomas. Bass has already counseled him to stay and I wouldn't be surprised to see Shaq get involved. I don't think he's going anywhere. I also think that all of them see that as good as they are this year, with Tack coming back, the transfers coming on and the development of Rolle, they could potentially be one of the all time great teams of college bb next year.
As a Tiger fan I'd love to see him around for a couple more years but there's really no way that he's not a top 5 pick - he could conceivably be #1. He can say right now that he's staying but in all reality I say he's gone. But you know what, I'm happy that I've seen him play this year and can't wait to see what he does in the Final Four.
