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He's gonna get eaten alive in the NBA but how can you turn down the guaranteed money someone's about to throw at him?
But if this helps Texas snag Darrell Arthur away from Kansas, see ya LA.
from ESPN.com
The Texas Longhorns will reportedly be without one of their leading scorers next season.
LaMarcus Aldridge, whose sop re season ended with a disappointing performance in Texas' overtime loss to LSU in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, has told teammates and the Longhorns coaching staff he will enter the NBA draft, three sources told The Dallas Morning News.
Aldridge is projected as a possible high first-round pick in the NBA draft -- and ranks at No. 3 on ESPN Insider Chad Ford's Top 100 -- but declined to discuss his future after Texas' loss.
Aldridge's 26-point, 13-rebound performance against West Virginia in the Sweet Sixteen had scouts buzzing that he had solidified his place as a potential No. 1 pick in the draft, according to Ford. But his 2-for-14 performance against LSU had scouts backing off a little bit.
The 6-10 forward averaged 15.0 points and 9.2 rebounds a game during the regular season.
In related news, Longhorns coach Rick Barnes will remain at Texas, despite reports the North Carolina State had targeted Barnes in its coaching search, the Morning News also reported.
Barnes' annual base salary will increase from $1.3 million to $1.8 million, and he will receive a $125,000 bonus if Texas reaches the NCAA Tournament, according to the newspaper.
In 2006, the Longhorns won a school-record 30 games, and earned a share of the Big 12 regular season le.
He's gonna get eaten alive in the NBA but how can you turn down the guaranteed money someone's about to throw at him?
But if this helps Texas snag Darrell Arthur away from Kansas, see ya LA.
well he's no robert swift
It will help with Arthur, if the only thing that interests Arthur is playings time, but according to his AAU coach Jazzy Hartwell, it's not the only area of concern, but rather, just one.
Style of play and the teams ability to win a le in his time there weigh in just as heavily as playing time and offensive role.
DallasPrep.com's Rodney Johsnon echoed these sentiments as well.
In fact, right now, it's more likely that UA or LSU will land him than Kansas or Texas, for the simple reason that if he wanted either of the last two schools, he'd have committed there already. Both LSU and UA have a PF opening and both have equal talent, if not better, than Kansas or Texas.
Arthur likes both so much that he intends to pay his own way to visit both UA and LSU before he makes a decision. Likely after the Roundball Classic.
According to both Hartwell and Johnson, it's a four horse race and as of now, every team is neck and neck. No favorites have been listed, it's just down to those four schools.
Hmmmm, Arizona used to have better talent than Texas but I don't think they do now.
Then why is Texas and Rick Barnes got such a hard on for two current UA players (McClellan and Wise) and a third future player (Bayless)?
NOTE: *McDonald's All-Americans
Five Star players
Mustafa Shakur*
JP Prince
Juwann McClellan*
Chase Budinger*
Four Star
Marcus Williams
Ivan Radenovic
Fendi Onobun
Kirk Walters
Three Star
Nick Wise
Jordan Hill
Daniel Dillon
2007 studs
5-Star Jerryd Bayless
5-Star Jamelle Horne
4-Star Alex Jacobson
Possibles for 2007
5-Star Gary Johnson
5-Star Derrick Rose
Are you really going to argue this?
If Arthur comes to UA and stays two years, he could play with upwards of eight 5-Star and five 4-star players in his tenure there. That's a lot of talent.
With Aldridge and Tucker gone, Texas is missing their two best players from this past season. You'll have Gibson, Durant and Augustine, then a handful of raw/seldom used fillers. Yeah, I know Mike Williams was a MCDAA, but he's shown nothing as of yet to validate that.
True, UA is losing Adams, but they are gaining McClellan and Budinger.
I'd say they come away better.
Texas NEEDS Arthur for next year, or else they'll have a significant drop off.
If Arizona loses Shakur and/or Marcus Williams, then the field is back to level.
If not, then I really don't see how you can claim Texas is better. They might have more McD AA's (4 for UT, 3 for UA), but the 4-Star players at UA are significantly better than anything Texas has, outside of Durant. Add to that the potential of the 5-Stars of UA's and I see this as not even close.
you mean texas recruits players that have offers from UA?
crazy
I wouldnt bet on tucker leaving either
aj abrams wasnt a filler, he was our best guard for long stretches deep in the year
mike williams had a excellent tournament
and dj augustine is the top pg in texas
Yeah, I don't think PJ will be leaving. Also, isn't Shakur suppose to be leaving?
Yeah, it's crazy that a player who's been verbaled for three years keeps getting offers all the way until LOI day as a Senior. Or nudge, nidge wink, wink offers to a already signed player on the UA roster.
Can you tell me how Tucker is going to improve his stock? If he comes back to Texas, with Durant at SF, he'll never get the chance to improve his perimeter game. He'll be asked to do the down low dirty work, which won't help his NBA stock at all.
He's coming of a great year, won't be growing another three inches any time soon and would be returning to a team that's going to be worse than last year's team.
To me, that spells NBA DRAFT.
Take it for what it's worth...
EDIT: Shakur is not supposed to be leaving. He'll more than likely test, get a read on where he stands and what's needed for improvement, but right now, he's not even a second rounder on mock drafts.
Tucker is a bubble first.
That's why I'd count ont he one coming back and the other leaving.
are you kidding me, durants gonna take all of tuckers mins?Can you tell me how Tucker is going to improve his stock? If he comes back to Texas, with Durant at SF, he'll never get the chance to improve his perimeter game.
1. tucker plays in the post
he's undersized
he cant catch and shoot from the perimeter
thats tucker
he cannot dribble unless he is going DIRECTLY to the basket
if youre gonna draft him
youre gonna realize hes a barkley, malik rose, tractor traylor post
even with 5 years of ball handing skills he cant play wing in the nba
he cant go through one big12 game without getting traveling, doubledribble and palming called on him
2. durants gonna play offguard too
texas lost its only wing with any size in dowell last year
gibson is their biggest guard and he's 6-2
you mean rebound and play dHe'll be asked to do the down low dirty work, which won't help his NBA stock at all.
He's coming of a great year, won't be growing another three inches any time soon and would be returning to a team that's going to be worse than last year's team.
nba teams dont look for that?
and I wouldnt say losing your sophmore center, a sr underachieving gutless post, and a player that never averged 10 ppg, would make a team bad enough for a 6-5 post who missed most of his so. year, jump to the nba
Last edited by mookie2001; 04-10-2006 at 03:40 PM.
I told y'all a couple of weeks ago... Arthur will end up in Arizona. He hasn't even gone there yet. When he does, he'll get promised all the PT he wants and the scenery isn't exactly lacking if you know what I mean...
Actually I've seen Texas and Kansas as listed favorites. Your point of view is obviously of Arizona fan and that's why you argue that he will less likely go to Texas or Kansas because if he wanted to, he would have committed already. For one thing, Texas didn't even have a scholarship available to him, and now I guess they do.
I heard a month ago it was down to ku and texas
According to his AAU coach and DallasPrep.com, two people who have had recent (as in the last couple of days), he has no favorites.
Everything you've read is from months ago.
It's now started over with Texas, Kansas, Arizona and LSU and all have equal shots according to both sources. His AAU coach is quite the autority as he's gone on several of his visits. He knows from wence he speaks.
Mookie, I understand that Tucker is a low post player. At this level, anyways. However, being that he's 6-5 and, my guess, around 220 pounds, he'll likely be a Corliss Williamson type of SF at the NBA level.
If he comes back to Texas next season, he'll not be given the chance to play SF, 1. because of Durant being a stud SF prospect and 2. because without Aldridge, they'll need his low post play even more than this past year.
Playing down low doesn't help his NBA chances. They don't. I don't care how good a low post player he becomes, he's not going to play the PF spot at 6-5, 220 in the NBA.
I understand that right now, he's not yet a capable wing-forward, but in my opinion, because of this year's play, the depth issues of this year's draft and the position issues of next year's Longhorns, he's gone.
He's a bubble first right now. Next year's draft is deeper and with not being able to work on the NBA skills at the college level next season, I don't see how coming back helps him at all.
Texas is a fine school with some great talent, but they aren't UA, a program which has had more players drafted by the NBA since 1990 than any other program, with one National le and a National Runner up in the last 10 years and 20+ years of 20+ wins and NCAA Tournament appearances.
He'd going to play with equal, if not better talent at Arizona, than at Texas. I'm not going on opinion, I'm going on rankings. He'll have a better coach and he'll have a starring role that he can just step into and start pumping out 16-8 in the best system for creating NBA talent since Dean Smith's Carolina teams.
If he turns that down, then he'll still be going to a good university whether it be Kansas, Texas or LSU.
But just because Arizona is a new name in the race, doesn't mean it doesn't stand a chance. Everything said from he, his mom, his coach and those who have interviewed HIM have said just as much. If you read between the lines, it even says more.
For example, his visits to Texas and Kansas have come and went. Positions have been opened, talent ac ulated and promises made, yet no decision. Not for two years now.
Arizona is said to be getting an unofficial visit, paid for by Arthur. When the first date couldn't be made (this past weekend) due to travel conflicts, he didn't eliminate Arizona because things couldn't be worked out. He simply pushed back the deadline and started working on the next visit date.
He says he wants to visit Arizona. Not his parents, not his camp. He says it. Why pay your own way if there's no real interest? Why spend money you don't have for a trip you don't need if your minds already made up?
Like it or lump it, them's the facts.
We'll have to see. DallasPrep.com says it should be announced by May. Maybe sooner. Good luck either way, but let it be known that midnight Lute has a full tank and is hard at work.
than he'll never play in the nbahe's not going to play the PF spot at 6-5, 220 in the NBA
because if you've seen more than 2 pj tucker games you know his handle is pathetic(this year is the first year he has handled the ball this much)
hes not quick enough to beat NBA wings off the dribble, which he cant do anyway, he cant catch and shoot, he doesnt have range on his jumper
he does have the quickness to face up and shoot/drive on bigman, he can post up, he has strength, and he is an excellent rebounder
if you want to get into semantics and he had a player like dirk, KG, lamar odom, kirelenko, artest on his team he very well could play the "sf" spot, but he would be playing downlow, in the post, while the pf roams around like a pussy
I truly believe he'll wow the scouts with his immediate skills, get a first round promise and be drafted for his wing potential. Yes, he'll have to work on his handle. Yes, he'll have to work on his jumper, but he's just not an NBA PF.
I agree that a low post game will have an impact on his NBA career, just like Williamson, but undersized PF's (in Tucker's case, extremely undersized) just don't get drafted anymore, let alone paid.
PJ reminds me kinda of Bonzi Wells. He likes to post up a lot and is not that great at outside shots but can make them. PJ may be a better rebounder than Bonzi though and he can't control the ball as well. But he will get better once he is in the NBA.
Exactly, so why should he come back again?
arizona got how far in the tourney? oh yeah just as far as they always get.
i trust aau coaches about as much as i believe Aggie Hoopsfan
he'll get more mins at texas than sitting on a bench
this is a guy whos had less than 2.5 seasons to even make a name for himself, and see what kind of player he is
plus he'll earn a four year college, or be at least close to graduating
I just don't see what yall have against a guy returning for his senior year?
big 12 poy doesnt mean , except that if he comes back, he'll be the meanest player in the league
but IF he gets a first round promise from some team, and then he believes it, he should go
I couldnt hold it against him
but I have heard in the past that players get let down on draftday
plus he can show Arthur how to play with little ruth
except he's FROM texas so he should be alright
Mighty big talk from a basketball program with as many les as Pac-10 doormat Washington State. How many National les in basketball does Texas have? What's that? Zero?
One could say that Texas was more of an underacheiver this year than Arizona was. After all, Arizona went as far their seeding said they should. Texas lost to a #4 seed, one round earlier than their seeding said they should.
As for your lame attempt at historical account, LMAO... Arizona has been one of the most impressive NCAA Tournament teams in the past 20 years. They've had their downs, but a National le (beating three #1 seeds en route to, first team ever to do that) and three other Final Fours during that stretch help offset the three first-round exits.
When you win a le, you can talk about success and failure. Until then, you're just part of the field. It's like the Mavericks talking smack against the Spurs. It's just insane.
Again, since 1990, no other college program has had more players drafted by the NBA than Arizona. Of the 26 players drafted, 10 NBA les have been won, with three other Finals appearances during that stretch. Arizona isn't just a perrenial top-10 NCAA team, they also turn their players into NBA players, that don't just play, but have good individual and team success.
Explain to me how you can question that?
At the very least, wake me when Texas gets to four Final fours in under 15 years. You're at one.
Your Longhorns have such an extensive basketball history that when you google "NCAA Tournament University of Texas history", you get links to UTEP, Texas Western, Univ. Houston, and a link to a story on how they'll host the Final Four in 2008.
Wow, you're blowing me away. So good, for so long...
texas is a football school?
LaMarcus La ed up.
Its pretty easy for Arizona to has so many NBA players when they have 0 academic requirements.Again, since 1990, no other college program has had more players drafted by the NBA than Arizona. Of the 26 players drafted, 10 NBA les have been won, with three other Finals appearances during that stretch. Arizona isn't just a perrenial top-10 NCAA team, they also turn their players into NBA players, that don't just play, but have good individual and team success
Arizonas 4 final 4s are nice but they have a long glorious history of 1 and done in the tournament. Its easy to win 20 games when you play patsies each and every single year to pad your schedule.
Arizona is the Cincinnati of the West.
Long glorious history? They've done it at random, three times.
When you make that many Tournaments in a row, you're going to lose some.
Even Duke and North Carolina have had some early round failures.
As for the schedule, Arizona won 20 games this year, playing the #5 overall strength of schedule, including the #1 overall non-conference schedule.
This, their crappiest team in years, still won 20 games, despite playing one of the hardest schedules in the Nation. Lest you forget, they are always involved in some non-conference mega-tournament like the NIT or Maui Invite. They do always have to face good Pac-10 compeition, whether it's Washington, Stanford, UCLA, California or Oregon, a combination of three has always been good when Arizona's been good.
Again, when Texas has four Final Fours, you can take shots. Until then, you only look the fool for attacking a top-10 basketball program.
It would be like me, as a UA fan, attacking Texas's football tradition. UA's had some football success, but cannot hold a candle to Texas, despite the times when Texas has been the favo e and lost a big game.
Same thing, dumbass...
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