<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It?s interesting that two NBA draft sites (NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.com) and the McGraw Casual College Observer Ratings (available only in this paper) came to the same conclusion last week ? LSU?s Tyrus Thomas is the top pick of this year?s draft. The 6-foot-9 power forward turned in monster performances against Duke and Texas in the two regional games last week. Due to foul trouble, he only played 17 minutes in Saturday?s semifinal loss to UCLA, but that one game shouldn?t hurt him. It?s still a tight race, but the New York Knicks have so far shown no interest in relinquishing the NBA?s worst record. If it stays that way, the Bulls will be guaranteed a top-four selection in the June 28 draft, since they own the Knicks? pick from the Eddy Curry trade. There could be three promising big men available for the Bulls ? Thomas, Texas center LaMarcus Aldridge and Florida?s multi-talented Joakim Noah ? though there is no guarantee that any of them will declare for the draft. All three are in their second year of college. Early entries have until April 29 to declare for the draft and can withdraw before June 18. In recent years, very few players destined to be one of the top 10 picks have opted to stay in school, but there are always exceptions. Thomas grew up in Baton Rouge, La., with many of his LSU teammates. That group is said to be tight as a drum, but it will be tough to pass on the NBA. The Baton Rouge Advocate wrote that Thomas? mother, Jessica Johnson, couldn?t afford the trip to Jacksonville, Fla., for the first two games of the tournament. She made it to the Atlanta regional and to Indianapolis for the Final Four. Thomas? mother works as a corrections officer at a juvenile detention center, while his father has been in and out of prison and largely absent from his son?s life. Collis Temple Jr., a former LSU player who coached Thomas in AAU, suggested last week that Thomas could be chosen No. 1. ?That?s not me saying he ought to go,? Temple was quoted in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. ?I?d like to see him stay, but it?s like taking a winning lottery ticket back and saying, ?Let me try again.?? Another interesting story about Thomas is he redshirted at LSU last year because of a neck injury. He reportedly received medical clearance to play in January, but coach John Brady insisted on sticking with the redshirt season. Thomas? fifth year of eligibility will really come in handy now. Another player who hit the Bulls? radar screen during the tournament is 6-foot-6 Washington guard Brandon Roy. If the big men aren?t there, Roy might be a logical choice to pair in the backcourt with Kirk Hinrich, leaving Ben Gordon in the sixth-man role. Roy, a senior, has all the skills and is remarkably efficient with the ball. The popular knee-jerk reaction that the Bulls must trade Gordon if he?s not a starter is misguided. There is plenty of room for three solid guards on any roster. Italy?s 7-foot Andrea Bargnani is generally accepted as the European prospect with the best chance of cracking the top five draft picks. One scout compared him to Orlando?s Darko Milicic, who played well against the Bulls last week. Anyone waiting to get a look at Bargnani during the Euroleague Final Four in Prague, Czech Republic, later this month will be disappointed. His Benetton Treviso squad was eliminated in a tiebreaker and won?t be part of the quarterfinal round that begins this week.</div> Source
