VITALS: 6-8, 235, Texas OVERVIEW: Thomas played four seasons of college basketball at Texas. After helping lead the Longhorns to the 2003 Final Four as a junior, Thomas saw his minutes and numbers decrease his senior season because he was replaced in the starting lineup by a younger player. Thomas had demonstrated his terrific rebounding ability until his senior season and is also a strong interior defense. His biggest weakness is that he has virtually no offensive game. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Thomas is a second-rounder. Even if he goes undrafted, however, it likely will not affect his NBA career. There is a place in the league for Thomas, who should be able to play his way onto a roster in training camp. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Michael Cage, Ben Wallace COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Reggie Evans, Michael Ruffin ROLE PROJECTION: Key reserve POSITIVES: Thomas was arguably the best rebounder is college basketball over the last two seasons. His production per minute was outstanding and what made it even more impressive was the fact that he did it at the Big 12 level. Although Thomas may not be a highly regarded NBA prospect, he is as good at what he does best as nearly any player in the draft. SHORTCOMINGS: Thomas experienced injuries throughout his senior season, although to his credit he battled through them. Whether he will be injury-prone at the next level remains to be seen. Thomas also lacks scoring polish, which makes him a liability on the offensive end. His natural position is center, in spite of the fact that he might even be too short for a NBA power forward. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: "He's a small power forward. He's been hurt part of the year. His agent thinks he's a second-rounder. He's had a lot of workouts. I wish he was here (at Chicago) because then we could find out how tall he is." - NBA director of scouting Marty Blake
