Not after that dismal performance against LSU. He got flat out pwnd by davis. THis should mean on a positive note that aldridge wont declare. His draft status should have taken a hit, he didnt even make it to the final four, and he clearly has a lot to learn still. WIth that, unlike vince young, there is a lot of purpose in staying at UT. If he does declare, he should drop within the rockets reach. Which is great. On a side note, danm, if that tyrus thomas guy declares, rockets should trade swift and draft thomas. They look like the same kind of guys, but thomas seems like he would play ten times better.
I wonder if Stro is more athletic than Thomas? Both are unbelievable jumpers. Can't believe Tyrus was so lightly recruited. Still think LA goes in the top 3.
I hope Aldridge stays. UT will have a pretty sick team if the team's core (Gibson, Tucker, Aldridge) stay another year. In addition, UT has the #2 high school player in the nation committed also. As far as Tyrus Thomas, he does remind me of Swift a lot. If Thomas has a good work ethic, he can really develop into a good player in the NBA. Work ethic is what seems to be lacking with Swift. He also seems to have slightly better handles than Swift.
not to mention a true PG in Augustin, and the #2 player in the country, Kevin Durant coming to town. They lose Buckman and Paulino, but if everyone else comes back, depending on who declares from LSU, they have 4 frosh and sophs, UT could be preseason #1.
well they are getting one of the best PG's in the country next year and abrahms played well as a fresh. PG position should be fine next year. however, they do have an offensive scheme, the players just didn't execute it well. barnes like to work inside out. but the inside guys were not good at all today. tucker and aldridge dissapeared, and those are the two guys they go to inside and work off of that. you aren't one of the best offensive teams in the country without a scheme.
If he does not declare, that means bad news for us unfortunately. It means the number of good players gets shorter and we will have fewer backcourt players to choose from. Backcourt players which we sorely need.
I don't think today's game will make anyone question his potential. It's only a question of where he is now, and how fast he is expected to develop. The only way it could drop his draft status, is if a team thought he was further along and didn't want to wait on him, in which case one or two teams might pass over him. I would never expect him to drop from a high lottery to a low lottery though. He isn't going to drop to the Rockets, but we need him to push another good player down a slot.
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/5443748 ATLANTA - LaMarcus Aldridge may not be ready to announce his intentions after a poor performance in Texas' loss to LSU, but his teammate, Daniel Gibson, is certain where he'll be next year. "I'm definitely coming back to Texas," said the sophomore guard. "I'm 100 percent sure." The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Gibson averaged 13.4 points this season and scored a team-high 15 points in the loss to LSU. Aldridge, who scored just 4 points on 2-of-14 shooting against the Tigers, was non-committal about his decision. Many NBA executives have the 6-foot-11 sophomore as possibly the top overall pick in the draft. "I'm not going to get into that," Aldridge said. "We just finished our game. That'll come later."
One game isn't going to determine someone's position in the draft. If he's still projected for top5 or so, which he certainly should be, then he'd be stupid not to go.
well if aldrige does declare he will be playing in some euro league with JJ redick in 4 yrs. i know you cant judge him by one game , but that is what he will be facing in a 82 game season. he should come back
Why? Three things can happen if he comes back: (1) He gets hurt and his draft stock drops. (2) He doesn't develop the ability to deal with stronger players and his draft stock drops. (3) He does develop that ability and his draft stock, in a much deeper draft next year, remains about the same or slightly better. But the thing is, he do #2 or #3 in the NBA as well, and that way, he's not risking millions of dollars. I'm a big fan of these guys staying in school, and from a UT fan perspective, I'd love him to stay. But from his viewpoint, there's nothing to be gained by staying.
I think he declares. The NBA draft is about potential, not ability. If he stays another year, his status will drop because he's a year older. NBA teams draft young guys that are not necessary developed because they have the ability to develop into a superstar. If Aldridge stays another year and doesn't become a superstar, he won't be drafted as high. As it is now, he will be drafted top 5 because he is young and could become dominant, even though he is not now.
his stock COULD be higher next year if he improves and since the core is coming back they will be ranked #1 in preseason. if it were me ....i would declare and not look back
Umm, maybe a NCAA Championship..... I think that was a big reason YOung left. He had one a championship, and the team for the following years wasnt going to be that great. The program at UT is quite young right now. So aldridge can still play and compete for the title.
He has to declare. There is no decision. The national title thing is stupid for college basketball. It is so hard to win a national title in college basketball. The best team does not always win. It is a one game thing. He comes back they have the same chances as this year. He is guaranteed a top 5 spot now, he has to come out. As for Gibson, haha. I bet he is coming back. Who the hell would draft him right now? Maybe 2nd round.
It's hard to take whatever else you may say seriously when you open up with statements like that. Four years from now, REGARDLESS of whether he declares for the draft this year or not, Aldridge will be starting for some NBA team. Everything reported on Aldridge is that he has a great work ethic. I think he'll improve more than enough in 4 freakin' years to crack the starting lineup on an NBA roster. What we saw today was a guys who wasn't strong enough to hold position down low against a guy that outweighed him by about 60-70 lbs. We also saw that Aldridge doesn't have a power move in the post. Totally and completely fair to say that he isn't ready for the NBA. But that's got nothing to do with where you get drafted! It's been said by plenty others that the league drafts on potential...not on readiness to play. It's important that there is disctinction made between saying that Aldridge SHOULDN'T declare vs. WON'T declare...based on his game today. By this time next year, I think Aldridge will be a better player if he stays in school than he will be after a year of sitting on an NBA bench. But the kid's going to be a top 5 pick and that means he's gone.
