LaMarcus Aldridge
Birthdate: 7/19/85
NBA Position: PF/C
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6-11
Wt: 245

2005/2006 Stats:

33.7 MPG| PPG 15.0 | RPG 9.2 | 2.0 BPG | 1.4 SPG | APG .5 |.567 FG%

NBA Comparison: Channing Frye

Strengths: Considered the top bigman prospect in the country ... Extremely smooth post player ... Has excellent touch within 12 feet of the basket ... Soft hands ... Excels on the offensive end with great fundamentals and footwork ... Put on 25 pounds of muscle between his freshman and sophomore seasons and it's made him a much more aggressive and confident post player ... Runs the floor especially well for a (near) 7 footer ... Good transition player ... Good shot blocker, with his long arms he should get a fair number of blocks on the next level ... Long arms and a quick leaper ... Very versatile big man ... Has many effective moves in the low post including a go-to jump hook. Has even developed a sky hook in his sophomore year ... Great at positioning himself in the post ... Has nice form on his jumper, range is developing ... Positions himself well for rebounds and excels on the offensive glass ...

Weaknesses: In high school he developed a reputation for being soft and not showing enough heart. Scouts still have some question marks about his toughness inside. He is vastly improved in that area, but still struggles against big and strong players on the NCAA level ... Not a physically imposing player inside, plays more a finesse game. Needs to get nastier ... Should still add an additional 10-15 pounds ... Not an out of this world leaper, but solid ... Not an extremely emotional player, which is both a positive and a negative ... Passing and ball handling are decent but can improve ... Also has been injury prone (missed half of his freshman year after a hip injury that required surgery) ... Must develop a killer instinct, more intensity ... Free throw shooting is just average ...


Tyrus Thomas
Birthdate: 8/17/86
NBA Position: Power Forward
Class: Freshman
Ht: 6-9
Wt: 218

2005/2006 Stats:

26.2 MPG |PPG 12.6 | RPG 9.3 | 3.1 BPG | 1.0 SPG | APG 1.3 | .610 FG%

NBA Comparison: Kenyon Martin

Strengths: Agile bigman with great leaping ability ... Feathery touch out to 12-15 feet ... Has a very nice turn around jump shot ...Spectauclar dunker, his explosiveness and quickness getting off the ground is unrivaled among college post players ... A super shot blocker due to his long arms and explosiveness ... Runs the floor well ... Huge wingspan ... Has good hands for rebonds and catching passes ... Plays with good energy, loves to dunk ... Extremely long arms plus great lift make him a monster on the boards and allow him to play much bigger than 6-9 ... Plays with great intensity, has an edge to him ... Excellent passer, great vision ... Great upside ...

Weaknesses: Unproven, must prove himself on the college level ... Must put on a good deal of weight as he can be pushed around due to lack of bulk . He needs at least 20-25 pounds of muscle ... How well he weight trains and maintains his agility will be huge ... He's so talented he can get away with not hustling or working hard, so staying intense and focused is important ... Needs to become better conditioned, gets winded easily ... Has a bit of a hitch on his free throw shot ... He's a risky pick because it's uncertain how his body will turn out. Will he be able to add the weight?

Notes: Redshirted his first year at LSU after sustaining a neck injury.


I like Tyrus Thomas better. What do you guys think?

Aldridge...

Tyrus 8 out of 10 times

I think I'm a bigger fan of Aldridge, he strikes me as better able to create his own shot inside. We don't need defense/rebounding as much from the Center spot when we have Chandler...we NEED a scorer who can draw double teams and create shots for other people.

I agree Aldridge fits the Bulls needs better. I think Thomas may be more ready to contribute in the NBA, but I agree that he seems less able to create his own shot than Aldridge.

I'm just as interested in seeing what the Bulls do with the second first round pick. They clearly need a big guard from that pick, and I am hoping that Roy slips that far (doubtful I realize).

Thomas... I know right now he may not be the big low post scorer we need, but I think I'd take my chances on him improving his game. It sounds like he plays with more heart than Aldridge, and that's a big thing for me. I'll take the guy who really wants it, but may not be as talented, over a guy who doesn't really care. Plus, even if we didn't have much improvement next year on our low post scoring, at least teams that play us will have problems too with Chandler and Thomas roaming the low post. I really like Thomas' one on one, man to man defense and well as his "help" defense. He shows good instincts on coming over to help on D, a lot like Kenyon Martin in college. Although, I saw Kenyon do a lot of things in college that I've never seen anyone do since, so I won't go as far as to say that he's as good in college as Kenyon was defensively, but he seems pretty close to it.

Thomas. Aldridge seemed overmatched against Thomas and Big Baby. Thomas has also been working with an ankle sprain.
A less than 100% Thomas > 100% healthy Aldridge means
a 100% Thomas >>> than a 100% Aldridge

Thomas = more potential/ bigger risk
Aldridge= safer pick

Where do you get the notion that Aldridge doesn't care? The guy studies tape of KG, Tim Duncan, Jermaine O'Neal and Shaq on his own. He's worked with Shaq before. He wants to improve in every aspect and he even gained 25 pounds(maybe more) from last season to this. He knows what he has to do, he has a good head on his shoulder, has much better offense than Thomas, and plays as good of defense as Tyson. Gimme Aldridge 9 out of 10 times.

I think people see that Tyrus can become Amare. But remember the last guy who came out of LSU who was an absolute bust. Stromile Swift was just as athletic, probably better offensively in school and right now, I don't even think he starts with Houston. Kenyon Martin would be good if we had a Jason Kidd here, but we don't. LaMarcus is the guy to go after.

Another thing I like about him is that he plays bigger than he is. Gotta love that.

Gotta love that 7'5 wingspan of LA.

Having Tyson and Aldridge on the court at the same time would be a beautiful thing... Like 7 out of 10 drives to the basket will end in a blocked shot

And a rebound. I know Skiles will love that.

Aldridge was afraid to play in the post against big Baby in the LSU/Texas game, while Thomas never was intimidated by Aldridge's presence. I like Thomas much better, but he is small for a PF and that scares me a little.

You gotta take Aldridge, at least at their current talent levels. Aldridge is bigger, more polished, and can actually score in the post. Thomas is basically just an athlete right now, albiet a good one. Thomas also might not be big enough to be that kind of difference maker in the pros though. He's 6'9" and is listed at 229, which probably won't cut it right now.

You can't really trash Aldridge based on one game, especially since he still had 10 boards and 5 blocks. He got some decent shots in the post, they just weren't falling like they had been in the past. He's still by far the best option for immediate help, and it's still somewhat debatable whether or not Thomas has a higher ceiling.

So, Tyrus sounds like the next Josh Smith, and I loooove Josh Smith, but we already have Deng and Nocioni at SF.

On the other hand, LeMarcus apparently has some actual post moves. Gimme some accurate hook shots and some devastating defense. Yes yes yes.

I don't watch college ball, though. I'm at a severe disadvantage in these here threads.

This should have been a poll. Both players are right up my alley, but we need an inside scoring presence in the worst way. I will cry if we don't get Aldridge.

I'd say Kenyon Martin or Stromile Swift are better comparisons. They're all undersized, athletic power forwards with limited offensive abilities. So basically, a 6'9" Tyson Chandler.

Kenyon Martin is actually a true 6'9 with girth, though. That's a PF through and through. Kenyon will just bruise you to death. Elton Brand (for instance) is a true PF too, although he is barely 6'7 (listed at 6'8).

It's not as much straight-up height as it is the combination of girth and height. That's why Tyson is more a PF than a C, despite being a true 7'1.

I thought about Josh Smith based on height, lack of girth, explosiveness, shot-blocking ability, and bad shooting.

I see your point. If you ignore positions, that makes sense. Thomas is definitely more of an inside player than Smith though, he can't really play on the perimeter.

Tyrus' stock seems to be on the rise right now while Aldridge's on the fall. Tyrus is an explosive athlete, but this team needs length and Aldridge can provide that.

I'm sick of undersized big men (this season) and Aldridge is the solution to that problem (if we don't trade for an O'Neal or Garnett).

I obviously don't know personally, but I think I read something about him in a scouting report that said he's soft and loses focus at times. To me, that makes it sounds like he's not a very "heads up" player, and I hate players like that. I can't stand it when someone does something wrong that kids learn in, like, 5th grade not to do. i.e. pick up dribble before having a pass, etc.

Anyway, are you seriously making a case for not drafting him just because Stromile Swift has been a bust, and they came from the same school? Because if so, Stromile Swift has nothing to do with Tyrus Thomas, same college or not. If that's really a point you're trying to make, then I guess (using your logic) that'll mean that Aldridge will be a bust as well because the last big man that was a high draft pick to come out of Texas was Chris Mihm, and he's been even worse in the NBA than Swift has been.

There's a difference. You're comparing LaMarcus Aldridge, a very long, athletic player with a lot of upside to Chris Mihm, a slow-footed stiff with limited skill and potential. Besides the school they attended, they're extremely different players. Stromile Swift and Tyrus Thomas are very similar in terms of size, athleticism, and offensive abilities, besides the fact that they went to the same school. The one difference I've heard people come up with is that Thomas has a better work ethic than Swift, but that's somewhat speculative.

it is up in the air to me any more the olny thing that i am worried about is Thomas and how many times his hamstrings cramped on him if that will be a problem or if he was dehidrated.

if its a serious thing i would go with Aldridge also i am not worried about there hight because they are olny freshmen and soph. and they could still put on anther 2-3 inches like deng did last year.

First off, Deng only grew one inch. Second, that's very unusual that guys are still growing that late. Third, these guys need to add bulk more than height.

I'm not as concerned about Aldridge because he's got a ridiculous wing span, is more developed offensively, and has a little more bulk on his frame. Depending on where you look, Aldridge is listed between 235 and 240. Thomas has ranged from 215 to 229, with the 229 being the only one I saw over 220.

Well, there's one thing that I can say for sure, and that's that I'll be happy whether we get Thomas, Aldridge, or Noah with our 1st pick. While right now I may be leaning towards Thomas, God knows that opinions will change by late June, especially after individual workouts.

I'd say Josh Smith is a damn good comparison.