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Every time I watch Eric Gordon and Derrick Rose play on television, I fantasize about what might have been. What if one or both of them had enrolled at Illinois? What if one or both of them were playing in coach Bruce Weber's backcourt this season?
I'll bet Weber has thought about the same thing more than a few times, while watching Brian Randle commit two fouls in the first two minutes and sit on the bench or Shaun Pruitt miss two more free throws or desperately hoping that somebody, anybody, will convert a shot from the perimeter.
But is isn't going to happen. And maybe it's just as well. After all, Rose and Gordon likely will opt for the NBA after their freshman seasons. So it makes very good sense for Weber to be recruiting the best underclass players in the state, kids who have room to develop and won't be one-and-done.
However, as an Illinois alum who cheered when the Illini overcame a 15-point deficit in the closing minutes to shock Arizona in 2005 and has suffered through their recent losing streak, I'd feel a whole lot bettere if Weber would sign a pure point guard and a five-star player who can be a difference-maker at any time in any game against any opponent.
At the moment, Weber has neither. It reminds me of a rudderless ship, no direction, no leadership, no enthusiasm. Sounds like the Chicago Bulls. Have you noticed that ever since general manager John Paxson declared he wouldn't make a trade for Kobe Bryant the Bulls have been in a funk? The Bulls desperately need a player like Bryant. Luol Deng and Ben Gordon aren't in the same league, right?
Well, Illinois deperately needs a player like Bryant...like Julian Wright or Derrick Rose or Eric Gordon. Maybe Alex Legion will be that type of player. Or Crandall Head or Jereme Richmond or Brandon Paul or Joseph Bertrand. It is too soon to tell. But the sooner, the better.
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