Thomas might, will, could, might return

Depending on who asked, the answered varied.

Isaiah Thomas, as he has always done when asked about his NBA prospects, waffled on his commitment to returning to Washington for the 2012 season postgame Sunday.

His voice hoarse, slumped in the corner of the Washington lockerroom, Thomas told one reporter he was definitely coming back. Told another he might be. Told another he would weigh his options.

“Who knows? Like I said, I couldn’t tell you,” Thomas told Sportspress Northwest. “Have to weigh your options.”

That is obviously the smart thing to do. Thomas will need to consider his draft stock, which, if current projections are assessed, is not very high. Thomas is considered possibly a late second-round pick at best.

The other issue is the looming NBA work stoppage. Thomas could find himself in a situation without guaranteed money in a league that flushes its season. That would be bad.

Should he return, Thomas will join fellow seniors Darnell Gant and Scott Suggs on a Washington team that will once again be deep and talented. The Huskies should challenge the top tier of what will be a much-improved Pac-12 Conference.

Thomas is also well on his way to obliterating the school scoring record. He is fourth on the all-time list with 1,721 points. If he duplicates this season in 2012, Thomas will finish with 2,316 points, well ahead of Chris Welp’s record of 2,073. Thomas trails Welp, Jon Brockman (1,805) and Bob Houbregs (1,774) in scoring.

He has always said he wants to be remembered as the best Washington player of all time. A fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and the scoring record would put him at the top of the debate.