Well, Thornton has already visited several times. I have a feeling he already knows what Michigan has to offer, and is just enjoying the process. AZ apparently is again out of his recruitment (per a friend of mine who is a huge AZ fan), and their people believe it is a UM, UK and Duke race. With Ulis and Briscoe at UK already, I think Duke is the biggest threat. Hopefully Smith commits there soon.
As far as your assessment of our talent, I see your points. Hardaway, to me, is an example of a system player who turned into the type of guy you describe, who can just ball on any court with any players or system. I think Irvin can turn into that, though he’s not there yet. Walton perhaps, too.
Two real wild cards are Chatman and Donnal. If Chatman can become a star, that would be huge. Hopefully he can, but obviously his development is going to take longer than anticipated. Donnal? The past two games have been a revelation (and, in that same vein, we need to sit Max completely IMO and get Donnal more touches).
I hear your point about supplemental pieces, and you may be right. With that said, guys like Novak, Douglas, and Morgan were supplemental pieces too, and we won a share of the Big Ten title in 2011/12 with them. Now, that team was no threat to win it all, but this team is longer and more athletic, so if it gets to that level (Big Ten title contender) in another year or two, a deep run could certainly happen.
We could really catch a break if Levert comes back next year. At this rate, he should. Of course, I said that about Glenn last year too and it didn’t matter.