Doubting Thomas: Questions Linger About Sur(ety) Lance(alot)'s Jewelry Debt

There is doubt we will ever know a lot of the precise details regarding how on earth a mediocre college player had the out-of-this-world fiscal wherewithal to make a down payment of $30,000 and go in debt for $67,800 to purchase custom jewelry in New York in the middle of an eventual NCAA championship season. But Lance Thomas, a senior forward who averaged 4.8 ppg for Duke in 2009-10, sure(ty) has a lot of questions to answer regarding an escapade that could be dubbed "Diamonds Are Forever" (at least finishing payments for them until settling lawsuit in mid-September).

Thomas likely will leave inquiring minds wanting a lot more much like he did on the court. Rather than striving for bling to look like a tall rapper, he should have been more concerned about the tall order of living up to his billing as a McDonald's All-American in 2006.

There is no doubt the Blue Devils have a history of dealing in bulk when it comes to McDonald's Unhappy Deals. While observers sift through Thomas' train-wreck transaction adding to a woeful offseason for power conference schools, following is a list including him among 10 McDonald's All-Americans who averaged fewer than 5 ppg in their Duke careers:

NOTE: Beard (Boston University), Boateng (Arizona State), Burgess (Utah), Palmer (Dartmouth) and Thompson (Northwestern) transferred to other schools to finish their college careers.