re: What if Jordan Mickey returns next season, can we make the final 4?

IMO, getting Mickey back would be even more important to next year's team than getting Newman. The reason is that Mickey adds an aspect to this team that no one currently or coming in can bring.

Right now you've got a potential emerging SEC star at PG (Quarterman); a veteran SG that can almost guarantee you 10+ points per night (Hornsby); a PG/SG that has shown he belongs at this level and is willing to take and make big shots (Patterson); a potential big time freshman scorer at SG (Blakeney) and a Freshman 3/4 that will probably be even better than a current All SEC player. The one big spot you have to replace is a 4 who was for most of the season top 5 in ppg/rpg/bpg in the league. Yes the finish was tough, but Mickey was probably the front runner for SEC POY as late as mid-way through Feb.

Don't get me wrong, getting Newman would be HUGE. Even without him though, LSU should still be very good at guard. Without Mickey, LSU's frontcout isn't anywhere near as intimidating