mgoblueben

March 8th, 2012 at 11:51 AM ^

1. Yea that guy who only got drafted because he's a 6'4'' point guard.

2. Yea that guy who dribbled with his head down into the lane every damn play and the only offense he created was by posting up his defender in the key and kicking it out... 

3. Yea that guy who did none of what you mentioned.

You know nothing about basketball or you simply have not seen trey play. As a true freshman, Burke creates more diverse options which is what Beilein's offense is about. Beilein claims to now have over 250 options off their basic motion offense.  Never saw that last year.  And morris couldnt hit a simple runner or shot from outside 8 ft (i.e duke game).  

j-turn14

March 8th, 2012 at 2:47 PM ^

if you think you just gave an accurate description of D-Mo's game. And your last point about the runner? The most disheartening thing about the end of the Duke game to me was that Darius hit that shot two or three times EVERY GAME last year. For such a terrible shooter it's pretty amazing that his FG% was 6% higher last season than Trey's is this year.

The guy averaged 15 points and 7 assists and "the only offense he created was posting up and kicking out"? That is so blatantly wrong that it leads me to believe he must have killed your dog or taken your mom out to a nice seafood dinner and never called her again... Or maybe you just didn't actually watch any games last season.

Raoul

March 7th, 2012 at 8:24 PM ^

I was just about to post this. Interesting to see that he's still being criticized for overdribbling:

The Lakers assigned Morris to the Development League Wednesday, after he averaged 2.7 points and 1.1 assists in 10.3 minutes through 13 games. Despite the Lakers' needs at point guard, Coach Mike Brown expressed skepticism about playing Morris significant minutes because of his inexperience, over-dribbling and his understanding of the offense.

MrVociferous

March 8th, 2012 at 11:00 AM ^

Size for a PG won't bring about as many opportunities as you would think.  There are a ton of good young PGs in the league already and more coming up through the ranks.  Big men (like 6'10 and up) will always get a chance to succeed in the NBA (like Greg Oden) because there is always a need for them.  Height isn't really that important to the PG position.

bronxblue

March 7th, 2012 at 9:40 PM ^

I don't disagree that Morris is struggling with the pro game, but Mike Brown is bar-none one of the dumbest coaches I've seen in recent memory.  People point out all of his success in Cleveland, but he obviously had some help.  And this year, with this LA team, he's doing nothing more than babysitting (and badly at that).

Wish Morris the best.

SysMark

March 7th, 2012 at 8:24 PM ^

At the time I would have preferred he stayed but now hard to envision us having a better year with him here.  Hope he sticks somewhere.

SysMark

March 7th, 2012 at 8:35 PM ^

The problem is Darius isn't a true point guard, and he's not a great shooter so he's stuck as a classic tweener in the NBA.  In college he had the size to go inside as a point guard but that won't work in the NBA.  If he was even an average shooter he would have a much better chance.  Maybe a year or two more in college and he can but that's history.

Trey is a classic point guard - and a major find for us.  Hope he is here four years.

SysMark

March 7th, 2012 at 9:14 PM ^

Don't get me wrong, I loved Morris as a player, and I agree that he was an excellent creator, just not in the sense of the true point guard skills I see with Burke.  Morris could penetrate with his dribble, score, and find the open man.  Burke has that innate court sense you see in the best point guards.  He sees the whole floor, understands the spacing and movement of the whole team, not just where he is going and who comes free off his motion.

For me Morris really has the skill set of a 2-guard, only without the shooting ability.  If he could shoot better I really think he would immediately move way up an NBA roster as a 2 and stand-in point.

934SState

March 7th, 2012 at 9:53 PM ^

"For me Morris really has the skill set of a 2-guard, only without the shooting ability."  LOLWUT?

 2-guards just shoot you silly man so this makes no sense.

You're posts in this thread are hilarious

Morris is about as much of a point guard and only a point guard as you will find.  The things you are saying are absurd.  

Any player with the abilities of morris who learned to hit lots of shots would move up an NBA roster.   

Trey Burke is probably closer to a 2 than morris.  Just because he can shoot shots.  Stop it.

 

 

 

Blue82

March 7th, 2012 at 10:05 PM ^

It's "hilarious" how widely this point is misunderstood.  Yes he has the skills of a 2-guard without the shooting skills.  That's why he''s not on a roster.  If he was a better point guard, or a better shooter, he would be.

SysMark

March 7th, 2012 at 10:14 PM ^

Here's a contrast.  A guy who came into the league as a great point guard but not a great shooter - Jason Kidd.  But he was so good at the point he played, and improved his shooting.  Morris just doesn't fall into that category - his point guard skills are not nearly that good.

I don't mind a little good natured give and take but it would work better without the "silly" and "hilarious", unless you're that sure you know more tham everyone else.

JamieH

March 8th, 2012 at 9:47 AM ^

I don't get this argument at all.  Morris is probably the best passer to play at Michigan in the last 20 years.  His court vision and passing were both fantastic.  It was his shot that was bad, meaning that he had NO shooting guard skills.  Since shooting guards, well the SHOOT.

You could say he didn't have a typical point guard build, as 6' 5" is tall for a point guard.  But his two main skills were his passing and his ballhandling, which are the two main skills of a point guard, not a shooting guard.

Trey Burke is very VERY good, and is a MUCH better shooter than Morris was.  But Morris was (last year) a better passer than Burke was this year.  Of course, he was also more experienced.  We'll have to see how  Burke does next year to really compare.

ijohnb

March 8th, 2012 at 10:14 AM ^

you can be a "creator" and that is all.  That can make you a very effective player as a point guard in college without being an effective shooter.  That is not the case anymore in the NBA.  The game has changed a great deal from the days of Dennis Johnson and the sort.  Point Guards in the NBA do most of the 3 point shooting and a lot of the scoring period.  See Chris Paul, Derrick Rose etc. etc.  Think Chauncy Billups as the NBA new prototype point guard.  In the NBA, a point guard needs to be able to score and score in bunches off the pick and roll, Morris simply cannot do that.   What the poster above is saying is that Morris, while a "true point guard" in college is truly a player without a position in the NBA unless and until he can learn to shoot the ball, and he is correct. 

JamieH

March 8th, 2012 at 11:07 AM ^

That is just saying that Morris isn't GOOD enough to play in the NBA.  That is a completely differrent point than saying he isn't a TRUE point guard. 

He IS a true point guard.  He just isn't good enough at shooting currently to succeed in the NBA.  And everyone but Darius seemed to know that before he declared for the draft.

Point guards are mostly defined by having the ball in their hands a ton and setting up others for baskets.  Yeah, in the NBA you better be able to shoot and score no matter WHAT position you play unless you are a tall guy who is obscenely good at defense & rebounding.   His lack of shooting ability doesn't change the fact that Morris is clearly a point guard.

Tater

March 8th, 2012 at 12:27 PM ^

Trey Burke was an integral part in Michigan's first Big Ten regular season title since 1986.  I liked Morris, but I seriously doubt that MIchigan would have gotten that share of the title with him at the helm this year.  

Morris is a tweener.  It worked in college, but it probably won't work in the NBA.  That being said, he might be a lot better fit for the Euro game, and might be able to carve out a nice career if his passport is still current.

bacon1431

March 7th, 2012 at 9:07 PM ^

Court vision is one of Burke's weaknesses right now. Morris was fantastic in that area. He is twice what Burke is at running the pick and roll at this point. Doesn't mean Burke can't be there, but if you think he has better CV than DMo, I don't know what to tell you other than you're wrong.

SysMark

March 7th, 2012 at 9:42 PM ^

I can certainly respect your opinion and won't sit here and say you are wrong.  However running the pick and roll is a specific skill exercised in a limited space on the court visually.  Morris' size was a big advantage on that play and he used it very, very well.  Maybe we're talking about two different things.  Burke has a great talent for feeling the movement and spacing on the entire court.  It is subtle and doesn't necessarily manifest in one specific situation.

The guy I think of when I watch Burke, and we all hate Duke so put that aside for a minute, is Bobby Hurley.  In college basketball you give everything for that guy - he makes every player on the court better and Burke has the talent and potential to play like that.

bacon1431

March 7th, 2012 at 9:55 PM ^

I think that Burke make's everybody around him better too. I thought the same of Morris last year. He averaged over 2 assists better than Burke this year. I don't think Trey sees the whole court nearly as well as Burke. Maybe it's because Morris was 6'4" and Burke is maaaaaaybe 6'0". I think Burke is the better handler, better driver, and obviously the better shooter. But Morris had the size and the vision and that's what made him successful.

KAYSHIN15

March 7th, 2012 at 10:30 PM ^

The reason D-Mo averaged more assists is because he pounded the ball into the ground and did figure eights on the court until his movement got someone open and then that person would shot an open shot. Trey runs the offense and a lot of times his intial pass leads to the next pass being the "assist" pass.

bacon1431

March 7th, 2012 at 11:10 PM ^

I see Burke dribbling around quite a bit too. But he also has a J so he can settle for a jumper and it's a good shot. DMo couldn't do that. DMo also had to dominate the ball last year. Novak and Douglass did not drive nearly as much as they have this year. Same with Smot. Our offense is a little more diversified this year partially because Burke is a more well-rounded player than Morris but also because of the improvements of a few other players.

Maybe I am just paying too much attention to the pick and roll, but Burke turns his back when doing it too much and closes himself off to the other defender and it hurts him sometimes if the screen isn't perfect or he doesn't run his defender off it correctly. And maybe I'm just underrating Burke on the P&R became Morris was so effective at it. But I do think Burke needs to improve his court vision

jmblue

March 8th, 2012 at 7:21 AM ^

I think you need to watch some clips from last year again.  Morris's floor vision was fantastic.  He had a terrific ability to find the open man anywhere.  I don't think Burke is nearly at that level yet (though he's still quite good). Morris and Hardaway in particular had a great chemistry. Watch him here: