Is Darius Morris time in LA (and maybe the NBA) nearing an end?
I ask this question because the Lakers are 9-13. They are without starting PG Steve Nash and lost last night to the awful Cleveland Cavaliers with Morris only getting 7 (unproductive) minutes, logging 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 turnover and 0 points on 0/1 shooting. Chris Duhon got nearly all of the tick at the point with talk that the Lakers will sign Eddie House to take on the point role in Nash's absence.
If there was going to be a time for D-Mo to have established a role for himself, this was the time. But his minutes have shrank over the last ten games and now the Lake Show is fishing from the barrel of ancient point guards who were never great to begin with.
Yeah he makes good money (for now, anyways) and the NBA was his dream but man, don't you think he wishes he made the decision Trey did, seeing how his national star is burning brighter than it did at even the best moments last year?
In any event, good luck D-Mo.
December 12th, 2012 at 4:40 PM ^
Those are valid counter-points, but it's not particularly relevant if he has to be the 8th pick, 15th pick, or the 22nd pick or whatever.
Morris was paid like a first rounder - his status as a 2nd-rounder is the foundation of everyone's argument against his decision to go pro.
Morris was never going to be a lotto pick and he will make an extra year of earnings due to his decision. He also very likely developed faster unless you believe taking the easy route is better for development.
The decision to go pro worked out well for him. He's not an example of a cautionary tale.
BTW - teams throw away 1st round picks all the time. Picks are sunk costs. At this point the Lakers have no less incentive to keep Morris than other teams have of keeping expiring contract draft picks.
December 12th, 2012 at 11:27 PM ^
December 12th, 2012 at 11:05 AM ^
December 12th, 2012 at 11:08 AM ^
that Darius is not doing himself any favors out there on the court. Blame Kobe's ball-hogging all you like, but that's not the problem with Darius. The problem with Darius is that he tries to do too much with the ball. His play is best described as being "aggressively out of control" at times. There are moments when he runs the offense efficiently, and takes decent shots, but IMO they have been few and far between. And he's a bit of a liability on the defensive end, but that's been covered up by the fact that the Lakers as a whole are an awful defensive team.
He's far too inconsistent on both ends of the floor at this stage of the game, when some stability is seriously needed at the point guard position; hence, Duhon's starting and other possessions where Kobe is the guy bringing the ball up court. It also helps, of course, that Duhon is familiar with D'Antoni's offensive system and can direct guys to their proper positions in the set.
Darius seems to be willing to learn and improve as a player (he has praised Kobe and others on the team for being great teachers), and he apparently gets high marks from teammates for that reason, but the reality is that it's tough to learn on the fly while playing for a franchise with astronomically high expectations of not just winning, but winning RIGHT NOW.
I think it's only a matter of time before he's traded. I don't think that he should be, since he gives the Lakers some athleticism that they are sorely lacking. The only way it's justified is if the Lakers get some better athleticism/shooting/decent defense in return.
December 12th, 2012 at 11:24 AM ^
Duhon, Blake, and Nash are the defensive equivalent to a fold up chair. Darius issue will always be that his Jumper is inconsistent. Thats all Dantoni wants is guys that can shoot from long range.
Why else would they seek out Eddie House of all people? Eddie cant dribble the ball between his legs let alone make plays from the PG position.
December 12th, 2012 at 11:58 AM ^
Agree with a lot of your points, though I am not sure where a mutually beneficial trade happens. Trades don't happen in a vacuum and even L.A. needs to give up something to get something and frankly we don't have a lot to offer that any non-insane GM would want. If anyone could get something done, it's Kupchak but he's used up his share of magic.
He's also not been stellar when it comes to discovering 2nd-unit talent. Not gonna ding him too hard for that, because his success at getting complementary 1st-unit guys (which is much more important) doesn't leave him much else to work with, salary-wise.
(that was @mrfrieze)
December 12th, 2012 at 11:45 AM ^
Also: is Mike Dantoni's time in LA and in the NBA at an end?
December 12th, 2012 at 11:56 AM ^
Unfortunately for the Lakers and D'antoni, I thought it was a poor hire because they don't really have the personnel for his system. He's a pretty good coach and they have very good players, but that doesn't always add up to success.
December 12th, 2012 at 2:03 PM ^
with Phil Jackson sitting there, waiting in the wings, watching.
December 12th, 2012 at 11:52 AM ^
As another suffering Laker fan (can't say long-suffering, because... really, now, that's just being a spoiled brat) - yeah, Darius has not done himself well over the last several games. He's been ok at using his size to body up on his man but he's definitely regressed from a promising stretch of games earlier in the season and is still having issues playing out of control, albeit less so than last season. His D is passable but his shooting is spotty - granted, he's in good (bad) company there. Still... It's gotten to the point where the corpse of Chris Duhon has taken over the starting role and I can't even disagree with that. We're f'd until Nash gets back. What's *really* been disturbing to see is that Morris is consistently unable to finish at the rim, and that was something he was consistently good at in college. His NBA career is in the danger zone if he can't get it going under (hopefully) Nash's tutelage later this season.
That said, as far as the rumors about Eddie House and co. being brought in.... I'll believe it when I see it. I keep telling people this, but often in the NBA, fantastical trade rumors are floated around like trial balloons by agents as a way to passive-aggressively drum up interest in their clients or engage in posturing with a GM. Said rumors very often involve the Lakers because they are - deservedly or not - a sexy headline-gathering team. However, GM Mitch Kupchak has consistently kept his dealings on the down-low - almost every major deal he's made in the last 5-7 years has come out of the blue. Basically, whenever I hear a trade rumor involving L.A., I disregard it as white noise until I hear multiple sources confirming it and it actually happens within a day or so.
December 12th, 2012 at 12:06 PM ^
Also - chew on this, Mayans:
In 2012 I follow two basketball teams who often wear yellow. Team A struggles to beat bad teams, has barely passable talent at several key positions and is dispirited and fundamentally weak on basic game principles. Team B plays beautiful, coordinated ball that is an absolute joy to watch and is a perennial contender within a stacked conference.
If you'd told me 12 years ago that Team A was the Lakers and Team B was Michigan, I would've laughed in your face. =p
December 12th, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^
Darius would've been better off not getting picked up in the NBA, so he could go to Europe and get PT against quality competition, way better than the D-League. If the Lakers release him this season, he would be wise to seek out that option. After a couple years in Europe, he can come back here as a seasoned pro player with skills, and hopefully a jump shot, that teams will covet.
December 12th, 2012 at 3:23 PM ^
I ask not to troll but in all seriousness (don't follow the NBA as much as I used to). Are there any recent examples of young NBA players getting released, going to Europe and developing their game, and getting picked up again by an NBA team?
December 12th, 2012 at 5:13 PM ^
Steve Novak?
December 12th, 2012 at 11:55 PM ^
Not really.. not if they're American at least. Some international players manage to do that because later on they get to play in FIBA and Olympics and put up a good showing. Carlos Arroyo comes to mind.
December 12th, 2012 at 12:19 PM ^
I don't think staying an extra year would have saved Morris at all. He wouldn't be any more successful a pro, in my opinion, if he had stayed. He'd have his degree, but he can still do that, and hopefully he does.
December 12th, 2012 at 12:48 PM ^
One thing that was screaming out to me here was that no one is looking at the extenuating circumstances. IMHO one of the big reasons why Morris jumped when he did was the weak draft class, as many people were (correctly) expecting a lock-out. He left because he thought that it was his best opportunity for a high draft position. Burke doesn't have to deal with any of this stuff...so his decisions are a lot more conventional.
December 12th, 2012 at 3:54 PM ^
The rightness of Morris's decision to leave when he did is an interesting debate, and folks have made good points above on both sides. But to me the more interesting thing is how well it's worked out for Michigan. Not having Morris back might have been initially difficult last year -- but there's no doubt Burke is the better all around player, and this year's team is much better positioned having Burke with a year of starting experience already, than it would be in the alternative scenario (where he's a new starter after serving as Morris's understudy last year). So while I always like guys to stay in school, I guess I'm thankful Darius left when he did.
December 13th, 2012 at 12:04 AM ^
He wouldn't be in a better situation right now had he stayed. Not unless he somehow switched bodies and became more athletic/developed a consistent jumpshot over his extra year. His best case scenario was always as a marginal roleplayer on an NBA team with no better options. If you're a PG who can't shoot consistently in the NBA these days you better be about as athletic as Rajon Rondo is... Unlike Rondo, Morris isn't an elite defender/passer/rebounder(for his position)... He's just either average or slightly above average in each category.