The Denarding

May 4th, 2011 at 12:14 AM ^

A perimeter shot is the one thing you can actually practice and develop.  He is also strong enough and big enough to muscle his way into the post which will offset his lack of quickness.

His inability to go left however is a brutal problem and will force him to take a lot of fade aways if he tries to go left.  I also expect significant frustration of on the ball defense making him want to default going right which will play into the defenses hands.

Andre Miller had learned how to go either way before he went pro and specifically used his left to get in the post and hit fades.  Hopefully Darius can do that until he figures out how to maximize his handle.

Bombadil

May 3rd, 2011 at 11:01 PM ^

Thanks for all the memories D Mo like beating Sparty twice and taking Duke to the final shot. Hoping you get drafted by the Blazers.

bronxblue

May 3rd, 2011 at 11:21 PM ^

Best of luck to Darius, but I have a feeling that he will regret this decision.  You'll never have a chance to reclaim these years, and if he doesn't get drafted (or goes in the 2nd round) he'll struggle to make to the NBA.  Definitely hope he proves me wrong, but this feels like a decision made by others who may not be looking out for the best interests of Morris.

FingerMustache

May 3rd, 2011 at 11:22 PM ^

so hes going from a system where he had the ball in his hand 75 percent of the time, to the bench of an nba team. for some reason i feel like this is going to stall his development.

bottom line is hes not gonna see the floor until he developes his jumper and works on his left hand. hes got a much better opportunity to gain experience and develop his skills sticking around for AT LEAST another year.

hes still got a few days to withdraw his name. every scouting report ive read has suggested that he needs to stay in college. hopefully between now and the end of the weekend reason will win out.

Raoul

May 3rd, 2011 at 11:34 PM ^

I guess it turns out that Morris's tweeting of this quote earlier today--

Sometimes the best things in life come at the wrong time and the only options left are, grab it now - or never get it again.

--really was telling.

There was an article from a couple weeks ago that quoted an unnamed NBA executive saying that he "loved" Morris, so I completely disagree with all those saying that he's making a mistake. Unless he does very poorly in the upcoming workouts, someone is likely to take him late in the first round.

There's absolutely no guarantee that another year at Michigan would improve his draft standing.

Blue in Yarmouth

May 4th, 2011 at 8:22 AM ^

but in all seriousness, you think that there aren't at least 30 players in this draft more NBA ready than D?. That's what you are saying when you say that he is going to go in the first round and no offense but that is nonsense. If he goes in the first round I'll eat my socks. No offense to him at all, but he isn't going to go in the first round.

We all had this same debate when DW entered the draft and I was one of the few that said from the beginning he would be lucky to go in the fourth round and would probably go undrafted. This is a very similar situation and I feel bad for DM if he really enters the draft. No ill will toward him, I just feel bad for the guy. Somewhere along the line he has received some poor council.

Good luck Morris.

Raoul

May 4th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^

Morris going in the first round is hardly nonsense. Right now, the "experts" have him right on the border between the late first round and early second. Good pre-draft workouts could put him solidly in the first round.

All he needs is one NBA team picking late in the first round to want him.

Mhpangr

May 3rd, 2011 at 11:35 PM ^

So even I (NOT a seasoned NBA talent scout) know to make Darius go left ALL DAY and that he has a work-in-progress-jumper that is not NBA-ready.  So why do these kids insist on pushing their luck in the draft to make 1st round money?  There are almost triple the D1 basketball teams than there are football, and basically the same number of 1st round spots. It boggles my mind how no one is telling him "NO! You're not ready yet! You go back 1 more, maybe 2 years, and you're swimming in first-round lottery money, baby!"  

My biggest fear is two-fold.  #1 is that the Cagers had something good starting and if he would just stay they could make a breakthrough next year and his stock would skyrocket (in effect making him millions of signing bonus money in the process). #2 is that Darius doesn't get drafted at ALL (or in the 2nd half of the 2nd round), and winds up a D-league nobody or playing in Europe when he could have been honing his skills on a national stage.  Oh hell, it's three-fold now.  #3, there is a looming NBA lockout that can possibly strip next year from him anyway!  Why not just wait out the lockout situation, get a left hand, hang out with all the college women who want up in yo biznass, and then make some big money (ya know what i'm sayin'?)?  

But if he does leave, I suppose best of luck to the kid, no matter how stupid of a decision I think it is.

gobluepak

May 3rd, 2011 at 11:47 PM ^

I think Darius made a wise decision because

1) The talent is depleted in this draft with  a lot of players staying in the draft. Also a lot of mock drafts have him in the end of the first round and near the top of the 2nd round and he can play himself into the a solid first round position

2) There is no guarantee even if he comes back that he would develop a 3 point jump shot. I think he will develop a left hand he was getting a lot better with his left hand toward the end of the year.

3) Also remember this Scouts can find more flaws in his game if he stays in college and he might not even improve his stock or he might make it worse

All in all I understand everyones frustration but I think Darius is entering the draft is a good business decision hes a  6'4'' PG and some team in the end of the first round will snatch him up.

J_Wall

May 3rd, 2011 at 11:56 PM ^

Good points.  Also, with the NBA negotiating a new CBA after this season, it's entirely possible -- even likely -- that next year's draft will include high schoolers from the class of 2012.  Odds are good that the NBA will institute an MLB-like rule that gives high school seniors the chance to enter the draft but mandates that they stay two or three years in college if they opt not to go pro straight out of high school.  So next year's draft could be unusually strong -- with the current freshmen who opted to stay in school, a strong freshman class next year, and potentially current high school juniors -- meaning that Darius could improve substantially and still struggle to tread water when it comes to his draft position. 

Michigan4Life

May 4th, 2011 at 11:02 AM ^

If Morris doesn't improve his 3 point shooting, scouts would think that he'll never develop his jumper in the NBA which would certainly cause his stock to plummet.  Morris has improved from freshman to sophomore year that the scouts could think that Morris will continue to improve even with a bad jumper and inability to go left effectively.

Bb011

May 4th, 2011 at 12:28 AM ^

I completely support any decision morris makes. He truly needs another year in college to develop(IMO), but the timing of the draft and the draftee's does make it unfortunate. Next year will most likely be a stronger year, and thus harder for him to make it even if he does progress. 

mghorm

May 4th, 2011 at 6:25 PM ^

I just want to thank Darius for giving me the greatest season of Michigan basketball that i can remember (i was zero and one for the Fab Five) and reigniting the greatest fan base in the world. I hope he a great NBA career and i can't wait to start hearing about he's the next Charles Woodson, using his fame and money to help when and where he can.