ESPN NBA Mock Draft: Darius Morris Stock Update
Version 2.0 of ESPN's mock draft has Darius Morris as one of the first 5 out of the 1st round. In version 1.0 they had him going 23rd overall.
Must have ESPN insider for the link.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2011/insider/columns/story?columnis…
it doesn't turn out that way. I'm definitely still pondering all of the "what ifs" regarding a junior Morris running the show as UM put up a real fight for a B1G conference championship...but it wasn't in the cards. I'm rooting for the kid though and hopefully he can snag that 1st round pay check for himself and his family.
Another great showing for the NBA draft insiders who all but assured Darius he'd be a first rounder...
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<br>Hope it all works out for the best, D-Mo...
People who had them going in the first round had him going late. Also this isn't the actual draft. It doesn't prove anything.
I really hope for the best, and know that it will help us in the future when we recruit good PG's.
Latest Sporting News mock has him going No. 17 to the Knicks.
http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2011-05-17/2011-nba-mock-draft-ca…
then the Knicks would be a great spot for D-Mo to land. Back-up Chauncey for 1-2 years and then have the chance to take the reigns in DAntoni's system which is a good fit for his skill set.
Otherwise I see him being targeted by OKC as a combo back up guard (think Vinny Johnson), Dallas as a Jason Kidd replacement, or San Antonio as a back-up to Tony Parker. If NJ keeps Deron Williams, then maybe D-Mo goes to them as a 2-guard, but if Deron leaves, then D-Mo becomes a HUGE target for NJ.
The Lakers have an ancient PG as well, and their back-up, Steve Blake, is already 31 I think. They are a team likely looking for a PG in the near future, but they have a lot of needs so who knows.
I guess it all depends on what kind of system they run. I'm not sure if you listen to 710, but Mason and Ireland was talking about how the triangle offense bascially destroyed Steve Blake.
I'm not sure what kind of offense Morris fits into the best, but if he was going to be on a LA team I wish it were the Clippers.
I am not so sure D'Antoni will even be there next year. After getting swept in the first round, there were a lot of talks about moving in a different direction. It is hard to be successful in the NBA if you play no defense. I could see them hanging on to him one more year, and if it doesn't work out, maybe taking a run at Phil Jackson after giving him a year off.
I can think of no player less comparable to D-Mo than Vinnie Johnson.
How about Gheorge Muresan?
i think it is close. I think Morris is slightly more similar to Mureson than VJ, though Mureson clearly had a better stroke than D-Mo from deep.
but all this still rubs me the wrong way. It just surprises me how a kid with such little experience and most of all, no jumper to save his life, can go in the first round of the nba draft. yes, morris proved in his one year as a starter he's got great vision/passing skills. but isn't that about it? there's no college track record.. I almost cringed every time he shot the ball outside the paint because I knew we had much better shooters on the team. If he stayed at Michigan one more year, or even for his senior year.. I think he had a shot at being the first PG taken in the draft, if not the first overall pick (since PG's are so highly sought after in the NBA). He is REALLY talented at finding the open man and getting him the ball.
So, it all just gets me wondering.. I don't think Darius had plans of staying long at all when he came to Michigan. He's a Cali/Los Angeles boy.. too big of a star for the state of Michigan imho. The limelight came calling and he took his chance. He's friends with/worked out with John Wall.. who left after his freshman season. I feel maybe that had some influence as well. I just find it all hard to believe. Michigan is/was on the rise, nationally, for the first time in over a decade.. he's so young and are the wolverines. He could have became an even better player with just one more year. went higher in the draft. made more millions. possibly won a conference championship/deep run in the tourney.. complete the michigan basketball transition from horrible to annual conference contender. He leaves all that just to be a late 1st/early 2nd rounder? Leaving likely millions more he could've had if he stayed another year or two and went even higher in the draft? I guess a concern could be he gets injured/doesn't produce like he did his sophomore year and lowers his stock.. but, even then...you've got a scholarship to one of the best schools in the country to fall back on. oh well... sorry to rant.. or not even rant, but longwinded. disappointed. best of luck i guess.. i really did like him a lot here and i'll root for him in the nba.. but we'll always wonder what could have been in his junior and senior seasons.
Periods, man, periods.
Anyway, I'd imagine the scouts love his upside. He doesn't have a jumper as of now, but that's something that can be developed in the gym, and if he adds it to his court vision he'll be worth a first round pick. He's got solid size for the point at 6'4", which means he can back down small guards and help defend bigger two guards. Add it all up and you've got yourself a versatile starting point guard.
but when he didn't have a breakout freshman year I think it all went to the wayside. Don't get me wrong I think staying would have helped his game in the long run, but it had a minimal shot at helping his draft status. This draft class is one of the weakest in a decade or more, and next year's class will be STRONG. The HS senior class is strong, Carolina's guys will all be leaving, add in Sullinger and Buford, the Jones kid from UK. An improved Morris is at best a second round pick in that draft. You have to respect his decision as it is wise for him, but doesn't help Michigan. It is for these reasons that Jones from UK should have left.
Darius came to UM dreaming of playing in the NBA. That degree would be nice to have, great to fall back on. The fact that he was an excellent student showed he placed a real value on his education, but he is ready to realize his dream. We should all be happy for him and rooting for him at the next level. He's done everything you could ask of him while he was here
He has more than passing and court vision to offer the NBA right now. He's very strong posting up and will be a nightmare for small PGs to defend.. Next year's draft rates to be a lot stronger and deeper than this one. Absolutely no one has projected him to be the first PG, let alone first overall in the next draft, even accounting for improvement in his shooting. I'd have loved to see him come back, but it seems he has made a very reasonable choice for himself.
There just doesn't seem to be nearly as much talent in the draft as there usually is. There almost isn't a single "can't miss" player. Even the guys at the top of the board have a lot more risk associated with them than usual this year. If this draft was Chinese, it would be called "The year of the upside," because almost everyone is being drafted much more on potential than acutal track record.
Before Morris left, I thought it would be stupid to leave. Now that he's gone, I'm looking at who is projected toward the bottom of the first round, and it makes me think "why not Darius Morris?"
I don't think that Miaimi has a first round pick this year.
Yeah, the Bulls own MIami's pick this year, so they'll have two picks in the late first.
They do have the 1st pick in the 2nd round though, which could actually be more beneficial than picking late in the first for a few different reasons.
Not often you see an analyst talk about the d-league for a first rounder.
God this draft is bad.
Morris fits into San Antonio's culture extremely well considering his outstanding background, and as the most prolific passer in this draft class as a point guard, surely has upside. The coaching staff will need to work overtime with Morris on his perimeter shooting for him to get playing time in the near future, but they have their D-League team at their disposal and shouldn't be in any rush considering where they're picking him.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AuUfyKDIRZCvCO8gloDEyEQ5nYcB?slug…
Are Michigan fans obligated to root for Morris to go high in the draft? Does it matter to our program, if he goes in the First or Second Round?
I imagine that a widly successful career in the NBA for Darius Morris might result in some return donation back to the University by Darius. And that it might be a morale- and p.r.-boost for our program to be associated with a top player in the NBA. Those are genuine positives; but they would have been positives whether Morris played 2, 3 or 4 years at Michigan. I'd rather have 4-year players.
My big complaint is with the basic notion that any kid leaves school early. I hate to have to say anything nice about Duke, or Tom Izzo's Spartans, but they seem to be doing a better job of keeping their recruits in their programs for the duration. In some sense, I don't care too much more about Darius Morris' future than I do about Justin Boren's future. I thought they were both great while they were here, but they both bolted. So end of story.
If Morris fails to succeed, that could raise questions about Beilein's program, and why he left it so yes, it's in our best interests to see him do well.
I don't know that Izzo is any better at keeping guys in school than Beilein. Jason Richardson, Zach Randolph, Marcus Taylor, Erazem Lorbek and Shannon Bell all left his program after one or two seasons. Kalin Lucas was good as gone a year ago, too - until he tore his Achilles.
I should have appended this link to my post:
(I don't know if this is a subscriber-only link; I hope not.)