Jon Horford's Performance
I've been particularly impressed with true freshman, Jon Horford's performance as of late. He didn't play for two games because of an injury, and in the two games since, has been very solid:
Against Utah: 16 minutes - 5 pts, 5 rebs, 1 stl, 1 blk.
Against NCCU: 15 minutes - 9 pts, 9 rebs (7 off).
He's listed as 6-9, 220lbs on Rivals, and should continue to fill out, like his brother Al did at Florida. This should be exciting to see as he gets more playing time to help Morgan underneath.
Fun fact: He was number 33 in high school, and took his brother's NBA number (15) upon arrival at Michigan.
December 14th, 2010 at 9:38 PM ^
I grow to like this team more and more. I know it is very early, but I like the way they are playing.
Go Blue!
December 14th, 2010 at 11:53 PM ^
Compared to the last two years, this team "fits together". Last year, scoring came mainly from Manny & Sims. Novak's hustle helped keep us in games, but the players never seemed to complement one another. Big improvement this year, and Horford is a big part of that improvement.
December 14th, 2010 at 9:39 PM ^
folks were complaining about him wasting a red shirt when he was hurt...
Go Blue!
December 14th, 2010 at 11:32 PM ^
Even funnier were the folks complaining we shouldn't have offered him because he wasn't top 150 out of HS.
Our bigs are improving quickly and I think Bacari should get a ton of credit.
December 15th, 2010 at 10:37 AM ^
You're RIGHT LOL HA!!!!!!
December 14th, 2010 at 9:40 PM ^
if he becomes half of what al horford was which i think he'll far exceed, he'd be of tantamount importance to our team
December 14th, 2010 at 10:25 PM ^
I think you've confused "tantamount" with "paramount"
December 14th, 2010 at 11:04 PM ^
I had a giant fart a while ago which I named "tantamount". At least that's how I explained it to my wife, at which point she was less appalled.
December 15th, 2010 at 8:51 AM ^
+1 to you, Sir, for figuring out how to make your farts less appalling.
December 15th, 2010 at 9:57 AM ^
perhaps....
December 14th, 2010 at 9:48 PM ^
We are a force from downtown. The better defensive teams will key on that more, so to have that viable big man down low is a giant difference. With improved offense from Jon, teams will respect him. If he takes pressure off our guards, we should be able to have more chances from three point land and if that's the case, we can beat anyone on a great shooting night. If Horford continues to develop, we'll be an even scarier team to play!
Plus, if Jon becomes a dominant big man, we will certainly get attention from talented PF/C recruits........
December 14th, 2010 at 10:28 PM ^
We are a force from downtown.
Did you watch any games last season or the game tonight? A hot shooting night against Utah does not a force make. Don't get me wrong, I think this team has a lot of potential, but save the hyperbole for if/when they win in B10 play or against Kansas.
December 14th, 2010 at 10:32 PM ^
was that we get a lot of open looks from the 3-point line. I guess I didn't word it very well, but we certainly shoot a lot of threes. A dominant offensive big man would give us even more open looks.
December 14th, 2010 at 9:57 PM ^
Radio announcers were talking about how "coachable" Horford is. Seems like the kind of player who really wants to improve his game, and the results are beginning to show.
It was also good to see Smotrycz end his slump. He had 10 points on 3-7 shooting (2-5 on 3-pointers), along with 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and only 1 turnover.
Also noteworthy: only 5 turnovers for the whole team.
December 15th, 2010 at 1:35 AM ^
I can't remember where I saw this, but he was seen shooting baskets after one of the games that he couldn't play in. Horford looks like a player with the drive needed to become a good player.
December 14th, 2010 at 10:10 PM ^
Horford reminds me of a young Dennis Rodman. At the beginning of his NBA career (before he turned weird), Rodman was rail-thin but threw his body all over the place and made a ton of hustle plays, and always gave the team a lift when he was out there. Horford brings that. And he's even showing some touch on the perimeter!
December 14th, 2010 at 10:39 PM ^
The comparison seems apt, but rail thin? Normally the player's height and weight at time of entry are listed here:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rodmade01.html
6'7" and 210 (which seems about right, to my memory) seem about right for Rodman in '86. Keep in mind, also, that he was 25 as a rookie.
December 14th, 2010 at 10:49 PM ^
Dennis Rodman as a Piston:
December 14th, 2010 at 11:05 PM ^
That reminds me of what a long, strange trip (sorry for the cliche, but it's just too apt) Rodman's career was. Wasn't his highest-scoring season his rookie year?
December 14th, 2010 at 11:13 PM ^
It was his second year.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rodmade01.html
I've suspected for a long time that he started using steroids around the time the Pistons traded him to San Antonio. He suddenly gained a ton of muscle and his behavior became really weird. He also regularly got hurt the second half of his career (as you can see from his games played season totals).
December 14th, 2010 at 11:22 PM ^
I hope the guy gets/has his life together. I saw that he was on the Celebrity Rehab show and I winced (and not just because there is something called Celebrity Rehab). Rodman always struck me as a mixed-up guy but not a bad guy. He could be unusually perceptive and funny in his own way.
December 15th, 2010 at 6:17 AM ^
had nothing to do with him dating Madonna who specialized in marketing and selling herself. I'm sure she gave Dennis some tips for his service. His act didn't go off the ledge until he started dating her.
December 15th, 2010 at 10:38 AM ^
I thought it had a lot to do with Chuck Daly not being his coach anymore also?
December 15th, 2010 at 11:01 AM ^
That was definitely a factor. Daly was a father figure to him. He never had the same relationship with any other coach. Also, I think he got divorced around that time. My hypothesis is that he was very depressed around that time and turned to steroids to help improve his self-image, and that the combination of all these things turned him into the freakshow he became.
December 15th, 2010 at 11:09 AM ^
Makes a lot of sense. Never thought about steroids.....forgot about how tiny he was when he first came into the league.
December 14th, 2010 at 11:25 PM ^
Sorry, I still wouldn't call that "rail thin." I'd reserve that for 6'7" types in the sub-190 range (e.g., George Gervin).
- - -
Aside: I'd bet that you're right about the 'roids (mentioned in another post).
December 14th, 2010 at 10:15 PM ^
It seems as if he's pased McLimans. Horford + Morgan down low... I know, I know, Beilein doesn't have enough bigs to afford risking foul trouble or too much fatigue by playing two of the three at once, and yes, Gibson and Sims never played together, Smotrycz could possibly count as a big but yeah. That combo of Horford and Morgan could be really good. Great rebounding if Novak and Morris are out there too.
December 14th, 2010 at 10:41 PM ^
I think we now have the post depth to be able to play two at a time. Between Morgan, Horford, McLimans, Christian and Smotrycz, there's a lot of available size.
December 14th, 2010 at 10:59 PM ^
Foul trouble has to be a real concern, particularly with Morgan, who has been picking up fouls early and having to sit down for long stretches of the first half. Overall, he leads the team in PFs with 31 (Novak is 2nd with 21).
For now at least, I like the rotation with Horford and McLimans backing Morgan at the 5.
December 14th, 2010 at 10:15 PM ^
Big night in Michigan for the Horfords all around. Al looks to have had a good game for the Hawks in their lose to the Pistons (17 points, 12 rebounds). I think the future is very bright with Morgan and Horford in U-M's frontcourt.
December 14th, 2010 at 10:16 PM ^
JHorford- Loy Vaught or Courtney Sims?
Will Horford be the next:
Loy Vaught and get better every year?
OR
Will he be the next Courtney Simms?
Remember Simms as a frosh? He showed so much promise.
I hope he like Loy!
December 14th, 2010 at 10:37 PM ^
Better coaching means Horford will not be another Sims.
December 15th, 2010 at 11:15 AM ^
better not be another sims. sims had no mental toughness.
December 14th, 2010 at 10:31 PM ^
...and he could be a star. He's got the genes that is for sure.
December 14th, 2010 at 10:32 PM ^
Horford looks to me like he has already passed McLimans. He's defending better and has been a beast on the boards at both ends. I don't see McLimans holding him off for consistent playing time unless he (McLimans) can start shooting better.
December 14th, 2010 at 10:35 PM ^
Horford is growing up before our eyes, Morgan is playing really well, Hardaway and Smotrycz are showing exciting flashes, and Morris is weaving it all together. They'll take their lumps in the Big Ten this year but this is a fun team to watch.
December 15th, 2010 at 6:55 AM ^
Some good quotes about/from Horford in Rothstein's annarbor.com game story:
After scoring nine points with nine rebounds on Tuesday -- including team-high totals of six points and five rebounds at halftime -- Horford emerged as a legitimate option to back up Jordan Morgan at center.
"You just never can predict that," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "Sometimes it just happens overnight and all of a sudden you just go ‘Wow, he’s becoming a player.’"
...
Michigan needed Horford on a night Morgan was in foul trouble and scored four points, matching his lowest scoring output of the season.
"I feel like I’m improving pretty quickly," Horford said. "But that’s just because my teammates are helping me out a lot.
"I didn’t come in with any expectations for how quick I would develop. I was just thinking, 'Work hard and listen to what coach says.'"
December 14th, 2010 at 11:51 PM ^
I'm pretty sure thats what President Obama looked like a couple decades ago. The ears and all.
December 15th, 2010 at 1:29 AM ^
Obama's probably a pretty good measuring stick for Horford at this point. Right now, I'll bet Obama could score on him one-on-one. But by the time Horford is a junior, he will be good enough to slap every shot Obama takes right back into his face while he laughs at him and tells him to take that weak stuff back to the White House gym..
December 14th, 2010 at 11:57 PM ^
December 15th, 2010 at 5:27 PM ^
And he's gone (along with his posts). Survived less than 18 hours.
December 15th, 2010 at 10:38 AM ^
Troll signs up for MGoBlog, starts posting days after his hockey team gets shellacked in front of the largest crowd ever and can't think of anything better than FUCK SCUM.
I almost want to +1 him for being the perfect stereotypical sparty.
December 15th, 2010 at 12:53 AM ^
December 15th, 2010 at 4:24 AM ^
This team could make a run for the either tournament this year and make some upsets. The team in general has improved itself. They show desire to win as a team and not as individuals, ala Manny and Sims. Team effort combined with increased passing and movement on the floor, a lot less of Manny iso's this year, will create some havoc for Big Ten defenses especially since the bigs have improved.
Watching some of their performance against NCCU, they showed grit and determination every possession no matter what side of the floor. They fought for every rebound and point. Smotrycz's tap back to Novak and Stew's vollyball swat to Timmy Jr. are big examples of this. They don't care who scores or has the most points. They care about the W's and playing as a team.
Interestingly enough is that outside of the early tournament, they could go undefeated in the non-conference section of their schedule up to the start of conference play, barring Kansas because they are after the start of conference play. Oakland is the biggest non-conference test, other than Kansas. And because they just beat Tennessee, it could be a big confidence builder for this young team to beat such a squad.
Michigan needs to start consistently shooting and hitting those wide open looks. With that they can use a more varied approach on D, implementing mid-offense switches, i.e. 2-3 zone to the 1-3-1. I think Michigan will surprise the doubters this year and reach at least the NIT and maybe even hit the bracket with enough quality wins over conference opponents, i.e. Northwestern, Wisky, Minnesota, or Illinois.
December 15th, 2010 at 8:06 AM ^
The team in general has lots of talent as well.
They will continue to get better, this year through the big ten, we may see some growing pains, but next year and beyond should be pretty good
December 15th, 2010 at 9:20 AM ^
Jon Horford has a ton of potential, which he recruiting profile sure did not show. He is still very raw and will get torn up in the Big Ten. However, I think he and Morgan can put on a few pounds over the next few summers and become dominant forces down low. If Smotryz(ill never be able to spell his name right) puts on some weight as well, i think he will be a great 4 with inside and outside presence. The future is bright.
December 15th, 2010 at 10:02 AM ^
Best start that John Beilein has had at Michigan. The team really looks like they complement each other very well. Tremendous potential going forward for this basketball program
December 15th, 2010 at 12:21 PM ^
I'm liking how our guys are progressing...when the offense works...we look really good. Sound familiar?
I have watched more Michigan basketball this year than the last 10 years combined...but all of our games have been on tv right?
Go Blue
December 15th, 2010 at 12:32 PM ^
looks like he has a great future. I'm curious how tall is this kid?