Ford has Morris going 23rd to the Rockets in the draft. Sad to see him go, but I'll be very happy if he goes that high.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2011/insider/columns/story?columnist...
Believe it when I see it
All hard feelings will be
All hard feelings will be forgiven if he is drafted (looking at you Manny and D. Warren). And if it is the first round then Morris will be able to boast "Told ya so" and UM nation will rejoice in Bielien's development of NBA talent.
Class of '97: 4 Years -- 4 Four-loss seasons
I don't think
Manny would have been drafted if he had stayed at Michigan for one more year. NBA teams downgrade senior players automatically and stock rarely change from junior to senior year. It's the right decision for Manny to go pro and get his paycheck a year earlier.
Michigan would not have been as good if he stayed
Manny had quit trying to fit JB's system and would have stifled the development and chemistry of the rest of the team. I don't dislike Manny but it was obvious that it was time for Manny to be "all in" or out.
He chose the latter.
I don't know
Manny didn't quit on trying to fit JB's system. He played within the system. Yes, it's frustrating to see him shoot the ball in an inopportune time.
It's hard to say that Michigan would be equally as bad as the year before last season.
Remember the Mystery Benching?
I'm sure that wasn't because he was trying so hard to fit in. Run down the court and chuck up 3-pointer also wasn't trying to fit in.
Good luck to both of these young men. Soon we will see Michigan basketball restored to its proper place on the national scene and they will be proud former Wolverines playing in the NBA.
Happens
to everybody. You didn't watch Manny Harris play closely on how he tries to play within the system. Saying that he quit trying to fit in his system based on chucking up 3 pointers is simplistic at best.
Darius Morris got bench mysteriously. Is it because he quit trying to fit into his system? No. It happens even the best player.
There are plenty of teams who
There are plenty of teams who need a point guard at the bottom end of the first round - Houston, LAL (more like LOL this week), Dallas, Miami, San Antonio. Darius will get picked in the first round.
Hawks!
The Hawks are in a never-ending pursuit of a NBA point garud and Morris may be a good fit at the end of the first round. They passed on Deron Wiliams and Chris Paul and rolled craps with Speedy Claxton, AC Law, Dan Dickau, etc....I'm not sure that Kurt Hindrich is the long term answer either.
Alas, they traded the #18 pick to Washington in the hienrich deal, so unless aquire a first rounder, they probably won't end up with Morris.
Jason kidd has obvious talents, but his jumper wasn't very good coming out of college. He devloped a mid-range (and even 3 pt range) pretty quickly and now hes a hall of famer...My point being is that if Morris' biggest fault is his jumper, some teams may still give him a first-round grade. He certainly has the size, passing and IQ to be a 1st rounder.
Jeff Teague
I think they may have a PG in Jeff Teague if the first 2 games of the Bulls series are any indication.
This is great for the
This is great for the program.
Mavs or Spurs
I kind of hope he ends up getting drafted 1st round by the Mavs or Spurs. Both of them have established point guards that are nearing the end of their career. DMo, as good as he is has a few holes in his game that he can sure up while he is in a backup role learning from professionals like Parker or Kidd. Just my 2 cents.
"A flute with no holes is not a flute. A donut with no hole is a danish"
Mavs
Mavs might be the best case scenario. Kidd and Terry probably have one more year, meaning Morris wouldn't be thrown into the fire. Barea is never going to be a starter but will get significant minutes meaning the weight wouldn't be all on Morris. Established superstar, plus supporting pieces of Chandler and Marion (he's getting old though) who work with Morris's strength of getting a big guy the ball in good positions. They lack outside shooting other than Dirk, but it's pretty easy to find shooters in the NBA.
Only issue is that their window is closing, so he might be stuck in a wasteland in 2-3 years.
...
He may not be old age-wise, but remember he came into the league at a very young age (18, I believe) and has been playing a long time. I think he played a couple years of pro ball in Europe even before he came to the NBA. There's a lot of miles on him at this point, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him slow down in the near future.
"I'm here with my friend, the zombie, Johnathon. Michigan is in the Final Four for the first time in 20 years, what do you think?"
"I like turtles."
you are missing his point
"I like turtles" never said the Spurs must take a PG, but that if the best available player on the board is a PG, it wouldn't be a bad idea for the Spurs to draft one. Although they do have George Hill, and since I don't watch the Spurs play too often, I can't say how effective he would be at running the point.
I agree that PF/C is a bigger need for the Spurs, but it obviously depends on what players are available at their draft position.
Finally, comparing Kobe and Parker could not be more off base. Kobe is a much better shooter than Parker. Parker lives in the lane, and his body has taken the punishment for it. Parker probably does have 5-8 years left in him, but I believe he is at best at the tail end of his prime. And I think he is a free agent after this year or next... unless he signed an extension this year.
He did miss my point
I wasn't saying the Spurs have to draft a point guard right away. All I was saying is that even though Parker is relatively young age-wise, he's been playing pro ball for a long time. He's going to start slowing down soon and the Spurs should probably start thinking about a replacement. And Oscar is spot-on about the beating he takes in the lane. It will catch up to you eventually. Just look at how quickly Iverson fell off after 10-11 years.
I never made the argument that the Spurs should draft Morris in the first place. I was simply pointing out the fact that it is somewhat misleading to just look at Parker's age and say he has a lot left in the tank.
"I'm here with my friend, the zombie, Johnathon. Michigan is in the Final Four for the first time in 20 years, what do you think?"
"I like turtles."
Sorry guys I don't see it.
Sorry guys I don't see it. Without a strong left hand and decent mid-range jumper he's going to struggle against NBA 1's. While i 100% support his right to make whatever decision he wants I can't help but think he's making a huge mistake right now. With one more year under JB and all the playing time and coaching he'd get i think you'd see the same leap in ability we watched from his Freshman to Sophomore year.
Hope I'm wrong for his sake. Not hating...just saying.
Good thing you aren't an NBA
Good thing you aren't an NBA scout then huh?
Are you a park ranger at Yellowstone? Say hi to Yogi Bear for me. - the_big_house 500th
I may not be a 70 year old man. - Herm
Nope just an idiot fan with
Nope just an idiot fan with an opinion like everybody else on the board.
Morris has a perfectly fine
Morris has a perfectly fine midrange jumper. He's actually very accurate up to about 15-16 feet. He just needs to expand his range outward, which he can with some more work in the gym. I also think that the knock that he can't go left is overblown. He got better in that area as the 2010-11 season went on.
OTOH, Morris has a couple things that you can't teach - great size, and fantastic floor vision. When a teammate is open, even 25 feet away, he'll find him. There aren't many guys at either the college or pro level better than him at that.
He'd be a great fit for the
He'd be a great fit for the Lakers. Fish is getting old and he can split time with Blake his first year before he getting some serious minutes in years 2 and 3 and beyond. He'll be surrounded by talent and be playing in his hometown. The only downside is that he'd be walking into a team with a new coach and an aging roster.
i only respect other superfans
NBA Point Guards Are Quick & Fast
I hope he does go in the 1st. Or more generally gets drafted. I do wonder, though, how he will fare against fast NBA point guards. People like Rondo & Parker come to mind, and lesser acclaimed PGs too. Some NBA PGs have overcome lack of speed by being able to shoot over the defense -- especially when their Team runs alot of half court sets. If Morris can fullfill such a role & improve his shot, he should be able to make a career of it. Best of luck to him.
Wow
Well if Chad Ford considers him the 6th best PG in the draft, I don't blame him for making the leap. For everyone who questions his left hand and midrange jumper, he has a better chance to develop these in the NBA, where he is playing ball as a full time job, instead of balancing class and being broke in college. Best of luck DMo! Kick some ass in the NBA and everyone benefits.
This is going to be a
This is going to be a historically bad draft, very few if any sure fire NBA players. Irving and Williams look great, but after that there is very, very little. It would be a shock if Morris doesn't make the first round. If it were any other year Morris would be a 2nd-rounder.
I'd love to see him go to
I'd love to see him go to Miami or LA. Great exposure for Mich ball if he runs the point for either of those teams.
He also wouldn't be required to shoot very often, just pick & roll and break defenses down for the superstars.
I Really hope the best for him. This season wouldn't of been as magical without him. He seems like a really great person...and if you need a reminder read about Dan Tan and him.
Best of luck Darius
We'll see...
I went through about 25 mock drafts, and was able to find about 4 that said he would go in the first round. That would seem like bad odds, but it is sorta similar to what he faces. All he needs is for one of the last five or six teams choosing to agree that he is worth a first round pick.
It's definitely in his favor that the teams that far down can afford to break him in slowly and let him develop during his first year or two.
I think the NBA scouts may see D Morris
as the next Rajon Rondo. Rondo has taken his ball handling skills and drives to the hoop as his #1 asset for the Celtics. I think this matches up very well with Darius' greatest attributes. No he's probably isn't going a perennial All-Star, but he may very well have a great 5 - 6 years in the league.
Best of luck Mr. Morris !!! And yes if he succeeds, this will reflect very positively on M basketball.
Go Blue !
No place on earth I'd rather be on a football Saturday than Michigan Stadium !
Darius will
be a great pro.........he is after all a Michigan man!
If someone ever invented a low fat vitamin - filled vegetable that tasted like fudge covered Rice Krispies treats - I'd probably eat better
Robert Traylor
would like to have a word with you sir
I have imagined great victories, and I have imagined great races. The races are better.
I hope
the Pistons manage to snag him at some point. No matter what happens, in a couple months, Darius will have realized his dream and we will have had the pleasure of seeing the spark that made that possible. I really, REALLY want him to go in the first round though for his sake, regardless of the team.
But I hope I'm wrong for Darius sake. The higher he goes, in addition to helping him, it helps Michigan down the road.
"You owe it to every man, woman, and child in the State of Michigan to beat the Buckeyes and silence their fans! Now go out there and make it happen!"
- Bo Schembechler (Result: U-M 22 OSU 0)