Darius Morris Reportedly Staying In Draft
I wasn't sure how much credence to give this tweet by DraftExpress…
Darius Morris has decided to keep his name in the draft and will not be returning to Michigan, according to a source close to the situation.
…but UMHoops says he's legit, so he's legit. So… fuuuuuuu.
We don't know any more than we did a month ago. It is not in his interest to have teams believe that there is no point in honestly evaluating him because he's just headed back to Ann Arbor anyway. Earlier tonight it was all "agents believe DMo is going back to Michigan." I think everyone believes what suits their preconceived notion.
I've got to believe that a guy who is surrounded by team mates whose families are in the business -- not just players but as managers and agents -- hasn't gotten bad advice but has made a strategic plan to gather data OBJECTIVELY and make a decision, and he's not being swayed by a bunch of emotional Internet commentary. The story in Play Their Hearts Out of him keeping track of just how many players he knew who had "offers" from USC and realizing that they can't all be sincere offers makes me think that he's got a plan. He hasn't gotten stupider while at Michigan. I really can't believe he's getting the wool pulled over his eyes by people telling him he's guaranteed to be making millions.
Why get all worked up about this until we have something more to go on than one tweet that contradicts earlier tweets saying he was staying? I don't believe he's definitely coming back, but I also don't believe he's definitely going, either. Insufficient information.
If multiple people with sources are saying something it's probably truth, not stupid.
I've seen Draft Express cited by multiple sources. Are there others?
Said multiple people. But also the UMHoops article mentions this aligns with everything they've been hearing. Sure, I wish I could be optimistic but I just can't.
Also why in the hell are all my comments hidden as soon as I post them?
Yeah, sort of like when Hoke was "not an option".
Thanks for those wins over Sparty! Best of luck in the league.
local radio stations here talk about the NBA lockout as if it is a certainty. Why would anyone step in to that mess......may not even be a season.
Darius should maybe listen to Phil Jackson, who said there wasn't going to be a season. I think Jackson is pretty well tuned into both sides of the equation -- I don't know what made him say that, but I tend to think he's not "working the refs" (as he is wont to do) in this case -- he really thinks the two sides won't be able to reconcile.
I would be really, really shocked when I find out he's leaving for sure. He really seemed to enjoy Michigan. Hell, I saw him and Jordan Morgan when the MMB was returning from Drum Major auditions. He waved to us. I didn't even begin to think he was waving goodbye. :'(
Best of luck in whatever you decide. It was fun playing for you guys this year, and man-handling Tennessee was some of the most fun I've had in a long time. If you read this, on behalf of Michigan: "For today, farewell. For tomorrow, good luck. And for forever--Go Blue."
At least on the bright side, we no longer have to hear Tim Doyle forcing the nickname "the Butterfly" anymore. Still liked "the Monarch" the best.
We would have loved to have you back at Michigan, but it's understandable why you are leaving.
It's understandable why he is leaving? If the allure of being a borderline first-round pick in the year of a scary lockout situation is too much to pass up, all the NBA prospects superior to Darius who returned to school deserve a medal of honor and a Nobel Peace Prize.
You are giving him too much credit. This was selfish.
This was selfish.
You're right. He should have totally considered your feelings first.
You need to relax a little bit, man. Wow. If I had enough points to mod, I'd be throwing down troll all over this (and your 10 other posts).
nothing about hiring an agent...
so, if we pay off everyone to not draft him, he can come back, right?
best of luck to him, though.
The kid had a life-long dream of playing in the NBA. He feels he can realize that dream NOW rather than put if off one more year. I really hope he makes it there or he may be kicking himself for the rest of his life.
Good luck to him but man , do I feel like he is making a big mistake.
Yeah I can't help but think, even if there is a season, that he's NBDL bound.
See, this is what happens when you don't pay your players. I can't believe OSU and Kentucky have proven to be ahead of the game AGAIN.
I'm glad everyone's being civil and grateful and we should be grateful, but this is a terrible year to do this. He won't be drafted in the first round and he won't have a guaranteed contract when there's no season to start the year next year. He's just lost millions of dollars if this is true. The decision has set back the program, but I don't blame him for that. I just blame him for what looks like a poor decision.
That said, good luck, Darius. I hope it works out for you in the short term. I know it will in the long term if you're willing to work at it and not be discouraged by the lost money.
Must be true: I read it in the newspaper and it couldn't be published if it weren't true. Right?
<br>It's a good thing we avoid speculation and innuendo.
First of all, what I know presently tells me this is a horrible decision.
And yes, it seems to be unique to Michigan athletes - if there's a chance they can mess up their careers and hurt the team in the process, it's apparently irresistable.
If Morris gets drafted in the first round, I'll readily admit that I was wrong.
But I don't think that's going to happen. Darius is completely dependent on one hand, struggles to defend guards with any speed, lost all confidence in his jump shot by the last quarter of the season, and depends heavily on using an illegal off arm to get off his shots and complete his drives.
I guess he's like Manny in the one hand thing. However, he is in almost no other way the same player as Manny. Different position, different strengths and weaknesses, different in that one offers size as his best characteristic and the other offered athleticism as his best characteristic.
I am sick to death of Michigan fans who have some nonsensical desperation to "stay classy." It's really kind of simple. Don't throw beer at children. Don't support paying players. Don't defend a scumbag coach to the death. Don't turn your town into a sewer on gameday. Don't key the opposing team's car. Don't be known as the worst fans in the country. We don't do any of this. This is how we "stay classy." But it is not classy to be delighted for a kid making a terrible decision and in the process hurting a season that by all rights should have been a very exciting one for Michigan basektball next year.
It's stupid. And stupid is never classy. It's just a bad attempt at being classy.
I don't know that this is a done deal, and until he signs with an agent, I still hold out hope that this will spur more people with knowledge to tell Darius, "Darius, this is not your year. Particularly with the lockout, particularly with you having a punch list for what you should improve next year, this is a terrible move."
Maybe he's improved on certain things in the short time since the season ended. You never know. If that's the case, and it pays off in a first round selection, then I would be happy for Darius. I doubt it's the case.
Manny lucked out and hooked on with a terrible team. Is he still in the league in three years? I don't know. First round guys tend to get more looks and more patience.
I'm not going to have time to finish a study I wanted to do, it would seem, and that's fine, but a quick look at the top 8 draft picks in the second round last year:
1. Nets Tibor Pleiss C Still in Germany
2. Heat Dexter Pittman C 11 minutes D-League/Heat
3. Kings Hassan Whiteside C 2 minutes D-League/Kings
4. Trail Blazers Armon Johnson PG 277 minutes Portland
5. Wizards Nemanja Bjelica SF Spain, Injured
6. Pistons Terrico White SG 0 minutes, injured - with Pistons
7. Bucks Darington Hobson SF 0 minutes, 2 hip surgeries, cut by Bucks
8. Knicks Andy Rautins SG 24 minutes, being looked at as a potential cut to clear room
I'm telling you, if I finished this study which was going to encompass seven or eight years, you would see that the outcomes for second rounders STINK. Congratulations on being classy on being all for a young man making a bad decision. And it is invalid to cite one or two situations that defied the odds instead of a having a look at the overall likely outcome, which I suspect is not very good (didn't come anywhere close to finishing this study before draftexpress put this out). The statistically likely outcome is what is most likely to happen, because it's, like, the statistically likely outcome. It's anti-Michigan to be anti-thinking enough to not realize this.
I hate this move - if it's true or ends up being true - and don't care a fig for some silly notion of staying "classy" by telling everyone that they're a winner, patting everyone on the head, serving orange slices at halftime, and being afraid to give an honest assessment. I think there's a distinct set of things he should be working on during an offseason and another college season, and I think a decision to stay in this draft is regrettable.
i don't think that most of us are wishing him the best in his future endeavors in order to be "classy."
for my part, i'm doing it because he seems to be a good kid, and represented michigan well. do i think he's making the wrong decision in terms of his development? maybe. probably. i still hope it works out for him. that doesn't make me (or anyone else) some sort of orange-slice-distributing pollyanna, it just means that i'm making an effort to separate the analysis from the emotion.
I know the heading is overly dramatic, but I was trying not to err on the being "less than informative in a title" issue.
Would you agree or disagree that Michigan fans seem to have a greater degree of this whole secondary "am I being classy? I don't know if this sounds classy? I have to remember to be classy" thought process thing going on than your average fans?
I know there are OSU drones supporting Tressel who still think they are classy, because dang it, our coach visits hospitals and wears camo. But there seem to be other fan bases - and let's leave OSU out actually, because there is no positive model in that example - that are less afraid of admitting that winning is darn important to them, more matter of fact in their takes on various decisions by the athletes, and just less self-conscious about the whole process?
I've read posts all over the net as I'm sure we all have. I don't want to be "Florida fan" where moderators run around making despicable comments (I recall one making jokes about Bo dying), I don't want to be irrational and crummy MSU-fan, I don't want to be bitter and disturbingly angry Illinois-fan - I just want something more... in between. Like, not sanctimonious Notre Dame fan, as the other extreme I'm not interested in shooting for.
As to Darius, I mean, do you give a guy a bottle of champagne, tell him it looks like a swell boat, and that you hope he really enjoys the cruise, all the while not mentioning red-letter reports of icebergs? That seems more like being afraid of analysis.
do i think that sometimes there's an overemphasis on "class?" sure. i don't know that that's a bad thing. all of my best friends from high school are state alums, and when it comes to sports they are typical state fans - dicks. i'm not against some self-regulation of dickitude when it comes to our fan base. it bugs me when i see a michigan fan be a dick, particularly one of our own, because i think it reflects poorly on all of us. that doesn't mean that some of our players don't deserve our scorn - i think we could all make a list - i just don't think this is one of those cases.
as i said, i don't necessarily think he's making the right choice, but i'm not going to burn him for it. it's his life, it's his dream, i wish him the best.
I don't see the logic behind him leaving, and I certainly wish he were staying, but it might not be the death blow it initially seems. It will hurt and will set us back this year, but the 2012 team will end up better off for this. Whoever replaces Morris will get this full year of experience and who knows, that player could be a surprise in 2011-12 - they will almost certainly be a better shooter. You just never know. Regardless, Morris was not going to be here in 2012-13.
If someone is not completely bought in, and on some level I don't think he is, sometimes you are better off moving on now rather than later. He was great while here and gave the program a real shot in the arm.
Maybe I have on rose colored glasses but I have seen situations like this work out for the best.
It makes me sad to think of Darius coming out now. One very good season as a soph, all the returning players,,,,,,,,just the physical maturation of the year at his age is so key.
How about one list of promising Blue stars who cashed in chips too early, and one with those who stayed and benefitted?
Anybody remember Jon Vaughn, racking up multiple 200 yard games as a super soph, and coming out early to a career of running back kickoffs....occasionally.
How catastrophic is the rearview on Drew Henson? One more year at Michigan as QB and no baseball, and the top two QBs on the planet would be the old Blue rivals.
And that "lost" junior year seems to have worked for Manny Fresh.
pretty sure the basketball "lost" list begins and ends with eric turner.
I sincerely hope it works out better for D-Mo than it did for E.T.
...did anyone else think that he might be a transfer risk after the 09-10 season? i have to say it crossed my mind...he had to be disappointed in the team performance, wasn't a full-time starter (behind someone who isn't a natural point), a long way from home...i remember thinking that he was probably unhappy here.
not that it matters, but it did cross my mind at the time.
It's disappointing to see so many comments that Darius is not getting good advice. When he entered the draft process Beilein was interviewed and said, "I encouraged him to go through this process and enter the draft".
He's not getting bad advice. And he has until Saturday to withdaw. I think tomorrow is he gets to demonstrate his stuff to the pro teams, and that was the point of entering in the first place. It all depends on how he's reviewed, then he'll make a decision.
Of course you don't sell papers by writing articles that say, "wait and see what happens"
I would think Beilein will get a better recruiting reputation the more he sends players to the NBA. I don't really see any downside here, this program either way is rebuilding and making a statement.
Is different than encouraging him to "stay in the draft".
Just to correct a couple of points you made: Beilein, to my knowledge, did not encourage Morris to enter the draft. He encouraged him to go through the process of getting an initial evaluation of his NBA prospects.
Morris is attending this weekend's group workout in New Jersey. A Hoops Report item said he's part of the group working on out on Saturday.
He has until 11:59 pm on Sunday, May 8, to withdraw from the draft.
It's just sad that a number of people choose to denigrate the game and character of a kid that, by accounts, seems like a nice, bright guy. He gave us one of the most fun seasons of Michigan basketball ever. I wish there could be more, obviously, but I'm glad we got at least what we did.
Furthermore, it's his lifetime dream to play in the NBA - if he wants to start that sooner rather than later, no matter what his chances are, it's life and career - not mine. Hopefully, he makes it.
Best of luck to Darius.
It is also worth nothing that Andy Katz, a "reliable source" as I know it, reports he will stay. At best, the news is conflicting.
But if you're kid's dream was to be a Rock Star, or play on Broadway, but hadn't had the vocal training yet, and was probably destined to sing at local bars and clubs, would you not be supporting his or her dream by saying you're not ready yet? Telling people what they want to hear is what gets most of these kid's in trouble entering the draft in the first place. That's not being supportive; that's being enabling. Caring about someone is being able to tell them when they're about to make a mistake too, and hoping for the best if they decide to do it anyway.
Darius Morris is what he is - a 6'4" PG with an outstanding game from 15 feet and in - there have been plenty of NBA players that have succeeded with less offensive refinement (hello, Rajon Rondo). You seem to be under the impression that staying for an additional year is going to make him a three-point shooter or something. That's highly questionable, and even MORE questionable that he would only be able to do that by staying at Michigan, not working out with NBA players all summer (as he did last year).
His talent level is what it is - regardless of whether he leaves now or not.
To Rondo, did you? It sounds like you're making a case for him to stay. Because in no way does he have the athletic ability or quickness of RR. Heck, if you don't think he can develop his skill set any more, it sounds like you're encouraging to stay 4 years and get a degree. Because if his skill set doesn't improve, he has no chance in the League. And playing against other guys in the summer is nice, but it in no way is as good as having a coach working on your game with you.
Obviously, Rondo has assets Morris doesn't have. But, as I said further down, Morris has assets Rondo doesn't (size, a mid-range game). Every player has flaws. The fact that Morris does doesn't mean he won't make it.
I'm not saying he'll be as good as Rondo. What I'm saying is that these blanket statements like "He can't make it in the NBA without a three-point stroke" just aren't true. Plenty of Point Guards DO succeed without a three-point stroke.
My argument isn't that he won't improve, my argument is that his talent level is his talent level, and Ann Arbor is not the only place where he's capable of improving. Most of his improvement last year actually occurred away from Michigan.
He had to have a 3 point shot. But you do at least have to have a skill that you excel at that makes people want to keep you around and develop. A shot, speed, ball-handling/passing...I'm not sure what it is that Darius is elite at. He is tall, but without combining that with something, I'm not sure how he compares to all these other players you're comparing him to.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
As if we all needed another reason to hate the NBA.
I would never wish the kid ill-will, but this has "Donovan Warren / Drew Henson" written all over it. Even if he DOES get drafted, I don't see a kid with no jumper (not to mention one with no left hand) being anything other than a role player. Who knows, maybe he'll develop a shot.
I would just think this kid would want to take a run at something great next year and then come out with a possible lottery-type value next year.
Damn. Damn. Daaaaaaammmmmmmmnnnnnn!!!!!
Point Guards with no jumper:
Jason Kidd
Rajon Rondo
Michael Conley
Jrue Holliday
Players who only drive one direction include scrubs like LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.
Here's a simple fact: if Morris has the talent to play in the NBA, he has the talent to play in the NBA. It doesn't matter if it's this year or next year. You can argue that he could make a little more money by improving his draft position, but if he's good enough, he's good enough. Period.
Darius Morris' resemblance to Lebron James or Dwayne Wade = 0
Darius' college game's resemblance to Rondo's college game (where Rondo was a freakish athlete who was uniquely quick for his size - he just couldn't shoot) = minimal, at best? I want to say 0.
Darius Morris and Jason Kidd? Both from California? Do you realize who Jason Kidd was when he was in high school and college? They both have shooting issues? Darius is not going to the league - if he is going - with the same skill set Jason Kidd entered with. Jason Kidd didn't have an over reliance on an illegal off arm. Just speed. Crazy speed and handle for a guy who wasn't exactly a small Earl Boynkins-type.
Jrue Holiday? Would have been none and done, if he was allowed to. Distinctly different level of athleticism. Apparently showed a "surprisingly accurate jump shot" in pre-draft workouts.
Guys who never had an overpowering major-league fastball: Me and El Duque.
Guys from that list who were freaking unbelievably awesome major league pitchers: El Duque.
Here's another fact: Morris made enormous strides between one offseason and the last.
But here's another: Darius made great strides between the beginning of the season and the end of the season. Because his decision-making is one of the most important parts of his game that needs to continue to grow, and it sure seems like he benefited from in-season coaching and cajoling on that count.
Here's another fact: Darius isn't nearly the shell of a once passable outside-shooter he became near the end of last season. I saw him pass up more open looks in the last quarter of the season than he did in the first three quarters of the year. He can show teams a better jump shot if he works on it for another offseason and another year.
And yet another fact: I said Darius and Dwayne Wade are very different players, but you don't think Wade's draft stock changed completely through the run he led his team on during his last season at Marquette?
As an nba scout said, it will do very good things for Darius' stock to play a college season with more NBA-talent surrounding him, which is what has finally arrived in Ann Arbor.
I think this idea that Darius' draft stock is what it will inevitably be is a complete canard.
The point isn't to say that "he's Rajon Rondo" or Kidd, or Wade, or James.
The point is to say that people throw out things like "he can't shoot from three" as if it precludes him from having an NBA career. It doesn't, obviously.
Also, people are harping on his flaws, but nobody seems to see what he has that would work in the NBA - primarily size and a quality post-game. He'll be bigger than most NBA PG's, and his most effective offense actually came with his back to the basket.
I appreciate what you're trying to say here, but I suspect it will be harder to finish things off in the post in the NBA than it was against Big Ten/NCAA teams - and keep in mind that Beilein's offense actually does about as good a job as is possible spreading teams away from the hoop so Darius could operate in that fashion.
Also - and this one, he's just gotta fix, and I worry about it even if he's back - he's got to do something about the off-arm thing. So, so much of that scoring he did in the post was accomplished with the off-arm action.
Kevin Garnett gets away with it. Darius as a 2nd round rookie would not.
And part of why he needs it is that he's 6'4", not 6'6"...
Saying great players who were tremendous college players have flaws in their game is the same as a good college player does isn't hardly the same thing. If Morris had played like Kidd, I'D be encouraging him to go pro. But for some reason I think Morris will be taken around a full round lower than Kidd was.
With the exception of Rondo, all those guys are significantly better shooters than Morris. Look up their pro and college stats. None of them are great shooters, but each has a more than passable outside shot.
The aspect you are missing in all of this, being drafted in the first round significantly improves his chances at sticking in the league. It's not about whether he has NBA skills or can develop them later on, it's whether he will get the chance to. If you're a late lottery pick, the team has an investment in you, they are going to care about your development. If you're in the second round, they're going to decide if you can contribute that year, and if not, off you go.
Morris has a nice skill set. He's big, he is better at getting to the basket than his athletic ability would suggest, and he has great vision. Unfortunately, he's not NBA elite level at any of those things. He needs an outside shot to keep NBA defenders honest so he can continue to attack. He needs to be able to finish strong with his left hand, because his get into the lane, do two pump fakes to get back to the right, just isn't going to work against NBA big men. If he could demonstrate both skills now, he's a first rounder, easily. He can't, though, and that's why it was in his best interest to come back.
As it is now, I wish him all the best. I appreciate what he did for Michigan this year. I just hope he gets selected by a team that is going to need him, regardless if he's ready or not. Then he might get the chance to develop.
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