NBA Draft 2011: Houston Rockets Pull Off Head-Scratcher, Select Marcus Morris
by Tom Martin on Jun 23, 2011 10:00 PM CDT
in NBA Draft
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PrintIf Marcus Morris can play small forward in the NBA, I'll like this pick. If he's just another power forward for Houston to stockpile, I'm incredibly confused.
With Chris Singleton and Kawhi Leonard available, Houston chose to go with the available Morris twin instead. He can score, he can guard, but are we sure he can do that against the three? If not, I'll take Patrick Patterson and move on with my day.
Don't rule out a move from Daryl Morey and Co. as the draft continues, but for now, I don't like it. At some point, perhaps, I'll watch some film and get a better look at his quickness and agility. Then again, if Draft Express' Jonathan Givony is already calling him a power forward...
... then I'm slightly worried. Fine, Rockets, draft for best available, but Marcus Morris -- despite perhaps being the best available -- is not much of an upgrade over what Houston already has in its arsenal.
I'll have video and quotes from Marcus' press conference later tonight.
UPDATE: Well, unlike last year when I waited thirty minutes for Patterson's presser, the NBA rushed Morris into the room and out of it before I walked in. I'll get something with the 23rd pick.
UPDATE 2: WUT.
Hou getting flynn. Miller to minny
Assuming that's Brad Miller, I'm happy with this.
UPDATE 3: WUT.
Motiejunas will be traded to the Rockets. Unclear on other details.
SOMEONE JUST TELL ME WHAT IS HAPPENING.
UPDATE 4: Finally.
The Rockets and Wolves have agreed to trade J Flynn and Montiejunas to Houston for Brad Miller, 23rd pick and future 1sst, source says
The Houston Power Forwards, everyone. Fitting, you know, with the Houston Tight Ends on the other side of town.
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Im very disappointed in Morey
I do not approve of this selection at all
"Stability is a factor in teams that win the championship. But if you stabilize on a team that's going to end up short of that, then all you're doing is spinning your wheels in the 45-win range."-----Daryl Morey
by fanoflosingteams on Jun 23, 2011 8:07 PM CDT reply actions
My head started to itch as soon as we picked him
shaking my fucking head
Me against the world is a mismatch in my favor.
Morey better pray that I do not see him in public anytime soon.....
"Hakeem couldn't kick your ass cuz you were too
close kissin his!"- Sir Charles to Kenny Smith.
Daryl Morey is known for doing something unexpected on draft day
Just usually not like this…
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
Like taking a somewhat undersized PF who's an all-around player but doesn't do anything especially exceptionally?
Nah, he never has done anything like this.
by Patrick Harrel on Jun 23, 2011 8:11 PM CDT up reply actions
That was my thought.
They see him as a combo forward.
say that 10 times fast
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
say that 10 times fast
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
Wow
Good thing we don’t need a five or a backup one…
dont need a backup one.....we have one
We need developmental one that can step in if the dragon or lowery get injured.
A high draft pick would be too much money for an emergency guard……but i guess the argument could be Lee could step in, so I dont know if I even agree with my own statement. We really need a swingman and a big at this point.
I think he ment
A center and a backup center
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
I have to admit
I momentarily forgot about Dragic, so scratch my statement about a backup one: we’re good. But five power forwards? We have no shot-blocking. Either they better have something in the works or Thabeet had better be shaping up well…
It must be a part of a bigger picture
This pick only makes sense if Morey is drawing up a trade that involves Scola and Hill leaving, and so Morris becomes a backup for Patterson.
(Hopefully this trade is a 3 team deal that lands J-Smoove and Dwight Howard in Houston. You can always dream right?)
the 2 times morey stayed with his 1st rounder
he got aaron brooks at 27 and ppat at 14 so u have to trust the man
by Samarth Sulhan on Jun 23, 2011 8:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Difference in Brooks and Morris
Is that I don’t think Morris is as good as some of these other players.
The Dream Shake ...on Twitter.
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak
What did you think of Brooks and Landry when Morey first picked them?
I find that the ability of hindsight is a luxury that unfortunately only fans have.
If there are trades coming
I like it.
Scola and hill and hopefully Martin for something BIG
I see myself as an entertainer and an Icon. Oh and C finnegan can go fuck himself
by AllenOU on Jun 23, 2011 8:32 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
UPDATE
Scroll up.
The Dream Shake ...on Twitter.
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak
Well, Kevin McHale like his players big
And Patterson/Morris at forwards remind me of old school NBA, where SFs were actually “forwards” and not just a slightly bigger shooting guard.
Remember Oakley/Smith/Mason trio in NY? This could be something similar. Sacrifice some speed for size.
Im going to laugh when we take Faried at 23...
…because otherwise i would cry…..
Denver took him at 22…
I had to stop arguing with drunks, Steeler fans, and all other fools.
It was making my brick wall jealous...
by steeler-hater on Jun 23, 2011 8:43 PM CDT up reply actions
Safe pick
I know morey saw something in him that the need needs. I can sense a trade coming up soon. Rockets need center and i think they can address it by free agency and trade.
an apple a day, keeps the doctor away. (true!)
“Miller to Minny for Flynn”???
What is the Wolves thinking?
I had to stop arguing with drunks, Steeler fans, and all other fools.
It was making my brick wall jealous...
* are
I had to stop arguing with drunks, Steeler fans, and all other fools.
It was making my brick wall jealous...
by steeler-hater on Jun 23, 2011 8:36 PM CDT up reply actions
They get a future first and the 23rd
Actually probably a good deal for them
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
Maybe Motiejunas in the trade too, thanks for coming David Kahn…
by RiiseRockets on Jun 23, 2011 8:37 PM CDT up reply actions
WE just traded miller
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
Link we just traded a future first for mont
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
Trading for Motiejunas?
I like this move, depending on what they have to give up…
I had to stop arguing with drunks, Steeler fans, and all other fools.
It was making my brick wall jealous...
How did Morey pull that trade off?
Wow. Congrats guys
Cousins is good but he's no manna from heaven.
im scared
top 14 of next years pick?….i hope not
Happy to see Miller gone...
But I’m not a big fan of Flynn…
Flynn was spectacularly bad last yr
I saw about 25-30 Minn games on LP and in every one Flynn was making the most incredibly stupid plays imaginable,at least 5 times dribbling the ball off his foot.
There really has to be something else brewing,because this is looking ugly.
Motiejunas at Center?
Perhaps they use him as a stretch 5.
Why didn't we just grab Vucevic
when he was available? Never saw him play at SC, so I can’t really comment.
Just what the Rockets need, Mehmet Okur version 2.0
Maybe if we’re lucky we can get a goofy lookin’ Russian with a wife who doesn’t care what he sticks his johnson in. DAMN.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
That's the thing, his game IS that of a PF.
We’re just changing the position. We accomplish nothing but weakening interior defense.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
The daryl Morey plan
Put all PF’s out on the floor and have them hold their hands up really really high
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
I dont think we keep all 3 guards.
I think theres another trade coming up somewhere
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
Miller was going to make $4,752,000 this year and $5,104,000 next year
sucks to lose a 1st but dumping this contract and getting Flynn makes it pretty worth it.
Given how hard Lowry plays, you have to worry about injury. Flynn would be a good 3rd string PG.
by goingforthecorner on Jun 23, 2011 8:40 PM CDT reply actions
That 5 mil expiring would have been a great trade asset
"Slammed that hoe on the counter like I just got 35 on the domino table!!"
Sherrod Harris
I am now three beers deep and I got home 10 minutes ago.
I’ve gotten pissed and told my girlfriend to fuck off for a few hours while I incapacitate myself. Daryl Morey must have gone to the David Kahn school of GMing where you take one position and draft the fuck out of it. The only problem is this is now our second year doing it. Unless we’re planning on contacting Atlanta and saying “HERE, FUCKERS, PICK A REPLACEMENT PF OR 6!” We’ve overloaded on this BS and while it’s nice to be rid of Miller’s contract we got a tweener guard, a tweener PF, and a squishy 7 foot Euro vag.
Look for this to get worse when I move on to bourbon.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
by BD34 on Jun 23, 2011 8:43 PM CDT reply actions 3 recs
Worth adding, I am going to make a beeramid before I move on to liquor.
I am stocked with rum, bourbon, whiskey, amaretto, vodka, kahlua, and baileys. My liver doesn’t stand a god damn chance.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
I'm not 14, pot stopped being appealing 23 years ago (I'm 23).
Booze for me.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
This project would have helped had I actually had food in my stomach.
This won’t end well.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
Less food = drunker quicker
Likely the quickest way to end the evening’s pain…
And the quickest way for me to wind up vomiting uncontrollably.
Pace is a problem when I’m pissed off.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
Dude seriously,
Marcus will be able to take 3’s into the post and play defense reasonably well and rebound real well. Mont is better inside than most European centers, He defends the rim fairly well. Not the best rebounder but given our position in the draft it was a good deal.
There are also a LOT of veteran centers available and a few forwards in Free Agency so we are in a position to make some straight up or sign and trades.
by mjdinhouston on Jun 23, 2011 9:40 PM CDT up reply actions
Incorrect on the numbers
Miller will make $4.75 this year and get bought out of his contract next year for $1.
The 3rd year was only there so Morey can use it as a non-guaranteed expiring. It was this lack of non-guaranteed expiring that locked us out of the Tyson Chandler trade. So there is value to such contracts.
It’s also why Minnesota would take an otherwise horrendous contract in a CBA year.
We wont get him because he is not undersized
by Vick Mcfadden on Jun 23, 2011 8:54 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Does anybody know anything
about Vucevic? Kid put up decent numbers last year at SC and he seems to have some size (though I’ve read he’s not the best shot blocker). Why did we pass him up?
Why did we pass on him?
Because he has too much size for us. We need 6’9 guys who play PF.
Me against the world is a mismatch in my favor.
Crows have an obsession with shiny shit, like the mentally handicapped. Maybe Morey is part crow.
6’9" guys are shiny as hell.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
Because ESPN is run by frontrunning douchenozzles.
They won’t report you unless you’re NY, Miami, or LA or have a pampered asswipe on your team named Lebron.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
Update, folks. New post.
The Dream Shake ...on Twitter.
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak
Future first rd pick
Is Memphis protected 2013
"Your girlfriend is into them gangstas, and me being a gangsta, i get into your girlfriend"
Both Morris and Motiejunas listed as a PF's
Along with current PF’s, Houston now has a total of 5 PF’s.
Now, I realize Morris may be moved to SF, and Motiejunas will be moved to Center, but I’m still inclined to project a simple WTF!?
by Nobody is Better Than Jordan on Jun 23, 2011 9:03 PM CDT reply actions
Poor Man's Derrick Williams...
and I don’t mind us going big at the 3. from what I read he’s a willing defender and he can score. I sincerely think that Scola is on the way out.
by Christopher Dion Harris on Jun 23, 2011 9:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Wow
Jordan Hamilton just fell to the Mavs. Unbelievable.
Me against the world is a mismatch in my favor.
They traded 2 picks for Fernandez and Petteri Koponen.
I’d rather have Hamilton. He is a steal at 26
I went to Rockets.com to read the previews they have of the potential picks
I am not too encouraged by this (what they wrote on their own site about Morris):
Marcus Morris, Kansas: 21 years old, 6-9, 230
I’ve seen a lot of these kids play before they were in college and Marcus Morris, there’s just isn’t anything that really stands out about his game. I think his draft status, where’s he’s being mentioned to be selected in the 9-17 range, is more an indication of why this is a weak draft.
I envision him becoming at best a 9 or 10 point per game player who collects 4-5 rebounds as well, someone who can fit in and be a solid role player, but I don’t know if the people drafting him realize that his upside is capped. By NBA standards, he’s at best a 50th percentile athlete for a forward. Some people think he is stuck between being a 3 and a 4; we list him as a 4 because, like Derrick Williams, we don’t see him having the physical disposition to succeed as a 3. I don’t think Marcus Morris has that, which is why instead of calling him a power 3, I’d call him a versatile 4.
He’s a potential solid role player, but expecting him to be significantly more than that could be setting him up for failure.
http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/nba_drft_preview_tking__lo_2011_06_20.html
Game Thread Extraordinaire
Gotta love the irony....
As of now, and I haven’t read all the other posts, but I think Morey had a damn good night. I’ve over-estimated the TDS intelligence bigtime, first with Derrick Williams and now with Morris. POWER FORWARDS IN COLLEGE TRANSITION TO THE SMALL FORWARD ALL THE TIME!!!!! Marcus Morris at 14 was a steal, almost as much as Knight at 8. The Houston Rockets just got the Big 12 player of the year. He will have to work on his lateral quickness, but is athletic enough to play the SF position. This was a great pick. In short, Derrick Williams and Marcus Morris will be excellent wing players in the NBA.
As for Donatas, this wasn’t a flyer on a Euro. There was extensive scouting overseas and the Rockets are very high on him. Considering he fell all the way to 20, Daryl made the move to get his guy. Also considering Flynn has no future with this team, the Rockets aren’t done.
Welcome to Houston Kevin McHale. Just remember "It was Minnesota" is no longer an excuse.
Rockets getting some attention on NBA TV, guess thats the upside of hiring an analyst
but my god this David Aldridge, I can’t tell if serious. Jonny Flynn is gonna compete with Lowry for the starting position? Really? Jonny Flynn? getthefuckoutahere
I saw that...
Welcome to Houston Kevin McHale. Just remember "It was Minnesota" is no longer an excuse.
not to mention David Aldridge completely forgot to mention Dragic
who is also better than Jonny Flynn
not to mention David Aldrige said that Marcus Morris could be our starting 3 on opening night
these fucking guys….
he easily could.
Welcome to Houston Kevin McHale. Just remember "It was Minnesota" is no longer an excuse.
The thought of him being handed a starting role
pisses me off even more than picking him in the first place.
Flynn could. He is an excellent point guard (I'm a Syracuse fan), he was in a horrible spot in Minny.
Saying he sucks in Minny when you’re basically damned because of ineptitude isn’t giving a guy a fair shake.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
It went wonky earlier but they got their stuff together now.
My beingadick-butnotbeinganannoyingdick skills, they're impressive.
-TCWIR paraphrased
I'm very surprised by this reaction...
Marcus Morris isn’t likely to be an all star, but he will be a good player in the league for years to one. As soon as the pick came up, I figured Morey would jump on it because: a) he’s a stay guy and Marcus was extremely efficient all year; and b) he was the best available guy and Morey loves his assets.
Singleton and Leonard are better defenders, but they aren’t any errrr at the three spot. You can okay Marcus at the 3 or 4 and he’ll be able to score well. Defending either position will be 50/50. He’ll handle the average guys fine, but he can’t guard a big four or a quick three.
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