Terrance Morris Haters, Where are you? [Archive]

View Full Version : Terrance Morris Haters, Where are you?

pgabriel

02-03-2003, 10:25 AM

This is a phenomenon I have never understood in general with sports fans. The scapegoat syndrome. Its like every team has to have a player that its fans refuse to give a chance. The Astros had Dave Clark.

Since I have been on this message board I have seen several negative posts about Terrance Morris a guy who as I have seen, didn't really have a positive and negative affect on the team either way. I think the guy has been instrumental in the Rockets latest wins and can be a very good role player in the Rockets future. This is only his second year, he's a second round draft pick so I really don't know what you T Morris haters every really expected, but I think he is going to turn to be a positive.

Rockets34Legend

02-03-2003, 10:35 AM

Who cares. He sucks.

Nova

02-03-2003, 10:35 AM

I've always stood beside TMo. He's a solid player, and he'll be one of our best bench players. Hell, I'd say he'll be our sixth man unless Taylor starts whooping it up (barring trades of course, I hope he doesn't get traded). This kid is a great role player for this team, and from yesterday's game, wow. If there wasn't so much talent on the floor already he could be a starter. :D

kountzer

02-03-2003, 10:43 AM

Originally posted by pgabriel
This is a phenomenon I have never understood in general with sports fans. The scapegoat syndrome. Its like every team has to have a player that its fans refuse to give a chance. The Astros had Dave Clark.

Since I have been on this message board I have seen several negative posts about Terrance Morris a guy who as I have seen, didn't really have a positive and negative affect on the team either way. I think the guy has been instrumental in the Rockets latest wins and can be a very good role player in the Rockets future. This is only his second year, he's a second round draft pick so I really don't know what you T Morris haters every really expected, but I think he is going to turn to be a positive.

Thanks for starting this thread; if you had not I would have. I am totally impressed with the progress he has made this season.
He has been hitting some very impressive and clutch shots. I would venture to say he has one of the best jumpers on the team. Keep up the good work TMo.

~ kountzer ~

xiki

02-03-2003, 10:46 AM

He's OK. He leaves it on the court, seems to fit in well, takes advantage of his limited time. He's not a star, he doesn't seem to need to be another STAR. I like him. He'll play in this league for 10 years, or more.

deadlybulb

02-03-2003, 10:53 AM

I would venture to say he has one of the best jumpers on the team. Keep up the good work TMo.

~ kountzer ~ [/B][/QUOTE]

Are you kidding!!!??? The guy couldn't throw the ball into the ocean!!!!

Although shooting isn't his strongpoint i do think he brings alot to the table. he's a good rebounder and defender (even though he usually can't hang with the good PF's on deffense, but he's a small forward playing out of position.... the same problem that EG's having IMO)

I think his contributions have helped the ROX overall. I won't dog him....except for the J.

cas

02-03-2003, 10:55 AM

what's with all the "xxx haters, where are you now" threads?

DCkid

02-03-2003, 10:59 AM

I was one who didn't have much hope for Morris. I'm not a "hater" though. After all, the guy seemed to get worse as his college career progressed, going from a sure-fire lottery pick his sophomore season to a secound-round draft pick by the time he was a senior.

It's true. The guy has improved his shooting A LOT. It was last season that he couldn't hit the ocean - not this season. I mean, he's shooting 48.6% right now, and most of his shots are jumpers.

I don't think he gets enough consistent minutes to prove he's the real deal, but he's definitely showing something.

HtownRocks3

02-03-2003, 11:01 AM

he's cool. it's taking him a while to fit in with our offense. he would fit in better with another team, say the Mavericks... but then again, who wouldnt? :eek:

DCkid

02-03-2003, 11:03 AM

Originally posted by cas
what's with all the "xxx haters, where are you now" threads?
I think it's a chance for the non-negative posters to make fun of all the moping Rockets fans who bitch and moan about how bad the team sucks after a few losses. At least, that's my guess. :D

StupidMoniker

02-03-2003, 02:37 PM

I'm still here. TMo is not a good shooter. He has never been a good shooter and will never be a good shooter. He is basically a taller version of Shandon Anderson. The problem you get with guys like TMo, Shandon, and Hawkins, is that when they are left open, more often than not they miss shots. It kills spacing when you have guys out there that don't contribute to the offense. TMo is shooting 17% from beyond the arc. We don't need that from our SF position, and we have enough PFs that he should never get playing time. I would rather they try to develop Boki than bring in this TMo, a guy we wasted a #1 pick on. You would think Rudy's first clue that he might not be worth a first round pick was that he wasn't picked in the first round. Sure there are some gems in the second round (Cat comes to mind), but they are few and far between.

bigboymumu

02-03-2003, 02:38 PM

Not here. He deserves Mo's minutes if Rice comes back.

Raven Lunatic

02-03-2003, 02:57 PM

Originally posted by StupidMoniker
I'm still here. TMo is not a good shooter. He has never been a good shooter and will never be a good shooter. He is basically a taller version of Shandon Anderson. The problem you get with guys like TMo, Shandon, and Hawkins, is that when they are left open, more often than not they miss shots. It kills spacing when you have guys out there that don't contribute to the offense. TMo is shooting 17% from beyond the arc. We don't need that from our SF position, and we have enough PFs that he should never get playing time. I would rather they try to develop Boki than bring in this TMo, a guy we wasted a #1 pick on. You would think Rudy's first clue that he might not be worth a first round pick was that he wasn't picked in the first round. Sure there are some gems in the second round (Cat comes to mind), but they are few and far between.

You make it sound as if we could have gotten a guy like Richard Jefferson with that pick. It was a very late 1st round pick we traded. The pick we traded would not have ended up being all that much sooner than where TMo was picked (5th in 2nd round). Essentially, we got a decent backup player with a late first round pick. Is that not what you are basically hoping for in the draft?

You say Morris is a poor shooter and he will always be a poor shooter. Yet you fail to recognize that his outside shooting touch has improved significantly since last season (even some of the more pessimistic Morris detractors have admitted this).

Sure, he doesn't have 3 point range, but as a backup SF/PF, I don't think he necessarily needs to have 3 point range. He has only even attempted 17 three point shots all season. Right about half a shot a game. I don't think his lack of range is hurting us that much. Personally, I would be perfectly fine if the only players on the Rockets team that ever took 3 point shots were Francis or Mobley. No one else seems to have the touch.

Morris may never be better than he is right now. But to maintain that he will never improve when he has quite obviously improved since last season is ridiculous. Based on that improvement, I would hang on to him at least one more year just to see if he can continue to get better. If he can, he may be a mainstay off the bench.

austinrocket

02-03-2003, 03:36 PM

Morris isn't bad for an end of the bench guy. He has potential.

kountzer

02-03-2003, 03:40 PM

Another Brother

02-03-2003, 03:47 PM

Dave Clark? Try Derrick Bell!

I didn't know enough about TMo to hate, all I knew is that he occupied a roster spot that needed to be productive. So far so good.

limited_few

02-03-2003, 03:50 PM

Terence Morris is playing in Pre-season form. Remember in the preseason when he was one of the biggest suprises and all of us were pumped up because he was hitting his jumpshots very well. Then he got injured and kinda dropped off the map. Well I think he has re-emerged as the suprise we were all expecting before his injury.

pgabriel

02-03-2003, 03:52 PM

Originally posted by Another Brother
Dave Clark? Try Derrick Bell!

I didn't know enough about TMo to hate, all I knew is that he occupied a roster spot that needed to be productive. So far so good.

I was going to say Derrick Bell, but that guy did so many stupid things I just didn't want to mention him. At least all Clark was guilty of was being a sub par pinch hitter. Bell was more like the previous years' Cato.

Another Brother

02-03-2003, 03:54 PM

Originally posted by pgabriel
I was going to say Derrick Bell, but that guy did so many stupid things I just didn't want to mention him. At least all Clark was guilty of was being a sub par pinch hitter. Bell was more like the previous years' Cato.

Yeah but was a helluva community guy and had some productive years.

sirhangover

02-03-2003, 05:07 PM

terrence morris is the mat tmaloney, langhi, of the team..

its the intangibles he brings-- the missed balls off the foot ..the errant pass into the first row..the bonehead move /pass right into the defenders hands for a break away layup..

I do not understand why RT is in love with this joke

rudy allways falls in love with some scrub and unfortunately it is morris

Why is hawkins not starting ahead of this guy??

why is our 15th pick not starting over this 2nd round crappy sophomore

his stupidity on the court is why our second unit almost always plays poorly .. he could be a big difference for us if we make the playoffs..

the good coaches are going to allow morris to have the ball..andn let him ***** are chances away... the playoffs are for the real players the ones can play

look at our score vs opponents when morris is on the court..
morris is my single biggest concern and I shudder everytime this tomato can is put on the court

LiTtLeY1521

02-03-2003, 06:03 PM

Okay. The Terence Morris haters are still here. And I was one of them.

But he has been doing very well.
He is kind of small to be playing Power Forward, but he can shoot.

WHAT IS EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT? He is the only person that I have seen that makes his shots right after coming off the bench. He is pretty good. He is a good role player.

AND WHO CARES? HE ISN'T EVEN IN OUR ROTATION. He has just been playin well, and is very laudable for playing so well. I think he should be allowed to play. He is the only shooter we have besides Glen Rice. The only reason he is playing is because of injuries.

Has anyone seen him play? He is the only Rocket who can shoot correctly.

Red Chocolate

02-03-2003, 06:09 PM

Some of you guys need to put down the crackpipe.

Terrence Morris definitely does not suck. I would much rather have him then someone like Lee Nailon, or Shandon Anderson, etc.

He has one thing going for him, and that is *work ethic*. This is a guy who increased his shooting percentage from 38% last season to 48% this year. What's not to love about a guy like that?

He also plays reasonably good defense, crashes the boards, and blocks a shot every other game. Not bad for a guy only playing 14 minutes per game. He can play either the 3 or the 4, and has done a nice job of knocking down open mid-range jumpers lately. He also had 3 blocked shots and 5 offensive rebounds against the Kings.

For a late 1st round pick, this guy has been nearly fantastic.

LiTtLeY1521

02-03-2003, 06:13 PM

YEAH. And if you think about it...

Cuttino Mobley was the 41st person picked in the draft.

For a second rounder, he has been nearly fantastic as well.

Terence Morris can shoot. I don't know if you are blind or something.

His defense is OK. He's just not big enough. He can guard 3's. He has a tendency to try to knock the ball out of the driver's hand. Fouls.

But he does not suck. Not recently anyway.

Nova

02-03-2003, 06:28 PM

Originally posted by Red Chocolate
Some of you guys need to put down the crackpipe.

Terrence Morris definitely does not suck. I would much rather have him then someone like Lee Nailon, or Shandon Anderson, etc.

He has one thing going for him, and that is *work ethic*. This is a guy who increased his shooting percentage from 38% last season to 48% this year. What's not to love about a guy like that?

He also plays reasonably good defense, crashes the boards, and blocks a shot every other game. Not bad for a guy only playing 14 minutes per game. He can play either the 3 or the 4, and has done a nice job of knocking down open mid-range jumpers lately. He also had 3 blocked shots and 5 offensive rebounds against the Kings.

For a late 1st round pick, this guy has been nearly fantastic.

yup. TMo has been fantastic. He's a great backup player for the rox. I can't believe some of ya'll still say he can't shoot. He seems to be gaining more confidence in himself as he gets pt. He hussles and works hard and plays good D. Perfect role player. He still hasn't had a whole lot of pt, but I think he could become a regular rotation player, and he'll keep getting better. He's a keeper.

leebigez

02-03-2003, 06:34 PM

Derrick McKey

This is the guy i said all along resembles both in play and the way they carry themselves on the court. Morris and McKey have and had the potential to be Scottie Pippen like, but for some reason they never fully applied themselves and were just happy to be solid players. McKey and Morris have everything physical skill wise a coach would want in a 3. Long arms,rangy,good defenders and can do a little bit of everything. Its always how good do these guys want to be. Had Morris came out with Francis as a sophmore, he would have been lotto material, but he stuck around and didn't really show the improvment scouts thought he would be. He could still be a very good player, if he wants to be. Thats always have been the question, if he wants to be.

LiTtLeY1521

02-03-2003, 06:38 PM

Wait. I know he can shoot. But he is terrible at dribbling. He can't do anything but shoot on offense. And he can rebound as well. But sorry...he cannot pass the ball to Yao. He has made too many errors. Posey does a better job giving it to Yao. He is a good player, but he cannot possibly become great. He is a little bit too slow for the quicker guys. He is very athletic though and fits well with our team. I hope we don't waive him or cut him.

Raven Lunatic

02-03-2003, 08:51 PM

Originally posted by LiTtLeY1521
Wait. I know he can shoot. But he is terrible at dribbling. He can't do anything but shoot on offense. And he can rebound as well. But sorry...he cannot pass the ball to Yao. He has made too many errors. Posey does a better job giving it to Yao. He is a good player, but he cannot possibly become great. He is a little bit too slow for the quicker guys. He is very athletic though and fits well with our team. I hope we don't waive him or cut him.

His dribbling is not terrible, not for a guy his size. He is not expected to be able to dribble like a guard. Griffin's dribbling is terrible. Morris's dribbling is adequate.

And as for the "passing into Yao" argument against Morris...exactly how many times a game does Morris even have the opportunity to pass into Yao? More often than not, Terrence comes in with the second squad, and doesn't even get much floor time with Ming. And even when he has, I have not noticed a tendency for him to not pass to Yao. If the pass is there, he makes it. Everything else I agree with.

I think people are a bit blinded by the end of the Minnesota game when he had the ball stolen from him like 3 straight trips down the floor. That looked really bad. But overall, Morris does a pretty good job taking care of the ball. He doesn't make a great number of mistakes.

fatman510

02-03-2003, 09:02 PM

We shouldnt expect Tmo to be perfect..but as a player who is coming off the bench he has done well. He has stepped up big time backing up Posey while Rice is gone, and was a big contribution to the team last night. He's not star, but he is a very good role player.

thomp1141

02-04-2003, 01:34 PM

I would like to address the ridiculous statments about Morris being a terrible passer. With all due respect, passing is one of his best assets to the team. I will refer to his time with the Terps because he really hasnt gotten enough consistent playing time with the Rockets to make a valid point. With Steve his soph year, he was lottery potential because teams locked on Steve and left Terence to make them pay. His jr. year, teams focused on him. If you watch those games, the entire offense went through him. If he got it in the post, he made excellent passes to Dixon on the wing or a nifty interior pass to Baxter on the opposite block. He was also the teams best passer into the post, hitting Baxter right where he needed it. His Sr. year, after the breakout seasons of Dixon and Baxter, teams couldn't focus on just one, but had to contend with all three. This is why I became a big Morris fan. He could have kept doing what he did his soph year and been a lottery pick, but he did what was best for the team, and took the school to its first ever Final Four, which is what it is all about.

luckystrikes

02-04-2003, 01:45 PM

I don't think he's all that bad. He comes in, hits a few shots, misses a few. He gives the guys a rest, and can play 3 or 4, heck, I bet he could even play a big 2 if Rudy needed him. He’s a halfway decent back up I'd say.

MFW2310

02-04-2003, 01:46 PM

TMo has been playing better in the last couple (2-3) games, however, it would take longer than that to convince me he's good. I also find it interesting that TMo's hot streak coincides with the entire Rox' hot streak which interesting enough, coincides with the guards getting Yao the ball. So I believe there is more than that meets the eye. It's not that TMo's good, but that Yao creates the open shots for him and the whole team that he can't possibly miss.

UTweezer

02-04-2003, 01:47 PM

Tmo is much improved over last year

DearRock

02-04-2003, 02:03 PM

Well I am glad to see that he is not hurting the offense. :p

Fredterp

02-04-2003, 02:09 PM

11241Thomp, good post and right on about Terence's ability to hit the open teammate. There are few unselfish teamplayers around like Terence. It has been a trait of his that dates back to high school. Gary Williams rarely had special plays for Terence, TMo's scoring would result on his own, especially playing with Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter who took most of the shots and rarely passed back.

One poster mentioned that indeed TMo has been playing good the last 2-3 games, I take it that poster has been on vacation. If TMo is 3rd on the team in FG%, he has been playing well more than the last 2 or 3 games. Sounds like no matter how TMo develops and improves there will still be posters with their head in the sand. FREDTERP