As I close my eyes and lay in bed at night, I can still hear it. Only a faint whisper now, like the winter's wind. Cold, sharp, yet unmistakeably distinct. A black raven flies past my window, turning its head, staring at me with its trio of eyes. I've heard this song and dance before. It is no wind. It is the screams of Rocket fans. I can barely make it out: "Winter is coming..." Wait, that's not what it said. I open my eyes and awaken in a cold sweat, shaking. I look down at my legs, still in tact. I look to the side under the bed, still a Maltese of barely 5 pounds, not some beast of the Old. I attempt to piece together the puzzle, along with my sanity. "LEONARD, LEONARD, LEONARD!!!!!!!!!!!!" That's what it was. The gleeful cheers, and the agony that is to follow. Yes, Marcus over Kawhi will go down as one of the greatest draft night tragedies EVER, alongside Landry over McRoberts, Patterson over Sanders, and Brooks over anyone. It is at that moment that I realize what has taken ahold of me. I see dumb people... Spoiler Oh, I'm just teasing. Still, it is a bit befuddling to hear the outrage on draft night. I mean, I kind of get it. Kawhi is younger, rated higher on Draftexpress, a true 3, and look at his hands! But ask yourself, honestly, how many times have you actually seen the man play? How many times have you seen Marcus play? And when was the last time Morey drafted based on Draftexpress, or the position someone played? Here is what I said about Marcus vs. Kawhi when asked before the draft: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=6191352&postcount=123 Now, after Morey actually taking Marcus over Kawhi, and it was said to not even be close, I am even more confident in my initial assessment. Like I said, I see Leonard as a role player at best. Not based on his age or athleticism or the size of any particular body part, but based on his skillset. On the flip side, I view Marcus as possessing "star quality". But talk is cheap. I played this game in last year's draft when it was Demarcus Cousins vs. Derrick Favors. I think this year the stakes are higher because it is our own man. For those who still think we took the wrong guy, care for a friendly wager? I'll put $100 in the tip jar if Marcus Morris has less Rookie of the Year votes than Kawhi Leonard. Wait, who was that other guy people wanted? Chris Singleton? I'll put $100 in the tip jar if Marcus Morris has less Rookie of the Year votes than Kawhi Leonard, and Chris Singleton, combined. Any takers?
I actually loved our draft but dude seriously, You're going to break your arm if you keep patting yourself on the back at this pace.:grin:
At least he's putting his money where his mouth is. I'd like to take the bet myself, except I'm a MM fan so that would be a lose-lose scenario.
I think they'll be equally useful to their respective teams, Morris is probably a better fit for us than Leonard at the same time Leonard will be more useful to the Spurs than Morris would have been. It's the Spurs, I wouldn't bet against them when it comes to drafting (even though they've had some misses). Leonard will be useful but he won't be replacing the big 3 on that team.
Morris is a NBA-ready bench scoring punch who's going to contribute right away, and is going to plateau pretty quickly. Lenoard is a Gerald Wallace who's going to take years to reach his potential, if he ever reaches it, and could be an all-star. Argument can't be settled for years.
Just to add, I believe Marcus Morris will definitely be a All Rookie First-Team selection. Leonard is going to be on the bench pretty much the whole season. So my view is, first year of their careers, Morris > Leonard. Its little debate?
$200 on CXbby he has A point! If 50/50 Twin get more minutes he just might be Rookie of the year! To make it better if him and Keef split Rookie Of The Year! So Put me down for $200 in the pot!
Umm Leonard will definitely get a lot of playing time. Pop doesn't trust RJ as was shown in the playoffs.
I gotta say... when I heard his name on draft night I was shocked and somewhat pi$$ed off. Our obvious needs were a 5 and a 3... the last thing we needed was another 4. With Singleton (who I was pushing for), Leonard and Vucevic still on the board I couldn't believe they went with Morris. I had not paid much attention to him due to the fact he was projected to go much higher and mainly because everything I read on him was that he was a small 4 that was skilled but not big or long enough to successfully guard avg size 4's and not athletic enough to play on on the wing. CXbby.... u along with D Thorpe's analysis on the "player" got me to do a little more research on him and I can't agree more. I must say... I have jumped on the wagon, and yes... I do believe the hype. I am tons more excited about this kid and am psyched for the upcoming season. Now we just need a legit big. GOTTA BELIEVE!!!
Didn't san antonio originally want a morris? I was reading it on their fan board. I'm not sure if that's true or not though.
I live in san diego so i have seen a lot of lenoard. I think he's okay and both him and Morris will just be role players. Also one thing kwahi had going for him is the spurs wanted him really bad. Look at the late picks they had that were absolutely awesome. (Parker, ginolbli, scola)
You mean like James Anderson (a more NBA-ready rookie) did for them last year? Pop usually doesn't play rookies big minutes.
Leonard has a good motor and can get the ball. If he focuses on that I think he can be real good at it. Morris has a lot skills, but some of the stuff he did in college he will have to change since I don't if he can post up some of the nba guys. I think Leonard has a better chance to be real good at what he does than morris does at what he does. However our team didn't lack scoring. It lacked rebounding and leonard has the physical tools and motor to go get the ball so I think he would have been a better fit.
Houston was good at scoring but had no go-to scorer. The only guy that came close was Lowry, and that is really not playing to his strengths. That is the reason why we went after guys like Carmelo. You don't think Morey knows our most obvious problem was defense and shot blocking? Thing is, you can plug someone like that in relatively easily. We could get one in exchange for Thabeet/Hill it sounds like. Elite scorers on the other hand are at a premium in the league. Of all the guys on our roster right now, Morris has the best shot at reaching that level, as he has the skillset most suitable. Kwahi, if he works hard at it, could be a good role player one day. Anyways, care to bet?
