Even before we drafted this guy, I was excited at the possibility of adding him. By the time we did get him I was on a ventilator (from the Griffin trade) and the medics were just turning the draft coverage off (some ridiculous clap-trap about trying to save my life, would you believe it!) when getting Morris was announced...All the pieces seemed to fit....I thought that the next step would be either getting Webber, or preserving the feel-good unit as is, and building on chemistry and young talent... Since then, things haven't gone exactly as I'd hoped, but I am still very interested in our 2 young fellas...My question to you is this: How good can Morris be? DO you see the potential for a Pippen-like player (pre-Rockets), an all-around contributer on offense and a demon on D? Or do you think his D rep is over-rated (never sure whether on not to hyphenate) , and his offense is too passive? Do you think he needs a lot of body development before we'll ever know? My question, I suppose, should be divided into two... 1) How good can he be if he fulfills his potential? 2) How good do you really think he will be? Aside from that, I would be very interested to know an "insider"'s take on what the Rockets themselves think of Morris at this time...OP, et al, this might very well mean you...
The Pippen comparison is interesting, because both of these guys have been tagged with the label, "Doesn't/Can't be <b>the</b> guy." Morris had one of his best college years alongside Steve, and his last season was well below his ability. Pippen played alongside MJ for years, and had one good season after Jordan retired. Since then, Pippen has consistently disappointed teams he has played for when he was expected to be a leader on the team. Hopefully, Morris can break free of this label. It is very possible it has been completely and unfairly applied, and that Morris has no problem whatsoever demonstrating any leadership or independent basketball talent. Personally, I think he wil never be more than a role player on offense, sticking the outside 3 if he continues to practice his shooting, and getting garbage buckets off of rebounding hustle. On defense, I think he will grow into one of the better defensive swingmen in the league, but won't get much recognition for it because he doesn't have the great offensive game to complement. Either way, I am confident, as of now, that the move to acquire Morris was a good and sound investment. I predict we will be praising CD, Rudy, and Les (not so much Les ) for it by the end of the season.
You had to expect me to sound off on this one. I think Terence has the potential to be an all-star (though not a seven-time all-star like Pippen). Though he could never, ever be a malcontent like Pippen. He is not a head case in that way. I think he is more physically developed right now than people are suggesting. And-I think Terence will be an all-star. I think things are going to start clicking for him again. Below is a link with about a dozen or so articles about Terence, prior to his senior year, going back to quotes from his high school coach. It doesn't include the media-whippings from the last season, but I'm assuming most of you have already seen those anyway. The link will give you a good sense of what he is like and what he is capable of. This is a kid who grew up not having what most people did, has turned out to be a fine young man, and the Rockets should be proud to have him on the roster.http://umterps.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/morris99-index.html
Morris has always reminded me of Derrick McKey (Sonics version), i.e. a very good, well-rounded, highly-skilled F with the ability to defend at 3, sometimes 4, positions. Morris isn't quite as big as McKey (about an inch taller, 10-20 lbs heavier), but he has a better shot than McKey. I think Morris can be a very good to great SF. I don't know if he'll ever be a big-time scorer, but there's a lot more to the game than scoring. I still believe that the Rockets drafted their starting frontcourt of the future this summer with Griffin (PF) and Morris (SF).
WHOA, Tmo! I'll admit, I had a few reservations before the draft about the Rocks drafting Morris, and I'm not normally much of a "stats man", but checking out the U of M website, Morris had some great numbers during conference (ACC, to say the least, which is some serious competition) and his #s were roughly: 14 pts 9.5 boards! 2.4 blocks! NOT BAD AT ALL!
Live- I like the McKey comparison, but I still see him as the young Robert Horry. He can become a good defensive player but I am not sold on him offensively. I would prefer to see him, being an agile, tall SF, but he will be big enough at some point to be a PF. I really, really doubt if he will ever be an all-star. He can be a nice complimentary player. Again most of this depends on his heart and ability. He seems to have the physical tools to be a player, now it's just a matter of how hard and plays and how many opporuntities he may get.
4chuckie: Tyone Hill was an all-star. Keep that in mind, and keep the dream alive. Tmo loves to play. Quote: Unlike most basketball stars, Morris didn't play organized basketball until seventh grade, though he was a common sight on the park courts. He says he made the decision to play on a team when it became too cold to play outside. Morris' reasons for playing are simple: "I just love to play. This is something I just wanted to do. I love to play - anytime, anywhere.
