First I was very impressed with his play tonight. He showed a lot of effort!...also I really think he definitely is a keeper at the starting small forward position. Several reasons: 1. great court movement. He seemed to be really involved in the plays and was all over with defense as well as offense. 2. Great size and pretty good athleticism to boot! 3. As a 4 year seasoned player, starting would not be a fetch. He showed he can do it and he looked comfortable to me. also he sure reminds me of an improved Sean Elliot, by his playing ability.
I also was quite impressed! We have a defending small forward to counter the almost non exsistent defence of Walt Williams, and the average (I'm trying to be fair, I haven't really paid much attention to Rice playing defence) defence of Rice. He seems to know his role well, and isn't the type of player looking for the spot light. In his interview with Bill and Calvin he was very quiet and humble, when he kicked some butt out there tonight. Nice to see a young player being modest, when he played much better than his elders. The only thing I'm worried about when it comes to TMo is his effectiveness coming off the bench. I think he COULD be a legit starter, but with Rice and Williams on this team, it will be hard to justify him as a starter (when Rice is healthy). Coming off the bench and being effective takes a certain type of player and we don't know if TMo is that type yet. Props for a great game against Detroit, and I hope we get to see a lot more great play from Morris this season! B
Roxran, I share the same assessment of T-Mo's game. No wonder Steve Francis vouchered for his pickup. I agree with the point you made about T-mo playing four years of college ball and showing the maturity to fit into his role and just be part of the team. He has shown the ability to run and the ability to stoke the 3-ball. I think he should develop nicely this season. He's a good chemistry booster. Hands down, he could be a steal from the second round.
T-Mo did GREAT, so did KT so don't say anything bad about him because he kicked Ben Wallace's A$$ meaning he's a great starter with great moves.
It's great to see the young guys play well and for us to get a win.T.MO could become a good sixth man for now and if he improves his ball handling he could even become a future starter at the 3. Did KT get most of his points in the low post and make some of the layups that he normally misses? I noticed that he also got 12 rebounds in addition to the 17 points,which is really great considering that he was up against a player like Ben Wallace.
Saleem, Kenny was making a lot of the easy shots he normally misses, and he made a couple 15+ footers as I recall. He looked really impressive on the offensive end, and worked hard to create his own shot, and even had some nice passes for easy points. B
What position was Morris playing most of the game and against whom? Was he playing Rudyball PF? Because that's what it seems like. Four blocks is impressive. Were those weakside blocks or blocks on his man? What are people's impressions on his role in the offense and defense tonight?
Morris was playing SF in place of Walt, who was out with back spasms. I believe he guarded Corliss Williamson most of the time. Most of his blocks were weakside blocks from the side or behind the shooter.
Late this season, expect the Cato, Griffin, Morris frontcourt to devastate teams without a power inside game.
Morris is our starting SF, why because he is a complete player unlike Rice (whom I feel we should have never traded far) and Walt (whom I like but can't play "D") Rice's sad ass would do better coming of the bench for scoring punch when needed (if his ego can handle it). In this day and age of free angency...you better play your young talent and develop chemistry fast so if we (the Rockets) want to be successful we should start the following. PF GRIFFIN (HE IS NOT A SMALL FOWARD...DON'T WASTE HIS TIME) SF MORRIS ( POORMANS SCOTT PIPPIN) C JACKSON (WE'LL GET HIM DON'T WORRY...18PTS/10RBS) PG FRANCIS (ALL-STAR YEAR) SG MOBLEY (NEED'S BETTER SHOT SELECTION IN BIG GAMES)
i see rice playing a couple years at the starting role teaching the young pup t-mo how to shoot. i believe t-mo will slowly develope an all around game with an incredible shot outside when left open. which i believe will complement the two guards later. i'm sorry but i see walt out the door and being replaced by this young budding superstar. hate to say this i think we got our rashard lewis but ours came with added maturity. go rudy. the pieces are falling into place perfectly
I can't believe we have a thread going about Terrance Morris and "TMo" hasn't yet posted here. Talk about sleeping on the job! I'm glad to see T. Mo have a good game tonight. I didn't see the game, but it sounds like he outplayed Rodney White who was drafted much higher this year. I agree with Tycoon, it will almost certainly be Rice starting at the 3 this year. We need his outside shooting, post game and veteran leadership. However, T. Mo may well be the starting 3 on this team at some time in the next few years. T. Mo is a very complete player. He has really good lateral movement and long arms making him a good defender, and he is a solid rebounder who runs the floor better than either Rice or Williams which is great for our team. If T. Mo is given some time to develop his confidence and improve his outside shooting touch (hopefully under Rice's care), then he could become a solid starter at the 3 in the future.
It was good to see TRock's stats which included 4 blocks. I have watched him since high school, and after the last game in which he only took 3 shots in 22 minutes, Steve Francis and Rudy T. must have talked to him. His number one weakness, if it can be called a weakness, is that he is a TEAM PLAYER to an extreme. He will give the Rockets a good overall game at both ends. Everything I read on this board seems to indicate the Rockets and Rudy T will stress the TEAM GAME. TRocket will flourish with the team game. If the Rockets are winning big, you will see TRock overpass to get more players into the flow of the game, a trait he developed at Thomas Johnson in high school in Frederick, Md. At Maryland, the Terps stressed more one on one than team play, at Houston TRock should flourish more under Rudy T's system. IMO, the Rockets got TRocket at a cheap price in the draft. FREDTERP
Yea, he was mighty impressive. He looked like a player who should have come out of the lottery. I just hope he can be consistent with the the recent play. ...That would be so great! (sorry too much blue's clue watching with my daughter )
I'm not surprised by Tmo's performance. I agree that he will not be starting if Rice is healthy, but if he isn't, why NOT start him over Walt? Or at least let the two split time? He is a better defender, rebounder, and shotblocker, can run the floor better, and has the potential to surpass Walt in all categories except outside shooting. Plus he has a future with the team. Walt does not. Interesting to hear that he was going up against Corliss, b/c that's who Jordan was going up against a few nights ago while he was on the floor in the second quarter, when the Wizards were outscored 23-7.
I'm so glad everyone is so high on Terrence. His performance was stifling last night. And I'm not talking about the 18 points. I talking about the blocks, the weakside help, the scrambling, the steals, knocking the ball away from the guards, finishing plays, hitting his freebies, and just having an all-around smart, blue-collar game. I think him staying his 4 years will be a definite blessing in disguise, for us - and for him. I could see him starting some games - especially if Glen happens to get hurt. What an exciting starting lineup this would be: Jax Griff Tmo Cat Chise
I agree. Kenny is most definitely a natural passer. I'd go so far to say that Kenny has a better knowledge of our offense over anyone other than Bullard did last year. K9 makes picks on queue as well as anyone. Kenny has natural instincts, and he is smart. imo, we cannot place a limit of his ability, yet.
