http://espn.go.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4264/year/2011/patrick-patterson Patterson play 0 minutes in the first 24 games of his rookie season and did not play more than 8 minutes in any game until the 31st game of the season. And that's with a rookie who was also touted as NBA ready and went through an actual training camp and preseason. Do you find this puzzling as well?
Well I guess it shouldn't be puzzling Carl, because that stint in the D-league made is whats made Patterson into the budding superstar he is today. It also did wonders for Joey Dorsey & Thabeet. And BTW, the next guy Budinger locks down defensively will be his 1st. Give Morris his chance, 3,4 or whatever. They're too caught up in positions, play basketball. Hell Jeff Adrien has seen time. Its not like the Rox are soooo loaded that they couldn't use another good player. See what your top pick has in live NBA game action. If his confidence is too fragile for that, then he's a bust.
So, did not playing regular minutes as a rookie prevent Patterson from becoming a regular contributor in the rotation? The team has done a good job working with young players like Landry, Brooks, Lowry, Budinger and Patterson. They seem to know what they are doing so I would not freak out over how many minutes a guy plays in the first 30 or so games of his career. Plenty of young players don't get much, or any, NBA minutes in the first 1/2 season or even full season of his NBA career and still went on to become quite good. Player development is a long game. Here, by the way, is Feigen's take why Morris was sent to D-League. http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterocke...s-why-marcus-morris-is-going-to-the-d-league/
Experience in the D-league is not even close to experience in the NBA though. Not even Feigan can convince me of that.
Exactly....other than just simply staying in shape the D-League hasn't really shown much in terms of developing players.
What do you expect the D-League should accomplish in terms of developing young players? That they'd be 100% NBA ready? To me, if it can make the learning curve a little less steep, it has done it's part. Commonsense tells me that a young guy probably would benefit more by playing in a pro-like system than sitting on the bench watching. But it is really hard to tell. The only way you can say for sure is to compare pretty much the same player, one with D-League experience and the other without, and compare the results. And that's impossible. One thing for sure, if the coaching staff thought Morris was ready to compete for a meaningful rotation spot, he wouldn't be playing in RGV.
Playing>watching for Marcus right now. I get the feeling they don't want to showcase his talents for trade reasons as well. But that could go both ways. He's an an unknown commodity right now and has a set value based on draft position and skill set. The question becomes whether they want to keep his value low or high by not playing him. Which of those two is true is the game of Morey. Of course this is all theoretical. I'm inclined to think that they are keeping his value low to make other players more appealing to trades.
If MM was on the Rockets squad now, he would be warming the bench next to Twill. By being on the RGV team, he actually gets to play. The Rockets are 13-10, and fighting for a playoff spot. They are not interested in throwing a rookie to the wolves. Parsons is playing because he showed in practice that he has a high basketball IQ and plays great defense, Obviously, MM has not done that yet. For some reason, I trust McHale's judgement more that that of the fans on CF. Maybe because he's a former All-star, general manager, and coach.
For being as physical as Marcus is, he doesn't get to the line very often. Same goes for Patterson. We really need to find a guy that draws contact and loves being physical.
Marcus's bread and butter shot is a fadeaway and a step back jump sot. Fadeaway jumpshooters don't get to the line. Patterson is a faceup jump shooter. They don't go to the line either.
I thought I was the only one thinking this. The Rockets see Morris as part of their future, and I feel they want to keep him away from prying eyes (and of course get some playing time, too). Patterson's name has already been brought up in trade rumors, and Morris would be as well b/c the potential is there for both them. Glad he's hidden in the Valley. Good job, Morey!
dobro, I agree. Morris's time is coming. This guy can play at a high level for 12 years. He's not going anywhere, and I get they want him to D down. He will. Notice we didn't watch vid of his defensive highlights. I bet when that happens it will be in a Rockets uniform.
tweeting needs some work Marcus Morris Patients is key, but don't let patients be the reason you don't succeed... F.O.E just a matter of time
