Would you rate him even higher than Tskitishvilli? Or was it Nachbar, or both? I don't remember. I seem to recall you jones-ing for one, or all, of the euro's. You know that Morrison is an american, right?
"TMac IS NOT going to play the 2"- TMac and JVG This draft is weak at the top- very weak at the top- But there are some possible good players to be had from 3-20 that means this is a good draft to have 2 picks, really bust tail to scout the players and work them out and make a good selection. Hey, there will be some good players available at the Rockets 2nd rd. pick. This draft will be all about how well a team can tell who will really translate their college game to the NBA. I would spend as much time as possible working out as many players as possible and either stick at 8 or trade down for an additional pick.
Don't have to be a lock down defender, just stay in front of your man.....Morrison can do that. Defense is overated, you need situational defense, but the days of lock down defense are coming to an end with the new rules. It is more valuable to have aggressive offensive players, who play situational defense. DD
Look at the last 4 Championships, both the Spurs and Pistons were 2 of the Top defensive teams in the NBA during their runs. I agree that a lot of its about situational defense but I wouldn't say defense is overrated at all. The Pistons don't win w/o Ben Wallace and maybe the same could be said about Bowen and the Spurs. Look at how much the Kings improved once they swapped Peja for Artest. The Mavs have gone this far because of their much improved defense, they've always been able to score points, but now they can actually stop offenses. The old saying still holds the truth IMO: Defenses win Championships.
No one is saying ignore defense, quite the opposite, but you can not tell me that Dallas is a great defensive team. You have to be able to get situational stops, but the days of hand checking and holding opponents down to under 80 points and winning championships are over. Pariah, I also was in favor of drafting Yao Ming when many others were not, there are some players that need to find the right fit to succeed and get their confidence up. JJ Reddick and Adam Morrison are 2 very confident players who are ready to help NBA teams right away. DD
I would take Morrison if he falls, but I don't think he will. The problem with that though, would be will still have a gaping backcourt problem(s) to address. Perimeter defense, Shooting (Morrison cannot shore up alone), and penetration. I dont think Morrison is necessarily good at this last one at all. When he gets in about 8-10 feet from the hole, he is good in maneuvering, but IMO we would need to add another effective 2 guard. Redick is just a shooter, if he falls to 32 grab him, but I would be horrified with Redick at 8. I think someone will fall. Names like Thomas, and Bargnani and Roy and Gay, there could definetly be some sinkage there. Even Morrison could fall. In my mind, I have Atl locked into taking a pg. I think will all this uncertainty, one guy may drop to us. No Redick. I will be alright with Carney or Brewer, but I am hoping for Roy, Gay, Bargnani or Morisson to fall.
No way Morrison gets past Portland. There SHOULD be no way that Marcus Williams gets past Atlanta, but, well, they ARE Atlanta, and stupidity seems to be their highest priority. But we can't predict based on insanity, so we should assume Atl takes him at 5. The biggest weird problem in this draft is that Toronto is definitely going to take Bargnani. Toronto had him pegged, even before they snagged the #1 pick. And Bargnani has flat-out stated that he will NOT play for any other team than Toronto (which does not say a whole heck of a lot about the guys brains, but whatever.) The problem this creates is, Toronto knows that this Bargnani kid would probably not otherwise be the #1 pick, so picking him at 1 is overpaying a bit. BUT, do they insult the kid by trading down to 4 or so, and take him there? Doubtful, seeing as how Colangelo is completely Brokeback over the kid. So they are stuck taking him at #1. Or else they trade down and say 'Sorry, kid.' OR, some dimwit in the top 7 or 8 gives up tier first rounder for Villanueva, letting the Raps keep #1 (Bargnani) and also get another top pick, such as Foye or Roy or Gay. Problem is, nobody in the top 10 or so sees anything of that much better value at #1 than at, say 3 or 4. So Toronto is stuck, and is probably just going to take the kid they wanted all along, maybe overpay a bit, and cross their fingers that he does not embarrass them over the next 4 or 5 years. In reality, then, Chicago has the real #1, for all intents and purposes. If not for Toronto's weird situation, Bargnani would likely grade out to around slot 4 or 5. It should be a no-brainer that they take Aldridge. Closest thing to a sure-thing Big in this draft, and that is an area of need for them, especially since I seriously doubt that Minny gives up KG, especially since Minny might very well end up with Gay. The only real question-mark is Charlotte. Looks like a 50/50 toss-up between Morrison and Roy. My gut tells me it's going to be Roy, and Morrison the defaults to Portland. Atlanta, well, how can they NOT take Marcus after passing on Paul last year?? They HAVE to take MW here, don't they? Could they really be that stupid? Or maybe they trade down, eyeballing Foye instead of Williams, maybe they could pick up an extra pick or a piece by dropping down a bit. Would our #8 and #32 get us to #5, if Atlanta really wants Foye instead of Williams? Would we be willing to give up whatever decent player might be available at 32, considering how many holes we have, and considering that Brewer will surely be there when we pick at 8? Geez, I don't know, if Atlanta came calling during the draft offering #5, and Gay and Thomas were still there, that might be worth looking at. Personally, the only guy who might be worth it would be Gay, but let's assume they keep the pick and go Williams. Gay and Thomas go in the next two, to Minny and Boston. These are basically 'They fell to us, look how lucky we are!' picks. So we wind up with our pick between Carney and Brewer. Maybe they are in a dead-heat in Morey's calculator or something, who knows.. but suppose some other team a couple spots behind us is all hot for one or the other, do we trade down and pick up a future #1, or move back with NOK, and get 12 and 15? Surely one or the other of Brewer and Carney would still be there at 12, and then we could snag Ager... again, just depends on how crazy NOK is.. After we pick, who cares.. heheh except when we get to 32.. with as many holes as we have, I bet our #2 this year actually sticks.. Novak, Gansey, maybe Daniel Gibson.. could be worse.
