Darius Morris projected in early 2nd round
We are doomed.
good for him, bad for the rest of us.
This isn't the NFL. Being a second-round pick in the NBA sucks.
March 27th, 2011 at 11:49 PM ^
He's right. First round = guaranteed contract. 2nd round not a dime is guaranteed. If you're Darius, you don't go unless you're 100% certain you're a first round pick.
...for NBA riches if there is not going to be an NBA season? The NBA labor situation is worse than the NFL, if you can imagine that.
Besides, one more year like this past year and Morris is a first rounder easy.
All that said, if Morris does leave Trey Burke had better be all that.
I know that would be almost as crazy as Donovan Warren leaving for...
March 27th, 2011 at 10:54 PM ^
This made me laugh very hard.
March 27th, 2011 at 11:27 PM ^
Manny.
The good news for us is that the site appears to be crap. I haven't even really looked it over, just checked who my hometown Wizards were projected to draft:
#3 overall PG from Duke.
So this site thinks a team that drafted John Wall at PG #1 overall last year is going to use the #3 overall pick on the same position? Credibility immediately lost without even scratching the surface of their work.
Millen is doing the draft for The Wizards. They are going to stockpile lottery point guards.
"Wait, there's no wide receivers in baskeball??? How... disappointing."
The point of NBAdraft.net is just essentially to rate the prospects; the teams that are drafting just change whenever they update the site based on the standings at the time. So don't write them off completely just because of that.
That being said...Draftexpress.com is a far more reputable site than NBAdraft.net, and their projection of Darius is in the 50s, which seems to correlate more with most other expectations at this point.
That site's had him going around there for months. They also claimed Morris had indicated he'd go pro months ago but conveniently could not provide any sources to support that.
We are not doomed. All this speculation has come from Morris's brother who openly said Darius was not hiring an agent and wanted to gain a familiarity with the draft process and collect feedback on his game. Until such a time as that changes, it isn't worth panicking over.
March 27th, 2011 at 10:36 PM ^
Everyone seems to think that he's going to find out he's better off coming back. One reason given is that he needs more size which is ridiculous. He's a huge PG. He's the biggest pure point guard on that mock draft board and that's a big reason scouts like him so much.
The other reason given is that he needs to work on his outside shot, which is a legitimate knock on his game. He's a lot like Rondo after his sophomore year but already a better FT shooter and distributor (not quite as good at defense but he has the length). With a three point shot he could be a lottery pick and an NBA starter but there's no gaurantee that'll happen next year at UM and the question is whether he's better off developing that skill in college. If he's not going to class and is getting paid to shoot all day long, why not go to the NBA? If he can make a team, which I'm sure he can, it might be better for his long term growth to go pro.
The biggest concern I have is his relationship with Beilein. We all saw the body language and chemistry between them this year. They constantly seemed frustrated with each other and Beilein sat him for the start of the Purdue game. I just hope he actually wants to play for JB for another year. It seems like Michigan has been great for his development so far but who is to say a full-time basketball job with NBA coaches isn't better?
I really hope he comes back though. This team has a good chance for a BTT title and long tourney run with him.
March 27th, 2011 at 10:48 PM ^
Who is arguing that he's not big enough? I've never heard anyone say that. The knocks on him are more that 1) he's not particularly quick, 2). he lacks range on his shot, 3) he's not that good with his off-hand and 4) his on-the-ball defense is shaky.
March 27th, 2011 at 11:27 PM ^
Basically just say Darius is like Rondo was at the same point, only better?
March 27th, 2011 at 11:52 PM ^
I'm with you. I hope that wasn't actually said. Rajon Rondo is an absolute freak of nature. Darius is not a freak of nature, he's "just" a good college player. Rondo's career arc is probably out of reach for Darius.
March 28th, 2011 at 12:36 PM ^
the next Andre Miller. Not the fastest or most athletic guy, but is crafty around the rim and will bully smaller guards.
fair comparison--suspect shooter, but a pretty solid NBA career.
My man this is good news. It is rare players leave for the NBA to be 2nd round picks. There are no guaranteed contracts and early 2nd round can easily fall to undrafted. see Manny
March 27th, 2011 at 10:47 PM ^
about 5 of the guys (or more) that they list in the 1st round are going to return to school, moving high 2nd rounders up.
If that site is accurate, and they generall are, Morris should go pro.
March 27th, 2011 at 10:53 PM ^
"If that site is accurate, and they generall are, Morris should go pro."
It depends. He could be a lottery pick if he stays.
March 27th, 2011 at 11:03 PM ^
but how many 3rd year players do you see in the lottery? It happens sometimes, but usually the skills and abilities are identified after two college seasons. Most JRs getting taken in the lotto could have done the same as sophomores.
Theres no question Morris COULD move up, especially if he showed a 3-point shot, but he would also be taking a huge risk.
If you can get a guaranteed NBA contract, you do it. If not, its probably better to come back and try to get there, but it really doens't matter that much if he's drafted 16th or 23rd.
March 27th, 2011 at 11:30 PM ^
Between 16, and 31...
March 28th, 2011 at 11:02 AM ^
between 16 and 30, 1.3M vs 0.9M a year
Everyone agrees going in the 2nd round doesn't give you much, NBAdraft.net is evidence saying he has a good shot of going in the 1st
I sure hope this is sarcasm. http://www.nbadraft.net/2010mock_draft Check pick #53. Mock drafts mean pretty much nothing outside of the lottery, and mean absolutely nothing in the 2nd round.
March 27th, 2011 at 11:43 PM ^
check out #53 on the current-year list. oh what might have been.
March 28th, 2011 at 12:43 AM ^
Funny you mentioned that, a friend and I were discussing that today. Who would've been better to guard the Plumlees than Benzing? He would've been immensely helpful on the glass against Dook.
How am I supposed to hate the heat if darius is the starting point guard?
wasnt manny harris projectd as late 1st round? (i could be wrong)
then look what happend...Undrafted.
March 27th, 2011 at 10:48 PM ^
NBA contract
March 27th, 2011 at 11:29 PM ^
Just the Cavs.
Manny worked hard, gave us a great 2008-09 season, and certainly wasn't solely responsible for the disappointing 2009-10 season--Novak and Douglas (and Wright and Lucas-Perry) couldn't throw it in the ocean that season.
Oh, and he was academically All-Big Ten two (2) seasons!
March 28th, 2011 at 10:58 AM ^
While I don't know how the staff feels about Morris (even though I assume they like him and will press him to stay), the Manny situation was a different beast. The staff was "supportive" of Manny...in giving him a soft push toward the door. Of course, Manny was eager to bolt...but I don't think the two are very similar situations.
Multiple players just within the Big Ten did the same thing last year that Morris is doing now. JaJuan Johnson, Talor Battle, etc. All of them came back. It would be extremely surprising for Morris to leave, no matter what you read. Unless it has quotes from Morris himself, I wouldn't worry much about this.
March 27th, 2011 at 10:36 PM ^
He needs a little polishing (left hand, long range shot) but the combination of his size and potential will surely get him drafted.
With that said, he could very well end up as a lottery pick with another year in school.
I don't see Morris as a lottery pick, then again, I didn't see Mateen Cleaves as a lottery pick either. Come back and lead your team to a national title and you will be a lottery pick Darius.
March 27th, 2011 at 10:20 PM ^
He doesn't have that athleticism that NBA teams love in a G especially when there's new waves of PG who have freakish athleticism like Rose, Wall, Jennings, Westbrook, etc. Morris is a steady PG who can handle the ball and pass. His ceiling is mid-1st rounder.
He's not leaving IMO. He has so much more to gain by coming back.
Second round in the NBA is "you might not get a contract." There's only two rounds.
With another year of college ball, he could move all the way up to the FIRST round.
So was Manny Harris.
i can't believe vernon macklin is not on that list
2nd Round=staying
contact Marcus Taylor from MSU from ten years or so back. Did not work out so well for him and they were comparable from a skill standpoint.
March 27th, 2011 at 10:00 PM ^
He will not leave.
THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR US.
March 27th, 2011 at 10:04 PM ^
Did you guys see the comments his brother made that were posted here the other day? I think Darius fully intends to come back to school, but he wants to familiarize himself with the whole draft process so that next year (yeah I know, hit the MGoBlog overreaction button on that), he can enter the draft. It makes sense for him to explore his options now and the fact that he is projected as a second round pick should tell him all he needs to know if he even thinks about leaving this year.
March 27th, 2011 at 10:11 PM ^
2nd round picks are not gaurenteed contracts. If you are projected there, you stay.