Markieff Morris is now a SUN

[mojorizen7]

you know what? i don't even begrudge blind loyalty. hell... i wish i had it. would probably make sports more enjoyable to me. but i do begrudge another fan telling me I should go find a new team, then being indignant when i tell him he can shove his advice back up his ass. that has nothing to do with fandom... that's just calling someone out after they've acted like a jerk.

Thats just passion my friend.
I hear ya.

So how do you feel about the pick?
I gotta be honest,i dont have a beat on the majority of this draft class....but i will say that i would've liked to have seen us move up a few slots to take the raw bigman Biyombo(and pair him with a frontcourt consisting of mainstays Frye/Gortat.....but i do like the fact that they apparently stuck to their board and put enough value into drafting a kid who was scouted to have some of the intangibles that this team is lacking in.

Kurt Thomas was drafted 10th overall and im sure most would consider him a bust by NBA standards....yet he's been extremely valuable to a few teams in his career. I'd take a young KT on this team moving forward.

 

[mojorizen7]

If Morris can find a level between Kurt Thomas and Horace Grant, we'll all be happy for a long time. Let Gortat be our frontcourt star and Morris be the grunt guy in the background. All I would like out of Morris is 13/9 with some defense. Thomas, Grant, Otis Thorpe, Buck Williams. Those kind of players provide the template Morris should copy.

Beat me to it....because i type like a 40 yr old who cant type.


Like i posted earlier,with the right coaching you can teach a kid with a limited offensive game to find little ways to contribute. IMO its much more difficult to get a scorer who cant defend to man up and take pride in shutting down his man on the other end.

As for Morris,i'd be happy with 10ppg,10 rebounds,active physically around the basket, setting SOLID picks and blocking some shots. IIRC he's 6'10" right? Looks like he has room to grow physically...

 

[TBaslim]

Yeah,somehow he missed that little jab....then got butthurt when you gave it back.

I can admire loyalty from a fan....but blind loyalty just doesn't compute with me.

Riiight.

I chose to ignore it cause I figured Cheese misread me or I wasn't clear. I was ranting about folks who only complain about the team no matter what happens, not about folks who are frustrated with the moves and can explain why and what they would do differently. I'm still not sure why Cheese thought I was talking about him. I'm not blindly loyal to the team, I just have a different opinion on their future.

And who uses 'butthurt'? Seriously? Are you 12?

 

[mojorizen7]

And who uses 'butthurt'? Seriously? Are you 12?

Butthurt:
An inappropriately strong negative emotional response from a perceived personal insult. Characterized by strong feelings of shame. Frequently associated with a cessation of communication and overt hostility towards the "aggressor."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ButtHurt

Sorry,there are a number of more mature words i could have chosen instead i guess....annoyed,bothered,bugged. I chose the one that seemed most fitting at the time.

TBas...I would only suggest that you consider the possibility that MAJOR changes need to happen in order for this franchise to climb back into the top of the elite in the NBA. Not just a tweek or two here and there....

 

[AsUdUdE]

For anyone who is questioning whether or not the suns COULD have traded.. the answer is an emphatic YYYYEEEESSSSSS....

You want to know how I know this is a fact....

2 picks later Kawii Leonard was taken (who should have been picked by the suns period), and guess what happend..

He was traded for GEORGE HILL...

By a show of posts how many of you want an up and coming solid player who could become a star at a position of need, rather than a PF with limited upside...

My vote is Hill, and its not even that close....

 

[JCSunsfan]

It really could be much worse. I am not all fired up about Markieff, but this is a bad draft. Here is what is at least somewhat encouraging.

1. We did not sell our pick for cash.
2. We actually chose a player
3. We chose a player that was projected to go somewhere near where we picked. No second rounders in the first round.
4. All the players I really wanted were taken, so there was no Markieff over Biyombo type of situation.
5. We did not trade our pick for some ridiculously protected pick from another team.
6. We did not give away any of our present players.
7. We chose a big guy with at least some possibility to play a role.

I probably would have taken Leanard over Morris but it would not have been that huge of a difference.

Ho hum. Ok draft, not spectacular and not a shipwreck. Move on. This is the new mediocre Suns.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

PHOENIX SUNS GRADE: B-
Round 1: Markieff Morris (13)

Round 2: None.

Analysis: The Suns decided they needed size and another defensive presence, and to get those qualities, they may have reached just a bit for Morris here.

A year ago, scouts would've laughed at the suggestion that Markieff would go ahead of twin brother Marcus. But after a stellar junior season, he leapt ahead on some draft boards.

Morris is a solid rebounder and defender and he's tough. He can also shoot the ball, a big bonus in coach Alvin Gentry's system.

I don't dislike this pick. Nothing outstanding but he should contribute.

 

[Covert Rain]

For anyone who is questioning whether or not the suns COULD have traded.. the answer is an emphatic YYYYEEEESSSSSS....

You want to know how I know this is a fact....

2 picks later Kawii Leonard was taken (who should have been picked by the suns period), and guess what happend..

He was traded for GEORGE HILL...

By a show of posts how many of you want an up and coming solid player who could become a star at a position of need, rather than a PF with limited upside...

My vote is Hill, and its not even that close....

I think Leonard is far from a lock to be a star. He has no midrange game and can't shoot the 3 either. Good defender but he might up being a defensive specialist. Not that I wouldn't mind having that type of player because I would. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns into a decent player but wouldn't be surprised if he NEVER amounts to anything either.

 

[Mainstreet]

It was slim pickings in this draft although there will always be surprises. Markief Morris was probably the Suns best selection at #13. I was hoping the Suns could pull off the Lopez trade for Shumpert but the Knicks got him at #17. See Paul article dated 6-23-11 at azcentral.

San Diego State small forward Kawhi Leonard was a surprise drop to most, but it did not make the Suns flinch about taking Morris after serious consideration of Georgia Tech point guard Iman Shumpert. The Suns had a deal in the works to trade Robin Lopez for a pick in the 20s to get Shumpert, along with another piece, until New York took Shumpert at No. 17.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/sun...110623phoenix-suns-draft-markieff-morris.html

 

[jlove]

Apparently the Suns had a trade in place with an unknown team in the early 20's, but when Shumpert was taken at #17 by NY, the Suns called the trade off.

 

[jlove]

Also, I see Markieff as a combo of Sam Perkins/Elton Brand/David West type as far as offensive ability and a Nene/Dale Davis type of defender.

 

[leclerc]

Not one of the players I was hoping for, but it's fine, we need more strength underneath the basket. We need the extra defense and rebounding against teams like the Sterns, the Fakers, those dudes with Z-Bo and the Gasol bro etc.

If Markieff can play tough like Kurt Thomas and hit the baseline jumper that's a good draft by my standars, considering we really need that type of help and the draft was considered pretty weak.

All that remains now is see if dude can play.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Also, I see Markieff as a combo of Sam Perkins/Elton Brand/David West type as far as offensive ability and a Nene/Dale Davis type of defender.

Sam Perkins with some defense? I'm totally down with that.

 

[elindholm]

Yes they did because Clark actually played well for them when he got minutes

Check your facts. They gave him a lot of burn shortly after the trade to see what they had, then lost interest. Over March and April, after the honeymoon wore off, he averaged around 3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11 minutes while playing in about half of the games.

and they want to re-sign him.

I doubt it. Talk is cheap.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Oh and TBaslim, there are still mods here. However, that entire exchange between you and cheesebeef seemed to go both ways. When that happens I generally let it slide.

I did see an attempt to get around the curse filter by one of the posters. I will also not be banning for that. Just please don't do it.

 

[leclerc]

I hope our friends at the front office find a way to make a deal like the JJ deal (that's Joe Johnson, the one who got away/went away to Atlanta?!?) so we can get some talent back on the roster. Not much to look forward to now. Maybe reach the playoffs... and that's it.

Off course it is difficult to build a team that really can contend for a title (how many do we have again?) but seemingly being satisfied with the 8th seed and just trim salary don't cut it for long. Gortat is good. Dudley is fun to watch (unathletic as he may be) but we need more, they have to try better and make GOOD moves, don't be on the short end of deals and give picks and young untested talent away. Too bad we did not get a shot at the #2 pick or a second first rounder.

Maybe if we suck really bad next year, I mean really bad, we can get into the top five. That would be sweet. Also sign a solid FA star/starter. Then add Gortat, Frye and Duds + the new guy (Markieff) with 2012 rookie and FA and we might contend again.

 

[jagu]

Just start Morris. What have you to lose? A championship isn't happening anyway.

Gortat
Morris
Hill
------------
Nash

LOLopez
Frye
Dudley
Pietrus
Brooks

Find someone to take Warrick and Childress because its overkill..

 

[Cheesebeef]

Like I said in the other post, either reading comprehension or I wasn't clear. Your overreaction, though, says more than I ever can in response.

are you kidding me? how you can not see that you told a bunch of pissed off suns fans to get lost... then cry FOUL when that fan tells you the same is beyond me... and then YOU complain to the mods after YOU start a flame war by questioning people's fandom and then telling them to get lost?

now, you can once again question my reading comprehension, or try to spin whatever you said into something that wasn't as inflammatory, but it doesn't change the fact that you were a jerk and were responded to as such.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Can we please keep calling him Marqueef?

 

[AsUdUdE]

I think Leonard is far from a lock to be a star. He has no midrange game and can't shoot the 3 either. Good defender but he might up being a defensive specialist. Not that I wouldn't mind having that type of player because I would. I wouldn't be surprised if he turns into a decent player but wouldn't be surprised if he NEVER amounts to anything either.

Thats a good point... but it is moot...

If the Suns would have just taken him, they could have swung him for George Hill...

EVEN Markief's mom would consider trading her son for George Hill...

 

[Cheesebeef]

Also, I see Markieff as a combo of Sam Perkins/Elton Brand/David West type as far as offensive ability and a Nene/Dale Davis type of defender.

um... you see Markieff as a combo of Brand/West who were 20 ppg scorers along with the defensive likes of Dale Davis/Nene? How? There's no way that guy lasts to the 13th pick of the draft in any universe... hell, that guy with that combo doesn't last till the 3rd pick of any draft.

 

[Mainstreet]

Thats a good point... but it is moot...

If the Suns would have just taken him, they could have swung him for George Hill...

EVEN Markief's mom would consider trading her son for George Hill...

George Hill seems to be more of a SG that does not shoot all that well. I always liked him but his stats tell a story. I'm guessing his primary value would be learning to play defense under Popovich. He sort of reminds me of Beno Udrih who Popovich also coached up. Actually I've always liked Udrih as well.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/george_hill/

 

[JCSunsfan]

um... you see Markieff as a combo of Brand/West who were 20 ppg scorers along with the defensive likes of Dale Davis/Nene? How? There's no way that guy lasts to the 13th pick of the draft in any universe... @#!*% , that guy with that combo doesn't last till the 3rd pick of any draft.

I see him more of a Horace Grant. If he rises to that level, I would be thrilled. He's the #13 pick in a horrible draft. Expectations have to be realistic.

 

[Divide Et Impera]

Also, I see Markieff as a combo of Sam Perkins/Elton Brand/David West type as far as offensive ability and a Nene/Dale Davis type of defender.

Whoa! That is WAY ambitious!

As I have said, we should look to Horace Grant, Buck Williams, Otis Thorpe, and Kurt Thomas to provide the player template for Morris. You could even throw Brian Grant into that mix, but he wasn't a big banger.

 

[SweetD]

Keep it civil and about the Suns guys I don't want to see anymore personal attacks.