Morris Is 6'8, not 6'9

[Murph]

Just a point of fact:  Marcus Morris measured 6'7 without shoes in the 2011 draft combine.

http://www.nbadraft.net/nba-draft-combine-measurements-0

That makes Morris 6'8 in shoes.  (I just don't buy it when these players wear 5 pairs of socks and elevator shoes to the draft combines.)

[Murph]

"The bottom line on you about a lot of the players you somehow find a way to not like is that you don't want to wait for them to develop, that requires more patience... But just like most things in life, things you don't work for rarely work out in the end!"

This is a great point, and it's not only many fans who are guilty of impatience, but the entire Pistons organization as well. Look at the players, in some cases the stars, that we've given up on just in the last few years...Afflalo, Amir, Middleton, Singler...I'll bet letting Monroe walk will bite us in the ass...even Darko.

IMO, we'd be much, much better off if we retained our draft picks, even if they struggle for the first 2 or 3 years in the league. Heck, some of them might never live up to expectations, but we should still hang on to them for as long as possible, and try to work them into the rotation in lesser roles.

This habit that the Pistons have developed over the last 10 years of holding onto draft picks for about 4 years, getting tired of them, and then shipping them off for a bag of marbles only to see them develop into excellent starters or even stars is ridiculous.

Which brings us back to KCP. I didn't want Joe to draft him, and I'm often unimpressed with his play at both ends of the court. But he's a good kid, and hustles his ass off. Let's see if he can develop and help the team as a starter, and if that doesn't work, bring him off the bench. But let's not just get bored with him and trade him away because he isn't developing as fast as we had hoped.

[Oracle]

Don, that's exactly what I meant when I said this,

IMO, this is SVG basically signaling to anybody that listens, that he's building a physically and mentally tough team with a mix of youth and savvy veterans that know how to scrap and fight to get wins!

I keep getting impressed with the moves so far this year! These dudes simply don't like to sit still!

Most of the new additions are mentally and physically tough players, and like SVG said, we're a lot better built to compete nightly than last year!

I'm only pissed that the season is so far away from starting

[cool breeze]

I think that I wrote something on this forum during the playoffs when the Spurs were playing saying something like, why can't we get a young smart big man like the Spurs seem to always come up with. That was after I watched Baynes the previous night. This man is solid mentally and physically. He keeps getting better and keeps working hard at his game. And now we have him and it appears that there are a lot of Piston fans who are not very excited. I believe that Baynes, if he can stay healthy will be the guy who makes good plays in crunch time this year. We have a new power forward from the Bucks who will be fun to watch too, but most likely Baynes will be moving over to power forward a lot wen the pressure is on. What I like about Baynes most is the fact that he is fundamentally sound unlike any big man we have had since Mr. Bigshot and his buddies ruled the Eastern Conference. Baynes actually likes to box out on defense. Won't that be fun to watch? Maybe Andre Drummond will see that and do the same. I don't believe that I ever saw Monroe attempt to box out anyone on defense. In fact, Greg had the bad habit of leaving the paint on defense a lot and then standing around the 3 point line hoping one of his teammates would mix it up and get the rebound. Baynes knows how to rotate on defense. He is not afraid of contact. He runs the floor well. He shoots free throws really well. And Aron had some valuable experience playing for a championship caliber team learning from the master, Tim Duncan. Too bad Andre Drummond couldn't have had that experience.

Stan Van Gundy has removed a lot of players that I never bonded with and has brought in some serious tough minded cats who want to win. I include Stanley Johnson with that group even though he is a really young man. Remember the scatter brain Darko when he arrived at the Palace? He had one thought =PARTY. Johnson believes that he can be the best player in the league. He knows that there is a lot of work to do and he loves the work. Every Piston fan will be pulling for him along with all the other young guys who want to play the right way. Before we had pro players who liked to play the system and we had a GM who allowed them to do it while always placing the blame on the head coaches he hired and fired. This is going to be an exciting season. The team will be better and more fun to watch. Now the players need fans to turn out to watch the games and support them. Go Pistons!

[Oracle]

Don't fit what???

The majority of the people you named have had so many coaches and so many different systems, it would take a magician to fit into any of that crap!

And KCP doesn't fit after 1, let me say that again ONE, freaking season in his 2nd year? Come on Wise, nobody can be that clairvoyant, it just isn't possible!

You won't admit it, but this is serious overreach for whatever your reasons are, but it's a big stretch to attack a player.

I guess I'm surprised because I thought you finally was getting it when you made those comments about Stanley Johnson. I thought it was wise(pun intended) advice. The logical extension to that advice, which I see you aren't even close to getting is that you also don't get too low on young players!

The bottom line on you about a lot of the players you somehow find a way to not like is that you don't want to wait for them to develop, that requires more patience than you want or can extend. But just like most things in life, things you don't work for rarely work out in the end!

We have SG fully covered if KCP doesn't show the proper improvement this year. Johnson is also, IMO, a person that if he needs minutes could compete for KCP's job!

Unlike you, I don't believe in tossing promising kids over, I believe that you bring in competition, and let the players sort it out for you. If Johnson is as good as he thinks, the minutes will come!

[WTF]

Which man shouldn't we be giving up on KCP or Dinwiddie? Just my opinion but I think KCP is no more a fit as Jennings is and that's not going all negative. From the time we drafted KCP I said he would be hard to put in a lot of lineups because he's a scorer not a shooter who never really functioned in a set offense before. I think he struggles trying to fit into a system when he was at Georgia he had the green light to do whatever and he has nature defensive ability when allowed to freelance. The guy just isn't system oriented IMO enough to be on team rebuilding if there was ever a player that needed to be on a contender to quietly grow into his game it's KCP.

You're out there ragging on yet another 2nd year player? Wow, history holds no lessons for you

You do think like Joe, so short sighted that you're willing to cost us another young player before you even give them a chance to figure things out! Look, the NBA, except for a few teams, doesn't develop talent, they just wait and see if the player figures it out!

Do you not understand why we have rookie contracts? They're designed for teams to get a good look for 4 years, and it's lunacy to be looking at a starting rookie like KCP who damn near doubled his numbers in year 2 the way you do! I can't believe you're saying these things!

IMO, you still haven't gotten over Trey Burke getting passed over, and worse, you're further upset that he hasn't set the league on fire! Even with Burke, it's too early to tell, some of these players have the light come on in year 4 or 5 if they get the chance!

We lost a lot of good players with this kind of thinking, or lack thereof, let's hope SVG doesn't think this way!

Seriously Oracle if a player doesn't fit he doesn't fit and KCP doesn't fit and it has nothing to do with giving up. I never said that KCP didn't have talent he just doesn't have talent to fit into a half-court system.

You do think like Joe, so persistent to force players into systems and position that they're not designed for.

You know that argument can be made both ways about giving up on a player Examples: See Moose Monroe, or See Stuckey or Maxiell to name a short few. These players either failed or didn't fit and we held on to them far too long. In retrospect trading Moose for Cousin was such a crazy thought as many proclaimed Moose or Franchise Player.

Mistake are going to be made period with players, but we can't have again a roster full of hopefuls waiting for some magical change to occur in the next three seasons. I could buy into what your saying if KCP was some sole loner in the youth category on a team full of vets but when you have a team full of young players you have to make that decision and it might cost, but it may very cost if you don't.

Our entire team is young Johnson, Dinwiddie, KCP, Andre, Jennings, Jackson, and Meeks and Morris is barely 25 if we remove Andre and Morris the other six players have over-lapping position in that something has to give. Someone bound to get phased out or we're going to hold onto them longer than we should and hamper their development. I would probably feel different if they were all young at a different positions but as it stand their in the way of each other so it comes own to who fit the best.

I have always said from the very beginning that if we were persistent about keeping KCP then we need to turn the team over to him and build around him and let him do his thing as a scorer. Turning him into a shooter was not going to work and it still won't. What does a scorer need? The ball in his hands all the time and a green light to be effective. See Kobe, Wade, MJ, Harden, Arenas and so on. KCP isn't a Reggie Miller, Rip, Redd type of SG that can shoot.

[Oracle]

Which man shouldn't we be giving up on KCP or Dinwiddie? Just my opinion but I think KCP is no more a fit as Jennings is and that's not going all negative. From the time we drafted KCP I said he would be hard to put in a lot of lineups because he's a scorer not a shooter who never really functioned in a set offense before. I think he struggles trying to fit into a system when he was at Georgia he had the green light to do whatever and he has nature defensive ability when allowed to freelance. The guy just isn't system oriented IMO enough to be on team rebuilding if there was ever a player that needed to be on a contender to quietly grow into his game it's KCP.

You're out there ragging on yet another 2nd year player? Wow, history holds no lessons for you

You do think like Joe, so short sighted that you're willing to cost us another young player before you even give them a chance to figure things out! Look, the NBA, except for a few teams, doesn't develop talent, they just wait and see if the player figures it out!

Do you not understand why we have rookie contracts? They're designed for teams to get a good look for 4 years, and it's lunacy to be looking at a starting rookie like KCP who damn near doubled his numbers in year 2 the way you do! I can't believe you're saying these things!

IMO, you still haven't gotten over Trey Burke getting passed over, and worse, you're further upset that he hasn't set the league on fire! Even with Burke, it's too early to tell, some of these players have the light come on in year 4 or 5 if they get the chance!

We lost a lot of good players with this kind of thinking, or lack thereof, let's hope SVG doesn't think this way!

[WTF]

This has a light aroma of a precursor to moving Jennings... however it doesn't seem likely that a team would jump at Jennings without having info on his health unless they want an expiring.
Or they've simply lost confidence in Dinwiddie

I think "yes" to the loss of confidence in Spencer.  No one seems to want to admit his SL performance was a total fail.  But, given his actual NBA performance I too tend to believe the trade wasn't prompted by a singular event.  I wonder if Jennings has suffered enough of a step backward in his recovery to risk leaving us without a reserve PG come 2015-16 game #1.

Good thing about Blake is his marketability as trade filler later in the season.

IMO it Jennings that would likely be gone by tradeline if not sooner.  Jennings has no more desire to back up Jackson beyond this season than Jackson would wanting to back up Jennings.  

Sorry peeps but QM didn't get a minute of PT in SL. I know Seb and DX think great things but SVG don't see it.  Blake is a just in case pending on Spencers progress. I say good trade.
In case you missed it QM suffered a major facial injury just prior to the start of SL making him a medical scratch. 

Also this could be a loss of confidence in KCP and a desire to move Dinwiddie to SG.  He shoots, dribble better than KCP and defends well.
Dribbles better for sure.  Shooting, not so much.  Rather than put up numbers and go all negative on the young man I'll say let's just wait and see.

Which man shouldn't we be giving up on KCP or Dinwiddie? Just my opinion but I think KCP is no more a fit as Jennings is and that's not going all negative. From the time we drafted KCP I said he would be hard to put in a lot of lineups because he's a scorer not a shooter who never really functioned in a set offense before. I think he struggles trying to fit into a system when he was at Georgia he had the green light to do whatever and he has nature defensive ability when allowed to freelance. The guy just isn't system oriented IMO enough to be on team rebuilding if there was ever a player that needed to be on a contender to quietly grow into his game it's KCP.

From the little I gathered from Dinwiddie game is that he's just as big and defends just as well, but the advantages I see over KCP is he's truly capable of playing both PG and SG. IMO if Dinwiidie was allowed the same amount of touches and shot opportunities he would be a far better shooter than is KCP, we already know he's a better dribbler and attacks the rim better so far. I said this last season and I'll say it again Dinwiddie reminds me of a more athletic Billups . All of this makes Dinwiddie a better fit and plus he's SVG pick and he picked him for all this reasons. I don't think SVG has the same level of confidence in KCP as many fans do. Lets go back a couple of drafts and ask yourself who would SVG have drafted at #8 MCW, Burke or KCP?

QM I didn't think the injury was that bad but IMO he was going to be a victim of the number game no matter how we sliced it so SVG was better served to secure a veteran PG because he has doubts about Jennings state of mind not health and he believes in his pick Dinwiddie. This make the QM trade a good trade.

[lemonpen]

This has a light aroma of a precursor to moving Jennings... however it doesn't seem likely that a team would jump at Jennings without having info on his health unless they want an expiring.
Or they've simply lost confidence in Dinwiddie

I think "yes" to the loss of confidence in Spencer.  No one seems to want to admit his SL performance was a total fail.  But, given his actual NBA performance I too tend to believe the trade wasn't prompted by a singular event.  I wonder if Jennings has suffered enough of a step backward in his recovery to risk leaving us without a reserve PG come 2015-16 game #1.

Good thing about Blake is his marketability as trade filler later in the season.

IMO it Jennings that would likely be gone by tradeline if not sooner.  Jennings has no more desire to back up Jackson beyond this season than Jackson would wanting to back up Jennings.  

Sorry peeps but QM didn't get a minute of PT in SL. I know Seb and DX think great things but SVG don't see it.  Blake is a just in case pending on Spencers progress. I say good trade.
In case you missed it QM suffered a major facial injury just prior to the start of SL making him a medical scratch. 

Also this could be a loss of confidence in KCP and a desire to move Dinwiddie to SG.  He shoots, dribble better than KCP and defends well.
Dribbles better for sure.  Shooting, not so much.  Rather than put up numbers and go all negative on the young man I'll say let's just wait and see.

[WTF]

When players do fantastic in summer league, the response is... it's just summer league, it means nothing!

Apply that to Dinwiddie!

His summer league performance didn't erase all of those great games last season, IMO!

Yes Wise, the move was a good one, IMO, even if it was a bit unfair to QM!

I agree based on what I saw last season the kid looked good. Has a lot of poise and I like how calm he is in a half-court game. I'm not putting too much into SL not even in SJ performance other than to say I liked what I saw so far.

There are only so many to be had and I don't think QM would get many if any. Blake trade isn't about Dinwiddie IMO than it is more about Jennings injured or healthy. It would nice having him as a backup PG but that's not how Jennings see himself after his progress before getting injured.

I would not be shocked if Jennings has asked SVG about his role and hinted that he would welcome a trade. Rest assure he would rather backup Kyrie or Walls on a winning team than play backup to Jackson when he thinks he just as good as or better on a losing team.

IMO Jennings really doesn't fit in SVG offense scheme which is really a half-court system that both Jackson and Dinwiddie and now Blake are all better suited for. There won't be a lot of free-lancing at that PG position.

[Oracle]

When players do fantastic in summer league, the response is... it's just summer league, it means nothing!

Apply that to Dinwiddie!

His summer league performance didn't erase all of those great games last season, IMO!

Yes Wise, the move was a good one, IMO, even if it was a bit unfair to QM!

[WTF]

This has a light aroma of a precursor to moving Jennings... however it doesn't seem likely that a team would jump at Jennings without having info on his health unless they want an expiring.
Or they've simply lost confidence in Dinwiddie

I think "yes" to the loss of confidence in Spencer.  No one seems to want to admit his SL performance was a total fail.  But, given his actual NBA performance I too tend to believe the trade wasn't prompted by a singular event.  I wonder if Jennings has suffered enough of a step backward in his recovery to risk leaving us without a reserve PG come 2015-16 game #1.

Good thing about Blake is his marketability as trade filler later in the season.

IMO it Jennings that would likely be gone by tradeline if not sooner. Jennings has no more desire to back up Jackson beyond this season than Jackson would wanting to back up Jennings.

Sorry peeps but QM didn't get a minute of PT in SL. I know Seb and DX think great things but SVG don't see it. Blake is a just in case pending on Spencers progress. I say good trade.

Also this could be a loss of confidence in KCP and a desire to move Dinwiddie to SG. He shoots, dribble better than KCP and defends well.

[cool breeze]

This has a light aroma of a precursor to moving Jennings... however it doesn't seem likely that a team would jump at Jennings without having info on his health unless they want an expiring.
Or they've simply lost confidence in Dinwiddie

I think "yes" to the loss of confidence in Spencer.  No one seems to want to admit his SL performance was a total fail.  But, given his actual NBA performance I too tend to believe the trade wasn't prompted by a singular event.  I wonder if Jennings has suffered enough of a step backward in his recovery to risk leaving us without a reserve PG come 2015-16 game #1.

Good thing about Blake is his marketability as trade filler later in the season.

I will not jump on the bandwagon and say Spencer Dinwiddie was a complete failure in the Summer League. If fans watched closely, he did make some nice plays on offense. He was just not consistently sharp on offense. I saw him make a few 3 balls. He really worked on pace a lot and there were some nice moments he had with dribble penetration. His defense was good at least for the time I watched the games. The games almost looked like pick up type games to me. I found it very difficult to get into the games as a spectator and I watched a lot of games that didn't involve the Pistons. To me, this was a time for the coaches to work with the new players and give them a taste of the type of conditioning they need to perform well in NBA games. There was very little down time for the players and they had to push through a lot of fatigue. Who looked amazing? I didn't see anyone really look amazing. Arron Gordon looked amazing at times but he always triggers good feelings in me because that guy has another gear that few basketball players ever experience. I think that Gordon was only 18 years old last season. Wait until he is 21 if he can avoid injuries.

[Oracle]

Has ONE daughter that's pretty hot... must have taken after his wife



Save these dates:
1. When we meet the Bucks, and
2. When we play the Suns

There will be a little extra games within games in that action!!!

[lemonpen]

This has a light aroma of a precursor to moving Jennings... however it doesn't seem likely that a team would jump at Jennings without having info on his health unless they want an expiring.
Or they've simply lost confidence in Dinwiddie

I think "yes" to the loss of confidence in Spencer.  No one seems to want to admit his SL performance was a total fail.  But, given his actual NBA performance I too tend to believe the trade wasn't prompted by THAT singular event.  I wonder if Jennings has suffered enough of a step backward in his recovery to risk leaving us without a reserve PG come 2015-16 game #1.

Good thing about Blake is his marketability as trade filler later in the season.

[cool breeze]

I am surprised at the negative comments by posters relating to this point guard pickup. I have always liked Steve Blake. He seldom hurts a team because he is fundamentally sound. He can play defense and pass the ball well. As Van Gundy said, Blake is insurance and the cost was OK. One of Van Gundy's smartest statements on this move was the thought that he didn't want to put pressure on Spencer Dinwiddie. I am glad that Stan sees the talent that this guy has. He only needs time to turn himself into a really good player. the way Jackson plays, I was worrying about injuries. Spencer Dinwiddie did have and up and down summer league. Still I predict that once the regular players get going together, Dinwiddie will settle down and give his coach exactly what he is looking for in a point guard. Everything that Stan Van Gundy has done lately shows he is one smart man when it comes to running a NBA team. You can tell that it is just not business as usual in the front office. Everyone is working hard trying to improve this team. And Steve Blake makes us better. He will help Dinwiddie.

[Sebastian]

Old ass Steve Blake for a young, versatile SF/PF who was on a very cheap contract (Quincy Miller) is not a smart trade.

All Steve Blake can do on this roster is get in Spencer's way.

Not a smart move GM Stan.

Well, we picked up QM from the trash heap, and that's exactly where he's headed... again!

I really feel bad about this one because he never got a chance, and a fluke injury cost him a chance to state his case! IMO, the biggest thing is that SVG is really happy now with the bigs on the roster to cover both the 4 & 5, that QM really wasn't needed!

I hope the Nets give him a chance, but it doesn't look good! So what did we get? Well, we go a very old PG(35) in Steve Blake, who actually still has some game!

I've always liked Blake, and IMO, he is a better option than signing Lucas da turd to another contract. Some see this as a problem for Dinwiddie, but I don't think it is.

If Dinwiddie brings his "A" game, Blake will just be getting mop up minutes! IMO, this is SVG basically signaling to anybody that listens, that he's building a physically and mentally tough team with a mix of youth and savvy veterans that know how to scrap and fight to get wins!

I keep getting impressed with the moves so far this year! These dudes simply don't like to sit still!

[merc]

This has a light aroma of a precursor to moving Jennings... however it doesn't seem likely that a team would jump at Jennings without having info on his health unless they want an expiring.
Or they've simply lost confidence in Dinwiddie

[Oracle]

Well, we picked up QM from the trash heap, and that's exactly where he's headed... again!

I really feel bad about this one because he never got a chance, and a fluke injury cost him a chance to state his case! IMO, the biggest thing is that SVG is really happy now with the bigs on the roster to cover both the 4 & 5, that QM really wasn't needed!

I hope the Nets give him a chance, but it doesn't look good! So what did we get? Well, we go a very old PG(35) in Steve Blake, who actually still has some game!

I've always liked Blake, and IMO, he is a better option than signing Lucas da turd to another contract. Some see this as a problem for Dinwiddie, but I don't think it is.

If Dinwiddie brings his "A" game, Blake will just be getting mop up minutes! IMO, this is SVG basically signaling to anybody that listens, that he's building a physically and mentally tough team with a mix of youth and savvy veterans that know how to scrap and fight to get wins!

I keep getting impressed with the moves so far this year! These dudes simply don't like to sit still!

[cool breeze]

If Morris wanted to play with his bro so badly, he shouldn't have screamed at his coach on national TV.  That kind of behavior is bound to get you traded off the roster.  

And apparently, Morris displayed the same kind of immaturity at Kansas.  If you go back and read old comments about Morris when he was at Kansas, you read pretty much the same kind of remarks.

No big deal.  We have plenty of SFs on the roster now.  If Morris is a behavioral problem with the Pistons, just bench him and play SJ.  I'd rather see Johnson start anyway.  And at $5 million a year, Morris can come off the bench at either forward position.

I don't see a big concern here with a guy just 25 years of age so I don't think we need to locking on to early judgement about his character.  Big deal he yelled at a couple of coaches, and big deal he's had a altercation and faces the legal system.  We can point these things out all day long and rest assure that we can do this about every single person in the world yet along spoil athletes.  

I sit here and think about Lebron's behavior towards his coach last season or non-behavior since he just more times than not ignored his coach or had any interactions at all.  Not really that much of a difference in fact one can considered Lebron's reaction towards his coach more childish but would we not wanting him suiting up.  People go their entire lives making mistakes or having poor judgment from time to time nobody is perfect!

If we were talking about drug use, rape, domestic abuse, gun play, that's one thing and we should be very judgmental of that kind of behavior, but really yelling at a coach is now a big deal, I would still take Cousins in a heart beat no matter how many coaches he screamed at on any level if he done so out of a passion and desire to be a winner.  Coaches scream at players all the time but it's only okay for them to do so, but if a player yells back then he has a character issue or the potential for one.  As long as they're not kicking each others ass on the sidelines it's no big deal IMO but you can't say that its not immature for a coach to act that way when it is.  

Maturing is a constant process throughout life the guy is only 25 years old not 40 years old and lets not me so quick to label this kid and judge him harshly because if he was averaging Lebron type numbers we wouldn't care how he acted.

I agree with Murph on this one Wisefan. look we really don't have any players other than Morris who has shown a tendency of being a jerk off. Murph was correct that he had issues at Kansas and somehow didn't learn much from that experience. Morris will have to be on his best behavior playing for Stan Van Gundy who has the power to kick his ass out of Detroit with the snap of his fingers. Will the other Piston players bond with a Morris type of personality? I am not so happy about this pick up especially with the young Stan Johnson trying to learn his way in the NBA. Will Morris somehow change his personality and become a good guy now that he is a Piston? Will Morris spend his energy being a Bad Boy off the floor? Or will he finally grow up? Piston fans we have another interesting story line moving forward. Who has the better character between the two Morris brothers? I will need to check with some Suns fans in the area. From what I here in Arizona, management is not feeling much of a loss now that Morris is a Piston. maybe that will be motivation for this man to play harder and get better.  

I understand cool breeze but still feel that it's like most things are/become, an over reaction from Phoenix Media, the Phoenix organization attempt to save face, and fans Sour Grapes.  What I find surprising with Detroit Fans that find this an issue or concern when its really amounting to a hill of beans. We as Pistons fans have embraced Rodman, Sheed, AI, Rick, Bill, hell even Zeke but have an issue with Morris because he comes off as most 25 year old tend to do.  

What I find crazy is that the level of what unacceptable behavior is tolerated based of if the team is winning or what a player is contributing.  This guy isn't even on the floor yet and here we are questioning his maturity based on third party information and hearsay.  I don't want any team full of pretty little perfect angels.   I hope this guy snarls and growls at everyone from coaches to opponents, I hope he gets mad about losing.

Question, Just how mature were you at 25?  we're all your decision on point and responsible? was your life mistake free at 25 years of age?  Also please explain what horrible unforgiving thing Morris has done.  I wonder if Magic, MJ, Bird, Zeke, Kobe and others were making sound decisions at age 25 or is that different.   Kobe had rape, Magic cheating got him HIV, MJ gambling, Zeke check scandal, stuff happens.   Sheed's enormous weed habit, Rodman's love of wedding dresses makeup and tattos.  Hell we had a whole team of players that rebel against a coach

Gone are the good old days Wisefan. You have provided some important information and Morris should hire you to be his PR man when the regular season starts. But you are correct we have really witnessed some characters who wore NBA uniforms in the past. I just watched an interview with Metta World Peace and this guy seems transformed into a real sweet man. Is that possible? His message seems to be that it is no longer about ME. And all that NBA money can make anybody crazy. But remember we got the GOOD Rodman before he went completely insane and went though that heart breaking divorce. I have a friend who used to work "special situations" security at a casino in Vegas. There was a call that a naked man was lying in the hallway and might be dead. Sure enough it was Rodman who was nude and all greased up. It was difficult for 6 people to drag him back into his room because he was so slippery. The room was not in very good shape as well. Then again the former Lakers GM and NBA star Jerry West wrote a book where he advised that magic had a ritual after playing games of having multiple women meet him in the jacuzzi where certain things would go on before Magic took his official shower and met with the press. Such an understanding wife who knew how much pressure her husband was under. The true gladiators could get away with a lot before social media took over the world. Now NBA players are on a tight leash and very careful not to ruin a good thing. So maybe we don't have a lot to worry about after all as you were saying. We don't have a powerless coach or a GM like Joe Dumars as well. Now if a player gets out of line, win or lose, Stan Van Gundy will take care of the problem. I was just never impressed with the Morris twins from the get go but they have surprised me since arriving in the NBA so I will reserve judgment and hope he plays well.

[WTF]

If Morris wanted to play with his bro so badly, he shouldn't have screamed at his coach on national TV.  That kind of behavior is bound to get you traded off the roster.  

And apparently, Morris displayed the same kind of immaturity at Kansas.  If you go back and read old comments about Morris when he was at Kansas, you read pretty much the same kind of remarks.

No big deal.  We have plenty of SFs on the roster now.  If Morris is a behavioral problem with the Pistons, just bench him and play SJ.  I'd rather see Johnson start anyway.  And at $5 million a year, Morris can come off the bench at either forward position.

I don't see a big concern here with a guy just 25 years of age so I don't think we need to locking on to early judgement about his character.  Big deal he yelled at a couple of coaches, and big deal he's had a altercation and faces the legal system.  We can point these things out all day long and rest assure that we can do this about every single person in the world yet along spoil athletes.  

I sit here and think about Lebron's behavior towards his coach last season or non-behavior since he just more times than not ignored his coach or had any interactions at all.  Not really that much of a difference in fact one can considered Lebron's reaction towards his coach more childish but would we not wanting him suiting up.  People go their entire lives making mistakes or having poor judgment from time to time nobody is perfect!

If we were talking about drug use, rape, domestic abuse, gun play, that's one thing and we should be very judgmental of that kind of behavior, but really yelling at a coach is now a big deal, I would still take Cousins in a heart beat no matter how many coaches he screamed at on any level if he done so out of a passion and desire to be a winner.  Coaches scream at players all the time but it's only okay for them to do so, but if a player yells back then he has a character issue or the potential for one.  As long as they're not kicking each others ass on the sidelines it's no big deal IMO but you can't say that its not immature for a coach to act that way when it is.  

Maturing is a constant process throughout life the guy is only 25 years old not 40 years old and lets not me so quick to label this kid and judge him harshly because if he was averaging Lebron type numbers we wouldn't care how he acted.

I agree with Murph on this one Wisefan. look we really don't have any players other than Morris who has shown a tendency of being a jerk off. Murph was correct that he had issues at Kansas and somehow didn't learn much from that experience. Morris will have to be on his best behavior playing for Stan Van Gundy who has the power to kick his ass out of Detroit with the snap of his fingers. Will the other Piston players bond with a Morris type of personality? I am not so happy about this pick up especially with the young Stan Johnson trying to learn his way in the NBA. Will Morris somehow change his personality and become a good guy now that he is a Piston? Will Morris spend his energy being a Bad Boy off the floor? Or will he finally grow up? Piston fans we have another interesting story line moving forward. Who has the better character between the two Morris brothers? I will need to check with some Suns fans in the area. From what I here in Arizona, management is not feeling much of a loss now that Morris is a Piston. maybe that will be motivation for this man to play harder and get better.  

I understand cool breeze but still feel that it's like most things are/become, an over reaction from Phoenix Media, the Phoenix organization attempt to save face, and fans Sour Grapes. What I find surprising with Detroit Fans that find this an issue or concern when its really amounting to a hill of beans. We as Pistons fans have embraced Rodman, Sheed, AI, Rick, Bill, hell even Zeke but have an issue with Morris because he comes off as most 25 year old tend to do.

What I find crazy is that the level of what unacceptable behavior is tolerated based of if the team is winning or what a player is contributing. This guy isn't even on the floor yet and here we are questioning his maturity based on third party information and hearsay. I don't want any team full of pretty little perfect angels. I hope this guy snarls and growls at everyone from coaches to opponents, I hope he gets mad about losing.

Question, Just how mature were you at 25? we're all your decision on point and responsible? was your life mistake free at 25 years of age? Also please explain what horrible unforgiving thing Morris has done. I wonder if Magic, MJ, Bird, Zeke, Kobe and others were making sound decisions at age 25 or is that different. Kobe had rape, Magic cheating got him HIV, MJ gambling, Zeke check scandal, stuff happens. Sheed's enormous weed habit, Rodman's love of wedding dresses makeup and tattos. Hell we had a whole team of players that rebel against a coach

[cool breeze]

If Morris wanted to play with his bro so badly, he shouldn't have screamed at his coach on national TV.  That kind of behavior is bound to get you traded off the roster.  

And apparently, Morris displayed the same kind of immaturity at Kansas.  If you go back and read old comments about Morris when he was at Kansas, you read pretty much the same kind of remarks.

No big deal.  We have plenty of SFs on the roster now.  If Morris is a behavioral problem with the Pistons, just bench him and play SJ.  I'd rather see Johnson start anyway.  And at $5 million a year, Morris can come off the bench at either forward position.

I don't see a big concern here with a guy just 25 years of age so I don't think we need to locking on to early judgement about his character.  Big deal he yelled at a couple of coaches, and big deal he's had a altercation and faces the legal system.  We can point these things out all day long and rest assure that we can do this about every single person in the world yet along spoil athletes.  

I sit here and think about Lebron's behavior towards his coach last season or non-behavior since he just more times than not ignored his coach or had any interactions at all.  Not really that much of a difference in fact one can considered Lebron's reaction towards his coach more childish but would we not wanting him suiting up.  People go their entire lives making mistakes or having poor judgment from time to time nobody is perfect!

If we were talking about drug use, rape, domestic abuse, gun play, that's one thing and we should be very judgmental of that kind of behavior, but really yelling at a coach is now a big deal, I would still take Cousins in a heart beat no matter how many coaches he screamed at on any level if he done so out of a passion and desire to be a winner.  Coaches scream at players all the time but it's only okay for them to do so, but if a player yells back then he has a character issue or the potential for one.  As long as they're not kicking each others ass on the sidelines it's no big deal IMO but you can't say that its not immature for a coach to act that way when it is.  

Maturing is a constant process throughout life the guy is only 25 years old not 40 years old and lets not me so quick to label this kid and judge him harshly because if he was averaging Lebron type numbers we wouldn't care how he acted.

I agree with Murph on this one Wisefan. look we really don't have any players other than Morris who has shown a tendency of being a jerk off. Murph was correct that he had issues at Kansas and somehow didn't learn much from that experience. Morris will have to be on his best behavior playing for Stan Van Gundy who has the power to kick his ass out of Detroit with the snap of his fingers. Will the other Piston players bond with a Morris type of personality? I am not so happy about this pick up especially with the young Stan Johnson trying to learn his way in the NBA. Will Morris somehow change his personality and become a good guy now that he is a Piston? Will Morris spend his energy being a Bad Boy off the floor? Or will he finally grow up? Piston fans we have another interesting story line moving forward. Who has the better character between the two Morris brothers? I will need to check with some Suns fans in the area. From what I here in Arizona, management is not feeling much of a loss now that Morris is a Piston. maybe that will be motivation for this man to play harder and get better.

[WTF]

If Morris wanted to play with his bro so badly, he shouldn't have screamed at his coach on national TV.  That kind of behavior is bound to get you traded off the roster.  

And apparently, Morris displayed the same kind of immaturity at Kansas.  If you go back and read old comments about Morris when he was at Kansas, you read pretty much the same kind of remarks.

No big deal.  We have plenty of SFs on the roster now.  If Morris is a behavioral problem with the Pistons, just bench him and play SJ.  I'd rather see Johnson start anyway.  And at $5 million a year, Morris can come off the bench at either forward position.

I don't see a big concern here with a guy just 25 years of age so I don't think we need to locking on to early judgement about his character. Big deal he yelled at a couple of coaches, and big deal he's had a altercation and faces the legal system. We can point these things out all day long and rest assure that we can do this about every single person in the world yet along spoil athletes.

I sit here and think about Lebron's behavior towards his coach last season or non-behavior since he just more times than not ignored his coach or had any interactions at all. Not really that much of a difference in fact one can considered Lebron's reaction towards his coach more childish but would we not wanting him suiting up. People go their entire lives making mistakes or having poor judgment from time to time nobody is perfect!

If we were talking about drug use, rape, domestic abuse, gun play, that's one thing and we should be very judgmental of that kind of behavior, but really yelling at a coach is now a big deal, I would still take Cousins in a heart beat no matter how many coaches he screamed at on any level if he done so out of a passion and desire to be a winner. Coaches scream at players all the time but it's only okay for them to do so, but if a player yells back then he has a character issue or the potential for one. As long as they're not kicking each others ass on the sidelines it's no big deal IMO but you can't say that its not immature for a coach to act that way when it is.

Maturing is a constant process throughout life the guy is only 25 years old not 40 years old and lets not me so quick to label this kid and judge him harshly because if he was averaging Lebron type numbers we wouldn't care how he acted.

[Murph]

If Morris wanted to play with his bro so badly, he shouldn't have screamed at his coach on national TV. That kind of behavior is bound to get you traded off the roster.

And apparently, Morris displayed the same kind of immaturity at Kansas. If you go back and read old comments about Morris when he was at Kansas, you read pretty much the same kind of remarks.

No big deal. We have plenty of SFs on the roster now. If Morris is a behavioral problem with the Pistons, just bench him and play SJ. I'd rather see Johnson start anyway. And at $5 million a year, Morris can come off the bench at either forward position.

[Oracle]

Every year there are possible guys that if awoken can help turn a team around. IMO, we have quite a few possible sleepers on this team as you might suspect when a team has a young core. But who are the ones that have the either the best chance of being a sleeper, or who you feel has that ability?  Here's a few of mine.

1. KCP: IMO, KCP will either be more consistent with his 3 point shot, or he will figure out that he needs to use it less often and become a slashing threat as much as possible, utilizing pull up jumpers and floaters more! If he does either, it really transforms us at the 2 guard position.
   
2. Baynes: I really like this move for several reasons, and look at him as a HUGE upgrade from Monroe! He's not as talented an offensive player as Monroe, but he's a hell of a lot tougher, a better defender, a much better shooter, and an 85% FT shooter! In short, he fits us like a glove! If EI goes down, he can play a very good PF to Drummond at center! IMO, this is really a key and smart move by SVG, and the kind of calculated move that's been missing here for awhile! It's the kind of stuff Joe used to do, but for whatever reason just stopped!
   
3. Jennings: My analysis of Jennings ability to recover is different from what I keep reading. IMO, they usually equate quickness with speed, but Jennings is not a fast guard, he's not blessed with great speed. What he is blessed with is good quickness and great trickery! He got hurt trying to out speed a truly speedy guard in Knight! I think because Jennings doesn't utilize speed, that he should be able to recover better than most think. If he can recover to 80% of his form early, and 90% by season end, he's going to be the sleeper that makes a difference.
   

Honorable Mention:

1. QM: If his offseason work pays off, he could be a sleeper, and it looks like SVG wants to keep him for now.
   
2. Stanley Johnson: He's confident, but rookies rarely can deliver. However, this one has a chance, I just don't know how big the impact will be.
   
3. Hilliard: His biggest contribution could be having us forget who f**king Jodie Meeks is
   

[Sponsored content]