The TrueHoop Network’s mock draft will be released on our individual sites during the rest of the day, tomorrow and Wednesday. Picks are predictions, not our preferences.
First eight picks:
- Cleveland – Kyrie Irving (Cavs: The Blog)
- Minnesota – Derrick Williams (A Wolf Among Wolves)
- Utah – Brandon Knight (Salt City Hoops)
- Cleveland – Jonas Valanciunas (Cavs: The Blog)
- Toronto – Kemba Walker (Raptors Republic)
- Washington – Enes Kanter (Truth About It.net)
- Sacramento – Kawhi Leonard (Cowbell Kingdom)
- Detroit – Bismack Biyombo (PistonPowered)
And now, with the 9th pick of the 2011 TrueHoop Network NBA Mock Draft, your Charlotte Bobcats select:
Marcus Morris of Kansas
Huzzah. With Jan Vesely still available and viewed as a potential All-Star type talent (NBA Draft 2011: Ranking prospects by tiers – Chad Ford – ESPN Insider), this was a difficult decision, but I went with the player perceived to be the safer pick. Between Adam Morrison, Sean May, Alexis Ajinca, and D.J. Augustin (yes, he’s decent – but no, he’s not a 7-feet tall starting center who currently plays in New Jersey), the Bobcats have a bit of a history of gambles in the first round not paying off. Considering how brief Charlotte’s overall history is, it makes those questionable decisions all the more painful and risk-deterring.
In the linked Chad Ford article above, Marcus Morris is considered by scouts and personnel guys from around the league as a solid lottery pick – but a tier below Vesely. So why take the potentially lower reward player? Because the Bobcats need rotation players and Alexis Ajinca is probably still quite fresh in the minds of the Bobcats front office when looking at long, lanky international players with a penchant for perimeter play.
Enough about the guy the Bobcats don’t theoretically take – back to the man they are mock drafting. Marcus Morris is a potential tweener at the 3/4 with good range on his jumper (showing an impressive 3-point stroke from NBA distance in workouts) who can rebound and attack the basket. In his junior year at Kansas, Marcus attempted slightly better than one free throw for every two field goal attempts, while also attempting two 3-pointers a game. A nice mixture of inside and out play, that would also appear to indicate someone who does not fall in love with the 3-pointer when he has the size to bang inside. Give his stats a once over at Kenpom (Kansas team stats at Kenpom.com – scroll down to the bottom) – Marcus puts up nationally ranked numbers in efficiency and usage, and on a Charlotte team that was still among the league’s worst offenses last year, that would be a useful skill set.
[...] 8.) Bismack Biyombo, Detroit Pistons [PistonPowered] 9.) Marcus Morris, Charlotte Bobcats [Queen City Hoops] 10.) [???? ], Milwaukee Bucks [Bucksketball] 11.) [???? ], Golden State Warriors [Warriors [...]
I understand not going after a gamble but I don’t think that Morris is sure enough to justify the pick. Based on this mock draft Jan Vasely is still available. I’d rather get a chance at an All-star then a chance a backup/role player. I’d even rather take a PG in like Jimmer Fredette then this. We can probably get a chance at a solid risk free big at 19. Tell me what you think
I actually agree with not being sold on Morris. But for the mock draft, we are trying to project expected results and from what I’ve heard, the bobcats are skittish about risk.
I definitely am not sold on Morris.. I do feel he has tools that are important for nba success and longevity though.. He’s also ready to play today.. Jan Vesely is fierce when he’s on the court but we wont know immediately what he could be, which is why they’ll likely go with Morris.. Paul Silas and Cho dont have 3 years to prove they’re right..
I’ve been doing a lot of research, and from what I can tell, if Bismack is gone, Vesely is definitely the guy to get, he’s an All Star calliber guy who can start right away and make a meaningful difference for our team right off the bat. I’m still hopeful that Biyombo doesn’t get picked ahead of us, he’s my favorite guy in the draft, but the more I hear about Vesely, the more I’m sold on him as a major talent, maybe even better than Bismack himself, and we’d be making a huge mistake if we passed him up should he fall into our lap at the 9 spot. Hopefully this whole ‘skittish about risk’ thing is something our guys are putting out to throw the other teams off our strategy, while actually fully intending to pick the best player we can get.
[...] With the 9th pick in the 2011 TrueHoop Network Mock Draft… [...]
[...] 9. Charlotte Bobcats – Marcus Morris [...]
[...] 9. Charlotte Bobcats – Marcus Morris [...]