Obviously they don't have a guy like Lebron who is going to grind teams into the ground every night, and they don't have that one spectacular superstar yet. And let's be clear we're talking mostly offense here. But between Randolph, Morrow, and Ellis, you have three really exciting players to watch. Curry could even be another some day. Randolph shows you something amazing almost every single night, in fact usually multiple times. He does some things you don't see any other player in the NBA doing. When is the last time you saw a 7-footer block a guy, then grab the ball and go coast-to-coast by himself for a jam? Or come clear across the court to provide a basket-saving help D block when 2 or 3 other guys blew their assignments? Morrow may be the best pure shooter in the NBA, and when Ray Allen retires, probably will be. He can get a shot off any time he wants to and I'm usually surprised if his shots even touch the rim. Often they barely even disturb the net, so much that a lot of times I'm fooled into thinking he shot an airball if I'm not watching closely. This year he should finally get an invite to the 3-point shootout in the All-Star game and will show everyone what he can do in front of a national audience. With all the big long-range shooters who have rolled through Oakland in recent years, this guy is the best of all of them. He piles up points like Exxon does cash. Monta is one of the fastest guys in the league and is a one-man fast break with his own patented finishing move to the rim. Combined with a deadly high-percentage mid-range shot he can be nearly impossible to guard and his speed means opposing players not paying attention will find the ball stolen from them. Gets up incredibly high for a player his size leading to some spectacular dunks and back-door alley-oops. If Curry proves to be a competent distributor and leaves Ellis free to roam off the ball, watch out. Maybe I'm a sucker, but I'm really looking forward to this year.
Once Randolph learns how to pass, look out. I still think Morrow needs some polishing (not his shooting, obviously) in order to become a true threat. His presence alone is a threat and will open up other opportunities, but he has to be aware of that. For example, when the defense smothers him, he's got to anticipate that and learn to pass it. The best thing about Morrow: he's dirt cheap (for now). As long as the veterans who demand the ball (Sjax and Maggette) are willing to help develop the young guys, there is a lot to be excited about. I think Sjax is okay with that but I don't know if Maggette is capable given the way he plays. That being said, I think Maggette can still be valuable to the team's success. I don't think Nellie will allow Maggette to be part of the failure though...but don't quote me on that.
The thing very few people have yet to recognize (or give credit to) is how good of an and-1 player Morrow is. Many people say how he is simply a spot-up shooter and that's it... but they're very wrong. He has very natural skills in and around the paint, floaters, runners, crossovers, and putbacks... and he's a solid, natural ball-handler too. I like his ball-handling better than I do Monta. He's got a sick cross-over which gets him open for jumpers. He can shoot on guys when he's crowded because he can pound the ball from different angles and use a strong dribble to create a shot opportunity. I agree, he's probably one of the three best shooting strokes in the NBA... but he's also a very good all-around scorer in general. As he gets more PT, he'll show it more, but if you're one of those people that think he can't drive, just keep an open mind and watch how he plays with the ball in his hands some more, you may change your mind.
I agree that he has other offensive skills than just his shot, but I don't think they're as polished as you tend to believe. I mean, he's a bball player so, naturally, he should have these skills to put the ball in the basket in various ways. I especially disagree with you on his ball-handling. He's got a high dribble (like Monta) and his cross-over is far from "sick." I've seen him do it a couple times and it's nothing special, IMO. It's not bad, but I don't think he can utilize it on a consistent basis given his size and lack of quickness. It's encouraging that he can do it once in a while, which is always good. Some aspects of Morrow's ball-handling is similar to Monta's but not better than Monta's. Monta's quickness alone makes him a better ball-handler. Monta has a pretty good spin move and a bigger first step than Morrow. I don't know if these fall under ball-handling but all of them are an effort to get somewhere on the basketball court. In that instance, Monta is leaps and bounds superior than Morrow. It's good to give Morrow credit to be able to do other things, but the one thing he does best far and away outweighs the "little things." Your assessment that he's a "very good" all around scorer might be stretching it. I think his ability to shoot like crazy gives him other opportunities to score differently. Yes, I know he plays hard and has a nose for the ball, but as far as skill, he's very good to elite in the shooting category and average in the other categories.
Well, I'm not saying this because he just broke the summer league record with 47 points. I've been saying it for about 8 months. But, the reason why I compare his ball-handling to Monta's is that he makes less mistakes -- but I've been hard on Monta lately. I mean, just to see him make the same 1-hand passes in year 4 that he made in year 1... In comparison, Morrow just doesn't make many turnovers, and that's why I like his ball-handling over Monta's - but in terms of pure 1-on-1 dribble moves, obviously Monta is way, way better in that regard. But I feel safer with the ball in Morrow's hands, just because he isn't careless with it. But I also prefer Biedrins ball-handling over anyone else on the team. Why? because he never commits a turnover, and he never makes stupid passes the way Mags/Jax/Monta do. The ball is safe in Bean's hands. So my preference is on sound (not flashy) ball handling. Obviously, though, Monta has the best 1-on-1 handles. As far as Morrow's crossover, though... yes, it is sick. In my opinion, of course. I mean, I've watched every single play of every single game the past 5 years. So I've seen the few rare instances (I'm sure you have watched a lot of GS too) of Morrow's crossover on display. It's not an AI crossover, it's a between the legs crossover, but I call it a crossover because he shifts his hips laterally so much that even though it's a between-the-legs dribble it crosses people up. This is all just my personal opinion, though. There isn't a lot of tape to show it, but you'll see a bit of it here at the 1:20 mark: You can also see some of his head-fakes, runners and floaters (they're mostly set shots though) in these videos: and here: From what I've seen, though, Morrow is a very good all-around scorer, IMO. I just don't think he's had a lot of opportunities outside of shooting (the same way Pietrus was relegated to a spot-up shooter role under Nellie). Hopefully, Morrow is given more freedom to show what he can do.
I love that you love Morrow. I think he's awesome. I don't want to hype him up too much just because I don't know what his exact role will be given the roster, Nellie, and his deficiencies in other categories. But, he's got a lot going for him and I hope he keeps it up.
True, it's easy to get over-excited about players, but it's good to be reserved, especially under Nellie. You never know who will get playing time to show their skills, so we'll have to wait and see...
