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Posted by: TeaLeafReaderII Mar 10 2007, 01:01 PM

Anyone get a chance to see this kid? He entered the draft and wasn't drafted so technically he is a free agent... he said he won't abandon his midseason, but their season is ending real soon... he had a great game in a losing effort last night...

I think Pax should make a move for this kid... especially with Malik Allen's heart problems...

He might not be able to help in the playoffs, in fact, I'm not sure that they will be able to sign him in time... but he is a young tall kid and he will certainly be useful next season.

Posted by: dasox24 Mar 10 2007, 09:58 PM

I'd love to get Morris. He'd be a nice presence to have down low, and allow us to really shop around that #1 since Morris would kinda be like a 1st rounder himself. However, I'm sure that there will be some team that is willing to give him more money than he's worth, and I don't want to get into a bidding war over him. So, unless we can get him for a few million, then let him go elsewhere.

Posted by: sport1016 Mar 11 2007, 01:46 PM

i wouold love to get him

he's exactly what we need, though of course it's debateable how much a rookie could help right now

Posted by: dasox24 Mar 11 2007, 02:16 PM

Yeah, I don't think we'd be expecting him to do too much this year or even next year. However, he'd be a great prospect to have on the team, just learning the ropes of the NBA. Meanwhile, we use our Knicks pick in a trade for a good veteran, which makes it not as important for Morris to produce right away.

Posted by: eddog2 Mar 11 2007, 10:08 PM

It would be amazing if the Bulls could sign Morris. He has a tendency to not work hard when he isn't getting the ball or when things aren't going his way, but he has all the tools and ability to be a very productive PF as an NBA player. You look at how he handled Tyler Hansbrough when they played UNC and you see how good he can be when he actually tries. He reminds me of Jamal Magloire. A big guy that can score and has talent but that has never really put it together. He'll have a good game and then struggle.

With that being said, he's having a pretty good year. 15.8 ppg (59.2% FG), 7.7 rpg and 2 blocks in only 27.4 minutes. That's not bad. Plus he's done a better job staying out of foul trouble this year. In his last game against Mississippi St. he made a nice audition for the pros with his 29 point, 15 board, 2 steal, 3 block performance. It was his best performance of the season.

I hope we get Morris b/c he would make Wallace's job a lot easier. However, I think a team like San Antonio would be willing to outbid the Bulls in the Morris sweepstakes. Especially since they could use another quality power forward.

Posted by: ZoomSlowik Mar 12 2007, 12:21 AM

Morris could be a steal, he has some serious talent and has really gotten more consistent this year. Effort is really the only question with him.

Posted by: TeaLeafReaderII Mar 12 2007, 09:24 AM

Do the Spurs have the cap flexability to make a real run at him? Bulls could pay him some nominal amount for the remainder of this season... then kick his salary up next year using the space garnered from PJ's contract ending.

Posted by: truthandbasketball Mar 12 2007, 10:01 AM

Please let us land this kid! We need another big body now more than ever with Malik and Noc out. This is eerily shaping up like when we lost Eddy and Lu a couple years back right before the playoffs. Learn from experience and make a move now Pax.

Note - Before anyone goes off the deep end I am not comparing Eddy to Malik talentwise

Posted by: soxfan3530 Mar 12 2007, 11:25 AM

if malik is out for a while sign me up!

Posted by: madisonsmadhouse Mar 13 2007, 09:39 AM

Morris would be a great add for the Bulls. And if I understand this correctly, because he is a free agent, he could start as soon at the Kentucky season is over, correct?

Posted by: TeaLeafReaderII Mar 13 2007, 10:28 AM

He could quit school right now and start playing if he wanted to.

Posted by: TeaLeafReaderII Mar 20 2007, 02:40 PM

Kentucky is out of it... Pax, start bugging this kid. Even if Malik is healthy... Morris can take Martynas or Barrets roster spot.

Posted by: madisonsmadhouse Mar 20 2007, 03:03 PM

Bump Barrett. We have tons of depth at the guards, and we need the big body with the injury situation now.

Any word on what the kid is going to do? Is there any other interest in him from teams.

Posted by: TeaLeafReaderII Mar 20 2007, 03:11 PM

There has to be interest in him, he has all the tools of a lottery pick, the only question is wether he is willing to leave school.
I read an si article on him around december. it sounded like he was really humbled by not being drafted and he feels indebted to Tubby for letting him come back to Kentucky. So there is a chance he might play out his final year... but I gotto believe his tone will change when he starts having NBA execs leaving 7 digit numbers on his answering machine.

Posted by: madisonsmadhouse Mar 20 2007, 04:05 PM

Does he really project out that highly? In all seriousness, I can't imagine he improved his "draft position" that much with this year. In a situation like the Bulls, he would be a great pick up as they have no real solid depth at the big positions, but for most teams he would be down the bench as a 10th, 11th, or 12th man. I would be curious to hear what the interest level really is around the NBA for this kid.

Posted by: TeaLeafReaderII Mar 20 2007, 09:30 PM

Had he declared for the draft straight out of highschool, he would have been a lotto pick. He just played awful his first year in college and that cooled everyone on him so when he did declare no one took him. He has improved every season and is now playing where everyone has projected him to.
Just today Greg Anthony and Skip Bayless ( ) were saying he was a lottery level player.

Posted by: eddog2 Mar 20 2007, 11:09 PM

I'm praying the Bulls get Morris. Even if he costs us between $1-4.5 million, he'll still be cheaper than most of the serviceable big men in the league.

Posted by: madisonsmadhouse Mar 21 2007, 06:04 AM

Cool. Yeah, if we have a chance, we really need to go after this kid. If we could add him, plus a solid player with the Knicks pick, it would almost be like having two first rounders.

Posted by: TeaLeafReaderII Mar 22 2007, 01:53 PM

Tubby Smith just resigned from UK and went to minnisota... I think this bodes well for the chance that Morris will turn pro.

Posted by: soxfan3530 Mar 22 2007, 03:47 PM

I heard that!!! Very excited as a Minnesota fan!!!

Posted by: madisonsmadhouse Mar 23 2007, 06:34 AM

Yeah Morris is as good as gone now. Hopefully Pax is on the phone as we speak.

Posted by: HoofHearted Mar 23 2007, 04:27 PM

Well, the Kinicks just signed him for 1.6 over two years. Bad move not to add this guy to our team, which needed a big who can score. Knicks strengthen their 4-5, which IMO, was already doing pretty good.

Posted by: madisonsmadhouse Mar 23 2007, 05:36 PM

I just saw this. fish!

Posted by: Wanne Mar 23 2007, 06:26 PM

Anybody know if Pax was even interested? He had to have been. If not...shame on Pax. But on the flip side...it would have been a move for the future...not current team. Do you really think he would have contributed immediately...no.

Posted by: Balta1701-B Mar 23 2007, 06:36 PM

Nothing at all wrong with making a move for the future. You have to say this guy would be more useful than Barrett is to this team.

I still can't figure out how he goes to the team with the worst cap problems in the NBA.

Posted by: Wanne Mar 23 2007, 10:47 PM

Only a 2-year deal number one. Actually it's probably the smartest thing dumbass Isiah has done since he's been there. It's monopoly money to those numbnuts anyway. Isiah = Slueth II.

Posted by: TeaLeafReaderII Mar 23 2007, 11:17 PM

HOW THE HECK COULD PAX LET THOMAS OUT MANUEVER HIM LIKE THIS. Morris has no shot at minutes on that team... and we had way more money to offer him. He was paid peanuts.

Barring a draft day miracle Morris is going to be way better then whoever we end up getting with the knicks pick. Pax just got schooled by the dumbest gm in the game.

Posted by: eddog2 Mar 24 2007, 12:51 AM

Yeah, that's a bunch of BS. Reports are that he got a 2 year $1.8 million deal. If that's true that's freakin rediculous. I could understand if Paxson wasn't looking to break the bank on the kid but for $900k a year you have to be kidding me. He's a first round pick and he's going to get $900k. Malik Allen makes more than that.

I'm starting to like Paxson and Skiles less and less. First he doesn't use P.J's expiring contract and now he lets Isiah screw him over. So the Knicks give us their first rounder and get ours but they get a top 10 big man anyway. What a way to save your job. Isiah's starting to look more and more like he knows what he's doing. He probably promised Morris big time playing time. Something the Bulls likely stayed away from.

Morris is pretty freakin smart for signing a 2 year deal. This year probably counts as the first year. So he'll play one full season and then hit the free agent market where he'll make big time money. I could see Paxson wanting to avoid that but you get him basically free for at least one year.

Oh well, there goes another year of "rebuilding" unless we pull of some magic around the draft or through a trade.

Posted by: truthandbasketball Mar 24 2007, 02:32 AM

Heres what ESPN are saying about the details -

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2809958

This really blows!!!

Posted by: TeaLeafReaderII Mar 24 2007, 07:37 AM

Don't get me wrong. I understand there a lot of teams chasing 6'11" 260 pound guys. I just think none needed him quite as bad as the Bulls did. I wouldn't have cared if he went to the knicks for an absurd amount of money. But he is making what the 30th pick in the draft will make... this tells me Pax didn't pursue him hard at all. Hell, no GM did. Pax should have at least driven up the price.

I don't know. This just doesn't add up. He should have gotten more money. Maybe this kid just made a stupid business deal. I didn't hear anything about him signing with an agent. Maybe he likes Thomas and Thomas was able to take advantage of him.

Posted by: steve9347 Mar 24 2007, 12:13 PM

How the hell did we miss out on this... pisses me off.