Illini in the Pros (Basketball)
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Nobody is here to defend a single game
But that’s really all you’ve got, so….
(Morez certainly wasn’t a danger to make any 3s or play acceptable defense in that game either)
Sigh… wanted to see Wagler in the playoffs
His shooting percentages:
- Paint (Rim): 72.9%
- Midrange: 35.8%
- Three-Point (3PT): 34.3%
My take…..Morez felt like he was better than Ben in practice and games and did not feel like he got a fair opportunity to play the minutes he deserved or given as long of a leash (considering fouls, missed shots, defensive lapses….that others on the team received, not just those named Ben). It is almost always easier to stay where you are and he wanted to believe things would be different. He re-signs (twice, which imo is his biggest point for critique) but still didn’t fully trust; plus Tim is now gone. Michigan comes around with too much cash to ignore. He today still talks about it because he is bitter/disappointed because he deep down wanted to stay and felt like he proved himself on the court but he and the coach (who ultimately makes those decisions) did not see eye to eye. Just my .02
this is the take everyone keeps coming back to that holds no water because if it were an issue then he wouldn’t have signed after the season like he did
they only left after reneging on like three different contracts they signed
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Yes, here’s my final take on Morez. Would love for someone who believes Morez left for role, not money, to answer these two questions:
1. If Morez chose to transfer because he was upset about his role his freshman year, why sign two separate agreements to return? Why not enter the transfer portal and find the best fit immediately?
2. If he chose Michigan for role, not money, why did it take Michigan offering double the money to lure him over there? Why not take the same or even less money if the role was so much better?
Regardless of why he left, just like @the juiceman cometh wrote above, I’m not all that upset that he left. Lots of players leave. And I continue rooting for him. What irks me is that after he left he has chosen to try and damage the program I root for.
100%.
And it’s fairly factual too — his production scaled to his minutes, pretty legitimately outweighs the other guys’ production (i.e. At 25 min/game, he basically averages a double double).
Truth is, we didn’t go into the season wanting it to be a Morez / Tomi frontcourt. It just wasn’t the plan. It was thought to be too much of a “double big” lineup, and Ben was thought to be a very potent addition.
That changed later in the season, when Morez began to start alongside Tomi, BUT… 1) that adjustment took too long, and there were too many “where’s Morez?” games early in the year AND 2) he had the injury, which derailed all that momentum. (that whole process is different from this year, for example, when we knew all along Mirk was the guy)
Deep down, he wanted to be back; that’s why he signed the contract. But all that, compounded with TA being gone, and Dusty’s offer… was enough to tip the lever over the edge.
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I think it was pretty apparent that Ben got an extremely long leash that year in comparison to several of his teammates.
Ben didn't get dropped to a 20ish minute role until about the Duke game in Late February.
Pretty easy to see why guys like Morez, Tre White and DGL(Boswell's leash while being atrocious offensively for most of the year) might have some hard feelings from that year.
I would have loved to see Morez stay and become a top 10 pick at Illinois because he's a Chicago area kid that committed I think during his freshman year. However things worked out well for all parties so I'm not going to dwell on it or harbor any ill feelings toward anyone.
Illinois got Mirk(hopefully for 4 years) and a final four run. Morez won a title and went 9th overall, White had a good year at Kansas, and DGL was awesome at UNLV and likely got himself a nice payday at Texas Tech this year.
Because he loved Illinois and wanted to stay home.
Because he loved Illinois and wanted to stay home.
People forget he committed before even the recruiting rankings were published (and stayed, unlike the QB that just went to Michigan). That’s how committed he was.
It took double the money PLUS a better/more logical role to lure him away. At Michigan, we wouldn’t have comparatively worse players starting over him, while making double the cash, while being with a coach who’s known for very good big development. It just made too much sense at the end.
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I think if its fair to question Morez's playing time then its fair to question the credentials of the people complaining about it versus the credentials of the man who made those decisions. Pretty large discrepancy in competence there, and who knows, maybe there's actually some nuance to this (sheesh, nobody ever thought of that).
If some of you sat down in a room with closed doors with Brad and he had the opportunity to explain to you why he did some of the things he did, why he made certain decisions, I think you'd walk away with not only certainly a much more informed opinion but also maybe even a greater understanding that raw production isn't the first-and-only thing that goes into making these decisions. If raw production per minute was all that coaching cared about, then guys like Christian Wood would be in the NBA HOF.
Monday morning quarterbacking is all fine and dandy, but it means jack squat and you're not a better coach than the guy running the show and there's a very high degree of certainty that you're just talking out your behind and don't have all of the facts/info.
If some of you sat down in a room with closed doors with Brad and he had the opportunity to explain to you why he did some of the things he did, why he made certain decisions, I think you'd walk away with not only certainly a much more informed opinion but also maybe even a greater understanding that raw production isn't the first-and-only thing that goes into making these decisions. If raw production per minute was all that coaching cared about, then guys like Christian Wood would be in the NBA HOF.
Monday morning quarterbacking is all fine and dandy, but it means jack squat and you're not a better coach than the guy running the show and there's a very high degree of certainty that you're just talking out your behind and don't have all of the facts/info.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
He loves the program so much that he trashes it ever chance he gets. Makes sense.
Regarding the bolded, when Morez signed (two) agreements to stay at Illinois, do you think that was for a bench role? Or a starting role at the 4?
Huh!? I think I/we are just giving our take on what might have been reasons of why things it went the way they did. It seems you have figured out our coach figured out the exact right thing to do for everyone because he was there and he knows best. I am more of a believer that every coach/person sees things a little differently and we all have our biases. I think these discussions are just that and we share our viewpoints not to see who is right.
surprised you thought youd get any answer other than morez loved it here and evil brad pushed him out lol
I just said I was fine with people questioning it
But you also have to be fine with knowing you’re a guy on a couch (and not a D1 coach)
No problem there. I am also a father of 4 and understand how tough it is to be responsible and accountable for others whether you are a parent, coach, teacher, boss…. you name it. Most of the time there is no “right” answer and guess that is why it spurs discussion. You just do the best you can do and learn as you go (unless you are someone who knows everything and never makes a mistake - which is why I didn’t include president)!
I’ve heard this a few times - going into last year, was dusty may really known that well for big man development?
And Vlad Golden certainly played nothing like what Morez wanted to be. So this mindset has confused me a bit
Agree on doubling the cash though
Golden and Wild were very good the year before. Obviously that was the selling point.
“Trashing the program every chance he gets” is a bit exaggerated, imo.
I mean, if we’re that quick to judge, DGL does the same thing
. I don’t know why we’re so fixated on Morez (in terms of the “hate” aspect).
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That question has been answered a dozen times by a dozen people in the last day.“Trashing the program every chance he gets” is a bit exaggerated, imo.
I mean, if we’re that quick to judge, DGL does the same thing
Wolf was.
But why would vlad golden (undrafted btw) who plays the 5 and doesn’t do any outside shooting or playmaking be a selling point for a guy who said he didn’t want to be a 5 and wanted to play more on the perimeter?
If that’s the case, wouldn’t Cockburn be a bigger selling point? Btw, morez’s camp ridiculing Kofi was another lame thing that I hated - but maybe that one didn’t bother others as much.
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