Tag: Marcus Morris

Kevin O’Connor proposes Rockets, Clippers trade for John Wall

The Ringer’s national NBA insider Kevin O’Connor proposes a deal with John Wall going to the Clippers and Marcus Morris, Serge Ibaka, and Eric Bledsoe coming to Houston.

At some point earlier in the 2021-22 season, the Clippers reportedly expressed “genuine interest” in acquiring five-time NBA All-Star John Wall. Could that potentially lead to a deal between Los Angeles and the Houston Rockets before the Feb. 10 trade deadline?

In his latest column at The Ringer, NBA insider Kevin O’Connor makes the case for a Clippers-Rockets trade involving Eric Bledsoe, Serge Ibaka, and Marcus Morris going to Houston for Wall. He writes:

Bledsoe, Morris, and Ibaka combine to make $43.4M, which makes them a perfect match for Wall’s $44.3M salary. Ibaka and Bledsoe aren’t long for LA. And while Morris is a good player, wouldn’t swapping him for Wall, a five-time All-Star who’s still only 31, be a reasonable gamble?

From Houston’s view, Morris’ contract extends to the 2023-24 season, whereas Wall’s deal does not. However, because it is much cheaper annually, that likely wouldn’t be a concern to general manager Rafael Stone — since Morris can simply be dealt again, if cap room is needed.

At 32 years old, Morris likely wouldn’t be happy in a rebuilding scenario in Houston, anyway. But as long has Morris has any positive trade value around the league — and he’s currently averaging 15.6 points (36.3% on 3-pointers) and 5.1 rebounds while still providing value defensively, so he should — that scenario offers more upside to the Rockets than simply maintaining the status quo non-playing arrangement with Wall.

Thus, it’s almost certainly a deal that Houston would accept, though Stone would likely be canvassing the league for Morris suitors in such a scenario. The question is whether the Clippers are desperate enough to make such a trade, but with Los Angeles still below .500 in early February and Kawhi Leonard potentially on the way back, perhaps that could prompt them to be more aggressive in their deadline decisions.

[lawrence-related id=63736,63405]

[mm-video type=video id=01ft705jtra58mwjexsn playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ft705jtra58mwjexsn/01ft705jtra58mwjexsn-8a52f3dd87d77aadbcf705cc6e172427.jpg]

[listicle id=63633]

The Jokic brothers appeared to just join Twitter to tell Marcus Morris to chill out after Markieff incident

This just escalated.

The Nikola Jokic cheap shot on Markieff Morris has now taken a turn, and it’s getting pretty nuts.

To review: The Denver Nuggets superstar got a forearm shiver of a foul to his ribs from the Miami Heat forward, so Jokic then delivered a vicious cheap shot that injured Morris.

Markieff’s twin brother Marcus then took to Twitter to say “Waited till bro turned his back smh. NOTED,” a clear threat to Jokic.

And that’s when Jokic’s brothers — who have looked pretty menacing in the past when they see Nikola get into it on the court — stepped in on social media.

It appears an account called @JokicBrothers was JUST started in November 2021 — could it be on Tuesday, just after Marcus’s threat? — and these were the first tweets sent:

No. No way. That can’t be real. Has to be a fake, right? Per Mike Singer, the Nuggets reporter at the Denver Post, IT’S REAL!!!!

I can’t get enough of this. The fact that they signed it “Jokic Brothers” is the cherry on top. Holy cow.

[mm-video type=video id=01fm0s8cf1yseym8cnx2 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fm0s8cf1yseym8cnx2/01fm0s8cf1yseym8cnx2-391bcd8c6b912d0c7749ba462fcda873.jpg]

[listicle id=1228097]

Marcus Morris posts a threatening tweet at Nikola Jokic after dirty shove on brother Markieff

“NOTED.”

What Nikola Jokic did on Monday night to Markieff Morris was wrong and awful and he deserves to be suspended, giving Morris a cheap shot that injured the forward.

Even though Morris’s forearm to the ribs as Jokic came up with the ball wasn’t good either, the Denver Nuggets star shouldn’t have retaliated in that way. And Morris’s twin brother Marcus took note of it.

“Waited till bro turned his back smh. NOTED,” he wrote on Twitter after the incident, including a writing hand emoji. The Nuggets and Marcus’s Clippers play on December 26, so we’ll see if that means anything with that threat of remembering what happened to Markieff.

For what it’s worth, fans remembered that Marcus Morris has been guilty of some cheap shots, specifically on Luka Doncic back in the NBA bubble:

Also: Jokic and Morris have also gotten into it in the past:

“NOTED.”

[mm-video type=video id=01fm0s8cf1yseym8cnx2 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fm0s8cf1yseym8cnx2/01fm0s8cf1yseym8cnx2-391bcd8c6b912d0c7749ba462fcda873.jpg]

[listicle id=1228097]

These are the best players at each offensive play type in the NBA

When we talk about the best basketball players, we often talk about the most well-rounded. But what happens when we get a bit more granular?

When we talk about the best basketball players, we often talk about the most well-rounded. But what happens when we get a bit more granular?

There is obviously a ton of value in versatility, especially when it comes to building the most complete team. Players need to be able to hold their own on both offense and defense. However, when watching the games, it is also incredibly important to know the specific traits of the top talents.

As such, we wanted to take a look at the players who stand out on specific play types within an offense. The main qualifications were that the player discussed has to be both among the leading scorers and also efficient on this particular play type.

You may already know that James Harden is the king of isolation or that Giannis Antetokounmpo is a monster in transition. But some other standouts included below may be more shocking.

Note that all stats are pulled from Synergy Sports Tech unless noted otherwise

The Morris twins both got ejected on the same night and Marcus had jokes

On the same night!

Los Angeles’s Morris twins — Lakers forward Markieff and Clippers counterpart Marcus — did something that I can’t imagine has ever been done in NBA history.

With just over two minutes left in the Lakers’ loss to the Miami Heat, Markieff got ejected for jawing at a referee.

Marcus got a second technical in the Clips’ win over the Phoenix Suns and was sent to the locker room.

That’s right, both brothers were ejected on the same night. It would have been amazing if it happened in the same game, but whatever. Marcus took to Twitter and joked that it’s possible “people think that was planned.”

LOL.

[mm-video type=video id=01f2va3wjsqv8dkqyrgj playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f2va3wjsqv8dkqyrgj/01f2va3wjsqv8dkqyrgj-4677287627f9caf9d9cdbef64b001089.jpg]

Gasol only Lakers starter to reach double-digits in loss to Clippers

The Los Angeles Lakers never led against the Los Angeles Clippers and suffered an 18-point loss.

Marc Gasol, who had only played five games since the start of March and not broken into double-figure points in any of them, was the only positive on offense in the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting lineup against the Los Angeles Clippers.

That was not a recipe for success. With no other starters even reaching double-digit points, the Lakers suffered their lowest-scoring game of the season and never led in the 104-86 loss to the Clippers.

Gasol scored 11 points in 18 minutes of play. The other four starters, all of whom played at least 28 minutes, combined for 31 points.

The Lakers may have been without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but head coach Frank Vogel didn’t give an out to his players who did take the court in the 18-point loss, the team’s largest margin of defeat since March 3.

“There’s no excuses here,” he said, according to Spectrum SportsNet. “The guys that are playing have what it takes.”

Their offensive effort couldn’t counter that of Kawhi Leonard and Marcus Morris. Leonard flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Morris had a game-high 22 points on a very efficient 9-for-13 shooting, including 4-for-5 from deep.

The Clippers started to pull away with a 23-10 run over the first nine minutes of the second quarter, and lifted their lead up to 24 before settling in.

The Lakers shot just 40% from the field and were destroyed on the glass by a 50-36 margin. The Clippers’ 13 offensive rebounds were almost twice the number as the Lakers’ seven. And though the Lakers did a good job limiting fouls, committing only 11 during the game, the Clippers made up for it by making 14 for their 28 3-pointers — twice as many makes as the Lakers — and shooting 47.7% from the field.

Gasol went 3-for-3 from deep. The other Lakers starters went 2-for-16. Gasol, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso were the only players on the team to make a 3-pointer.

“We’ve gotta collapse the defense. We’ve gotta screen better. Doing everything a little better and sacrificing for your teammates — sacrificing by cutting, moving, burning the extra calorie for somebody else, creating a vacuum when you cut, is going to force the other team to help,” Gasol said.

“We do it sometimes. … When teams like today are a little more physical, a little more aggressive, with a little more size, that movement’s gonna be even more important.”

With the loss, the Lakers are now tied for fourth place in the Western Conference with the Denver Nuggets, who play Sunday night. The Clippers gain a game on the Lakers to elevate their lead in third place.

Lakers free agency: Markieff Morris returns for title defense

Markieff Morris turned down the opportunity to play with his brother Marcus on the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Los Angeles Lakers once again made a great deal in a streak of many great deals for Rob Pelinka and company. On the same day that the Lakers introduced reigning 6th Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell as a signing from the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, the Lakers kept one of their free agents from doing the opposite of Harrell did.

The Lakers announced that they’ve re-signed forward Markieff Morris, who became a key part of the team in the postseason and filled his role very well on the way to the championship. He has returned for the title defense and did so despite overtures from the Clippers, who just paid his brother a 4-year, $64 million contract in the first days of free agency.

LeBron James shared his jubilation on his Instagram story, welcoming Morris back to the squad. Morris played solid defense in 21 postseason games and he was solid from the outside, shooting 42% from the 3-point line on 3.3 attempts per game.

[lawrence-related id=35990,35987]

 

Lakers forward Markieff Morris, along with brother, switches agents

Los Angeles Lakers forward Markieff Morris and his brother, Clippers forward Marcus Morris, have switched agents once again.

Every team this year will likely be dealing with a shortened offseason free agency period than the typical July window, but the Los Angeles Lakers project to be busier than most teams after winning the 2020 NBA Championship in October and several players with expiring contracts heading into free agency. One of those players, forward Markieff Morris, who was a key part in the Lakers playoff run in the Orlando bubble, has decided to switch agents before free agency, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Markieff’s twin brother Marcus, who is also going to be a free agent this offseason, is also switching agents to Chafie Fields of Wasserman.

The Morris twins had recently joined Roc Nation after being with Klutch Sports. With both players going into free agency and this free agency being even more chaotic than a typically chaotic window, it’s not a shock that anyone would want to switch things up while they still have time to get ready for a rapid turnaround for the NBA season.

Markieff Morris signed with the Lakers just before the season went on hiatus and ended up being an integral part of their 2020 NBA Championship run. Markieff shot 42 percent from the 3-point line, a playoff best, and his 51.7% mark on 2-point shot was his 2nd best in four playoff runs.

[lawrence-related id=35634,35024]

Clippers oust Mavs, but not without controversy

What I’m Hearing: USA TODAY Sports’ Mark Medina discusses yet another incident involving Marcus Morris and Luka Doncic that put a bit of controversy on the Clippers elimination of the Mavericks from the playoffs.

What I’m Hearing: USA TODAY Sports’ Mark Medina discusses yet another incident involving Marcus Morris and Luka Doncic that put a bit of controversy on the Clippers elimination of the Mavericks from the playoffs.

Marcus Morris got ejected after a hard foul to Luka Doncic’s head

Ouch.

The opening-round series of the NBA playoffs between the Clippers and Mavericks hasn’t done any favors for Marcus Morris’ reputation as one of the league’s dirtier players.

Just one game after Morris faced scrutiny over stepping on the injured ankle of Mavericks star Luka Doncic, Morris was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected for his hard contact to Doncic’s head during Sunday’s Game 5.

The incident went down late in the first quarter when Doncic drove to the basket and was fouled by Morris. After the initial contact, Morris followed through and hit Doncic on the head. The players had to be separated as the officials reviewed the play.

It was easy to see why Morris was ejected:

This was also one of those situations where the history between the two players (and Morris’ reputation) could have played a part in the flagrant-2 decision. Again, Morris’ step on Doncic’s ankle happened one game ago.

He didn’t get the benefit of the doubt this time around.

[jwplayer 5MppT71b-q2aasYxh]