Tag: Markieff Morris

Markieff, Marcus Morris might live together, carpool when possible to Staples Center

Markieff and Marcus Morris are as close to inseparable as possible. With both playing in Los Angeles, the two will be together again.

In high school, Markieff and Marcus Morris shut down any recruiters who came after them separately. Both attended Kansas for college.

In 2011, they were selected No. 13 and 14 in the NBA Draft, respectively, and two years later found their way to play on the Phoenix Suns together for a short time.

Now with the twins in Los Angeles, they may not be teammates, but Markieff and Marcus will once again get the chance to be as close to inseparable as possible.

The Morris twins plan to live together and carpool to games in which Marcus’ Clippers and Markieff’s Lakers face off — particularly if it happens in the playoffs — Marcus told ESPN.

“Probably gonna ride to the game together. That don’t bother us, to have to go out there and compete — we’re pros, and both of us gonna go hard and both are gonna do the best we can do for our team,” he said. “…For us to be together, it’s just icing on the cake.”

Markieff received a buyout from the Detroit Pistons last week and signed with the Lakers after clearing waivers. Marcus was traded to the Clippers at the trade deadline.

The two, who have near-identical tattoos, will once again be in the same city.

The last time this happened, things started well in Phoenix.

Marcus’ original NBA team, the Houston Rockets, made him available, so Phoenix swiped him up in exchange for a second-round pick. He and Markieff were part of the 2013-14 Suns team that won 48 games, almost twice as many as the 25 in the previous season, yet missed the playoffs.

The Suns signed them to an extension — a lump sum of $52 million over four years, and the twins could decide how to split it up.

Markieff signed for $32 million and Marcus for $20 million. According to the Arizona Republic, they not only lived together, but had a shared bank account.

“We told them it didn’t matter,” Markieff said to AZCentral. “If they just put $13 (million) a year for the Morris twins, that would’ve been great. They wouldn’t even have to say our names … We’re $52 million players.”

But things soured. In Phoenix’s pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge the offseason before the 2015-16 season, the Suns signed Tyson Chandler. To clear cap space, they traded Marcus to the Detroit Pistons.

Markieff was furious. His relationship with Phoenix turned toxic, culminating in a two-game suspension after he threw a towel at then-head coach Jeff Hornacek during a game.

Finally, in February 2016, Markieff was traded to the Washington Wizards.

Four years later, the two get the chance to play at the same arena once again.

While they may be in opposing locker rooms, Markieff and Marcus will be able to live like brothers — and roommates — who simply have separate jobs.

[lawrence-related id=27326,27225]

Markieff Morris will be active for Lakers Tuesday vs. Pelicans

The newest acquisition for the Los Angeles Lakers could make his debut for the Lake Show tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Los Angeles Lakers face off later on this evening against Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans in what could very well be a preview of the first round. In the same vein of this game being a potential playoff preview, the newest Laker has an opportunity to show his stuff as recently signed forward Markieff Morris will be activated for Tuesday night but isn’t expected to play “a lot,” according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group.

The Morris signing and the preceding waiver of rehabbing center DeMarcus Cousins was announced on Monday after yesterday’s celebration of the life of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. Reports suggested that the vision the Lakers have for Morris to play at backup power forward while allowing Kyle Kuzma to get more minutes at the small forward position. Kuzma has played 91 percent of his minutes at power forward this year.

Although the plan for the Lakers is to bring Morris along slowly, tonight’s challenge of Williamson could force the Lakers into contingency plans if the players who are tasked with guarding Zion get into foul trouble.

[lawrence-related id=27433,27419]

 

 

 

With Jeff Green thriving, Rockets pass on claiming Markieff Morris

In what seems to be a vote of confidence in Jeff Green as their backup center, the Rockets did not claim Markieff Morris off waivers.

The Houston Rockets opted not to claim recently waived forward Markieff Morris, allowing him to sign with the rival Los Angeles Lakers after clearing waivers on Sunday afternoon.

Using a Traded Player Exception (TPE), Houston had the financial means to claim Morris’ prior $3.2-million contract off waivers. Furthermore, the Rockets are far enough beneath the NBA’s luxury-tax line that they could have added Morris without going into tax territory.

Nonetheless, even though they’ve shown interest in Morris in the recent past, the Rockets chose not to make a claim.

Now 30 years old, the 6-foot-8 Morris is averaging 11.0 points (39.7% 3-point shooting) and 3.9 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game this season.

[lawrence-related id=25337]

Some had suggested that the Rockets might claim Morris as a means of blocking the Lakers, who are among their chief competition in the Western Conference. However. it may not have been worth it for GM Daryl Morey to go against the wishes of Morris and his agency representation if the only use for him in Houston would have been as emergency depth.

Passing on the opportunity to add Morris would seem to be a vote of confidence in newcomer Jeff Green, since both Morris and Green would be centers-only in Houston’s small-ball scheme.

In two outings with the Rockets, the 6-foot-8 Green is averaging 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 19 minutes per game. He’s shooting 77.8% from the field and 66.7% on 3-pointers, albeit in a very small sample.

[lawrence-related id=25284,24287]

Green is currently on a 10-day contract, which expires next weekend. But assuming he continues to play well as the backup center behind P.J. Tucker, it appears very likely that Green’s deal will be extended. The fact that Morey passed on the chance to add a proven veteran, such as Morris, at the same position offers even more evidence of their intentions.

[lawrence-related id=25065,25017]

Report: Markieff Morris clears waivers and will sign with Lakers

Markieff Morris could help bolster the Los Angeles Lakers’ scoring production off the bench.

With their playoff push building, the Los Angeles Lakers are picking up a forward who could help bring more scoring off the bench.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, former Detroit Pistons forward Markieff Morris cleared waivers Sunday and will sign with the Lakers. Morris, who reached a buyout with the Pistons on Friday, will sign under the Lakers’ $1.75 million disabled player exception.

The Lakers had to waive DeMarcus Cousins to bring on Morris. Los Angeles received a disabled player exception before the season for Cousins, who is out with a torn left ACL.

A nine-year forward out of Kansas, Morris has continued to show his quality shooting ability this season. In 44 games with the Pistons, Morris shot 39.7% from the 3-point line and scored 11.0 points per game.

With Morris joining the Lakers, he’ll be the fourth player averaging double figures in scoring on the roster.

Morris isn’t too elite of a bench scorer, but the Lakers simply need him to help Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Lakers’ two best bench scorers. The highest scoring average of Morris’ career is 15.3 points per game, which he posted with the Phoenix Suns during the 2014-15 season.

The Lakers don’t have a terrible bench — they rank 11th in bench scoring. But with the playoffs not too far away, having more bench production could be the difference for their potential future success.

[lawrence-related id=27301,27251,27232,27225]

What’s up with the Lakers and Celtics heading into Sunday’s game?

The Los Angeles Lakers will face off against the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon and things have changed a bit since their last meeting.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics will add another chapter to the most storied rivalry in the NBA when they face off against each other on Sunday afternoon at the Staples Center. There have been a few small changes for both teams involved, so to get a better idea of what to expect on Sunday, Justin Quinn, editor of the Celtics Wire and myself, decided to give a quick synopsis on what’s going on with each of the teams we cover. 

What’s up with the Celtics?

Justin: Not too much has changed since for the Boston Celtics since the two rivals last met, except, perhaps, perception.

The win over the then-consensus frontrunners to win it all gave Boston’s contention case a major boost, and they’ve added some noteworthy wins to their resume since. Having bested the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers and crosstown rival Clippers has convinced a fair number of great basketball minds Boston truly belongs in the contention conversation.

That they’ve only dropped games to the New Orleans Pelicans after they added Zion Williamson back into their rotation and the Houston Rockets after going ultra-small is perhaps even more convincing, as an 11-2 record without consecutive days off is hard to accomplish, and the Celtics have done it down various rotation players and starters — sometimes several simultaneously.

While Boston’s lack of bench shooting and scoring continues to be a problem for the team, it’s not been enough of one to slow their roll much, either. This should explain the lack of activity at the Feb. 6 trade deadline for the franchise, and the general disinterest in the few buyout options worth considering that have come upon the buyout market. If it’s not broken, why fix it?

Since the start of February, the Celtics have slipped a bit on defense, but also scored more per game than at any time of the season, averaging 119 points per contest, up 4.8 points per game from January, their previous high-water mark. It’s converted into the team’s best win ratio of the season at exactly the time Boston’s difficulty of schedule began to increase.

What’s up with the Lakers?

Erik: The Los Angeles Lakers made small changes on the periphery over the weekend, though they are not official yet, they do have an impact on what the Lakers will look like beyond Sunday’s game against the Celtics. News broke on Friday that the Lakers would be waiving injured center DeMarcus Cousins, who tore his ACL in August, in order to make room for recently waived forward Markieff Morris, whom Celtics fans will know well from their playoff battles against the Wizards.

How much Morris will help the Lakers remains to be seen, but the fact that he’s healthy means that he can add more value on the court than Cousins. The calculus, according to at least one report, is that Morris can play more as a power forward while letting Kyle Kuzma get more minutes at the small forward spot. Kuzma is playing a career-high 91% of his minutes at power forward this season according to Cleaning The Glass, but it’s still a question about what his best position is. While some suggest that Kuzma is a true wing, the Lakers have typically performed better when he plays at the 4, according to Cleaning The Glass. So far this season, the 5% of the time he’s seen at small forward has been bad.

However, that’s not to say that Kuzma can’t improve in that role. They will definitely need him to deliver as a more consistent scorer in the playoffs, regardless of whether he plays at the 3 or the 4. But for the Lakers to win this game, they simply need a better game from their stars.

Anthony Davis took just seven shots in the first match-up and a lot of credit should be given to the Celtics excellent defense. That was also the game after LeBron famously went to see his son’s game in Springfield before taking the 90-minute drive back to Boston, which he acknowledged threw off his routine.

Although the Lakers are in the middle of changes, I expect them to deliver a much stronger performance on Sunday afternoon than the one they gave back in January.

Rockets could have opportunity to claim Markieff Morris off waivers

The Pistons bought out the contract of veteran forward Markieff Morris, and the Rockets have the financial means to claim him on waivers.

The Detroit Pistons have negotiated a contract buyout with veteran forward Markieff Morris, and the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly the frontrunner for his services if he becomes a free agent.

The news was first reported Friday by The Athletic‘s Shams Charania.

But for Morris to become a free agent, he has to clear waivers. And the Houston Rockets are one of the teams with the financial means to claim his contract, which is at $3.2 million for the full 2019-20 season.

Now 30 years old, the 6-foot-8 Morris is averaging 11.0 points (39.7% 3-point shooting) and 3.9 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game this season.

The Rockets would be able to claim Morris’ salary using one of their Traded Player Exceptions (TPE). Moreover, following their moves at the Feb. 6 trade deadline, Houston is far enough below the NBA’s luxury-tax line that they could add Morris without going into tax territory.

It’s not a given that Morris will be available for the Rockets (35-20) to claim, since any team with a worse record and large enough TPE would have priority ahead of Houston. However, given Morris’ age, many rebuilding teams might prefer to focus on younger players.

If Morris became available to claim by the Rockets, it’s an interesting dilemma for GM Daryl Morey. After signing veterans DeMarre Carroll and Jeff Green earlier this week, it’s not clear whether there would be a role for Morris in Houston’s current rotation. (That said, his addition could bring even more proven depth to the bench, no matter what.)

[lawrence-related id=25017]

The Rockets also have a full roster after signing Green and Carroll, which means Houston would have to release a player themselves in order to claim Morris. In theory, they could let Green go from his 10-day contract, or release a younger player such as Chris Clemons or Isaiah Hartenstein.

But is Morris a desirable enough player to prompt such a move? That’s the big question for Morey. It’s worth noting that Houston reportedly had interest when Morris was bought out in 2019, though he spurned them to sign with Oklahoma City and Russell Westbrook (now with the Rockets).

[lawrence-related id=7882,7855]

There’s also a competitive angle to consider. The Lakers (41-12) are currently the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and they’re among Houston’s top potential competition in the 2020 NBA playoffs. If the Rockets believe Morris would significantly help the Lakers’ chances, they could claim him as a protective move to harm the Lakers.

Then again, unless Houston plans to actually use Morris, it’s unclear whether it would be worth it to have an unhappy player at the end of their bench, if the only benefits are emergency depth and blocking the Lakers.

Morris was waived prior to March 1, so he will be playoff eligible with his new team. The league’s waivers period lasts 48 hours, so with Morris waived on Friday, any interested team with the financial means to absorb the contract will have until 4 p.m. Central time on Sunday to put in a claim.

[lawrence-related id=25284]

Report: Lakers will waive DeMarcus Cousins to make room for Morris

The Los Angeles Lakers will waive center DeMarcus Cousins, who tore his ACL in August, to make room for Markieff Morris.

The Los Angeles Lakers have made a move that few expected, though it makes perfect logical sense given the state of their roster. The Lakers, who have already reportedly reached an agreement with Markieff Morris to join the team, will waive injured center DeMarcus Cousins to make room for him, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

Cousins was a popular figure in the Lakers locker room, particularly with the veterans such as LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Rajon Rondo. However, Cousins tore his ACL in August. While he and the Lakers kept up appearances as if a playoff return was possible, the history of players coming back from ACL injuries was not on Boogie’s side to be ready for playoff basketball. It will cost the Lakers in that he was a well-liked player in their group and they will no longer have bird rights on Cousins should there be competition to sign him later this summer.

Due to the fact that Cousins was popular with their stars and that he could help them in 2021, few expected him to be the player cut by the Lakers. However, the Lakers made the logical choice to replace a player that is not playing with one who is. Instead of getting rid of potential contributors like Troy Daniels, Quinn Cook or Jared Dudley, they waived someone who was unlikely to help them on the court this season.

Although Cousins was given credit a couple of times this season with helping the Lakers establish their locker room identity, his place on the roster was always the most precarious given the fact he wouldn’t be available for them this season and was already on a one-year contract. However, the Lakers could sign Cousins in the summer if there is interest on both sides.

[lawrence-related id=27251,27243]

Report: Markieff Morris ‘plans’ to sign deal with Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers got another forward and they plan to give Kyle Kuzma more minutes at the small forward spot, per Shams Charania.

The Los Angeles Lakers look even closer to making a move that will change their bench, as recently waived forward Markieff Morris now has his ‘plans’ set on signing with the Lakers, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. As part of the report, Charania reported on the vision the Lakers have for Morris to play more at power forward and have Kyle Kuzma play more minutes at small forward.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the move plays out and what the other move is that the Lakers make to accommodate Morris. The Lakers currently have a full roster of 15 players and have to cut someone in order to add Morris. The Lakers have several end of the bench players who have hardly played, injured center DeMarcus Cousins and 13-year veteran Rajon Rondo to choose from. But the most likely answer appears to be Troy Daniels or Quinn Cook.

The Lakers have yet to officially announce the move. They play in less than four hours at Staples Center against the Memphis Grizzlies.

[lawrence-related id=27243,27225]

 

Postponed Lakers-Clippers game rescheduled for April 9

The game between the Los Angeles Lakers and their rival Clippers was postponed after Kobe Bryant’s death but has been rescheduled.

The previously postponed game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers scheduled for Jan. 28 at Staples Center has been rescheduled, as well as a couple of other games scheduled for the second to last week of the NBA regular season.

The Clippers-Lakers game, with the Lakers as the home team, will be played on April 9 at 10:30 p.m. EST and the game will be televised nationally on TNT, according to an announcement from the NBA. But as a result of this rescheduled game, the NBA also had to reschedule a handful of other games that are listed below. For those who are wondering, this now means the Lakers will play in a back-to-back-to-back at home from April 7-9.

Three other games were rescheduled as part of this process:

  • The Chicago Bulls at Clippers game originally scheduled for Wed.,April 8 will be played on Mon., April 6 at 10 p.m. ET.
  • The Golden State Warriors at Lakers game originally scheduled for Thu., April 9 will be played on Tue., April 7 at 10 p.m. ET and will remain televised on TNT.
  • The Bulls at Lakers game originally scheduled for Tue., April 7 will be played on Wed., April 8 at 10:30 p.m. ET.

The Lakers regular season schedule ends in Phoenix on April 15.

Lakers are frontrunners for Markieff Morris…but is that good?

The Los Angeles Lakers are considered frontrunners to sign Markieff Morris after he was waived by the Pistons, per Shams Charania.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania lit the powder keg that has been the hopes and dreams of the Los Angeles Lakers fanbase on Friday afternoon, touching their long-awaited desire to do SOMETHING to answer the arms race that has been started by the Los Angeles Clippers. While nothing is official, Charania reported on Friday that the Lakers are considered the “frontrunners” for the services of recently waived forward Markieff Morris. But is that a good thing?

Morris, based purely on talent, is a more talented player than a lot of guys on the Lakers roster, such as Jared Dudley, Troy Daniels, and Quinn Cook. He has been just as good as Kyle Kuzma (67th percentile) in spot-up situations this season while rating out better in other facets of an offense such as post-ups and isolations. Morris’ arrival would also result in one of the aforementioned trio, of Dudley, Daniels or Cook, to be cut.

Although Daniels offers a narrow skillset, he’s better at shooting than anyone else on the Lakers roster. As for Dudley, he also has small ball center on his resume and he’s been a more efficient shooter than Morris this season, averaging 120 points per 100 shots compared to 116.4 for Markieff. However, it appears the above points don’t matter very much to the Lakers, let alone their precious team chemistry, which they evidently don’t find as precious as I and some of their players do.

And this is all without mentioning what the signing of Morris would do to the morale of Kyle Kuzma, who has already taken a backseat this year thanks to the arrival of Anthony Davis. There’s almost no real difference between Morris’ career stats and Kuzma’s, or as my pal Mike Richman said, Markieff Morris, is Kyle Kuzma without a brother. All of that is before you consider Kuzma has the upside factor of being 24 compared to Morris’ 30, with considerably less playoff mileage. Kuzma has seen his minutes dwindle to career lows and one may wonder whether the move for Morris could be seen by Kuzma as a vote of no-confidence.

Although there is an entire waiver priority for the league to go through before the Lakers can sign Morris, it appears that the Lakers have finally got their man. Now it appears the only detail left for them to figure out is who is no longer their man.

[lawrence-related id=27225,27212]