Siler accepts Hawks offer to attend September Camp (P3)

[DrReality]

If he comes to camp hope it is a win/win situation. Either he sticks as a project or he pushes Morris to have a fire in his belly.

But he is a project. Seems he would be a good guy to practice against getting ready for bigs.

[Brotha2ThaNite]

If he comes to camp hope it is a win/win situation. Either he sticks as a project or he pushes Morris to have a fire in his belly.

But he is a project. Seems he would be a good guy to practice against getting ready for bigs.

I was thinking the samething.

For those who keep saying this board was acting the same way with Morris..... NOT ME!

I also can't remember so many topics about Morris as there is about Kong this year either.

I think more ppl wanted Brown last year over Morris.... so please stop it with the "ppl was this way about Morris" :tongue:

[sturt]

brotha, had the assertion been that you personally and individually were excited about Morris last year, then you would have a point.

It was not.

Do some reading from the archives, my friend:

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333345&st=0&p=342623&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry342623

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333327&st=0&p=342321&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry342321

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333268&st=0&p=341443&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry341443

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333168&st=0&p=339758&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry339758

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333139&st=0&p=339311&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry339311

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333110&st=0&p=339310&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry339310

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333100&st=0&p=338882&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry338882

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333093&st=0&p=338713&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry338713

[EazyRoc]

No one was hyped about Morris that much that I can remember. After all, he was a scrub in NY, so expectactions were low for the most part. Siler is a project, but he, unlike Morris, has a ton of upside. I'm really thinking 2 or 3 years down the line, that'll he go down as one of the rare undrafted gems in the league. He's got the tools and the work ethic, now he just needs the opportunity to learn the game and improve.

[mrhonline]

Sturt is correct. People were as high on Morris as they are Siler, and for good reason.

To quote myself from a year ago:

Anyway, Morris has all the talent and size to be a nice backup center. The question is if he can put it together in a way that helps the team.

Remember that Siler is not as proven as Morris.

DraftExpress agrees:

The NBA doesn't look like a very realistic option for Siler, but he was still more than interesting enough to bring to a setting like this for us to see with our own eyes, which is what makes Portsmouth a great place to watch players. He'll likely make a good living on a half-court team in Europe or in the increasingly lucrative leagues of China or Korea.

Their praise for Morris wasn't exactly sterling either, but they at least expected him to sign on as a backup center.

http://www.draftexpr...olph-Morris-32/

Edited July 31, 2009 by mrhonline

[mrhonline]

By the way, Siler is only 9 months younger than Morris.

Neither are really NBA-caliber big men. I'm sure the Hawks would love to dump Morris on someone, but that won't happen.

The reality is that the Hawks don't need another practice stiff. They have one in Morris.

Edited July 31, 2009 by mrhonline

[sturt]

No one was hyped about Morris that much that I can remember. After all, he was a scrub in NY, so expectactions were low for the most part. Siler is a project, but he, unlike Morris, has a ton of upside. I'm really thinking 2 or 3 years down the line, that'll he go down as one of the rare undrafted gems in the league. He's got the tools and the work ethic, now he just needs the opportunity to learn the game and improve.

EZ, hate to break the news to you, brother, but I believe you are one of those touting the virtues of Morris in, at least, one of those links. The memory cells are an occasionial problem for us all, so don't beat yourself up about it.

(Try the next to last, and perhaps others.... And I believe you meant "thrive" as opposed to "strive," right?)

[EazyRoc]

Definitely meant thrive, it was a typo. I thought he could thrive as a back-up big, but I was wrong about that. That is far from hype, though. I still feel the same then as I do now. He does have talent and he is young, but the bottom line is he's a scrub. He was never able to turn that talent into minutes and production. I'm actually hyped about Siler. Like I said, I think he could be an undrafted gem in this league. Meaning, I think in 2 or 3 years, he could be a starter. I didn't feel that way about Morris, though. I saw him as someone who could develop into a solid backup, and (in hindsight) even that was a reach.

[mrhonline]

Side note: Did anyone else notice that Morris averaged 10 fouls / 36 minutes?

Granted it was in VERY limited minutes, but it's a clear indication he's not NBA material.

[TheDude]

well i think the reasons for wanting morris at the time were different than siler...sure morris had decent size but moreso we all knew he was a high school bluechipper and if he had came out of college that first year he was a first rounder....so i think many folks thought he could have been a high pick that because he didnt go the normal route could have been a steal.

we should have known when the knicks didnt resign him though....

but the difference here is that siler has shown some gusto, a little motivation to the game....sure i like him as a sleeper like many liked morris as a sleeper....but in a different way...he started late but has progressed quickly and with good effort and work ethic..

in any case, there are always sleepers people look at and go for...i think our sleeper from last year has been exposed as someone without effort...if he had that true effort maybe folks would not have given up on morris and would look for him to continue to develop...but he hasnt shown that...many feel siler could develop because he has the work ethic..

plus he dwarfs morris in size...that kind of size is worth it imo...i mean the dude is a silo whose not a stiff athletic-wise.

[tonegully]

i agree with that. can we do it?

[sturt]

Don't get me wrong, guys. I like the idea of signing Siler, assuming we can cut Morris with little repercussion... I just don't want expectations to be overblown, and I'm afraid that they are or will be.

Morris needed to, at some point, emerge as a force. He needed to turn heads the way that Hunter apparently turned heads. That hasn't happened yet, and I'm uncertain if he gets any further shot at it.

Same will go for Siler if he comes our way... you've got to see some steady progress year-to-year.

[Brotha2ThaNite]

brotha, had the assertion been that you personally and individually were excited about Morris last year, then you would have a point.

It was not.

Do some reading from the archives, my friend:

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333345&st=0&p=342623&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry342623

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333327&st=0&p=342321&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry342321

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333268&st=0&p=341443&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry341443

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333168&st=0&p=339758&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry339758

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333139&st=0&p=339311&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry339311

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333110&st=0&p=339310&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry339310

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333100&st=0&p=338882&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry338882

http://www.hawksquawk.net/community/index.php?showtopic=333093&st=0&p=338713&hl=Randoph%20Morris&fromsearch=1&#entry338713

Well, I guess there were some suckers out there. As you can see I was no where around in those threads. lol

BUT I did not see one person say Sign Morrios. Those were crapping threads. Every Thread made about Kong go over 3 pages. That tells how most of them did not have their hopes up about him.

KONG RULES! HE IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO SLAP MORRIS AROUND IN CAMP

Edited July 31, 2009 by Brotha2ThaNite

[lethalweapon3]

I recall that much of the enthusiasm over RandMo's signing related to the fact it wouldn't be Kwame Brown eating up cap space to toil on the end of the bench.

~lw3

[Johnnybravo4]

agree. all things equal. I'm going with Siler. I've seen enough from Morris (Collage and Pro) to know that he reached his potential in HS.

Its sad because Morris was pretty much Howards equal in H.S. I remember when ESPN televised their game against each other.

[Johnnybravo4]

http://kentucky.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=428

I always like looking back at old recruiting rankings to see where they ended up. It is funny that Morris was the second best center behind Al Jefferson but Howard was listed as a Forward. Now in the pros both Jefferson and Morris are PF's and Howard is the games most dominating center.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

If Siler does make this team, we either need to find out what REAL nickname his friends call him, or have a vote on what his nickname should be.

Me myself, I'm not comfortable calling a 7 foot - 300+ pound brotha . . . "Kong". That name is ONLY cool, if he gladly accepts being compared to a large fictional ape.

Like the rapper Gorilla Zoe. If he's cool being called "gorilla", then that's one thing. Otherwise, Ima call him Zoe.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Don't get me wrong, guys. I like the idea of signing Siler, assuming we can cut Morris with little repercussion... I just don't want expectations to be overblown, and I'm afraid that they are or will be.

I agree. IF he makes the team, have low expectations for this guy. If he's playing on a nightly basis, it probably means that something is SERIOUSLY wrong with someone on the frontline. Unless he comes right in, and outplays Zaza ( which would still indicate that something is wrong )

And you already know what the argument will be come December:

"Siler is in Woody's Doghouse" . . . or . . . "Woody is failing to develop Siler".

I do hope the kid makes the team though. His experience is a nice story to tell to all of those top level D-II guys, that may not think they have any shot at playing in the League.

[Brotha2ThaNite]

If Siler does make this team, we either need to find out what REAL nickname his friends call him, or have a vote on what his nickname should be.

Me myself, I'm not comfortable calling a 7 foot - 300+ pound brotha . . . "Kong". That name is ONLY cool, if he gladly accepts being compared to a large fictional ape.

Like the rapper Gorilla Zoe. If he's cool being called "gorilla", then that's one thing. Otherwise, Ima call him Zoe.

You have become a part of the "sissifacation of this nation."

[DrReality]

Siler's buld is one thing in his advantage to bang with some of the bigs we have to face. Don't think he is as soft as Morris?