Quote:
Originally Posted by the_meanstrosity
Any idea what the issue is with Morgan? Is it just not the right fit or is it lack of effort?
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Well, here are the facts, which were fairly obvious from the game today.
1. If Kwame Stone Hands Brown were to be given D&D attribute Dexterity rating of 1, Bobo would get a 0. Somehow the box score only gave him one turnover. I saw more than that in the 25 minutes my blasted DVR recorded. Bobo couldn't even keep on a pair of form fitting Isotoners for three seconds.
2. He shows no defensive aptitude whatsoever when it comes to actual defense, particularly with slow footwork, whether he's guarding his man on the block or in help defense.
3. He somehow has no idea how to box out his man. I have no idea how this is possible for someone who had to have played on the inside since he was lacing up his first Air Jordans. And I know Howland's been trying to teach it to him. You don't have to be in practice to know Howland will have done whatever he could to teach it to Bobo.
4. The game seems too fast for him. He reacts too slowly to what's happening in front of him, on either end of the floor.
5. He does not play with any apparent passion or fire.
Given those facts, there are two schools of thought:
School of Thought #1-- Howland is holding him back a lot by not playing Bobo. He was raw to start with, and his inexperience at this level is really contributing to his slow reaction time and his slow defense, which also affects his preparation for balls hitting him in the hands. Howland locked him to the bench for just about every game in his UCLA career until today. So the thought is, if Howland would be forced by the circumstance of this year's team to play Bobo (as perhaps he may, considering Bobo played 15 mins today), Bobo would eventually get better, and he could start playing instinctively, which would allow him to react faster and more naturally, allowing what physical skills he does have (size and length, perhaps some athleticism that is being hidden by his slow reaction time) to shine through.
School of Thought #2-- That he's not just mentally behind the game on the court, he is just flat too slow and his hands are just too poor. And/or he just doesn't have the passion to excel at this level.
People close to the program and simple observation of Howland's decision making suggests the truth is closer to School of Thought #2 than #1. I think it's a mix. Much of #2 is true, but I think his apparent deficiencies have a lot to do with him "thinking" too much on the floor, instead of "reacting instinctively". He's also gunshy because Howland has (in the past) pulled him the second he did something dumb. He has some post up moves, he has size and the fact he got himself into much better shape over the summer shows he is not devoid of effort.
I personally think Bug is overstating things. I think Howland will be forced to play Bobo, just like he was today, and gradually as the season goes along, Bobo will play a little better. By the end of the year, he'll be a pretty crappy but acceptable backup level player. He may not ever be better than Michael Fey, but Fey was kept on scholie all the way through as well. FWIW, Morgan himself suggested on his Facebook page that he was leaving, too, in the wake of the Gordon thing, but nothing's come of it yet. If Howland has to play him (and I think he will), Morgan will be a little more satisfied with his role and probably not leave. If Morgan has delusions of grandeur, though, he will leave because Josh Smith is coming in.
If Morgan truly has delusions of grandeur after how poorly he has done, well, he deserves to transfer and give someone with a brain an opportunity at his scholie. I'm hoping that's not the case. I have always sorta felt he's gotten more abuse than he actually deserved.