I'm on the Moreland band wagon. Are you?

[ockingsfan]

This is interesting, hadn't thought about this:

https://twitter.com/EricPincus/status/491276833074061312

We didn't offer Collison the entire MLE - we kept a slice so that we could offer a rookie a deal that is longer than two years (the minimum contract exception allows for only two years). Thus we could do a deal with Moreland with unguaranteed money for three years, then have full Bird Rights to keep him around if he earns his keep.

Hopefully this is PDA thinking 3 or 4 steps ahead. In the article posted on the "Official Sign Eric Moreland" thread, Moreland said that the Kings told him he had first round talent, but slipped because of his team suspension.

Hopefully PDA was saving this rookie exception to sign Moreland to a three year deal with team options, similar to 2nd round picks like IT's contract, that way we keep his Bird rights.

 

[Gilles]

I don't want Moreland to add too much weight. Part of the reason he's been so effective in summer league is that he's very mobile. He's beating guards down the court and hustling his way to rebounds which are out of his area. Sure he's going to need to get stronger in his lower body to hold position in the post, but we don't need to make him into something he's not either. His mobility is probably his greatest asset right now. He doesn't have dominant size or length but he can beat guys to spots. Like any rookie he's going to be able to work on his body once he gets into a professional working environment with a full-time trainer and state of the art weight room. I'm not really worried about it. Like most rookies he'll be a little bit outclassed this season physically, but over a couple years he'll catch up.

He should put on as much weight as he can. Since he has such a weak lower body, adding muscle to legs will at least not diminish his current quickness.

 

[VF21]

He should put on as much weight as he can. Since he has such a weak lower body, adding muscle to legs will at least not diminish his current quickness.

I think I'll just let the professional trainers and others decide how much weight Moreland should add for maximum efficiency, I've seen players bulk up and lose their quickness, etc. Putting on "as much weight as he can" just might be the worst thing he could do.

Keon Clark was 6'11" and had a reported weight of 220 lbs.

 

[HereWeBoogie]

Anthony Davis is very skinny, he's pretty effective in the NBA

 

[pshn80]

No, I'm just being realistic. Love what I've seen in SL, but 224 is not NBA big man sized. Maybe its Yogi Stewart sized, or Justin Williams sized, but needs to put on a little bulk to make it at least practical to have him checking Blake Griffin or Kevin Love. Reggie might snap him in two during practice and use the legs for toothpicks.

Understand. Got your message. I knew the term "shot blocker" was never enough. What term or terns would you use to describe this person we should have?

 

[Hallama]

Does anybody know if Oregon St. played mostly zone or man-to-man on defense the last couple of seasons with Moreland?

Seems like his shot blocking numbers are improving in SL, and that's almost all m-2-m.

 

[LA King Fan II]

Speaking of Oregon State....Jared Cunningham has not looked that far away from being an NBA player himself. Solid IMO. This is not to say that McCallum has not done a good job.

As nasty as Brooks is offensively, he makes a lot of mistakes on defense and simply doesn't share the ball. Cunningham is steadier in a lot of departments. I can see why the Kings brought him up last year.

 

[The_Jamal]

Anthony Davis is very skinny, he's pretty effective in the NBA

Quickness, length, and athleticism matter more at the PF position nowadays. TBH, the only PF in the NBA who is soley a low-post presence anymore is Zach Randolph. All the top guys have a face-up game and are more comfortable out on the perimeter than they are banging down low inside.

Tonight VS Houston is a great example playing Dmo. The PF position has A LOT more D-Mo types than they do the ZBO types

 

[Prog]

I'll just say it. I don't want to wait until camp and risk losing Moreland to another team. I want the Kings to sign him now. Not much risk in giving him a minimum rookie contract, and I'm sure he'll take it (given that he wasn't even drafted). In the same vein, I don't want to "stash" him in the D-League. I want him to play next season next to Cousins (even if in limited minutes). If it doesn't work and he's indeed too raw or too skinny, the Kings can send him to Reno. I just want to see at least 1 (one) player on the roster next season who actually cares about D and even takes pride in his defensive abilities.

 

[CurseOfTheSalmons]

i'm on the bandwagon.

 

[funkykingston]

Does anybody know if Oregon St. played mostly zone or man-to-man on defense the last couple of seasons with Moreland?

Seems like his shot blocking numbers are improving in SL, and that's almost all m-2-m.

The recently fired Craig Robinson (not to be confused with master thespian and star of "The Office" and "Hot Tub Time Machine" Craig Robinson) played at Princeton under Coachie and has always been a proponent of the Princeton offense and the 1-3-1 zone.

Last year I know they played some 2-3 as well. How much man-to-man vs zone I have no idea since the only full game I watched from them last year was the lost to my Cal Bears. But my understanding was that they mixed up their D a fair amount. For what it's worth Moreland had a pretty solid game against Berkeley. Double double I think with a couple blocks.

 

[bajaden]

I think you can over think this thing. Moreland is a good rebounder and a good shotblocker. Or at least he was at Oregon St., and has proven to be in summer league. So sign him to a three year, basically unguaranteed contract and be done with it. He either works out or he doesn't. I don't see anyone else around that resembles a shotblocker that we can obtain, so what's the problem? The kid has never been on an NBA strength program. He'll get stronger. He went up against players in summer league that were taller and outweighed him, and he still blocked their shots, and out rebounded them. So lets see if he can do it in the NBA. The only difference between him and Larry Sanders coming out of college is that Sanders is about an inch taller, and has a little longer reach. But their body type and weight are almost the same. He comes a lot cheaper than Sanders.

 

[VF21]

Note: The portion of this thread discussing the qualities our needed shot-blocking big should have has been split off into its own thread. That way, if Moreland isn't signed to the Kings the discussion can continue without be mixed in with the Moreland-specific stuff.

 

[bajaden]

The recently fired Craig Robinson (not to be confused with master thespian and star of "The Office" and "Hot Tub Time Machine" Craig Robinson) played at Princeton under Coachie and has always been a proponent of the Princeton offense and the 1-3-1 zone.

Last year I know they played some 2-3 as well. How much man-to-man vs zone I have no idea since the only full game I watched from them last year was the lost to my Cal Bears. But my understanding was that they mixed up their D a fair amount. For what it's worth Moreland had a pretty solid game against Berkeley. Double double I think with a couple blocks.

My memory is the same as yours. Man to man, and at times a two/three zone. I only saw them play twice, and to be honest, I was watching the other teams more. One was a loss to UCLA, and the other a win against Arizona St. I noticed him in the Arizona St. game because he had some outrageous amount of rebounds in the game. Something like 15 or 16 boards.

Like you, I tried to find out what the suspension was about, but to no avail. They've really kept it in house. His running mate Devin Collier was also suspended, but for just one game. So unless Moreland fesses up, I guess we'll never know.

 

[VF21]

My memory is the same as yours. Man to man, and at times a two/three zone. I only saw them play twice, and to be honest, I was watching the other teams more. One was a loss to UCLA, and the other a win against Arizona St. I noticed him in the Arizona St. game because he had some outrageous amount of rebounds in the game. Something like 15 or 16 boards.

Like you, I tried to find out what the suspension was about, but to no avail. They've really kept it in house. His running mate Devin Collier was also suspended, but for just one game. So unless Moreland fesses up, I guess we'll never know.

from http://www.buildingthedam.com/2013/8/10/4609444/oregon-st-basketball-suspensions-the-reasons-why

Two sources close to the Oregon State men's basketball team have told Building the Dam that the reasons starting forwards Eric Moreland and Devon Collier have been suspended from the team are for failing a drug test administered earlier this summer.

This was Moreland's second fail, the first one resulting in a three game suspension last January. As a result, he will sit a minimum of three games in the 2013-14 season, with options including a half of the season suspension on the table.


Collier will be out up to three games since it was only his first failed test. It has not been decided whether the suspensions will be served at the beginning of the season, or sometime later. With non-conference games already lined up at Maryland, at DePaul, and in Honolulu against Akron, the suspensions are certainly not ideal.

And then:

from http://www.buildingthedam.com/2014/1/1/5265268/eric-moreland-suspension-lifted-early

Late this evening, Oregon St. head coach Craig Robinson has lifted the suspension levied last summer against forward Eric Moreland.

Moreland was originally suspended from game participation until the start of winter term, which doesn't begin until Monday, for repeated unspecified violations of unspecified team rules.


That would have kept Moreland, who has been practicing with the team all fall and so far this season, on the bench for this weekend's Rocky Mt. road trip, which begins tomorrow night at Colorado, and also includes a stop off on the way home in Salt Lake City for a Saturday afternoon game against Utah.

 

[miltonap]

If PDA doesn't sign Moreland, I'd be so pissed. He's cheap, has the right attitude, and provides something we desperately need.

If we don't sign him, I honestly think I'd be done with this front office. I know that sounds dramatic, but it would be soooo stupid. I don't think I would be able to handle it

 

[gunks]

No, I'm just being realistic. Love what I've seen in SL, but 224 is not NBA big man sized. Maybe its Yogi Stewart sized, or Justin Williams sized, but needs to put on a little bulk to make it at least practical to have him checking Blake Griffin or Kevin Love. Reggie might snap him in two during practice and use the legs for toothpicks.

I'm just playing man.

I do agree with those saying that Moreland isnt that far off from a decent NBA playing weight though. He gets up to 235, and though he's still skinny and not a banger, he's a decent size for his role. Shot blocker sized. We dont need him to bang with the brutes, we just need him to keep those guards and wings out of the paint with help side defense.

 

[hrdboild]

Maybe we should just send Moreland to Florida for the rest of the summer. Remember what Chris Walker looked like 4 months ago?

Here's what he looks like now:

 

[SacKings123]

Maybe we should just send Moreland to Florida for the rest of the summer. Remember what Chris Walker looked like 4 months ago?

Here's what he looks like now:

WOAH! This is the exact same thing Florida did to Patrick Young. They have a great program down in Florida on getting their players conditioned

 

[kingsboi]

You know what type of program they put Chris Walker on? to me it seems like a 5x5 strength training routine. Heavy lifts, low repetitions, strength accumulates massively when doing this program properly.

 

[Tetsujin]

He could always go on the Shawn Kemp diet

 

[Fear the Putin]

just throwing this out here, but Bill Russell was at one point 215, but played around 225

Kareem came in at 228.
Moreland is 22. He can easily get up to 240.

 

[ockingsfan]

I expect to hear that the Kings signed Eric Moreland to a 3 year Rookie contract tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest.

If we do not hear about the signing this week, I firmly believe that PDA and Vivek dropped the ball and Moreland will find a NBA home elsewhere very soon.

PDA needs to get the 3 year NBA rookie contract done ASAP. Moreland is a low risk- high reward player and needs to be signed ASAP.

Get it done PDA and Vivek!

 

[Tetsujin]

just throwing this out here, but Bill Russell was at one point 215, but played around 225

Kareem came in at 228.
Moreland is 22. He can easily get up to 240.

Different eras. You can't really compare them at all.

 

[Bricklayer]

just throwing this out here, but Bill Russell was at one point 215, but played around 225

Kareem came in at 228.
Moreland is 22. He can easily get up to 240.

Slightly different era.

People should not be arguing this one. Its not arguable. And there is no point in arguing it other than consciously wanting to be head in the clouds about it. You don't overly worry about kids not having enough weight, but its not because that's cool, they'll do fine without it. Its because they normally will fill out to an acceptable weight. The ones who don't are likely to underachieve. We just need to sign Moreland to some sort of deal so we can call him ours -- and unfortunately he was good enough in SL I could see some other teams actually competing with us for that honor -- and then after he's signed, get him on weight program to add 10-15lbs of muscle. He can still be on the skinny side, he just can't go out there looking like somebody's kid brother.

Here are the listed sizes of the starting frontlines of the WC teams:

POR
Lopez 7'0" 255lbs
Aldridge 6'11" 240lbs
GSW
Bogut 7'0" 260lbs
Lee 6'9" 240lbs
LAC
Jordan 6'11" 265lbs
Griffin 6'10" 251lbs
LAL
Hill 6'10" 235lbs
Boozer/Randle 6'9" 266lbs/250lbs
PHX
Plumlee 6'11" 255lbs
Morris 6'9" 240lbs
UTH
Favors 6'10" 268lbs
Kanter 6'11" 247lbs

etc. Moreland is 6'10" 224 or so. There is no point in belaboring the stats there. how about everybody just be rational and say, yep, dynamic kid with real potential, but needs to add 15 lbs to get up into NBA level weight ranges? Its just a fact, and its hardly an attack on anything except the idea that Moreland could walk into the NBA at 224 and not get broken like a toothpick. He showed dynamic potential, now he just needs to go work on his body like so many other kids with potential have to. Its a grown man's league. I've known 5'10" guys who weighed 225 without being obese. You get a foot taller, you need some more meat on your bones or Bogut will break your ribs with a nicely timed elbow.

 

[VF21]

Moreland is 6'10" 224 or so. There is no point in belaboring the stats there. how about everybody just be rational and say, yep, dynamic kid with real potential, but needs to add 15 lbs to get up into NBA level weight ranges? Its just a fact, and its hardly an attack on anything except the idea that Moreland could walk into the NBA at 224 and not get broken like a toothpick. He showed dynamic potential, now he just needs to go work on his body like so many other kids with potential have to. Its a grown man's league. I've known 5'10" guys who weighed 225 without being obese. You get a foot taller, you need some more meat on your bones or Bogut will break your ribs with a nicely timed elbow.

Not to be contrary, but Keon Clark never got broken like a toothpick. Just sayin'...

 

[KingMilz]

If this kid is not signed there needs to be a riot

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Not to be contrary, but Keon Clark never got broken like a toothpick. Just sayin'...

Clark also played in a different era: back then, practically everybody but Shaq was a toothpick.

 

[sdballer]

Not to be contrary, but Keon Clark never got broken like a toothpick. Just sayin'...

Speaking of Keon, had to be one the biggest sell low trades of all time. We moved him plus 2 2nd rounders for a 2nd round pick. Less than a year later and only 2 games in a Jazz jersey, he was moved for Tom Gugliotta's big expiring salary plus 2 1st rounders (one which became Gordon Hayward).

 

[VF21]

Clark also played in a different era: back then, practically everybody but Shaq was a toothpick.

Webber, Malone, Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire, Ostertag, Ilguaskas, etc.