Know the Prospect: Morris Almond

by Seth on Jun 12, 2007 4:19 PM EDT in Draft Things

Though he comes from a smaller, less competitive school, Morris Almond might be one of the more promising offensive players in the draft.

The basics: Morris Almond is a 6'6'', 214 lb. shooting guard from Rice University. He is 22 years awesome and hails from Powder Springs, Georgia.
Almond led the way for the Owls this year, averaging 26.6 points, 6.6 boards, and 1.2 steals a game. He also shot .456% from downtown, .846% from the line and .483% from the field this season. I know it's not a very competitive team, but holy shit. Here's his player card
Also from the player card: Almond dropped 44 points and 12 boards on Vanderbilt in January. He also put 38 on North Texas and 35 on Southern Mississippi.
From Almond's DraftExpress.com profile, he sounds like a player who can shoot the hell out of the ball, get to the line, and play a little defense if need be. Click that link for the full scoop.
Also from Draft Express:
Comparisons:
Best Case: Matt Barnes
Worst Case: Devean George
Almond wears the number 22, which the Knicks have retired.
For some reason, I can never remember his name. I keep wanting to call him Morris Rice or Maurice Almond. I also can't think of a nickname for him. You'd think the Almond part would make it easy, but it doesn't. Mo' Nuts? I have no idea.
Videos:
Almond buries Central Florida

Almond talking after his Knicks workout (second one)

What I took from those videos: 1. Glen Davis is really weird. 2. It's Morris ALL-mond, and he doesn't look anything like Allan Houston.

The bottom line: I think this might be our guy. One glaring need last year was a bomber to take some attention away from Eddy Curry. It certainly seems like Almond is, at the very least, a good enough shooter to do just that. If we don't go the shot-blocking Chong Williams route, I'd say Almond, or someone like him, is the way to go. Stephon Marbury agrees.

What are your thoughts on Morris Almond? Let us know in the comments. Also, make sure to check out SML's latest prospect analysis on Nick Young of USC. Back later. Peace.

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Almond

Initially I didn't love Almond, but he's starting to look alright. He looks strong enough to play the 3.

I dunno about the Matt Barnes comparison tho. I'd say best case would have him as a poor man's Michael Finley. Maybe, Anthony Parker?

On a related note, Anthony Parker played for Maccabi Tel Aviv. It all comes full circle.

If Nick Young or Sean Williams were available, that would be a boon I think. Whatever, though, I trust Isiah's decision 100%. He's proven himself in the draft time and again.

by riise on Jun 12, 2007 7:38 PM EDT reply actions

Mo Nuts!

I like that. I was also going to go with the obvious future back page headline "Almond Joy", but Mo Nuts is a winner.

And I agree that he's a great pick if he's available. I put Sean "I was going to block this shot, but then I got high" Williams and Maurice Almond as the top two guys I like.

by stopmikelupica on Jun 12, 2007 11:49 PM EDT reply actions