Despite veteran forward Markieff Morris wanting to return, the Heat have been unwilling to clear him and are concerned about potential liability issues, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Morris will miss his 44th consecutive game on Saturday and hasn’t played since November 8, when Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic blindsided him with an intentional hit from behind. The hit came after Morris’ hard foul on Jokic, and both players were ejected from the game.
Morris dealt with neck pain after the contact and was diagnosed with whiplash. The Heat recently changed his status to out due to “return to competitive conditioning,” but no further details have been provided. The 32-year-old has only appeared in 10 games since signing with the club in August.
As Jackson and Chiang note, Morris also missed six weeks in 2019 after being diagnosed with transient cervical neurapraxia (neck injury). With the veteran’s future unclear, Jackson and Chiang speculate that Miami could look to acquire another power forward ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.
Morris took to social media on January 6 to address Jokic and his injury, writing, “Ain’t sh– wild about it! It’s a real injury! Imagine having a 300 pound sloppy fat boy run full speed and make direct contact with your spine! I’ll be back soon like I said.”
Morris, a 10-year NBA veteran, entered the season holding career-averages of 11 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24.9 minutes per game. Miami currently doesn’t have a backup power forward behind P.J. Tucker, who also signed with the team last offseason.
Would be great if Paul millsap could find his way here but I don’t think nets will let that happen
Maybe next time think twice before you try to punk out a dude who can crush you, and then turn your back afterwards. It’s a shame he has whiplash and missed this much time, but it’s a consequence of his own actions really.
Yes, if you try to punk people out, they definitely have the right to hit you from behind.
We all know this.
Don’t turn your back son
Kinda hard not to when you’re playing basketball dad.
Tough neighborhood lol
In this case the “turn your back” was a bit disrespectful, and possibly an attempt to manipulate the refs with a “what’d I do” act. So, I lose empathy.
Agreed. Jokic’s hit was dirty, but it’s not like Morris’ foul was textbook clean either. I don’t know how chippy the game might’ve been during the first 45 minutes, but the Heat were down 17 with two minutes left and Morris basically hip checked Jokic because of a perceived no call on the other end. That’s not a basketball play by Morris and not how you try to stop a fast break. You’d do that by trying to wrap Jokic up or go for some sort of blatant reach in foul.
Morris didn’t punk out Jokic. Yes he did a hard foul but Jokic shouldn’t have pushed him from behind he could’ve ended his career. Jokic smacked Bam in the face, and then after Morris defends Bam with a hard foul, he body checks Morris from behind?? Crazy that Joker got 1 game for a cheap shot that sidelined Morris for 40.
If Morris did to Jokic what Jokic did to Morris, he’d be suspended…what, forever?
@styles
He did a hard foul while dude was in the air. Also, no one suspected the injury Mirrors has would cost him this many games and that’s not how penalties are even supposed to work.
You are kidding right?
Didn’t Morris elbow him as they were crossing paths at mid court? Which is why Jokic shoulder tackled/big hit sticked him hard onto the hardwood?
300 pound sloppy fat boy is probably the best Jokic nickname yet.
Mr Morris you must be the biggest bum ever in the league… ’cause I can tell you that 300 pound sloppy fat boy is on his way to be the GOAT!!! Take that dude!
Somebody should hit Jokeic in the back with the same force he hit Morris with
It’s funny you say someone should do to Jokic what he did to Morris yet he was only doing what Morris did to him. It’s not Jokic’s fault Morris is softer than Cottonelle.
Wait till someone hits you in the back not expecting it and your neck whips back . So when you get hit dirty in the back, let me know how you feel. Then you make a stupid joke at the end . You and your four likes you all are just some Dumb punks
I’ll never hit anyone from the back when they don’t expect it unlike Morris. If he can’t handle the heat he needs to get out of the kitchen. Don’t play dirty then cry wolf when you get hit with a dirty shot. The joke was fire BTW. You calling people punks on the internet seems like a punk move. Go get to know your father.
Morris is a HUGE CRY BABY from day one. Hey Markieff don’t want to get you clock cleaned stop playing DIRTY like you have your entire career. You got what u had coming
Exactly, one of the dirtiest players crying over a dirty play. GTFO.
100% agreed
It’s mind boggling how soft the NBA has become. I wouldn’t call Morris “dirty” by 80-90’s standards but I get it. That being said, Morros needs to shut up. Being a real “physical” player needs to be able to take it as well as he gets it. That’s like a Rodman, Oakley or Lambier type of guy complaining because Jordan hit them back too hard. Put your palm to your sack, squeeze and make sure you still have two because your being very whiny right now.
It’s not really that mind boggling at all. The level of skill is so much higher that players can’t get away with their only game being how much they can hurt someone.
This is serious though! Jokic gives this guy a bad neck injury with a clearly purposeful and hard hit. I had no idea Morris was still out . . . NOTHING could have warranted that hit.
I agree. Jokic should get suspended for a bit . You can’t throw a baby fit when you get upset and then hurt someone. If he was tough he would of turned Morris around instead of a cheap shot . Neck injury’s are scary