Maurice Taylor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maurice Taylor
Position	Power forward
Height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Weight	265 lb (120 kg)
Team	Sacramento Kings
Nationality	United States
Born	October 30, 1976 Detroit, Michigan
College	Michigan
Draft	14^th overall, 1999 Los Angeles Clippers
Pro career	1997 – present
Former teams	Los Angeles Clippers (1997–2000) Houston Rockets (2000–2005) New York Knicks (2005–2006)
Awards	1997-98 Schick All-Rookie Second Team

Maurice De Shawn Taylor (born October 30, 1976 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American professional basketball player at the power forward position. He is currently signed with the NBA's Sacramento Kings^[1] after having his contract bought out by the New York Knicks on September 29, 2006.

1 College career
2 Professional career
3 Booster scandal
4 Personal
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] College career

Taylor attended the University of Michigan. The athletic forward, from Henry Ford High School in Detroit, burst onto the national scene during the 1994 Maui Invitational with fellow freshman Maceo Baston. He won Big Ten Freshman of the Year for the 1994-1995 season, averaging 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds and playing in the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore he averaged 14 points and 7 rebounds and was picked 2nd Team All-Big Ten. Off the court that year, Taylor was involved in a traffic accident while out with potential recruit Mateen Cleaves that left teammate Robert Traylor with a broken arm. After considering entering the NBA draft, Taylor returned to help lead a talented (if underachieving) Michigan team to the 1997 NIT Championship while averaging 12.3 points and 6.2 rebounds.

[edit] Professional career

In 1998, he was drafted 14th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. He signed with the Houston Rockets in 2001 and was then traded to the New York Knicks in 2005. He is currently signed with the Sacramento Kings.

Taylor is a big, semi-athletic and has a decent mid-range shooting touch. After starting his NBA career in a promising fashion, his numbers have slipped, and he has developed a reputation for being an underachiever. He averaged 17 points per game and 6.5 rebounds in the 1999-2000 NBA season, but now he is averaging about 6 points per game and 3.5 rebounds.

[edit] Booster scandal

Years after the completion of his college career, Taylor, along with several other Michigan stars, was accused of taking money from booster Ed Martin which somewhat tarnished his college achievements. Although Taylor cannot attend any Michigan home basketball games until 2012, he was in the stands in New York with another former Wolverine, Jalen Rose, to support the team during the 2006 NIT Final Four.