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December 28, 2008
Morrison struggles to find time
Adam Morrison's recent circumstances – the guy has not played in three of the past five games and totaled 12 minutes in the other two – had me flipping through an NBA draft guide.
I wondered the last time a top-3 pick was this irrelevant.
The Bobcats chose Morrison third overall in the 2006 draft. Keep in mind that was destined to be a weak draft because it was the first one where U.S. high-school seniors were barred from turning pro. Also keep in mind that Morrison missed his entire second season, due to a knee injury.
On the other hand, the Bobcats passed over Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay to select Morrison.
Oops.
Morrison is a non-factor on this team, and that has nothing to do with missing last season. Coach Larry Brown has played Matt Carroll ahead of Morrison of late, and while Carroll doesn't play much (or particularly well), he offers a slightly wider skill spectrum than Morrison.
More than one person who's worked with Larry Brown cautioned me Morrison wouldn't work out here. Adam simply can't cover the court Brown expects of his wings defensively, and he's not dynamic enough offensively to force Brown to overlook his liabilities.
I was shocked when the Bobcats exercised the option on Morrison, at a cost of $5.2 million guaranteed. There was a technical incentive for doing that – under the collective bargaining agreement, it would have been problematic to trade Morrison without adding next season to his rookie-scale deal – but it still looks bizarre to add to the Bobcats' financial obligation for this pick.
That winds me back to the original question: When was the last time a team chose a player this high, and got so little return?
If you extract the cataclysmic injuries – Jay Williams and Darius Miles – you probably have to go back to either Darko Milicic (No. 2 in 2003) or Kwame Brown (top pick in 2001).
Milicic starts in Memphis, so I guess Brown was the bigger bust. And who chose Brown in Washington?
Oooh. Michael Jordan. The same guy in charge when the Bobcats chose Morrison five years later.
Posted by Observer Sports on December 28, 2008 at 03:40 PM | Permalink
Comments
I've seen him out in charlotte, riding around in his car and smoking his cigars. Thats why he sucks, a diabetic that smokes..... so in control of his health.
Posted by: jay | Dec 28, 2008 4:08:31 PM
Carroll does have a "wider skill spectrum". But he can be described as a significantly better athlete than Morrison, too. He moves better, AND he's stronger.
Morrison has a much prettier shot, but it's still not effective enough.
Posted by: DeLaQuest | Dec 28, 2008 4:51:13 PM
"Cigars"
Well, they may LOOK like cigars, but they ain't exactly store-bought.....
Posted by: scratchy1 | Dec 28, 2008 4:52:13 PM
big... slow... played basketball in that great college basketball Mecca of the Pacific Northwest...what the %#@*% did you think he was going to do? There is a reason he did not play college ball in...oh, I don't know...the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, or ACC. I don't know, but I'd bet a beer he played high school ball in some private school haven for kids not tough enough or good enough to play in a public school system... Just saying...
Posted by: Jim Shortz | Dec 28, 2008 4:53:12 PM
I guess we could get into the woulda-coulda-shoulda of drafting Brandon Roy when we desperately needed a true shooting guard who could also handle some of Felton's playmaking responsibities, but that has been beaten to death already.
It's just sad and I hope that Morrison can find a place in the league.
On a brighter note, Okafor is fine, DJ looks good if he can handle the wear-and-tear, and the 2007 draft eventually yielded Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean Singletary. You win some and lose some.
Posted by: DeLaQuest | Dec 28, 2008 4:56:19 PM
DeLaQuest said: "the 2007 draft eventually yielded Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean Singletary."
Well, that makes me feel a little better about the trade. It doesn't sound quite as bad when you put it that way.
Posted by: Will | Dec 28, 2008 4:59:41 PM
It strikes me Al Horford isn't a much better player...he just gets more minutes. The same is true of Andrea Barnani. Morrison would be a fine player (not an All-Star, but a decent rotational scorer) if he were used properly. Further, to suggest that a torn ACL for a player who already struggled in the departments of speed and agility isn't a "catastrophic injury" seems a bit disingenuous to me.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Dec 28, 2008 5:03:02 PM
I'll give Michael this:
In both drafts, other teams were lined up to make the Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison mistake too. It's not like he pulled those guys from out of nowhere.
Morrison had like 5 decent regular season opponents in his senior year. And he did pretty darn well against them. But 5 games does not a season make. It's about ENDURING, game after game, at a high level.
This should be a cautionary tale against drafting NO-NBA-POSITION Stephen Curry. He can take at least 20 nights off a year with a Southern Conference schedule mixed in. No wonder he has a lot in the tank for the few decent opponents he faces.
On the flip side, Eastern Washington's Rodney Stuckey was doing fine the last I checked. But he has the complete physical package for a combo guard. Curry and Morrion are both mid-major stars with serious physical question marks that can be exposed in the NBA.
Posted by: DeLaQuest | Dec 28, 2008 5:06:19 PM
I remember him crying his eyes out after Gonzaga choked against UCLA during March Madness a few years ago. He's soft, frustrates easily and I too beleieve those are funny cigars he's puffing on...A zero personality who doesn't know what charisma is or probably can't spell it either...
The ads in Charlotte that showed everyone in Charlotte sporting mustaches were pathetic as is Adam's performance in the NBA...I hope he makes it in Europe, but he is not going to make it in the NBA...at least not with the Larry Brown Bobcats....
Posted by: Dave Kempert | Dec 28, 2008 5:09:40 PM
Mr. Bonnell, this blog just sounds like an attempt to throw MJ under the bus.
There are several other GMs that would have made the same decisions.
Posted by: Yeah? | Dec 28, 2008 5:13:02 PM
Dude Procton couldn't be more wrong about Al Horford... The dude is a stud on a playoff bound team and knows what the word defense means while, per minute, Morrison is one of the most unproductive players in the entire league... Wow that was the dumbest thing I've read here in a while.
Posted by: Nick | Dec 28, 2008 5:13:42 PM
It's evident that the Bobcats picked Morrison to appease part of the fan base who was clamoring for a less "darker" player. Well, they got their wish and now look at them. And these are the same fans that really don't support the team and probably only attend games on Saturday nights when the team is playing either the Celtics or the Lakers. I knew the dude couldn't play back during his rookie season. Nice guy but the dude can't play. Period point blank. And Carroll is a better player. Hopefully, Bobcats management will learn from this and draft based on need and talent and not on the whims of fans. Nor draft a player based on the fact that they may have attended a regional satellite school in the triangle area.
Posted by: chobowo1 | Dec 28, 2008 5:17:24 PM
Shortz, you're wrong. Morrison played in the 4A division (for the biggest schools) of Washington state's public schools. I'll take that beer any time you want.
He wasn't a highly rated prospect (3 star/#26 SG/#178 overall), but part of that had to do with the fact that he committed the April before his senior year. Due to that, the major leagues never got a chance to recruit him and give him the subsequent prospect boost that comes with it, despite his record as a big-time scorer (his 27.7 PPG his senior year set a conference record, and he's 3rd all-time in scoring for the state.)
DLQ, there's a difference in acquiring a young player with low cost and a D-League player (Singletary), an over-the-hill "stopper" who can't stop anybody (Bell), and an inconsistent PF who's paid nearly as much as Wallace (Diaw.)
Posted by: Michael Procton | Dec 28, 2008 5:21:07 PM
I don't think there is a significant fan base "clamoring" for a "less darker" player. Morrison was visually unique, looking like a 70's rock star with his hair, skinny build, and goofy stash--and yes, being white was PART of that. There was also the mystique of him being the top scorer in college basketball when we desperately needed a scorer. It helped sell a few extra tickets for while. But we all know that winning is the ultimate seller.
Posted by: DeLaQuest | Dec 28, 2008 5:32:50 PM
Nick, what defines "stud" for you? Horford's 15.6 pts/48 are significantly fewer than Morrison's 18.4/48. As bad as I always read Morrison's defense is, his 3.73 PF/48 is significantly lower than Horford's 4.80/48. Also, he's got fewer TOs despite having more ASTs and handling the ball more often. Any player can rack up stats if they're given enough minutes. Look at Felton.
chobow, you're wrong. He wasn't drafted because he was white. He was drafted because we needed a go-to scorer and Jordan though he could be it. Gay was seen as a raw player who had never shown the ability to be a killer scorer at UConn, maxing out at only 15 PPG, and Brandon Roy was hardly seen as a can't miss prospect either, called in one guide "a more talented Doug Christie." ( http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?playerId=18898&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnbadraft%2fdraft%2ftracker%2fplayer%3fplayerId%3d18898 ) Morrison, on the other hand, was seen as an NBA-ready scorer (if not defender) who could step in for a Bobcats team and put the ball in the basket as they needed. The lack of support from the fanbase starting day one couldn't have helped either. When he was healthy his rookie year, he played much better on the road than at home, when a first missed shot would elicit a chorus of boos. The guy will be decent some day, but apparently it won't be here.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Dec 28, 2008 5:34:25 PM
Procton,
I know the difference. But it is hard to argue with what Diaw is doing for this team. He's only 26, and we are 4-4 with him. I'll take .500 ball from here on out. That's a serious improvement.
Posted by: DeLaQuest | Dec 28, 2008 5:35:18 PM
Picking Adam Morrison over Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay was a mistake. However, selecting Sean May over Danny Granger was an even bigger mistake.
Posted by: BravesAllTheWay | Dec 28, 2008 5:51:31 PM
Its funny when you are talking about something good the cats did you always say management. But when it is bad it is mj.
Posted by: afan | Dec 28, 2008 6:02:48 PM
Picking May over Danny was done by his boy. So don't hold your breath waiting for Bonnell to call out that person.
Posted by: afan | Dec 28, 2008 6:06:47 PM
Yes, BATW...many were calling Morrison a potential All-Star based on his scoring ability alone, and the consensus was that he'd be a quality starter at the minimum. May, on the other hand, was ALWAYS out of shape in college and had known injury issues. That was a sad ticket sales grab out of the Bobcats when we needed to focus on nothing but on-court performance, and we're paying for it to this day. Maybe, though, May will be lucky enough to snag a non-guaranteed contract and make it into somebody's camp next year. That is, if he doesn't find himself eaten to death on his toilet seat between now and then.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Dec 28, 2008 6:10:46 PM
Not an issue with Morrison. This is the coaches call. Morrison worked well in the earlier part of the season and deserves more playing time. With the recent trades. Looks like the older players are not getting the playing time for the
"new" guys. Players such as May, Hollins, Carroll and Ajinca.
Posted by: par404 | Dec 28, 2008 6:24:46 PM
Adam should want to be traded since it seems as if he will not get the chance to play for Larry or improve his skills. Larry did the same thing when he coached the Sixers...he had outside shooters that sat the bench. Adam should demand a trade or get rid of the coach...the Bobcats will not make it with Larry! He is over-rated as a coach. Adam does have the talent to be successful in the NBA, however no player will be successful if a coach decides to not play him.
Posted by: Double D. | Dec 28, 2008 6:28:06 PM
I think bust is a strong word. Morrison is a disappointment, but this current system doesn't allow him to maximize his skill set. I was adamantly opposed to the Bobcats drafting Morrison because I knew he lacked the athleticism to play in the NBA. I think he would be a solid role player on a team that doesn't make defense a focal point. I hope that some team sees that and gives the Bobcats something for him in a trade.
Posted by: Token | Dec 28, 2008 6:34:46 PM
Morrison is not a disappointment...the Bobcats are!
Posted by: Double D. | Dec 28, 2008 6:42:18 PM
Morrison could be a productive player if given a consistent amount of playing time. Playing him for a couple games and them not getting him off the bench for four straight doesn't help him get better or prove anything. Adam is a rhythm shooter and its hard if your only getting ten-twelve minutes a game. Sure Gay and Roy look like better picks right now, but there in different situations. I always thought Morrison would of been better off going to Portland and Roy landing here but that's not how it worked out. Hopefully Morrison can get a good trade that works out for both and gives him the chance to make it. Lay off the man for his cigars.
Posted by: Patrick | Dec 28, 2008 6:47:56 PM
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