The Sadness That is Adam Morrison

Cantrell:
I said that I may be wrong when I wrote that, but I wss just trying to point out something I’ve witnessed going all the way back to when I played high school ball, or even in just a summer tournaments. We’ve all seen the kid who kills in the meaningless pick-up games but on the high school court in front of a packed gym becomes half the player that he is in the park. Why does one kid win the battle of the nerves and the next one lose it? Or how about the special ones who thrive under the pressure and seem to get even better as a result of it!? By suggesting that it may just be in the genes was just a theory to try and explain why some are overcome by the pressure, and some are not.
Disagreeing with me is all cool. But coming at me disrespectfully ain’t necessary.

Russ I coached in a 11-13 youth league, recruited this streetpark hotshot to my team, first game of the REC LEAGUE tourney this kid walks into the gym, sees about 30 people(mostly parents n grandmas)and he freaks out! Total meltdown. Had never seen anything like it before or ever again and I worked in a psyche ward. Kid was shaking n flopping around bawling.

Adam Morrison is a very skilled basketball player. hes just not that athletic and tried to play in a league where athleticism trumps skill every time.

Kid needs to go to europe and destroy Euroleague and become europes larry bird. There will never be another larry bird cos Bird never had the athleticism to hang in todays L.

Its a truth that the ultimate success or failure of any individual in any individual pursuit is ultimately up to the individual and how he handles the individual challenges/obstacles that are hurled his way. That being said, I have to ask why no one has commented on the unrealistic expectation that was put on yet another otherwise solid player by (The greatest ever) drafting them too high. I often ask the question if we would consider Kwame Brown, Okafour and now Morrison underachievers if Jordan or some other GM had drafted them in the 2nd round? (Humm… I don’t know…I’m just askin’). And before someone reads this and thinks I’m another Jordan Hater- stop it. For the record, in my mind MJ was, is and will always be “That Dude!”, but i pray he’s a better owner than GM.

Unfortunately, Adam genetically inherited a low amount of nuerotransmitters that when in abundance will give you confidence. This is science–this is fact. People with anxiety will literally freeze up when under pressure. Weed will only help in the short term. Adam, you need to get on some good anit-depressants or some natural supplements. Europe would be a good thing. C’mon, you still want to play and compete–you didn’t do it for the money. Stop sulking. Ignore the press & go out and do what you love!

“he just doesn’t have a killer instinct and he’s a bit too thin-skinned”

“I dont think his mindset was ther for the nba”

“Why does one kid win the battle of the nerves and the next one lose it? Or how about the special ones who thrive under the pressure and seem to get even better as a result of it?”

@dfrance

Morrisons problems have EVERYTHING to do with stagefright.
Hmm, lets see. Looks down when he speaks, avoids eye contact, often has hair covering his eyes…the guy is shy and introverted. People like this often suffer from anxiety and or depression. Doesn’t take a shrink to know that 90% of his problems are from a lack of confidence. At Gonzaga he was surrounded by his home town along with friends and a town that loved him. The expectations of his draft pick & hte NBA were overwhelming. He probably wants to “hang ‘er up” to get out of the spotlight. He wants some peace. I hope he goes to Europe and plays the game he loves and maybe gets soem confidence back.

I would suspect the people writing this garbage never played a minute in any sport and if they did it was at the end of the game and they were at the end of the bench. Kid played well in college just was not cut out to play pro. Compare your record with his you sit in front of a TV and drink cheap beer he’s at the arena watching from the floor.

thats revisionist history about jj, dude was almost waived and was being shopped. He vastly improved his game, but it def wasnt because they were running plays for him.

I watched Adam Morrison during his college years. He excelled because somebody–Mark Few–believed in him. He’s been treated so poorly by what I used to consider sport fans. I still follow his career, and I hope he revives his inherent basketball and life skills.

Larry Brown is tough and he shouldn’t have been drafted that high. Expectations were too much. He would’ve been good coming of the bench perhaps. His confidence was crushed and he never recovered. Reminds me of Joey Harrington in that regard.

Gonzaga has only produced one top NBA player and that was before Mark Few began coaching. Calvary, Denkau, Turioff, Morrison all were unprepared for the NBA. Turioff is still in the league but he plays 10 minutes a game.

Adam Morrison ripped through competition on the high school level. A-mo was the best college best player in the country his last year at gonzaga. As a freshman he came in his first game at MSG (Madison square garden for those none ball fans) against what would become the number one team in the country, st. Joes (with jameer Nelson and delonte west in there back court) and put up a solid 15 points. He averaged 11 points that season with a very talented zags team that only fell in regukar season to st joes and standford (both ranked 1 that year). In his final yr as a zag He proved in Maui he could score and he proved the rest of the season that he was a winner. Not one single person in the country could stop him from scoring. This was apparent when the zags went head to head against in state rival Washington (then had Brandon Roy) and a mo still went for forty. Wha was a fairly weak draft class Adams skills did not transfer to the NBA Level. Why? We don’t know. MJ cursed as a owner, doubtful. Larry brown as a defensive minded coach, maybe. The awful bobcats where Morrison was expected to do so much, probably. He would have probably been great offnthe bench in the first season as a sixth man scorer, not as a superstar having to gaurd lebron at the 3. National runner up poy jj red dick turned out to be a fine scorer off the bench. What he did at gonzaga was unbelievable on perhaps the best zag team ever, and the won’t be forgotten a mo

Always been a fan of Adam Morrison since he came in to the NBA. Hope he gets back into basketball if that is what he wants to do. The way they play that outside catch and shoot game in the NBA seems to be made for him. He does not have to start but just come in and spark the offense from time to time by hitting some 3′s. He would have been good on that 2nd team of the Lakers but they never used him.