Why shouldn't we pick Morrison?

[BusBoyIsBack]

Diesel bashes Marvin Williams but he wants us to draft Adam Morrison? If you want to talk about being a poor defender, look no further than this guy who would be absolutely abused on the defensive end at any position.

On the offensive end, he can't even take college players off the dribble, so what the hell is he going to do in the NBA?

Add the fact that he doesn't fill any need and I'd say Diesel's threads are getting worse and worse.

[Lascar78]

I think his offense will carry through to the NBA. He's big, and is a flat out scorer. But he will never play good D. I want no part of him obviously

[BusBoyIsBack]

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I think his offense will carry through to the NBA. He's big, and is a flat out scorer. But he will never play good D. I want no part of him obviously

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I think someone said it best when they said best case scenario he's Dunleavy. This guy has no athleticism whatsoever for the NBA level. He doesn't have the speed to beat a man to a spot on the floor to consistently get an uncontested shot that he can make.

[Lascar78]

He doesn't need an uncontested shot to make it. If Morisson gets 30 minutes per game like Dunleavy gets, he will score a lot more than the 11 points Dunleavy gets you. If he gets 30 mpg, I would not be surprised at all if he put up 20ppg in his rookie year. The boy can score. The question is will he get minutes if he plays no D? On the right team, he could be a star. Not here though.

[BusBoyIsBack]

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He doesn't need an uncontested shot to make it. If Morisson gets 30 minutes per game like Dunleavy gets, he will score a lot more than the 11 points Dunleavy gets you. If he gets 30 mpg, I would not be surprised at all if he put up 20ppg in his rookie year. The boy can score. The question is will he get minutes if he plays no D? On the right team, he could be a star. Not here though.

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20 PPG his rookie year? Yeah maybe if he plays the Toronto Raptors for 82 games. You have to be kidding me with that number. This guy's game will transition to the next level better than Redick's but not THAT much better.

[Diesel]

My only concern is Morrison's health. If he is deemed healthy enough to complete an 82 game season, I think he will be a guy who can score and will have the fire to do everything else.

Secondly if Morrison is such a Horrible defender, why didn't anybody take advantage of him??

Let's pull some games up shall we?

Uconn Loss #1

in this game, note that the stars like Rudy Gay scored 10 points,

Washington Loss #2.

I would say that Morrison did everything humanly possible to win this one...

If you question his offense..

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"He's the best offensive basketball player since Carmelo Anthony," said Washington coach Lorenzo Romar, reciting recent college basketball history. "What do you do to stop him?"

The fans tried. Fate tried. Frantic Washington defenders tried, too.

The heckling of Morrison was as loud as it was constant. Batista, Gonzaga's second-leading scorer, was silenced for 8 minutes of the second half. He was on the bench with four fouls. Third-leading scorer Raivio had been out since midway through the first half after bruising his lower back in a collision with rugged Washington defender Bobby Jones, who spent the rest of his night with two hands in Morrison's face and often an elbow in his side.

Through it all, Morrison made 18 of 29 shots.

When Washington cut off his drives to the basket, Morrison stepped away for fall-away field goals. When the wide-eyed, cat-quick Washington defenders jumped out to challenge him defensively, he usually just soared over them.

"He made contested shots. He made uncontested shots," Washington's Jamaal Williams said after his 22 points, which led his team but were barely half of Morrison's total.

"You couldn't ask us to do anything else."

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Dunleavy Jr. wasn't a scorer at Duke. That's a racist joke right? Dunleavy Jr. wasn't as driven.

When Morrison played Memphis, it was 4 on 1 with 4 defenders trying to guard Morrison and he still put up 30 something points. And that's against one of the most athletic teams playing. I just think that too many people underestimate will. Morrison's will will cause him to be much better than his "athleticism" projects.

[Lascar78]

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20 PPG his rookie year? Yeah maybe if he plays the Toronto Raptors for 82 games. You have to be kidding me with that number. This guy's game will transition to the next level better than Redick's but not THAT much better.

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Why is that? Carmelo averaged 22 at syracuse, then went on to average 21 as a rookie in the pros. Morisson averaged 28 in college, with every other team focused exclusively on stopping him, but it's impossible for him to average 20 in the pros, even if he goes to the right situation? I don't see why. The man is a natural born scorer.

[Nicholasp27]

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I don't think there is any question that most GMs would take Morrison over Marvin or Smoove.

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lol

they would take that unknown vs someone like smoove who has shown to be a difference maker and is potentially capable of putting up 20/10/5/5 on any given night? smoove has proven himself and has potential

u just want us to take morrison so we can trade marvin

[Nicholasp27]

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If you're honest, you will admit that Aldridge won't be available when we pick.

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?

I didn't realize the lotto had been held already...if YOU were honest, you'd admit that we need to wait until the lottery to determine where we'll pick and what our options truly are

[Packfill]

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20 PPG his rookie year? Yeah maybe if he plays the Toronto Raptors for 82 games. You have to be kidding me with that number. This guy's game will transition to the next level better than Redick's but not THAT much better.

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Why is that? Carmelo averaged 22 at syracuse, then went on to average 21 as a rookie in the pros. Morisson averaged 28 in college, with every other team focused exclusively on stopping him, but it's impossible for him to average 20 in the pros, even if he goes to the right situation? I don't see why. The man is a natural born scorer.

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I think Carmelo is a good comparison to Morrison. Carmelo really is not that athletic by NBA standards. The big difference is Carmelo did that as a freshman so there was obvious room for growth. Not sure if Morrison will make the transition as well as Carmelo but don't think there is a huge athletic gap between the two. Plus Morrison definitely has a better, more consistent shot.

[Lascar78]

Yeah exactly. Honestly I don't expect him to be as good as Carmelo, he will play worse D, and he won't rebound as well. But he can be a great NBA scorer. He is pretty tall, has broad shoulders, and isn't going to get physically overmatched like a guy like Reddick might. He can shoot, he can attack the rim.

[Diesel]

I have no questions about his offensive abilities... and with the right situation, defense won't matter as much either. My question is health... Is it possible to compete at a high level in the NBA with Diabetes.. If it is, this guy is the best player in the draft. He has something that is hard to find on the stat sheet. Ultra competitive. That's why people like to compare him to Bird. I say that certain guys can overcome shortcomings because they are so damn competitive. What was said about Morrison was that not only is he ultra competitive, but he also has a mean streak... SHADES of JORDAN!!

[Lascar78]

He won't have all of bird's intangibles, but he will be a flat out scorer, and he is indeed competitive. No clue about his health as he's not coming here so I'm not reading about him.

[Diesel]

What exactly are "Bird's intangible"?.. and I guess more importantly, what caused those intangibles?

[gsuteke]

Morrison's a good player. also the #1 thing he brings to the table is what the Hawks need the most.... the burning desire to win no matter the cost. this team just doesn't have it.

unfortunately Billy's poor drafting (IMO) has cornered us into not being able to even look at the guy.

[AHF]

Being a diabetic, I'll offer my $.02 and opine that the diabetes is a concern that is entirely dependent on the a player's discipline. From what I have read, Morrison is very disciplined in his diet. If he continues to control his blood sugar as he has done in the past, the diabetes should not be very much of a concern. If he gets lazy, then you will have to start worrying more about it affecting his athletic performance. I would weigh it as a minor factor given what I have read about his routine (and would not even put it in the same ballpark as concerns over someone's back like with Okafor, etc.).

[cyman3]

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I say that certain guys can overcome shortcomings because they are so damn competitive.

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i agree, theres some players who are UNATHLETIC, CANT SHOOT, TOO SMALL, etc and yet they have GREAT NBA CAREERS b/c they are so damn competitive.

you gotta love that!

i personally think Morrison

* best case scenario- allstars games left and right. almost a regular.

* worst case scenario- great role player starting at SG/SF.

[Packfill]

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Morrison's a good player. also the #1 thing he brings to the table is what the Hawks need the most.... the burning desire to win no matter the cost. this team just doesn't have it.

unfortunately Billy's poor drafting (IMO) has cornered us into not being able to even look at the guy.

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The funny thing is that some of the people that bash Morrison are the same people who think Bargnani should be the pick. The thing is, neither is a great athlete by NBA standards and other then a few inches in height, they are similar players with similar skills.

I would happily take the shorter player if he plays with heart over the taller guy that does not play with heart. Not saying Bargnani does not have heart - impossible to tell from the limited exposure most of us have of his game - but just something to think about.

[Buzzard]

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personally think Morrison

* best case scenario- allstars games left and right. almost a regular.

* worst case scenario- great role player starting at SG/SF.

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I agree. Morrisons upside is near that of a Redd and his bust factor is probably in line with Mike Miller.

I don't want him though. Give me a big or guard with similar upside vs downside potential...

[Traceman]

Morrison and Thomas to take Morrison over Thomas if both are available when we pick (although I do think Morrison will be the better NBA player NEXT year). However, BK might see it differently. He might think there is a big gap between the two and as our GM who gets paid to evaluate talent, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt if he decides to go with Morrison.

Last year, I didn't think there was a big enough gap between Marvin and Paul to pick Marvin over Paul but obviously BK did and I supported (and still support) BK's decision. Time will tell if BK was right. I sure hope he was.

Bottom line, I am willing to give BK at least two more off seasons (this one and next) to put this team in place. By that time, Smoove and Chillz will be going into their fourth seasons and Marvin inot his 3rd. If BK is doing his job, we should be ready to be very competitive by then (playoffs at least). If we aren't, I think it is time to look in a different direction.