Adam Morrison Beware!!

Adam Morrison beware!!! After leaving Gonzaga early for the NBA Draft, the 6’8 forward busted his tail in pre-camp workouts to raise his draft stock, and it paid off. Going into Wednesday night there were rumors he could go number 1, when the Raptors passed on Morrison he did not fall far landing with the Charlotte Bobcats at the third pick. This is where Morrison must make his next decisions very carefully. The great Michal Jordan is the man who pulled the trigger to pickup Morrison for the Bobcats, and he may be the one to pull the trigger and end Morrison’s career.

Coming out of school there were a lot of knocks against Adam Morrison. The scouts felt he was not tough enough. He could not play defense. He did not use the full extent of his frame to mix it up inside and grab rebounds. Scouts thought Morrison was too slow and non-athletic to play at the top level, that he was able to mask is inconsistencies by playing lower ranked players. Finally people looked at Morrison’s diabetes stating that would keep him from being a successful player in the NBA.

To upstage all these critics Morrison went on a tour of the NBA team camps and mini-camps that would have made the Grateful Dead proud. Morrison contacted every team in the NBA and willingly went to their team workouts. Something that most top ranked stars are fearful of doing, least they may expose a weakness in their game will trying out. Not Morrison he laid it all out on the table for every GM and Scout in the league to see and it worked out. His stock rose and as a result he went third overall.

Now Adam Morrison is set to face an obstacle that may be greater than anything he was seen with Michal Jordan. During his tenure with the Wizards Jordan was anything but a success. Sure he was able to boast ticket sales by stepping onto the court one last time, but anyone who saw Jordan play during the 1990’s cringed as he missed dunks in the new century. In regards to his front office success in Washington look no farther than Kwame Brown. Yup, that was the number 1 pick in the draft chosen by Jordan. In a draft that included the Likes of Paul Gasol. Needless to say Brown’s career has gone the path of Sam Bowie rather than Tim Duncan.

It was not just poor draft picks that Jordan was responsible for. Jordan ran Rip Hamilton out of the District stating he would never be a player in the league. Two years later Hamilton put on the mask and was a key component in the Pistons Championship run, and continues to be a mainstay in their offense. The entire team that Jordan assembled in Washington has been dismantled with the exception of Brendon Haywood, who needs to leave. The only legacy Jordan left in Washington is the image of him driving off in his black Caddie with the Illinois plates in a heap of shame.

The same fire and intensity that made Jordan the greatest player of all time makes him the worse owner this side of Isaiah Thomas. During his stint in Washington' Jordan was a hands on manager. He was at practices and on the court working out with players even when he was not a member of the team. The competitive juices are too great to keep him away from the court. Once on the practice court Jordan is a terror. We have all heard the stories of his intensity carrying over onto the court and causing fights between himself and his teammates.

That sort of behavior can work when he was a superstar, and after he broke his teammates down he could lift the team onto his shoulders and carry them. When managing a team his tirades and attack on a player’s skill only break them down, and they are left with no one to pick them up. Not to say these players are soft, or not capable to mentally handling Jordan, but being beat down constantly by the greatest ever will crush a young player’s talent.

Adam Morrison will now be directly in the eye of Michal Jordan’s storm. Jordan is a big believer in his legacy and is fully aware of where it stands. He also knows how his legacy was damaged by the Kwame pick of a few years ago and he does not want to repeat that. So the pressure begins to mount on Morrison who Jordan will be watching with a close eye wanting to mold him into the next Larry Bird.

Jordan and Morrison could be a match made in heaven if Jordan is willing to understand that Morrison is not MJ, and he works to impart his knowledge of the game and his skills to the young star. Jordan and Morrison can also be a disaster. We have all seen how emotional Morrison is on the court. He has no problem showcasing whatever emotion he is feeling rather its fury, joy or tears of pain. While that may be his way of motivating himself, you can bet that Jordan will take full advantage of exploiting that during pre-camp workouts and the first time Morrison misses a game winner during the season.

The Bobcats could be a great fit for Adam Morrison. Okafur and the young kids from UNC who came in last year and now Morrison create a core of young players who can gain experience together and have potential to become a solid team in the Eastern Conference. Now lets just see if Papa Jordan can keep his hands off the team long enough to let them grow. Or will he soon be trading and shipping everyone out of town because they fail to live up to the Jordan Rules.