andI don't know what made me cringe more: Having to watch those two geeks singing that takeoff of the "Gilligan's Island" theme in that over-and-over Applebee's commercial -- or hearing analyst upon analyst invoke the name of Larry Bird when gushing about Morrison.
Poor Adam. He'll never be able to live up to this buildup. He'll have a hard enough time becoming the Next Peja, let alone the Next Bird.
Sounds right to me. But this is the capper:Larry Bird had as pure a shooting stroke of any man who ever bounced a basketball. Morrison is a good shooter, not a great one.
Bird, at 6-foot-9, had a virtually unblockable feet-on-the-floor, behind-the-head set shot that he could create with extraordinary step-back foot-and-hand quickness. Morrison, at a long-armed 6-8, shoots a jump shot. But it can be bothered by a long-armed defender because Morrison isn't exceptionally quick off the dribble and doesn't get especially high off the floor.
Though Bird wasn't a weight lifter, he had a big-boned stature and a nose for the ball -- a hard nose -- that made him one of the greatest below-the-rim rebounders (10.0 per game in his NBA career) this side of Dennis Rodman. Morrison's veins pop from weight-room dedication, but he doesn't play particularly strong and isn't much of a rebounder (5.5 rebounds per game).
Say "no" to the 'stache. But the most damning criticism of all:If Redick lands in the right spot, he'll turn out to be the more valuable pro because Redick isn't as all-around good as Morrison. That's right, Redick won't be expected to carry the Bobcats or the Knicks back to the Promised Land, as Morrison might be. Redick's role will be to spot up and shoot weakside 3-pointers -- which Redick already can do as well as any NBA specialist.
Redick is a much better shooter than Morrison -- and if the Miami Heat had Redick right now, Detroit would be in trouble. Heck, if LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers had him, Detroit would be saying, "Uh-oh."
But if Miami or Cleveland had rookie "superstar" Morrison, neither would be significantly better.
Would he be co-player of the year if LeBron or Carmelo were still in college? Dwight Howard? Sebastian Telfair? I could go on. But I leave that to Mr. Vitale.
and this . . .But Vitale and other college-loving analysts have gone madder than March when they go gaga over Morrison's NBA potential.
In other words, Bayless' opinion of Morrison is not shared by most analysts.But for the record, I've talked to a couple of NBA general managers who think Morrison could be better than I think.
Word.Ed O said:He's right about that Applebee's ad, though... it's on WAY TOO MUCH.
Ed O.
bingo.ThatBlazerGuy said:Both comparisons are very off base. First off, Bird was one of the most versatile players ever. He got 25+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists over his entire career while shooting 50%. Adam is nothing like Larry, the only comparison is that both are white, slow, can shoot and work hard. Adam is much more of a Rip Hamilton than a Larry Legend.
Gay is not anything like Pippen either. Yes, both are versatile, but Pippen was much further his sophmore year than Gay is. Gay is more of a Gerald Wallace with a larger pool of untapped potential.
Bayless = Canzanozagsfan20 said:Skip Bayless is an idiot and he has been for years...
I can't stand reading through his junk...
He's a gimmick writer who's sole purpose is to stir up controversy....I'd like to find another person who doesn't think Adam's game translate's well in the NBA...
The commercial I hate is that one for Friday's, "that's the kung pow sauce for my shrimp". That commercial is so stupid.Ed O said:He's right about that Applebee's ad, though... it's on WAY TOO MUCH.
Ed O.
It was funny the first five or six dozen times I saw it...Yega1979 said:The commercial I hate is that one for Friday's, "that's the kung pow sauce for my shrimp". That commercial is so stupid.
We finally agree on something!Ed O said:He's right about that Applebee's ad, though... it's on WAY TOO MUCH.
Ed O.
Morrison, on the other hand, is a nearly complete offensive player. At 6-foot-8, he stands four inches taller and can create his own shot at any spot on the floor. He has a high release that is almost impossible to block, can post people up and either pivot toward the hoop or hit fall-away jumpers. At the college level, he can consistently slash to the hole and either finish with a dunk or utilize his terrific mid-range game.
"Adam Morrison is a 20-point-a-game scorer in the NBA for a long, long time," one Western scout said. "The son of a ***** can score on anyone."
"He's like (Larry) Bird. He just finds a way to get the ball in the basket," a Southwest Division scout added.
"I've spent the last four months on the road, at least six games a week. If (Morrison) isn't the MVP, then they must be hiding the guy who is better," a Western scout said. "Morrison can do 10 things Redick couldn't dream of."
linkWhen it comes to Redick vs. Morrison, I have never even understood the question.
