Remember Adam Morrison?
The player once known simply as “The ’Stache” is on the comeback trail with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Morrison, now 28, was drafted with the third pick in the 2006 NBA draft and was considered a can’t-miss prospect, but will now go to the Blazers camp on a non-guaranteed contract.
In July, Morrison played for the Los Angeles Clippers’ summer league team and earned rave reviews — at least from his agent.
“What (Morrison) did this summer was tremendous,” Mark Bartelstein told Sports Illustrated. “He was as good as anybody in Las Vegas — probably the best offensive player in Vegas. We’ve been looking around, trying to find the right opportunity.”
While his agent might be biased, Morrison did impress enough to earn an invite to Portland’s camp.
“I just think it’ll be a great opportunity for him,” Bartelstein said. “I don’t know that there’s ever been a guy who got less of an opportunity in the NBA who came out as highly drafted as Adam did. He had a really good rookie year, and then tore his ACL and really hasn’t had a chance to play since then.”
Bartelstein might be overhyping Morrison’s rookie year just a tad. While he did average 11.8 points per game, Morrison was also yanked from the Bobcats’ starting lineup midway through the campaign.
He tore his ACL the following fall and was dealt to the Lakers along with Shannon Brown for Vladimir Radmanovic. He won a pair of titles with Los Angeles but was not a key factor in the team’s success.
It will be tough for Morrison to make the Blazers squad, as the team already has 15 guaranteed contracts. But with point guard Elliot Williams out for the season, there might be an opening.
