There's Still Hope For the Great White Adam Morrison

They (you, me, everyone who's honest) say, "If you're slow and white, you'll never make it in the NBA." Truer words have never been spoken. Yet we (I) always forget... we (I) always forget.

The most prominent example of the nation's short-term memory when it comes to the potential of white college superstars since Bryce Drew came just two years ago (though it seems like so much longer) when Gonzaga's Adam Morrison and Duke's J.J. Redick battled to lead the NCAA in scoring. The stached-out Morrison ended up being drafted third overall by the Charlotte Bobcats, while the sweet-shooting Redick fell to the Orlando Magic at number 11. Everyone (except me, I dig the three-ball) knew Redick was going to be a bust, but there was a great debate over how good Morrison could be in the NBA. Then he stepped on the court and silenced all discussion by proving to be the single-worst player in the NBA in the 2006-07 season. Seriously, the worst. He ranked last in the NBA among regulars in John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Ratings as a rookie.

That was before he tore his ACL and missed all of last season further cementing his status as one of the biggest draft busts in the league's history.

Even I came around and started to think, "Hey... maybe everyone else is right. Why doesn't that wannabe-hippie just take the $10 million dollars he's swindled off the Bobcats, retire now, and go find a Ben Harper/Jack Johnson tour to follow for the next 10 years."

Then I made the mistake of looking up his stats at Gonzaga. Now I'm going to waste some time and credibility trying to convince you all that there's still hope for Adam Morrison.

Let's take a look at those Gonzaga numbers again: 28 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 3's made per game on 42.8% shooting from behind-the-arc, and 50% shooting from the field overall as a senior. He didn't just do his damage against mid-majors either. Morrison scored 25 against Maryland, 43 against Michigan State, 43 against Washington, 25 against Washington State, 25 against Oklahoma State, 27 against Virginia, 34 against Memphis, 34 against Stanford, 35 against Xavier, and 24 against UCLA, while making at least half of his shots in all but two of those games. He was the greatest pure scorer in the NCAA since Glenn Robinson in 1993-94 for Purdue.

Assuming his poor shooting wasn't a result of the strict drug-testing in the NBA (as I theorize, thus not allowing him to get high before games, his natural state), commonly accepted logic states that Morrison was not quick or strong enough to get his shot off against longer defenders in the NBA... end of story.

While that may be true, it's not uncommon for unathletic players with games centered around their shot to show steep improvement after disastrous rookie seasons--- Mike Dunleavy Jr., Steve Nash, and Chauncey Billups are all good examples of this--- and few players ever have had the legendary work ethic and passion for basketball of Morrison (Sports Illustrated seriously profiled him in every other issue when he was a Zag... there are only so many underfunded Texas 7-on-7 high school football teams around after all. And remember, he CRIED after losing his final college game.). Isn't it possible that someone as crafty and shrewd as Morrison could still figure out how to get his shot off? With increased range on an already top-class jumper, might he be able to drive more effectively as defenders are force to guard him even closer? Might he develop the court sense and awareness that he flashed at Gonzaga with more experience? Won't he reek so badly of patchouli that even Bruce Bowen won't dare touch him?

These are all fair questions that I think Morrison will answer affirmatively (with emphasis on the last one) this season. Will he be an All-Star? Not this season. But could he develop into an efficient 20-point scorer over the next few seasons? No one would have expected Michael Redd to after he played in just six games and shot 26% from the field as a rookie.

Already this preseason Morrison is showing signs of improvement (in an admittedly small sample size of games). He's shooting over 60% from the field and has hit two-thirds of his three-point field goals attempts.

I feel like I'm grasping at straws here, but I just can't help it. I believe in slow, white basketball players. I believe! And I think you will too when Morrison stuns the basketball world and breaks out.