The Stache plays well in summer league

Lakers' Morrison using summer league in hopes of rekindling NBA career
By Elliott Teaford Staff Writer
Updated: 07/20/2009 11:43:05 PM PDT

Adam Morrison, left, averaged 20.8 points and five rebounds in four summer league games. (Laura Rauch/The Associated Press)

LAS VEGAS - Adam Morrison drifted to the left wing and launched a jump shot in the first half of the Lakers' summer league game against the Clippers last week.

Swish.

Morrison then drove toward the baseline on another possession, stopped on a dime, turned, elevated and shot another textbook jumper over his defender.

Swish.

If this was his last chance to prove himself to be a worthy NBA player, then Morrison made the most of it.

If this was a make-or- break statement on his professional career, then so far this summer, he's made it rather than broken it.

"It's my contract year," he said, referring to the looming conclusion of a four-year deal he signed as a rookie with the Charlotte


"If I don't perform well, I might not be in the league. My goal is to find a role and play my role well."

Morrison's pro career has been nothing short of disappointing after he was the third overall selection in the 2006 NBA draft following a stellar career at Gonzaga. He averaged 11.8 points on 37.6 percent shooting as a rookie with the Bobcats.

He suffered withering criticism when he didn't light up the league as anticipated, which he said was tough enough to handle but was made all the more difficult by what happened to him before his second season with the Bobcats.

Morrison suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during an exhibition game against the Lakers on Oct. 20,2007, at Staples Center. He underwent surgery and missed all of the 2007-08 season.

"It was terrible because I got a lot of criticism after my first year," he said. "I thought I played pretty good the first half of my rookie year, (but) I remember one Web site said I was the worst player in the NBA and all this stuff.

"A lot of people said I was terrible. I was left for dead. One of the worst picks of all time. I heard all of that. It was tough to swallow. To come back and get hurt and not have a chance to prove myself, that was probably the worst."

Then the Bobcats traded him to the Lakers on Feb.7, and he played only eight games with his new team, averaging a meager 1.3 points. He did not play at all in the playoffs, missing out on the Lakers' run to the NBA championship last month.

Still, he said he felt like he was part of something special.

"I think my confidence started to come back when I got traded to the Lakers," he said. "I started playing well in the practices. (Playing well in) summer league helps, but it was definitely back once I started wearing purple and gold."

At the urging of Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, Morrison packed his bags two weeks ago and headed to Las Vegas to join a cast of rookies and other unproven players to participate in the Lakers' five-game summer league season at UNLV.

It was part of Kupchak's plan to get Morrison's knee right again in the days, weeks and months after the trade.

Kupchak made it clear there wasn't a role for Morrison on the 2008-09 team, but told him he should look ahead to next season.

Morrison's knee appeared as sound as his game in Las Vegas. He averaged 20.8 points and five rebounds in four games before coming down with stomach flu and sitting out the Lakers' finale last Thursday afternoon, a lopsided loss to the Houston Rockets.

"They say it takes a year after surgery to feel right again," Morrison said. "I started feeling good with a month to go in the season, in April. That's when I started to feel normal again. It's good to show people I can still move."

Morrison, a 6-foot-8 small forward, said he hoped to prove to his doubters he could play at a high level. He hoped he could find a role with the Lakers next season. After 2<MD+,%30,%55,%70>1/<MD-,%0,%55,%70>2 seasons with the Bobcats, the Lakers made him feel at home.

"I just want to prove something to myself and to this organization, that I can be a part of it, that I can be a part of this team," he said. "That's all I want to do. You play basketball to win, and not a lot of players get lucky enough to get on an organization that takes care of its players and wins most of the time.

"I'm just trying to find a role on this team to where I can be a part of it."

Playing well during the summer certainly didn't hurt Morrison's chances.

"He's a shot-maker, and sometimes shot-makers have to have confidence," Kupchak said while watching Morrison score 20 points during the Lakers' 93-82 loss to the Clippers on July 13. "It looks to me like he's got his confidence back.

"When he got to us, his knee was OK, but throughout his time with us he was able to focus on getting his leg strong. The day after we won the championship (defeating the Orlando Magic in the decisive Game 5), he was at our practice facility working on his strength."

A healthy knee is one thing. A healthy game is quite another, however.

"I need to show I can play, find a role and fit in somehow," Morrison said.