Morrison Says He'd Be Happy To Be A Blazer

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Given a choice, some players coming through the June 28 NBA draft may want nothing to do with the Trail Blazers. Low-profile city. Rains all day, every day. Losing team.

Not Adam Morrison.

?It would be great to play in Portland,? says the former Gonzaga standout, who arrives Thursday for a group workout at the Blazers? training facility in Tualatin. ?They have a storied franchise (history). Coach (Nate) McMillan is a great coach. It?s not far from home (Spokane). I?m looking forward to (Thursday). It?s going to be a fun workout for me.?

Morrison, Washington?s Brandon Roy, Connecticut?s Rudy Gay and Arizona?s Hassan Adams will work out for Portland coaching and scouting staffs as part of the team?s preparation for its earliest draft pick since the 1978 season, when it took Mychal Thompson at No. 1.

Adams replaces Villanova?s Randy Foye, who originally was scheduled to visit but decided against it. Adams will be considered for Portland?s two later choices ? the last one of the first round (No. 30) and the first one of the second round (No. 31).

Also ticketed for workouts are Texas? LaMarcus Aldridge on Wednesday, Bradley?s Patrick O?Bryant on Saturday, Louisiana State?s Tyrus Thomas on Sunday and Memphis? Rodney Carney and Ronnie Brewer on Monday.

Coaches will send the players through on-court drills and, in the group workouts, have them play one-on-one or two-on-two. But there is more.

?You?re looking at skills and seeing if your coaches can get a certain comfort level with them,? Blazer President Steve Patterson says. ?We do psychological and physical testing. We conduct interviews. We usually have dinner with them and give them an opportunity to ask questions and get exposed to the organization.?

The Blazers have talked about trading the No. 4 selection. One published report had the Blazers sending point guard Jarrett Jack and the fourth pick to Toronto for the top selection. That is plenty premature, since the Blazers will be looking at eight players who are potential No. 4 picks over the next week, and also are considering Italian forward Andrea Bargnoni.

?I think we?ll probably keep the (No. 4) pick,? Patterson says. As for rumors that Portland will trade up and get the first pick from Toronto: ?I don?t see the Raptors giving up No. 1.?

Morrison, who led the nation in scoring at 28.2 points a game while shooting .493 from the field and a remarkable .482 from 3-point range last season, is making personal appearances only with the teams holding the first four picks (Chicago has No. 2 and Charlotte No. 3). He worked out last week in Charlotte, along with Carney and South Carolina?s Tarence Kinsey, and left coach-General Manager Bernie Bickerstaff impressed.

?He can put the ball in the basket and get his shot; he?s very clever,? Bickerstaff tells The Charlotte Observer. ?He competes, and that?s what made the drills so good.?

?I played well,? says Morrison, who will visit Chicago on Monday and Toronto two days later. ?They were pleased. I was having a good time doing it. They had us play one-on-one plus a lot of other stuff ? the whole nine yards.?

Since shortly after the college season, the national co-player of the year has been in Los Angeles training with former NBA player Don McLean. In two months, he says he has not seen much of the bright lights of Hollywood.

?It?s just basketball and my apartment (in Woodland Hills), and that?s pretty much all I?ve seen of the area,? the 6-8, 205-pound Morrison says. ?I needed to isolate myself somewhere and get myself ready (for an NBA career). The training is a lot better down here ? good facilities, lots of people to play against.?

Morrison works out with NBA players Devean George and Danny Granger, who are represented by the same agents (Mark Bartelstein and Aaron Mintz). McLean oversees the workouts at 360 Health Club.

?McLean?s a good guy,? Morrison says. ?He?s hard, but he?s fair. He knows what to tweak. He played in the league, so he knows his stuff. A lot of guys BS you. He doesn?t.?

Unlike some draft candidates, Morrison has no quibbles about going against other players in workout sessions.

?I look forward to it,? he says. ?I?ve been training hard. I?m in great shape, the best shape of my life. I come into these workouts looking forward to showing the stuff I couldn?t show at the college level.?

Such as?

?I?m a little more athletic than people give me credit for,? Morrison says. ?And the diabetes thing is not an issue.?

Morrison, diagnosed as a Type I diabetic during his early-teen years, knows his condition is an issue with NBA teams.

?I understand their concern,? he says. ?If they?re going to pay somebody $2 or $3 million a year, they want to know what?s going on. A lot of times, they?re just trying to educate themselves.?</div>

Source

 

If Portland wants him, they'll have to move ahead of the Bobcats somehow. I doubt the Bulls 2nd pick would work, either. The Bobcats are rumored to be in talks for the 1st pick to secure Morrison. The Blazers might want to give the Raptors a call.