Pivot Points: Is Anthony Morrow Included in Warriors' Future Plans?

The National media spends little time discussing the Golden State Warriors, and when it does, the focus of the conversation is usually centered around the brilliance of rookie Stephen Curry or the offensive skills of Monta Ellis.

A player like Anthony Morrow is rarely mentioned when discussing the Warriors, but due to a TNT showcase, Morrow was given the opportunity to share the spotlight equally with Curry and Ellis.

The Warriors lost the game, and their brightest light was still Curry, who had a monster game with 30 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds, while Ellis hoisted shot, after errant shot in a 6-for-22 effort which accounted for 22 points.

Morrow scored 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting and had a four-point play in the fourth quarter, which was one of the few times the Warriors were able to make a run at the Denver Nuggets.

During the telecast the commentators posted a list of several players and described them as the nucleus of the young Warriors' team. The list named Curry, Ellis, Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright, C.J. Watson, and Morrow.

I'm not sure that list can be properly called the Warriors' nucleus because there is a strong possibility one or more of those players will not start next season on the team's roster.

In fact, the only player I would say is safe from being considered in a trade is Stephen Curry, and judging by the past, if the price is right that may not hold true even for him.

But what about Morrow? His game is limited and he does not excel on the defensive end of the floor either, but what he can do is light it up, and when he's hot he can score points in bunches.

If you were to go back in time to Curry and Morrow's high school days in Charlotte, NC, all signs would have pointed to Morrow being a much better pro prospect than Curry, and he received a lot more attention from major colleges.

Both Morrow and Curry skipped the traditionally powerful public school system and instead chose to play for Charlotte Latin and Charlotte Christian respectively, which are two private schools.

They helped usher in a trend in Charlotte which had more talented high school players bolting for the private schools, and that eventually balanced the scales of power between the public and private schools.

Morrow parlayed his time at Latin into a scholarship to ACC member school Georgia Tech, while Curry quietly enrolled at Davidson with none of the fanfare that followed Morrow.

That, however, is where Curry and Morrow's fortunes change because Curry went on to become a star at tiny Davidson college, and while Morrow did have a solid four-year career at Georgia Tech, he wasn't selected in the NBA draft.

Morrow signed as a free agent with Golden State and promptly became the first Warrior player, and the first rookie, to ever lead the NBA in three-point field goal percentage in 2008-2009.

He is only 24 and although he is perceived as strictly a jump shooter, Morrow has the potential to be a much better player if he would take the time and pay attention to the fundamental areas of his game.

So far Morrow has garnered playing time because of his amazing shooting ability, but his ballhandling could improve and his defensive footwork could use some work, and he has time to correct those flaws.

He has started 25 games this year and averages 13 points per game, and although he is probably not receiving proper guidance from coach Don Nelson, he has still managed to become a major part of the Warriors' rotation.

But do the Warriors consider Morrow a major part of their future, or is he a player Golden State would be more than willing to part with if the franchise ever decided which direction they were going?

If Morrow could ever receive proper instruction, he has the talent to be a special player, but will he evolve into that player with Golden State or will his skills blossom elsewhere?