OVERLOOKED FREE AGENT ADAM MORRISON: Will Kings Seize This Opportunity?

NBA Small Forward Adam Morrison is currently one of the many NBA players who have plunged themselves in this “historical” NBA Free Agency Market. Now most of this free agency period has been overshadowed by the “Lebron Lottery” or “Bosh Mania” and many other big name free agents. Where does this leave Adam Morrison? Now don’t get me wrong, these are some of the best players in the Free Agency but that leaves all these under-the-radar free agents left high and dry especially Morrison.

Morrison is better known for his outstanding college career at Gonzaga where he averaged 28.1 ppg, leading the nation in scoring during his junior year. He also led his team that season to the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen and was named the co-national player of the year alongside J.J. Redick. With all these honors and stats he accumulated in college you would think he would be one of the NBA’s top-tier scorers. Unfortunately that’s just not the case for Morrison.

After a solid rookie season in the NBA entering his sophomore year as a Charlotte Bobcat, Morrison was sidelined by a left knee injury he suffered in a pre-season match-up against the L.A. Lakers (hmm…interesting). The injury cost him his entire second season in the NBA and a chance to develop into a solid NBA player. Since his return and stint with the Lakers he has won 2 championships although not being part of the main rotation in both of the Lakers championship runs. Being on this Lakers team has also led media to believe that he just can’t play basketball like he used to. On the contrary, Morrison proved he could play and still score during the 2009 Summer League.

Hoping to sign with another team this free agency, could Sacramento be the perfect place for Morrison? Geoff Petrie is known for seeing potential in players that other GM’s just don’t see. Look at players like Kevin Martin or Spencer Hawes. During their stints with the Kings they proved their worth in the league especially Kevin Martin who is one of the most efficient players in the NBA. Who could forget when Petrie traded Mitch Richmond for Chris Webber? Many believed he made one of the biggest mistakes of his GM career but in the end it became one the best acquisitions he made in the franchise’s history. Morrison still has a lot to prove skill wise in the NBA and he could really improve his defense under Westphal’s system.

I’m aware of the Kings current depth at the SF position with Greene and Casspi. Adding Morrison to the mix would be a problem considering Morrison wouldn’t be able to see much playing time. However, the Kings still need more depth at the shooting guard position and Garcia seems to prefer playing with the second unit. Being a scorer, Morrison could possibly play a swingman role even though he is naturally a small forward. If that doesn’t work out Donté has proven his athleticism and ability to guard SGs (ex. Kobe Bryant), and start at the 2. All that height on a starting lineup (Evans, Greene, Morrison, Landry, and Cousins) would prove difficult for many teams to handle. What do you think?

P.S.- Thanks to all who contributed to my idea