eagles_victory
07-12-2006, 04:03 AM
ORLANDO, Fla. -- He showed the sophistication in his scoring, hitting stutter-step runners in the lane, high-arcing jumpers from the outside and even the occasional spin move from the post.
And he showed that famous fire, practically willing himself out of a first-night stinker with a jaw-dropping start for the ages.
But most of all, Adam Morrison showed Tuesday night why the Charlotte Bobcats feel they culled a megawatt star from last month's NBA draft with the third overall pick.
A night after missing 11 of 14 shots in a jittery NBA debut, Morrison bounced back in a big way by systematically dismantling the Chicago Bulls' summer league team. In the moments after his sizzling 25-point first half and 29-point night, Morrison had longtime NBA executives in awe of the performance he had just turned in Day 2 of the Pepsi Pro Summer League in Orlando.
Everyone was surprised, except of course, Morrison. The former Gonzaga star seemed to take great pride in silencing his critics by hitting his first five shots Tuesday and scoring 15 of the Bobcats' first 21 points. Morrison did cool off in the second half, but by then it didn't seem to matter.
"I think what the Bobcats saw in my workouts that I can move better than people give me credit for and I'm faster, I guess, than people think at first," Morrison said following Charlotte's 88-87 defeat of Chicago. "I like showing out here that I'm not just a spot-up shooter. I never was at Gonzaga, so I don't know where people ever get that idea. I think it's something that will transfer to the next level.''
That looks like a certainty now, but some might have had their doubts after Morrison missed nine consecutive shots at one point in his first NBA game Monday. Bobcats summer league coach John-Blair Bickerstaff challenged Morrison in the moments before Tuesday's game, telling him, "the goal is to put the ball in the hole.''
Morrison did have a chance to write a storybook ending to the game in the closing seconds, but his runner over fellow first-round pick Tyrus Thomas (17 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks) rimmed out. But Charlotte center D'or Fischer tipped in the miss to keep Charlotte (2-0) perfect in the summer league.
Morrison said he isn't about to get too high about posting a big game against the likes of Ugonna Onyekwe and fellow rookie Thabo Sefolosha. But, like most, he's quite eager to see how his game will transfer against some of the NBA's best small forward stars.
"I think every rookie is thinking the same thing right now, and it's going to be fun to get out there,'' Morrison said. "This league is so good for us young guys right now. To have a game like I did [Monday] night, making all the mistakes that I did, I was able to come back [Tuesday] and learn from them.''
And he showed that famous fire, practically willing himself out of a first-night stinker with a jaw-dropping start for the ages.
But most of all, Adam Morrison showed Tuesday night why the Charlotte Bobcats feel they culled a megawatt star from last month's NBA draft with the third overall pick.
A night after missing 11 of 14 shots in a jittery NBA debut, Morrison bounced back in a big way by systematically dismantling the Chicago Bulls' summer league team. In the moments after his sizzling 25-point first half and 29-point night, Morrison had longtime NBA executives in awe of the performance he had just turned in Day 2 of the Pepsi Pro Summer League in Orlando.
Everyone was surprised, except of course, Morrison. The former Gonzaga star seemed to take great pride in silencing his critics by hitting his first five shots Tuesday and scoring 15 of the Bobcats' first 21 points. Morrison did cool off in the second half, but by then it didn't seem to matter.
"I think what the Bobcats saw in my workouts that I can move better than people give me credit for and I'm faster, I guess, than people think at first," Morrison said following Charlotte's 88-87 defeat of Chicago. "I like showing out here that I'm not just a spot-up shooter. I never was at Gonzaga, so I don't know where people ever get that idea. I think it's something that will transfer to the next level.''
That looks like a certainty now, but some might have had their doubts after Morrison missed nine consecutive shots at one point in his first NBA game Monday. Bobcats summer league coach John-Blair Bickerstaff challenged Morrison in the moments before Tuesday's game, telling him, "the goal is to put the ball in the hole.''
Morrison did have a chance to write a storybook ending to the game in the closing seconds, but his runner over fellow first-round pick Tyrus Thomas (17 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks) rimmed out. But Charlotte center D'or Fischer tipped in the miss to keep Charlotte (2-0) perfect in the summer league.
Morrison said he isn't about to get too high about posting a big game against the likes of Ugonna Onyekwe and fellow rookie Thabo Sefolosha. But, like most, he's quite eager to see how his game will transfer against some of the NBA's best small forward stars.
"I think every rookie is thinking the same thing right now, and it's going to be fun to get out there,'' Morrison said. "This league is so good for us young guys right now. To have a game like I did [Monday] night, making all the mistakes that I did, I was able to come back [Tuesday] and learn from them.''