Adam Morrison

I think this shows just how important drafting is to a team's success. The Thunder (previously the Sonics) and the Hornets (previously the Bobcats) were both 30-win lottery teams in the mid-to-late 2000's and got a similar set of draft picks. But the Thunder ended up with Durant, Westbrook and Harden and the Hornets got two guys who were out of the NBA before their 27th birthday and a 3rd string center.

There's also a lot of luck involved in the NBA Draft though as well. The Hornets managed to land Kemba Walker with a number 9 pick in the same time period, and kept together a very fringe playoff team for a couple years. So it's amazing how swingy the draft can be and how much it effects team's fates.

Back when Dudley was a player for the Wizards in 2014-2015, he did an interview with a local radio program called The Fan Monday and was asked about the dirtiest teammate he’s had.

“Adam Morrison,” Dudley called out, naming a teammate from the 2008-09 Charlotte Bobcats. “Remember Adam Morrison? He never took showers, he did the chewing tobacco that he spit all the time, and he wore the same three polos the whole year. This is a guy who made a lot of money, too, at that time. He was the face of diabetes, he was doing everything, he was on the cover of college games, he was [everywhere], and he was by far the worst and [most] disgusting.”

He continued by mentioning how Morrison was forced to take a shower by Gerald Wallace because of how bad it got

“He was playing when I was there, that’s the thing, he was playing,” Dudley said. “He then tore his ACL, that’s when he didn’t play, but he was playing when I was there. He was playing like 30 minutes a game. Gerald Wallace had to force him to take a shower one time. Had to force him. Imagine that. Imagine forcing a grown man to take a shower. He should be ashamed of himself.”

Link:

The best players of this draft are probably LaMarcus Aldridge (who went 2nd) and Brandon Roy (who went 6th but was traded for Randy Foye right after -Foye was picked 7th). Should Raptors get more heat for picking Bargnani over Aldridge? Aldridge was the consensus number 2 in most mock drafts. Rudy Gay went 8th and then Patrick O’Bryant was 9th and Mouhamed Sene was 10th. Should Wolves get more heat for trading Brandon Roy (All-Star) for Randy Foye on draft night? So, for the 3rd pick, Michael Jordan chose Morrison. His mistake was not taking Brandon Roy (drafted at #6) or Rudy Gay (drafted at #8). But the Raptors also made a big mistake in drafting Andrea Bargnani over LaMarcus Aldridge. And the Wolves made a big mistake in trading Brandon Roy to Portland for Randy Foye. Also, Chicago drafted Tyrus Thomas at #4 and Hawks drafted Sheldon Williams at #5. In the long run, these picks were the same fail as Morrison. So, Michael Jordan wasn’t the only one. Chicago and Hawks failed almost as bad. Imagine LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Bosh together! Aldridge was the consensus number 2 pick. People had Bargnani as number 1 because they wanted the next Dirk. Is choosing Bargnani over Aldridge almost as bad? Aldridge was the safe pick. Bargnani was the “look for the next Dirk” pick.

Big Cat is the guest on the most recent episode of Adam Morrison’s (Gonzaga BBall) podcast called “The Perimeter with Adam Morrison.” Thought I’d share in case any PMT fans want to check it out.