The Warriors have long been something of a basketball wasteland; even if it’s entertaining to watch Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry and the like run amok in Don Nelson’s post-apocalyptic world, all of their wins are empty, and their losses sobering reminders of where they are and where they’ll never go. So naturally, as basketball fans, we’d love to see the team’s redeemable talents be shipped off to greener -- or at least less dire -- pastures, even if it means a drop in productivity due to the change of pace.
It’s questionable how effective a player like Ellis would be in a more conventional offensive system; he’s already an inefficient scorer, and if asked to produce in a more typical offense, he could conceivably become more inefficient. But Anthony Morrow is a player just waiting to be plucked off the roster and signed elsewhere. He’s exactly the type of designated shooter that has graced many a championship roster, and as one of the top three-point threats in the game (not to mention a knock-down shooter from mid-range), he’s sure to receive a lot of free agent interest.
In fact, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that at least six teams -- including the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Blazers, Jazz, and Clippers -- have expressed immediate interest in Morrow’s services. Anthony can fit into just about any system, but I think it’s become rather apparent that he needs to be playing at the 2 and not the 3; that’s where teams can best utilize his shooting without giving up too much defensively or on the boards.
In his two seasons in the NBA, Morrow’s shooting has already made him something of a cult hero. Now it may be time to introduce him to the rest of the country. It would be somewhat bittersweet to watch a relatively unknown talent like Anthony drain threes for a powerhouse like L.A. (not you, Clippers) or Boston on national television, but if the goal is to get him out of the Bay and onto a competitive team, Morrow seems to have a number of options.
Unless the Warriors opt to match any offer given to Morrow, and keep him wondering in a basketball wasteland. They wouldn’t be that cruel though, would they?