NBA: Blazers Waive Adam Morrison

The Portland Trail Blazers have trimmed their roster to 15 players, the maximum amount of players an NBA team can have for the regular season, by waiving Adam Morrison along with four other players (Dallas Lauderdale, Demonte Harper, Coby Karl and Justin Holiday).

Morrison, 28, played for the Brooklyn Nets and then the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2012 NBA Summer League before accepting a training camp invitation from the Blazers. According to an interview with Dime Magazine, he also got training camp invitations from the Miami Heat and the Clippers, but chose Portland because it was closer to home and he thought it was a better situation.

On October 10th, his preseason debut with the Blazers, Morrison had a stellar performance in a win against his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers. In less than 12 minutes of play, he scored 9 points off of 4-of-6 shooting from the field. He also grabbed one rebound and was 1-of-2 from three-point range.



However, he struggled in his next games with the team. Morrison went scoreless in the next 2 games he played in and never quite found his shot again. He finished the preseason with underwhelming averages of 3.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 11.4 minutes over 5 games. He also shot 33.3% from the field and 28.6% from beyond-the-arc. However, he made all two of his free-throw attempts and finished with a perfect free-throw percentage.

Morrison released a statement to CSNNW.com:

"I want to thank the Blazers' organization for giving me a chance. I'm sorry things didn't work out, but I wish them nothing but success. Right now, I'm just going to talk to my agent and see where to go from here."

After originally saying that he might retire, finish school, and start coaching, he might not be ready to quit yet.

By waiving Morrison, the Blazers are placing his contract on waivers, which means that he can be claimed by another NBA team. Recently, when the Spurs waived Eddy Curry, the Mavericks claimed him off waivers. Last season, in 2011, the Knicks claimed Jeremy Lin after he was waived by the Rockets. Morrison still has a chance to catch on with a team for the 2012-13 NBA season.

The Heat and the Clippers, who both reportedly invited Morrison to training camp, are unlikely to claim him because they don't currently have any roster spots open and are in the process of trimming their rosters down to 15 each.

A wild card team that could end up claiming Morrison would be the Los Angeles Lakers. Their current roster stands at 15 players, but only 13 of those players are on guaranteed contracts. Rookies Robert Sacre and Darius Johnson-Odom, both 2012 second-round draft picks, are on playing on unguaranteed contracts. One or both of them could be waived in order to sign or claim Morrison. Considering how well he has played against the Lakers in the summer league and preseason this year, they might take a chance on him and give him a shot.

Hopefully, the Lakers, or another team, claims Morrison off waivers or signs him to a contract.

Have any thoughts on the Blazers waiving Adam Morrison? Do you think he will catch on with another NBA team? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.

Prospect: Reggie Hamilton

With the 2012 NBA Draft happening tomorrow, fans and bloggers are going a mile-a-minute with speculation and trade rumors involving draft picks and prospects. A lot of names are going around. Anthony Davis, who was featured on the most recent SLAM cover wearing a Hornets jersey even though he hasn't been drafted yet, is the consensus number 1 pick. With the next picks, scouts are saying that Thomas Robinson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bradley Beal, and Harrison Barnes will be lottery selections. Here's a name you probably haven't heard: Reggie Hamilton.

Hamilton, a 23 year-old senior, led the NCAA in points per game this year with an average of 26.2 ppg. Here's a list of other players who have recently done the same thing: Jimmer Fredette, Stephen Curry, and Reggie Williams. All of those players are in the NBA currently. Fredette was a first-round draft pick to the Kings a year ago, Curry is a rising star who has only been held back by ankle injuries, and Williams has been in the league since 2009.

However, Hamilton is expected to go undrafted tomorrow. Even though he is 23 years old, played in what most would call a weak conference, and is only about 5-11 or 6-0, he averaged 26.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals a game last season with Oakland. He also shot 44.7% from the field, 42% from 3-point range, and 87.6% from the free-throw line. That's great in my opinion. If I was an NBA gm, I'd draft him.

Despite him probably not being drafted, Hamilton has worked out with a bunch of teams including the Pistons, Jazz, and Pacers, among others. If one of those teams doesn't take a chance on him with a second round pick, he could still sign with an NBA team. He could play in the Summer League, get invited to a training camp, be named to their preseason roster, and then make the squad for the regular season.

I'm pretty high on Hamilton right now. Unlike most bloggers, I don't care to look at the draft too much as a whole, but instead focus on a few prospects that I think are underrated. During last year's draft, I particularly liked Talor Battle, Scotty Hopson, Jacob Pullen, Isiah Thomas, and Josh Harrellson. I was right on the money with what I speculated about Thomas and Harrellson. Battle, Pullen, and Thomas went undrafted and haven't really been given a chance with an NBA team.

This year, I'll say this. Reggie Hamilton is my sleeper pick. I think he's underrated and could blossom into a star or a solid role player in the NBA. If he ends up with the Miami Heat, he could be a reserve point guard or a role player like Norris Cole and help them repeat in 2013. With the New York Knicks, he could end up being Jeremy Lin 2.0, especially if Lin signs with another team this offseason. With a team like the New Orleans Hornets, he could emerge as a starter and put up Kemba Walker-like stats in his rookie year. Other teams that I think he could be a starter on are the Los Angeles Lakers (if Ramon Sessions leaves), the Phoenix Suns (if Steve Nash leaves), the Toronto Raptors, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

I hope that Hamilton gets drafted tomorrow, but if he doesn't, I hope he can prove the doubters wrong. Here are a few point guards who went undrafted that Hamilton could end up like: Jeremy Lin, Mike James, Earl Boykins, David Wesley, Avery Johnson, Mike Wilks, Troy Hudson, and Darrell Armstrong.

Have any thoughts on Reggie Hamilton or this year's draft? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.