For Morrison, no place like road

Basketball Betting Lines

02/15/2007 -

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -Adam Morrison headed to Las Vegas on Thursday to take part in All-Star weekend festivities as the second-leading rookie scorer in the NBA. He might be leading the league if not for those home games.

Morrison prefers playing on the road instead of dealing with the Charlotte Bobcats fans who expect big things from the No. 3 pick in last year's draft.

``It's a mental thing. I feel like everybody expects me to make everything,'' Morrison said of playing at home. ``The fans have been great, but some of the expectations and some of the stuff I hear when I'm going up and down the court at home, it feels like I'm on the road.''

The numbers back him up. Morrison, who scored eight points on 3-for-5 shooting in Charlotte's 100-85 home win over Chicago on Wednesday, is averaging less than 11 points and shooting a little more than 33 percent in 26 home games. Morrison is averaging 14.3 points and shooting 41 percent in 26 road games.

``I think I put too much pressure on myself for what the fans are saying,'' Morrison said as he prepared to play in Friday's rookie-sophomore game.

Morrison isn't criticizing the fans, he just wants them to give him time to develop. And Morrison acknowledges he's hit the famous rookie wall in his first season going from playing 30-something games in college to the 82-game grind of the NBA.

``It's four games a week, with back-to-backs,'' Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. ``That's tough on the veteran players, so that's been the problem. He's hit the wall a little bit.''

Morrison, who averaged a nation-best 28.1 points a game last season at Gonzaga, has struggled with inconsistency. He has 10 games of 20 or more points, but has reached that total only once in the past 22 games. Morrison has failed to reach double figures in five of his past six games.

Morrison, who started the season with the reputation of being a great shooter but suspect defender, hasn't consistently hit open jumpers. He's shooting only 31 percent from 3-point range.

So when Morrison isn't making shots, he can hurt Charlotte because of his defense. Opposing players have often gone right at Morrison, who has struggled keeping up with the players off the dribble.

Bickerstaff thinks Morrison, listed at 205 pounds, is being hurt by a lack of upper-body strength.

``We've got to get him in the weight room. He needs to do that,'' Bickerstaff said. ``He has the mental courage, but you've got to have something to back it up.''

Morrison vows to get stronger in the summer, and he remains confident he'll be able to become the consistent scorer the Bobcats counted on when they drafted him.

``It's been an up and down season for myself and the organization,'' Morrison said. ``I've got to perform better.''

Morrison's parents and other family members were scheduled to fly to Las Vegas to watch him play in Friday's rookie-sophomore game, where he'll be teammates with the NBA's top rookie scorer, Brandon Roy of Portland. He'll also play against his teammate Raymond Felton, who will play for the sophomore team.

But the best part about the game for Morrison: it's not in Charlotte.

``Yeah, I feel way more comfortable on the road,'' Morrison said.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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