Radman for Adam

CEBU, Philippines - With their recent conquest of the league’s other top two teams, let’s admit it, Laker nation is on top of the basketball world at the moment. Laker haters cry, Laker lovers fly. With the recent transaction, I don’t know who got the better end of the deal, but it does free some $8.5 million from the Laker payroll.

Adam Morrison, a small forward who has forgotten how to shoot is now a Laker in exchange for Vladimir Radmanovic, who in turn has become a Bobcat. Radman will surely find his way into Charlotte’s system and the team will put him into good use with his versatility, never mind his erratic plays. Who needs perfection when you play for Charlotte anyway?

The 12th pick of the Seattle Supersonics in the 2001 draft, Radman acknowledged that the trade was his asking. The deal materialized as his playing time diminished. He started the season as a starter but later found himself behind Luke Walton and Trevor Ariza at small forward. When Andrew Bynum got injured, Lamar Odom was moved to the starting spot and he found himself deeper into the rotation.

It didn’t help that he and Phil Jackson don’t have the best of relations. After signing with the Lakers as a free agent in 2006, Jackson riled Radman for a perceived lack of concentration and a tendency to take bad shots. To make matters worse, he was fined $500,000 during the All-Star break in 2007 for a shoulder injury he suffered while snowboarding, an activity banned in his contract.

Radman is happy to leave the Lakers for the Bobcats. “Here, I’ll do what I do best. Being a Laker was a great experience, but it was also frustrating not knowing when and how I’d play. Phil’s system, great as it is, doesn’t give role players much opportunity.”

Morrison will find more time riding the bench than on the playing floor with the Lakers’ already deep bench. The third pick of the 2006 draft will slowly acclimatize himself with Phil Jackson’s system, for him to have his confidence back on his outside shots that no longer drops.

It will take Jackson’s motivational skills to restore Morrison’s confidence and re-establish him as a streak shooter that he once was during his college days at Gonzaga. He sat out the entire 2007-2008 with a torn ACL on his left knee. Morrison is averaging just 4.5 points this season and as a result has been reluctant to shoot. He is a liability on defense so he has to be doubly aggressive on offense to make up for that shortcoming.

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Guys, if you’re feeling brave on the day of hearts, try whispering one of these one-liners to your mate, wait a few seconds, and if you’re still breathing, well, Happy Valentines Day...

- My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife; marrying you has screwed up my life.

- I see your face when I am dreaming; that’s why I always wake up screaming.

- I love your smile, your face, your eyes; damn, I’m good at telling lies.

- My love, you take my breath away; what have you stepped on to smell this way?

- My feelings for you no words can tell, except maybe for “Go to hell” and the best for last Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you; but the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl’s empty and so is your head.

E-mail me at [email protected]  (THE FREEMAN)