DALLAS -- No team thought Anthony Morrow was a good enough shooter to draft him after four years of playing at Georgia Tech.They certainly didn't think he was good enough to invite him for the 3-Point Shootout at All-Star Weekend.
And all he's done is become arguably the best long-distance shooter in the NBA. So forgive him if he carries a bit of an attitude into Friday night's Rookie Challenge, pitting the first-year players against the sophomores.
"I've been overlooked my whole life,'' said Morrow. "It's not like a few teams passed on me. Everyone passed on me. I don't have a grudge or anything, but it's good to have a chip on your shoulder.''
Morrow is the 6-5 guard/forward, now in his second season with the Golden State Warriors. He is the only player in the game tonight who wasn't drafted.
He came to All-Star Weekend having scored 33 points against the Dallas Mavericks and 26 against the Los Angeles Clippers in his last two games.
"I can shoot with anyone,'' he said confidently. "And I think I've proven myself. I'm here with guys that came into the league with a lot more hype, but I belong here. It just makes it sweeter.''
Morrow was signed by the Warriors after they invited him to their summer camp. Most teams thought he was too small to play forward, and maybe not quick enough to be an NBA guard. But what they forgot was a need for shooters.
He averaged 10.1 points as a rookie. He is averaging 12.3 points as a part-time starter for the Warriors, still getting overshadowed by teammates Monta Ellis and rookie Stephen Curry. He will be playing against Curry, drafted No. 7 in 2009, tonight. Curry was selected for the 3-point Shootout Saturday, even though his shooting percentage (.434) wasn't as good Morrow's.
"Anthony is going to play in this league a long time because he can shoot,'' said former NBA player Dennis Scott, another sweet-shooting Georgia Tech alum who has worked with him in the summers. "He was a guy who just fell through the cracks. But he's in a great system now, and God blessed him with a sweet stroke. He knows he belongs.''
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