Jeff: The Man, The Myth, The Moustache...

If the worst happens, and KG truly does get traded this offseason, I've already found my new favorite team: whichever one drafts Gonzaga senior forward Adam Morrison (unless it's the Lakers, Knicks or Spurs). I had a chance to watch the Gonzaga/Michigan State game with TheDan last week, and we were treated to an impressive display by both sides in a triple-OT 109-106 Zags win (undoubtedly three of the greatest tragedys of the 21 Century, in no particular order, are the NHL Lockout, Burger King getting rid of the Rodeo Burger, and the fact TheDan no longer has a website). I had never heard of State's Maurice Ager before that night, but I certainly won't forget him after he torched the Zags for 36, including a tough game-tying 3 at the end of regulation (Ager a 6'5 two guard, looks like he could be a solid pro. Ridiculous athlete, nice shooting touch and a helluva defender. Of course the NBA will draft some 7-3 Euro guy playing in the Lithuanian Wednesday night intramural league ahead of him). But the show-stopper was undoubtedly Morrison. A pre-season All-American, Morrison scored a career high 43 points in 52 minutes in the win. Not only that, the floppy-haired, striped-socked senior did it with the dirtiest mustache I have ever seen.

TheDan and I debated if he grew it that dirty and whispy on purpose, and eventually decided he HAD to be growing that on-purpose, knowing full-well he would look more like a guy you'd never leave your children alone with than an NBA lottery pick. His basketball idol growing up was a certain slow-footed 6-9 white guy with bad hair and mustache who used to wear the green and white of the Celtics while bombing 3's and taking over games. I believe the Sports Guy calls him the Basketball Jesus, but you can jsut call him Larry Legend. Comparing Morrison to Larry Bird, even with the stache, is unfair, and there are plenty who still doubt Morrison's game will translate to the NBA. Perhaps swayed by the power of the Stache, I disagreed, and after witnessing Morrison's performance, my mind has not changed.

TheDan, a basketball aficianado if I've ever met one, was quick to point out Morrison's, shall we say, lack of foot speed. Granted, he was being guarded most of the night by Ager, who's one of the better perimeter defenders in the land, but Morrison was making Rik Smits look agile at times. Still, just when TheDan would wonder aloud why Morrison wasn't taking over, he would bury a 25 ft three, or make an improbable, off-balance bank shot to put the Zags back ahead. It happened again and again, and by the time the game was over he had wrung up 43 on a VERY good Spartans team, not to mention, he did it shooting 50% from the field and from 3 (4-8), while adding 7 boards, 4 assists, and 2 steals. His season stats look almost as silly as his stache, averaging 25.3 pts, 7.3 reb, and 1.5 stls while shooting 48.7% FG, 81% FT, and 44.4% 3PT. Those aren't "3-point specialist" numbers on the next level, folks. That's the sign the kid can play a little.

I agree the Bird comparisons are far-fetched, and yeah he's going to be one of the slowest 3's in the NBA next year, but the man can shoot, can effectively get off his shot, rebounds, and can even pass a little too. OH, and he WANTS to take the big shot when it matters. He WANTS the ball with the game on the line. He plays every possession like it's his last. AND he has the dirtiest stash ever seen on a basketball floor since the mid-70's. What's not to love here? I believe that if Wally Sczerbiak can be an NBA player, why can't Morrison? I mean Wally and Stache are similar players really: both white, both 6'8, both with great shooting strokes. Of course Wally can't dribble, pass, defend, rebound, create, or shoot with a hand in his face, but he DID make the All-star team one year and he DOES have a $50 million contract that the Wolves couldn't give away. But hey, if a guy like that can make it in the NBA, why can't Morrison, who can do so much more? He could also single-handedly bring back the mustache as a fashion statement- unless you live in the Dakotas where it's never gone out of style.

TheDan believes Morrison should sponsor a stache trimmer that evenly removes 60% of a normal man's mustache so it can look just as whispy and dirty as Morrison's. Sign me up for one.