New Orleans Pelicans Introduce Morrow, Stiemsma

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Published: September 10, 2013

The New Orleans Pelicans made Anthony Morrow and Greg Stiemsma available at a press conference which served as their introductions to the media at the team’s headquarters on Airline Drive.

Both 27 year-old players signed free agent deals this summer. Morrow is on a 2-year deal for the veteran minimum while Stiemsma is on 1-year deal for just over the Room Mid-Level Exception amount.

Anthony Morrow (@mranthonymorrow)will be entering his sixth year in the NBA. At 6’9″, 210 lbs, he’s played both at Shooting Guard and at Small Forward. The Charlotte native attended Georgia Tech and went undrafted in 2008. He was signed by the Warriors in July 2008, and continued with the team until being traded to the Nets. He was traded to Atlanta in a trade for Joe Johnson, then traded to Dallas. Morrow has displayed fantastic shooting prowess, posting career-high 47.8 FG% and 46.7 3P% in his rookie year. His shooting declined in he 2011-2012 season, as did his role. Still, his FT% has improved to over 90% in recent seasons, and he’s posted a 57.0 TS% for his career. His summary statistics paint him as a slightly below average player who has declined.

Greg Stiemsma (@gregstiemsma) will be entering his third year as an NBA center. The 6’11”, 260 lb. product of Wisconsin has also played international professional basketball. He battled academic and personal issues at Wisconsin, and did so publicly, and returned to complete his collegiate career. After also going undrafted in 2008, he played in Turkey, then went on to play in South Korea, in the D-League, and with the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves.

Michael Pellissier wrote a profile of Stiemsma earlier this summer.

Morrow Notes

  • Morrow is already working with the team. He had good things to say about the team, teammates, and staff. He also praised the facilities, logo, and more.
  • Jarrett Jack told him that he’d really enjoy his time with the Pelicans. He also indicated that this is typical in the free agent process.
  • Morrow feels that the number of players that get to rim on the team now combined with how heavily the team relied on Anderson to make 3-point shots will give him a good chance to get to make use of his shooting ability.
  • Morrow matched up against Aminu and Rivers in some practices. He noted how competitive Rivers is.
  • Morrow has heard some comparisons between Monty and Avery Johnson.

Stiemsma Notes

  • Stiemsma has not discussed specifics about his role, minutes, etc. but feels his game and record speak for themselves. He also chose the Pelicans in part because he thought he would have a chance to get more minutes with them than with other teams.
  • While he knows he’s not a go-to scorer, Stiemsma feels his offensive game is sufficient to justify his minutes while using his primary strengths: rebounding, blocking, providing a physical presence, and more little things.
  • Stiemsma is pleased to play for a defensive coach, believes defense is what makes the difference in many games.

Miscellaneous Notes

  • Saints and Pelicans HQ continues to reflect both brands more completely.
  • The practice facility now has a the Pelicans wordmark installed on its side.

Thanks to Golden State of Mind for the Morrow movie poster image.

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