Agent: Diabetes not an issue for Morrison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Agent Mark Bartelstein is playing doctor these days, telling NBA teams not to fear Adam Morrison’s diabetes.

Bartelstein isn’t trivializing the disease, but he wants teams to know it’s manageable enough that Morrison can have a long NBA career.

“It’s a serious situation. He has a disease,” Bartelstein said. “But as far as his ability to play and his longevity, it’s no concern.”

Morrison, the high-scoring forward from Gonzaga, will audition for the Charlotte Bobcats Monday. Diabetes didn’t stop him from carrying his team and becoming one of the best college basketball players in the country last season.

Also, Morrison isn’t the first diabetic to enter the NBA; center Chris Dudley played 18 pro seasons with the disease and now runs a foundation supporting diabetic children.

Still, the Bobcats and other teams with high picks will scrutinize the situation. Coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff said he plans to consult with doctors and possibly contact Dudley to understand the situation better. Bickerstaff says that’s no different than how he’d scrutinize a draft prospect who had knee surgery.

The issue, Bickerstaff said, isn’t what Morrison has done, but what he will do. He notes that the NBA season has twice as many games as the college season, sometimes at a pace of four games in five nights. You don’t use the third pick on a player unless you’re certain he’s up to that pace.

Bartelstein has no doubt that’s the case.

“I’ve spoken to his doctor, and as long as he takes care of himself properly, with insulin and diet, it’s a non-issue,” Bartelstein said.

“(Teams) just need to be educated on it. … It might be easier for him going from a college kid to being a pro. Being a college kid meant eating pizza in a dorm room at 1 a.m. Now on the road, he’ll be in a Ritz-Carlton” with 24-hour access to the right food.