SAN FRANCISCO _ The locker room was cleared and his Knicks teammates already were on the bus late Wednesday night when Marcus Morris finally was out of the shower and dressed, ready to head out into the night after doing all he could to get the Knicks their first win in more than three weeks.
He had missed a free throw in the final seconds of overtime, all that stood between his performance matching his career high, finishing with 36 points. The Knicks survived a nightmarish collapse in a battle of the two worst teams in the NBA this season, beating the Golden State Warriors, 124-122.
An exhausting win over the now-worst team that ended a 10-game losing streak serves as a highlight right now for the Knicks and Morris. But the veteran forward, who might be the most coveted player on the roster when the ability to trade the players signed this summer begins Sunday, isn't looking forward for a chance to depart for a playoff contender.
But he knows that a trade could be made, with his expiring contract, his ability and experience enticing a team in need of help.
"I'm aware of that," Morris said. "It's part of the game. I'm going to keep saying like I said in the beginning. I love being in New York. Win, lose or draw, I'm here to try to help turn this thing around. You know, I'm not really looking to get traded. That's just my personal opinion. That's my approach. But this is the NBA."
Morris was in the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, first with Detroit and then with the Boston Celtics the last two seasons. Still, with the Knicks more likely to begin unloading contracts than to make a playoff run, Morris isn't seeking an exit.
"Yeah, I'd rather help turn this thing around," Morris said. " said it best. Some guys are not built for New York. I'm built for New York. I'd rather be here and I'd rather help and I'd rather anchor it."
Morris is not only the most attractive of the seven free agents signed by the Knicks over the summer, but he is the only one who wasn't grabbed in a rush of musical chairs in the immediate aftermath of seeing the stars they were seeking agree to deals with other teams.
He is averaging a team-high 19 points, a career high. He has been connecting on 48.9% of his three-point attempts, third-best in the NBA, and the best percentage of his career by far. While he joked this week that his intent to model his game on Anthony's was given up when he saw he would not get the opportunities that Anthony had in New York, he finally has gotten the touches and shots that he once dreamed of getting.
But he said that wasn't his intent when he opted to join the Knicks on a one-year, $15 million deal this summer, spurning a verbal agreement on a two-year deal with the Spurs.
"Nah, that wasn't what I was looking for," Morris said. "I was just looking for a great spot where I felt like I was wanted, I felt like I'd be really valuable for a team in a lot of different ways and not just shooting threes or scoring, in the locker room, all that."
