This is not good! Kwame in LA.

[KANIDJA]

When I think about this guy I think about Jermaine O'Neal and Portland. Just the other night I watched Spurs - Portland WCF 1999. Jermaine was so athletic and strong you could just see that he needed more time. Portland gave up on him and look what he is doing now. Kwame/Kobe force to reckon with in years to come. Hope I am wrong. Thoughts?

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/36638/20050714/lakers_and_wizards_agree_to_kwame_trade/

 

[George O'Brien]

A lot has been discussed about K Brown's hands and why they limit what he can do. Obviously there are GM's who think he can overcome this and become a solid player even though he has not shown that in Washington.

 

[scotsman13]

ok let me get this straight you are scared of a player that is defend by googs and only gets 2 rebounds in that game? a player whos team kicks him off their playoff roster? a player who after having the chance to work with the greatest player ever in the game, comes out and said that it put him under to much pressure?

the report is that la is giving up caron butler for him. man did la get anally raped on that one butler has at least proven that he has a spot in the nba while brown has shown that he maybe the worst #1 overall draft pick ever.

 

[PhxGametime]

Unless the team signs a Marko Jaric or Antonio Daniels as PG, the Lakers lose Odom or Bryant for any games and they're screwed...

 

[Joe Mama]

ok let me get this straight you are scared of a player that is defend by googs and only gets 2 rebounds in that game? a player whos team kicks him off their playoff roster? a player who after having the chance to work with the greatest player ever in the game, comes out and said that it put him under to much pressure?

the report is that la is giving up caron butler for him. man did la get anally raped on that one butler has at least proven that he has a spot in the nba while brown has shown that he maybe the worst #1 overall draft pick ever.

Brown is also 7-0, 250 pounds and is very athletic. That's why teams are willing to give up players like Butler for him. I think if I was coaching him I would tell him not to even worry about scoring for awhile. I would tell him to just crash the boards, play the best defense possible, and try to block a bunch of shots.

I agree that this looks like a bad move for the Lakers. I can't imagine Phil Jackson and Kwame Brown being a good combination, and then you throw Kobe Bryant into the mix...

Unless the team signs a Marko Jaric or Antonio Daniels as PG, the Lakers lose Odom or Bryant for any games and they're screwed...

I think there's probably a good chance they get one of those guys.

Joe Mama

 

[Russ Smith]

The thing that makes no sense is this is a guy who folded under pressure playing with Jordan. Sure he's older, but you don't think he'll be under pressure now playing with Kobe and playing for Phil Jackson?

Then here's a guy who openly complained that Arenas and Hughes didn't pass enough, yeah they're scoring guards and yeah Arenas over dribbles, but it's not like Kwame gave him a reason to pass to him. Then you put him in LA and team him with Kobe and you think that problem is going to go away? Kobe is a great passer but if you think Arenas and Hughes are selfish you aint seen nothing yet until you play with Kobe for awhile.

Kwame has talent but he has terrible hands, a very questionable work ethic(or he's just not very coachable) and I would saying going to a huge market team with very high expectations from the fans and media might just push him right out the door. He's got the tools, but Laker fans aren't very forgiving, he's going to have to produce or they'll want his head.

 

[PhxGametime]

Jaric is restricted and the Lakers only have Mid-Level to offer - I'm not sure about Daniels. That is the Clippers though and they did sign Mobley and have Livingston... Clippers Mobley IMO is overrated and I didn't like the Pick of Livingston. That just gives the opposing team the ability to defend Livingston with SG's and Mobley with PG's...

 

[Chaplin]

I am all for the Lakers trading Butler for Brown!

 

[Treesquid PhD]

I certainly think the world of Butler. Personally I am not impressed with Brown I think Amare will shread that boy to pieces when the Suns play them.

 

[yotes1921]

We can only hope the Lakers brought Brown in to show their 1st round draft pick the ropes, this kid should develop real nicely under the tutelage of such a great example.

 

[Southpaw]

It's a big name nothing deal. Neither player has been , is , or will be an impact player. Butler was not missed when he was traded away by Miami and sure as Hell won't be missed by the Lakers. Brown will never be anything but a bust. Best player in the deal is Atkins and he is getting old.

 

[F-Dog]

Kwame is a scary guy. His hands are a limiting factor, but they don't make athletic specimens like him very often. I don't think you can write him off as a defender for Amare, they way you could with everybody the Lakers had last year.

Phil Jackson can be very hands-off and low-pressure at times, as well. I don't see any special problems with a Jax/Kwame pairing, and I certainly don't see Kobe as a Jordan-level teammate killer.

(I used to be a huge PJax basher, but suddenly everybody else likes him even less than I do. I don't think my opinion of him has changed that much. )


Anyway, I'm hoping that Kwame is a Kandi-level flop, like the rest of you, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. Either way, the Lakers should be a better team this year. I've got them penciled in for the playoffs--in fact, they've got as good a chance as anybody to be the Suns' first-round opponent...

 

[elindholm]

Brown was starting to look pretty promising in '03-'04 (10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds on 30 minutes a game and 49% shooting), but injuries last year pretty much wrecked his season. If he comes back healthy, he'll help the Lakers a lot, but they have a lot of ground to make up before they can be considered a top team again.

Still, it was a great move on their part to get Brown while retaining their MLE. Now they can add at least one more quality player and maybe two.

One surprising statistic about Brown is the low number of fouls he commits -- barely two a game in his career, while averaging 23 minutes. I haven't seen enough of him to have an opinion on his defense. Is he a good defender, or does he just let people blow by him?

 

[boisesuns]

I don't understand why everyone is so worried. He MIGHT all of the sudden break out, but at this point i'd still take Thomas, Hunter or even jake over him. The Wizards got a good deal.

 

[Mulli]

Hey, F-Dog. Can you give me some background on your statement "Jordan-level teammate killer?"


My wife loves Jordan and I love to dig up dirt on him to torture her.

 

[elindholm]

but at this point i'd still take Thomas, Hunter or even jake over him.

Of course that is absurd. There is absolutely no rational reason to prefer Voskuhl to Brown, and even Hunter is quite a reach.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

It's a big name nothing deal. Neither player has been , is , or will be an impact player. Butler was not missed when he was traded away by Miami and sure as Hell won't be missed by the Lakers. Brown will never be anything but a bust. Best player in the deal is Atkins and he is getting old.

The few times I saw the Lakers this year I actually liked what I saw from Butler. Reminded me of a poor man's Ron Artest. And of course, the Jake over Kwame comment is ridiculous. Voskuhl really can't do much of anything on an NBA court other than commit fouls.

 

[Mulli]

And of course, the Jake over Kwame comment is ridiculous. Voskuhl really can't do much of anything on an NBA court other than commit fouls.

 

[Russ Smith]

One surprising statistic about Brown is the low number of fouls he commits -- barely two a game in his career, while averaging 23 minutes. I haven't seen enough of him to have an opinion on his defense. Is he a good defender, or does he just let people blow by him?

You answered your own question, he doesn't foul because he doesn't guard people.

That's why Etan Thomas was getting more and more minutes as the season wore on and he got healthy himself, because he's a much better defender than Kwame.

 

[elindholm]

Yeah, I really wanted Etan Thomas last summer. I like his game. He's sort of like a brawnier Brian Grant without the jump shot.

 

[boisesuns]

but at this point i'd still take Thomas, Hunter or even jake over him.

Of course that is absurd. There is absolutely no rational reason to prefer Voskuhl to Brown, and even Hunter is quite a reach.

Yeah, i know it's crazy! Should have included the rolling eyes I was more speaking of how everyone is so worried that he is on LA now. He hasn't done anything to warrant worry.

 

[F-Dog]

Hey, F-Dog. Can you give me some background on your statement "Jordan-level teammate killer?"


My wife loves Jordan and I love to dig up dirt on him to torture her.

I've never bothered to collect any documentation, and my memory is sketchy. Don't take any of this as gospel.


When he was first coming up, the Bulls would collect veteran backups for MJ, and a couple of them washed out of the league by the next year. The problem was that Jordan would go after his backup mercilessly in practice, trash-talking and basically destroying the guy's ego.

When Toni Kukoc came to the Bulls, Jordan and Pippen were annoyed that he was getting so much money and attention. There were rumors that those two froze Kukoc out in the locker room.

Everybody around here remembers the time Jordan got into a fight (in practice) with Steve Kerr--Kerr's rep is that he's one of the nicest and friendliest guys in sports, and he's never had trouble with any of his other teammates. The Bulls weren't able to hush it up because of the marks on Kerr's face IIRC.

When Jordan was with the Wizards, the rumor was that he would challenge Rip Hamilton to shooting contests, putting money on the line. Rip would generally put Jordan a few thousand dollars in the hole, and then Jordan would make him stay on the court until he could get even. A couple of times the team bus was delayed for hours because of this--the rest of the team had to sit and wait.

When MJ traded Hamilton to the Pistons for Jerry Stackhouse, it was thought that part of the motivation was personal, because Hamilton didn't kowtow to him (not that Jordan needed a special reason to make bad trades).

And, of course, Jordan used to repeatedly insult Kwame Brown's manhood in front of their teammates, calling him a '******' and a bunch of other names. Kwame was 18 at the time, and Jordan was about 37 or 38.


I'm sure I've forgotten more than I remembered, but there you have it.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

My wife loves Jordan and I love to dig up dirt on him to torture her.

Have you covered the gambling addiction and the payments to keep his mistress quiet?

 

[KANIDJA]

Things change quickly. Lots of people forget how strong he is. He has all the tools, and now that he is getting a new start, will play for an excellent coach with proven track record (no more excuses) and superstar I see him developing in an all star. He is now older and if he wants to become a better player he has to forget his past. Some players just need more time to develop. Hopefully he is not one of them because I hate LA.

 

[JPlay]

He'll be better next year with Phil as his coach. He's 7' and has a solid body frame. He's not a rail like Hunter. I think he needs to focus on rebounding and defense like Chandler and he'll be solid.