How Now, Mr. Brown?

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">As such, he was too young to be served alcohol in the clubs and bars where his teammates partied. No wonder he sorely missed his buddies back in Georgia and spent much of his time playing video games all by his lonesome. And if Brown was ill-equipped to deal with NBA action off the court, he was just as confounded by the demands of on-court competition.

His hands were iffy, and his concentration was scattered. He was moody, stubborn, often non-communicative, always confused and seemed to be a slow learner. The teaser was that once in a while Brown showed flashes of brilliance.

During Michael Jordan's brief but tumultuous tenure with the Wizards, "His Airness" often castigated young Kwame for being immature and consistently inconsistent. This only made Brown more sullen and bull-headed. Despite his spotty play, Brown believed he warranted more playing time than he was getting. There were cross words, a suspension and profound disappointment everywhere.

Ah, but the young man was 6-foot-11 and 245 pounds — a physical specimen! Plus he was athletic and had incredibly quick feet. So the Lakers were quick to snap him up last summer in what some onlookers deemed to be a foolish trade.

Brown's now 24 and in his fifth NBA season, and, under the special guidance of Phil Jackson and Kurt Rambis, Brown has made some real, but often erratic, progress — particularly in his post-defense. And when Chris Mihm recently went down for the count with a severe ankle injury, Brown suddenly was the Lakers' only experienced center. Whether the added responsibility or the guaranteed playing time did the trick, Brown's development has noticeably accelerated.

With the Lakers desperately battling for a playoff spot, Thursday's hosting of the Spurs loomed as a critical ball game. And playing against the defending champs in a pressurized situation was likewise a test of just how far Brown has come since his hapless days with the Wizards.

The Spurs easily outclassed the Lakers 96-85, and several of Brown's flaws were evident. But he also showed definite signs that he will, sooner rather than later, become an authentic force in the middle.

Offense

This is the shakiest part of Brown's game. His first bucket resulted from a turn-and-face on the left box, followed by a two-dribble drive into the lane and a sweet jump hook. Then came a nifty baseline pass from Smush Parker that Brown turned into a layup. Early in the second quarter, Kwame stormed to the hoop and dunked a missed jumper by Kobe Bryant.

Unfortunately, even his misses were significant: Two turnaround jumpers over his right shoulder. A spinning jump hook. A fade-away flipper in the paint. And a point-blank bank shot after snaring an offensive rebound. On each of these misses, Brown was off-balance when he released the ball. Indeed, this has been a chronic problem since he's been in the league.

What's going on?

# He's afraid that his shots might be blocked so he rushes them.

# His feet move quicker than does his space recognition; so he often blithely steps into crowded quarters.

# His feet tend to be so close to each other that even minimal body contact derails him.

# He needs to develop more strength in the middle of his body.

Compounding these difficulties is the fact that most of his shots are too flat. Like Shaq, Brown simply has no touch.

Kwame received the ball in the low-post a total of seven times, resulting in five shots and two passes back out to the perimeter that gained no advantage for the Lakers. Otherwise, he was stationed outside the lane on the weak side and was asked to stay out of the way, or was positioned at a corner of the foul line. From the high-post, Kwame executed several accurate hand-off passes. And he also tossed a good-enough entry pass into a low-posted Lamar Odom — but Odom failed to meet the ball; the connection was never made.

In addition, Brown twice maneuvered himself in perfect position to receive lob passes, but both passes were short and were easily intercepted.

Five of Kwame's total rebounds came on offense. And he showed several slick inside moves that got him past Duncan's attempts to box him out. His most consistent contribution to L.A.'s offense was to set solid, wipe-out screens. Five in all, every one creating an open shot for a teammate — including a field goal each for Kobe and Luke Walton.

Given a long summer spent under expert tutelage, Kwame's footwork and shooting mechanics will undoubtedly improve. In any event, setting screens, attacking the offensive glass and making fail-safe passes will suffice to make him a valuable role player.

Defense

This is where Brown has already made a quantum leap. He did a superb job defending Tim Duncan, especially in the low-post. In face-to-face situations (and discounting switches), Duncan was 3-for-8 against Brown. Two of these hoops came on 20-foot jumpers, when Brown sloughed off TD to help on a penetrating guard. One came under the same circumstances, the only difference being that Brown tried to make a quick recovery, was faked off his feet and allowed Duncan to drive and bury a flip-shot on the move.

Against everyone else, Duncan was 6-for-10 and scored 14 points.

Brown simply battled Duncan for every inch in the pivot. Fighting him with such ferocity that TD often couldn't get settled enough to ask for the ball. Whenever Duncan tried to wheel into the middle, Brown expertly bumped him off stride and caused several awkward misses. If Brown did commit two fouls in trying to defend Duncan (neither of which resulted in free throws), his quick feet also forced TD into a charging foul. The Lakers only doubled Duncan three times when Brown was on his case, mostly trusting the youngster to do the job by himself.

The Spurs even resorted to a cross-screen to try to create a comfortable space in which Duncan could operate. But Kwame topped the screen and beat Duncan to the designated spot on the strong side, and the entry pass was once again denied. This was definitely a move worthy of the hoariest veteran defender.

Brown also spent some time guarding Nazr Mohammed. When Kwame made a side step to deny Michael Finley a dive cut, Mohammed caught a lob pass and scored a layup — despite being fouled by Brown. But Brown also induced Mohammed into committing a charging foul. Add Mohammed's three points to Duncan's six, and Brown's nine points created a wash that greatly benefited the Lakers.

What else did Brown accomplish on defense?

# He made several aggressive (and effective) shows on screen/rolls.

# He made a few appropriate switches without getting burned.

# And he bumped several smalls who tried cutting through the lane.

# The weakest part of his defense is his coverage of penetrating guards. Either he picks them up too high (allowing them to use their innate foot-speed to zip around him) or too low. Sometimes Brown was so intent on staying in touch with Duncan that his back was turned when one of the Spurs' guards drove into the paint — and this was how three of his five fouls occurred.

Despite his hops, his quickness off the floorboards and his reach, Kwame's discomfort when smalls wind up in his lap makes him a surprisingly inept shot-blocker.

He may never be an accomplished scorer. But he could certainly turn into the same kind of aggressive, quick-footed post-defender that Horace Grant was in his prime. And that's not too shabby a possibility for a youngster who's just turned 24.

If Yogi Berra didn't say the following about Kwame, then he should have: <font size="5">"His past is behind him, but his future is ahead of him."</font></div>

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