Kwame Facing a Paycut

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>His own fans booed him, pushing Kwame Brown into a shell.

The Lakers fans had seen Andrew Bynum becoming a dominant figure at center until a left kneecap injury sidelined him.

Now, Brown was replacing the promising future, and he was not up to the task.

So the fans let him have it during a recent game, shaking Brown to his core.

"A bunch of teammates have rallied around me, and they are doing a good job of keeping my spirits up," Brown said. "I'm getting there."

Brown's teammates have backed him because they need him during Bynum's absence.

But Brown's spirits still aren't all the way back, and he's still trying to come to grips with the treatment.

"Now that Andrew played so well and we were winning games, everybody wants to point the finger. ... I'm not going to sit back and complain and say, 'I had two surgeries (on my left ankle and right shoulder) and then I had a serious injury with my (left) knee,' and then complain. But that's a fact."

In the 6-foot-11, 270-pound Brown, fans see an incredible physical specimen and wonder why he fails to make even the simplest plays.

"I think that there's always performance pressure on a guy who has been looked at as the first pick in the draft and has not fulfilled that," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "Those things, I'm sure, weigh. Those are things that we want him to get over. ... That happened, that's done."

Brown, 25, was the No. 1 overall draft pick out of high school in 2001 and has never lived up to expectations. The Lakers acquired him from Washington in 2005 in hopes that he would find his way and become a solid contributor.

They still are waiting and it's his seventh season, third in Los Angeles.

It was obvious the Lakers fans had seen enough as they expressed their disdain for Brown.

"The boos were just like, 'Wow! Why?' " Brown said. "It was weird, because they booed me on my first shot. If I make it, do you cheer? It was almost like a predetermined boo. As soon as I caught the ball for the jump shot, they booed me."

Brown has it in his head that he can be an offensive weapon, even though he drops passes with regularity, rushes his shots and constantly misses layups, dunks and free throws.

He is averaging 5.9 points and 5.7 rebounds and is shooting 53.1 percent from the floor, 41.7 from the free-throw line.

Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw always is in Brown's ear, telling him about players like Ben Wallace, Dennis Rodman and Tyson Chandler, defenders and rebounders that score when needed.

"What I'm trying to get him to do is not worry about getting his points," Shaw said. "Just go to the boards, set screens. If he does that, he can get 10 points a game. The fans will get off his back if they see him busting his butt."

Brown is in the last year of a deal that pays him $9.1 million, making this a contract season for him.

Jackson sat down with Brown during training camp, telling him that he can always get paid in the NBA because he knows the game, has a great body and has some skills.

But he also told Brown that his salary could drop to the mid-level of $5.2 million -- or perhaps even less -- or he could get another big payday if he made a "dramatic change" in his game.

"That's really in his hands, it's in his court," Jackson said. "He knows that. And that's something that he's working on. This is a huge opportunity. It just presented itself."</div>

Source: Press Enterprises

 

I'm sick of the fans at STAPLES. Every time he touches the ball, you can hear the boo's on TV. It's ridiculous.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Black Mamba @ Jan 31 2008, 05:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I'm sick of the fans at STAPLES. Every time he touches the ball, you can hear the boo's on TV. It's ridiculous.</div>

Yeah it's one of the reasons I didn't re-up my season tickets with my friend these past two seasons. The fans who go to the games now aren't the hardcore (hardcore by LA standards) ones who were there during the Shaq-Kobe Era.

That and the traffic is unbearable. A lot more enjoyable to watch at home or at a sports bar these days.

 

I've heard that about basketeball games, that it is much more enjoyable to watch from your home, friend's house, or a local sports bar than going to the actual game.

I've only been to one NBA game (Laker tickets too expensive). That was when Michael Jordan dropped 51 points on the Charlotte Hornets when he was a Wizard. If I never go to another NBA game again, that is enough memory for me!

I love watching the games at home though. I can curse up a storm, yell, throw shit, and enjoy as loud as I want.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Moo2K4 @ Jan 31 2008, 08:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I've never been to an NBA game, but I don't mind just chilling at home watching games on TV. Only downside is when I watch games on Comcast Chicago, I have to deal with the god awful commentary. The people they have that call the games for them are just awful. They know nothing about any other team in the league but the Bulls and sometimes it doesn't seem like they know anything about them. Beyond that, the commentary is horribly biased and I can't tolerate that. As sad as it is, I prefer watching the games on TNT, ESPN or ABC because the commentary isn't biased and they half-way know what the hell they're talking about.</div>

How's the radio play by play commentators? Generally they are better than the TV guys.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Moo2K4 @ Jan 31 2008, 08:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I actually don't listen to games on the radio, I much prefer actually watching games on TV. The only time I listen to radio announced games is when I can't watch my Iowa Hawkeyes play, then I listen to the radio, and generally their ok.</div>

I was going to suggest to watch the game, put it on MUTE, and listen to the radio broadcast while you watch.