Kori Ellis
05-26-2005, 01:02 AM
Buck Harvey: Mask of zero: Brown loses his moment
Web Posted: 05/26/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052605.1C.COL.BKNharvey.2ae301800.html
San Antonio Express-News
Joe Johnson will wear a mask Saturday, assuming he's comfortable with it, and then he can get back to the business of basketball. The Suns need him to chase Tony Parker.
But no matter what happens this weekend, the business of basketball will also resume in the offseason. By then Johnson's eye socket will have healed, and his price will be healthy, too; he's already done enough to earn a sizeable contract worth perhaps $50 million.
That's a reason the Suns have been cautious to push Johnson back on the floor. Future negotiations are at stake.
The same can't be said for Devin Brown. This is his chance to cash in, too, with his own free-agent summer coming, and this series was supposed to be His Time.
Instead, he sits unable to prove himself, with the kind of injury that frightens everyone, with the kind of injury that clear plastic and Velcro can't protect.
Back to the mask — couldn't Brown use one to hide the frustration?
As it is, Brown appears upbeat, confident that his herniated disc will go away. He still can't explode off his right leg, but doctors have assured him he will be fine in the long term. He chooses to believe them.
Scared about any of it?
"Nah," he says. "I'll be fine."
If he's in denial, it's out of habit. He was in denial, too, when NBA teams told him he wasn't worth drafting.
Brown stayed diligent, playing his way through the developmental league, and the work culminated this season. He put up some high-scoring games, including a stretch of 17 where he was in double figures in 10.
But it might have been a January night in Phoenix that outlined the promise. Then he spread his long arms and played some power forward in the Spurs' small lineups. He defended, threw in a 3-pointer and generally proved he belonged.
Wasn't he a perfect piece to plug in against the Suns?
But then came an afternoon in Detroit. Tim Duncan collapsed with a sprained ankle, and Brown felt something odd in his back, too. The next night, in New York, pain shot down Brown's leg for the first time, even as he was on his way to 22 points.
The injured list followed, as did rehab and serious concern. Brown had never been through anything like this, so he kept pushing the coaches to play him even when he couldn't push off his right leg.
He showed little improvement through the end of the season. But when it came time to set the playoff roster, Gregg Popovich still gambled on Brown.
Why? The long playoff schedule gave Brown time to heal, and Popovich wanted Brown later against the Suns.
Because of Johnson's absence, the Spurs haven't missed Brown thus far in the series. The Suns have had to go big, playing into the more traditional Spurs lineups.
And then there's Brent Barry. Hasn't his resurgence changed everything?
But if the Brown of midseason had been around the past month, Barry would likely have lost minutes. When Barry struggled as he did in Seattle, Brown might have taken them all.
So what was possible? Could Brown have cemented himself as the sixth man, carving out a niche on a contender, creating value for the summer market?
Here's a guess what Brown could have been worth: At least a three-year deal worth about $9million.
Now everything is in question, including Brown's golf addiction. He lives for a weekend at La Cantera, or even Doral, but he says he hasn't swung a club in 21/2 months.
He instead tries to simulate NBA action with 3-on-3 games, but it's not the same. That's why the Spurs coaches think he could still get on the floor, but maybe for only four or five minutes at a time.
If he finishes the season this way, how many teams will risk a contract on him? Brown's best offer might be another one-year deal from the Spurs.
The Spurs can't complain. The Sonics lost Rashard Lewis and Vladimir Radmanovic, and the Suns played without Johnson, a key starter, for the first two games of this series.
But Brown has reason to question fate. The local kid who made good will lose money, as well as the big-stage chance he was made for.
Nothing can shield him from that.
Web Posted: 05/26/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052605.1C.COL.BKNharvey.2ae301800.html
San Antonio Express-News
Joe Johnson will wear a mask Saturday, assuming he's comfortable with it, and then he can get back to the business of basketball. The Suns need him to chase Tony Parker.
But no matter what happens this weekend, the business of basketball will also resume in the offseason. By then Johnson's eye socket will have healed, and his price will be healthy, too; he's already done enough to earn a sizeable contract worth perhaps $50 million.
That's a reason the Suns have been cautious to push Johnson back on the floor. Future negotiations are at stake.
The same can't be said for Devin Brown. This is his chance to cash in, too, with his own free-agent summer coming, and this series was supposed to be His Time.
Instead, he sits unable to prove himself, with the kind of injury that frightens everyone, with the kind of injury that clear plastic and Velcro can't protect.
Back to the mask — couldn't Brown use one to hide the frustration?
As it is, Brown appears upbeat, confident that his herniated disc will go away. He still can't explode off his right leg, but doctors have assured him he will be fine in the long term. He chooses to believe them.
Scared about any of it?
"Nah," he says. "I'll be fine."
If he's in denial, it's out of habit. He was in denial, too, when NBA teams told him he wasn't worth drafting.
Brown stayed diligent, playing his way through the developmental league, and the work culminated this season. He put up some high-scoring games, including a stretch of 17 where he was in double figures in 10.
But it might have been a January night in Phoenix that outlined the promise. Then he spread his long arms and played some power forward in the Spurs' small lineups. He defended, threw in a 3-pointer and generally proved he belonged.
Wasn't he a perfect piece to plug in against the Suns?
But then came an afternoon in Detroit. Tim Duncan collapsed with a sprained ankle, and Brown felt something odd in his back, too. The next night, in New York, pain shot down Brown's leg for the first time, even as he was on his way to 22 points.
The injured list followed, as did rehab and serious concern. Brown had never been through anything like this, so he kept pushing the coaches to play him even when he couldn't push off his right leg.
He showed little improvement through the end of the season. But when it came time to set the playoff roster, Gregg Popovich still gambled on Brown.
Why? The long playoff schedule gave Brown time to heal, and Popovich wanted Brown later against the Suns.
Because of Johnson's absence, the Spurs haven't missed Brown thus far in the series. The Suns have had to go big, playing into the more traditional Spurs lineups.
And then there's Brent Barry. Hasn't his resurgence changed everything?
But if the Brown of midseason had been around the past month, Barry would likely have lost minutes. When Barry struggled as he did in Seattle, Brown might have taken them all.
So what was possible? Could Brown have cemented himself as the sixth man, carving out a niche on a contender, creating value for the summer market?
Here's a guess what Brown could have been worth: At least a three-year deal worth about $9million.
Now everything is in question, including Brown's golf addiction. He lives for a weekend at La Cantera, or even Doral, but he says he hasn't swung a club in 21/2 months.
He instead tries to simulate NBA action with 3-on-3 games, but it's not the same. That's why the Spurs coaches think he could still get on the floor, but maybe for only four or five minutes at a time.
If he finishes the season this way, how many teams will risk a contract on him? Brown's best offer might be another one-year deal from the Spurs.
The Spurs can't complain. The Sonics lost Rashard Lewis and Vladimir Radmanovic, and the Suns played without Johnson, a key starter, for the first two games of this series.
But Brown has reason to question fate. The local kid who made good will lose money, as well as the big-stage chance he was made for.
Nothing can shield him from that.