spurs=bling
03-03-2006, 08:21 PM
So Elton Brand couldn't find his tooth, right? He's looking everywhere, on the floor, behind the bench. This is a while ago, 1994, he's 15 years old, or about to turn 15, something like that. A freshman, and a starter for Peekskill High in New York. They're playing Nyack, and Elton takes a shot in the mouth and finds himself minus a tooth. He comes out of the game, and, well, he's done for the night. Right?
Uh-uh. He finds the tooth. It's lodged in the roof of his mouth. He yanks it out, jams it back into the empty socket and goes back on the court. Scores 20-plus points :wow .
Go on, pull up a chair. Listen to anyone who has known Elton Brand (the above happens to come from Peekskill High coach Louis Panzanaro) and be prepared for an earful of unsolicited, unabashed and dang-near unbelievable tales of Elton-love, covering all manner of Brand's character. Academically, he ranked 16th in his high school class, but he still was tough enough to play minus some dentistry. As an eighth-grader, he'd swat away shots from varsity players but was so polite he'd apologize. He's ferocious but loves his mother, pours time and money into helping underprivileged kids and, word is, rescues kittens from trees as a hobby.
"Everybody loves Elton Brand," says Delaware coach David Henderson, who was an assistant at Duke during Brand's two-year tenure at the school. "To get a young man like that is a blessing. His is a perfect script."
Sound like hyperbole? Try this, from Panzanaro (who will turn 60 this year): "I always say, I hope someday I can be as mature as Elton was when he was 16."
Everybody, indeed, loves Elton. Especially in Los Angeles, where Brand is doing the unthinkable -- leading the Clippers, who have been a lottery team 11 times in the past 12 years, into playoff contention. Brand has been boosted by the veteran backcourt of Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley, who wisely have fed him the ball and triggered career-best production. He ranks in the league's top 10 in points per game (25.5), rebounds per game (10.3), field-goal percentage (.524) and blocks per game (2.6).
"I don't think they've done a good enough job getting him the ball in the past," Cassell says. "He's a beast down there. You love a guy like that."
Nine months ago, perhaps the only person who didn't love Elton Brand was Elton Brand. For the sixth consecutive season, he missed the playoffs by a colossal margin. In six years with the Bulls and Clippers he never had been on a .500 team. His career record was 163-329, a winning percentage of .331.
"That has been hard on him," says Panzanaro, a father figure to Brand (whose father left the family when Brand was 2). "He would stay upbeat in public, and he did not want anyone knowing how upset he was. But he would call and say, 'I am not a loser. I can't get used to this.' "
Brand went to coach Mike Dunleavy last June and asked him what he needed to do to get better. Dunleavy told Brand to push his game out and quit trying to battle bigger players inside. (Brand is 6-8, small for a power forward.) He needed to perfect his 15-foot jumper. Most of all, Dunleavy told Brand to get into top shape. That had been a problem -- the three previous years Brand's offseason was interrupted either by a commitment to Team USA (2003), recovery from knee surgery (2004) or both (2002).
Five times a week last summer, he put in eight-hour days in the gym. Weights first, then the elliptical machine. Plus some on-floor cardio followed by 5-on-5 scrimmages. He closed each day by working on the midrange jumper and finished when he noticed improvement.
Brand lost nearly 20 pounds. "By media day, you could tell," Clippers broadcaster Ralph Lawler says. "He showed up and, right away, it was clear he'd worked on his body. Then, when he took the floor, everyone was just kind of looking at each other, saying, 'Wow.' "
The wows haven't stopped. "When they put Brand into pick-and-rolls with Cassell, it's impossible," one Western Conference scout says. "His jumper is way better than it used to be. And what gets overlooked is how much better he is at putting the ball on the floor. You can give him the ball 25 feet from the basket, and he can create a good shot. He has improved a lot."
Not that he was a slouch before. Brand entered the season with career averages of 19.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He had a six-year, $82 million contract, the richest deal ever given a Clipper.
Here was a star player seeking advice from his coach -- a rare NBA occasion. But Brand is different. Panzanaro says Brand did the same thing in the 10th grade when he discovered he was not ranked among the top 200 prep players. Henderson says Brand did it at Duke when he read that Lamar Odom or Steve Francis should be the No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft.
"Why wouldn't I go to my coaches?" Brand says. "I did not have to swallow my pride or put aside my ego to do that. Understand, I am not LeBron James. I am 6-8. I need help. I want to get everything I can from my coaches."
"That's the thing about Elton," Henderson says. "He likes learning. He's not afraid to admit that he's not smarter than everyone else. You've got to love that."
If you're going to love Elton Brand, you've got to love CAMP, Inc., too. That's the learning and resource center Brand -- along with Panzanaro and Brand's mother, Daisy -- set up in his hometown of Peekskill. It's a hardscrabble place, 50 miles north of Manhattan. Brand grew up in the Dunbar Heights housing project. But he says his mother never let the family feel poor. Sure, the sign in front of his apartment complex said "Low-income housing," but it might just as well have said "Brick buildings" or "Small bedrooms." It never meant much to Brand as a kid.
As an adult, though, he has become more attuned to Peekskill's problems. He gave more than $400,000 to set up CAMP, Inc. Every school day from 3 to 7 p.m., CAMP's offices are staffed with tutors, and about 25 kids, ages 13 to 17, get help with homework (the center has 110 kids on its roll). The foundation matches kids who want music or art lessons with the right instructors. Brand also has paid to send kids -- UConn center and Peekskill native Hilton Armstrong among them -- to elite basketball camps.
"I just don't want kids to not be able to pursue something because they don't have enough money," Brand says. "A lot of people helped me along my way, and I'd like to do the same thing for some of the kids in the area."
For the NBA, the problem with having Brand languish on some of the league's worst teams was that the league missed out on an ever-smiling player with a heart as big as his talent. "Elton Brand epitomizes what it means to be an NBA star," ESPN analyst Bill Walton says. "I could not be happier for his success. He is a class act and a first-rate person, on the court, off the court, in the locker room."
The league has begun taking advantage. Brand has become the face of a long-faceless franchise -- by the end of the season, he likely will be the Clippers' third all-time leading scorer after just five years with the team. As the Clippers succeed, his profile rises. ESPN has added Clippers games later in the season, and during All-Star weekend Brand was the host of a behind-the-scenes show for NBA TV.
There's a catch, though: The Clippers must keep winning. For that, Brand has taken personal responsibility. It was evident in a win over the Grizzlies last month -- Brand scored 28 second half points, including a stretch in which he poured in 16 of his team's 18. Brand used to tell himself the blame for losing rested with factors beyond his control -- the Bulls were rebuilding, the Clippers had a measly payroll. No more.
"I know we are a young team, I know we have one of the lowest payrolls, but I need to be in the playoffs," Brand says. "I am 26 now. I'm not 22, 23 anymore. I need my shot at getting some hardware. I have to take it upon myself."
The coming weeks will be crucial for many NBA players, but Brand, arguably, has the most at stake. The Clippers were positioned to finish comfortably above .500 and gain a playoff spot, but they entered the week having lost six of eight games. Nearly every team in the West is capable of making a run toward the postseason, which makes the Clippers' pursuit of a playoff berth difficult.
Brand has played the part of the lovable loser too long. He doesn't mind keeping the lovable part. The second part has got to go. "Look, I didn't complain about any of this," Brand says. "I never said, 'Trade me; I want out of here.' I dealt with it. I just don't want to deal with it anymore."
Sean Deveney is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at [email protected].
Updated on Friday, Mar 3, 2006 11:36 am EST
Uh-uh. He finds the tooth. It's lodged in the roof of his mouth. He yanks it out, jams it back into the empty socket and goes back on the court. Scores 20-plus points :wow .
Go on, pull up a chair. Listen to anyone who has known Elton Brand (the above happens to come from Peekskill High coach Louis Panzanaro) and be prepared for an earful of unsolicited, unabashed and dang-near unbelievable tales of Elton-love, covering all manner of Brand's character. Academically, he ranked 16th in his high school class, but he still was tough enough to play minus some dentistry. As an eighth-grader, he'd swat away shots from varsity players but was so polite he'd apologize. He's ferocious but loves his mother, pours time and money into helping underprivileged kids and, word is, rescues kittens from trees as a hobby.
"Everybody loves Elton Brand," says Delaware coach David Henderson, who was an assistant at Duke during Brand's two-year tenure at the school. "To get a young man like that is a blessing. His is a perfect script."
Sound like hyperbole? Try this, from Panzanaro (who will turn 60 this year): "I always say, I hope someday I can be as mature as Elton was when he was 16."
Everybody, indeed, loves Elton. Especially in Los Angeles, where Brand is doing the unthinkable -- leading the Clippers, who have been a lottery team 11 times in the past 12 years, into playoff contention. Brand has been boosted by the veteran backcourt of Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley, who wisely have fed him the ball and triggered career-best production. He ranks in the league's top 10 in points per game (25.5), rebounds per game (10.3), field-goal percentage (.524) and blocks per game (2.6).
"I don't think they've done a good enough job getting him the ball in the past," Cassell says. "He's a beast down there. You love a guy like that."
Nine months ago, perhaps the only person who didn't love Elton Brand was Elton Brand. For the sixth consecutive season, he missed the playoffs by a colossal margin. In six years with the Bulls and Clippers he never had been on a .500 team. His career record was 163-329, a winning percentage of .331.
"That has been hard on him," says Panzanaro, a father figure to Brand (whose father left the family when Brand was 2). "He would stay upbeat in public, and he did not want anyone knowing how upset he was. But he would call and say, 'I am not a loser. I can't get used to this.' "
Brand went to coach Mike Dunleavy last June and asked him what he needed to do to get better. Dunleavy told Brand to push his game out and quit trying to battle bigger players inside. (Brand is 6-8, small for a power forward.) He needed to perfect his 15-foot jumper. Most of all, Dunleavy told Brand to get into top shape. That had been a problem -- the three previous years Brand's offseason was interrupted either by a commitment to Team USA (2003), recovery from knee surgery (2004) or both (2002).
Five times a week last summer, he put in eight-hour days in the gym. Weights first, then the elliptical machine. Plus some on-floor cardio followed by 5-on-5 scrimmages. He closed each day by working on the midrange jumper and finished when he noticed improvement.
Brand lost nearly 20 pounds. "By media day, you could tell," Clippers broadcaster Ralph Lawler says. "He showed up and, right away, it was clear he'd worked on his body. Then, when he took the floor, everyone was just kind of looking at each other, saying, 'Wow.' "
The wows haven't stopped. "When they put Brand into pick-and-rolls with Cassell, it's impossible," one Western Conference scout says. "His jumper is way better than it used to be. And what gets overlooked is how much better he is at putting the ball on the floor. You can give him the ball 25 feet from the basket, and he can create a good shot. He has improved a lot."
Not that he was a slouch before. Brand entered the season with career averages of 19.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He had a six-year, $82 million contract, the richest deal ever given a Clipper.
Here was a star player seeking advice from his coach -- a rare NBA occasion. But Brand is different. Panzanaro says Brand did the same thing in the 10th grade when he discovered he was not ranked among the top 200 prep players. Henderson says Brand did it at Duke when he read that Lamar Odom or Steve Francis should be the No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft.
"Why wouldn't I go to my coaches?" Brand says. "I did not have to swallow my pride or put aside my ego to do that. Understand, I am not LeBron James. I am 6-8. I need help. I want to get everything I can from my coaches."
"That's the thing about Elton," Henderson says. "He likes learning. He's not afraid to admit that he's not smarter than everyone else. You've got to love that."
If you're going to love Elton Brand, you've got to love CAMP, Inc., too. That's the learning and resource center Brand -- along with Panzanaro and Brand's mother, Daisy -- set up in his hometown of Peekskill. It's a hardscrabble place, 50 miles north of Manhattan. Brand grew up in the Dunbar Heights housing project. But he says his mother never let the family feel poor. Sure, the sign in front of his apartment complex said "Low-income housing," but it might just as well have said "Brick buildings" or "Small bedrooms." It never meant much to Brand as a kid.
As an adult, though, he has become more attuned to Peekskill's problems. He gave more than $400,000 to set up CAMP, Inc. Every school day from 3 to 7 p.m., CAMP's offices are staffed with tutors, and about 25 kids, ages 13 to 17, get help with homework (the center has 110 kids on its roll). The foundation matches kids who want music or art lessons with the right instructors. Brand also has paid to send kids -- UConn center and Peekskill native Hilton Armstrong among them -- to elite basketball camps.
"I just don't want kids to not be able to pursue something because they don't have enough money," Brand says. "A lot of people helped me along my way, and I'd like to do the same thing for some of the kids in the area."
For the NBA, the problem with having Brand languish on some of the league's worst teams was that the league missed out on an ever-smiling player with a heart as big as his talent. "Elton Brand epitomizes what it means to be an NBA star," ESPN analyst Bill Walton says. "I could not be happier for his success. He is a class act and a first-rate person, on the court, off the court, in the locker room."
The league has begun taking advantage. Brand has become the face of a long-faceless franchise -- by the end of the season, he likely will be the Clippers' third all-time leading scorer after just five years with the team. As the Clippers succeed, his profile rises. ESPN has added Clippers games later in the season, and during All-Star weekend Brand was the host of a behind-the-scenes show for NBA TV.
There's a catch, though: The Clippers must keep winning. For that, Brand has taken personal responsibility. It was evident in a win over the Grizzlies last month -- Brand scored 28 second half points, including a stretch in which he poured in 16 of his team's 18. Brand used to tell himself the blame for losing rested with factors beyond his control -- the Bulls were rebuilding, the Clippers had a measly payroll. No more.
"I know we are a young team, I know we have one of the lowest payrolls, but I need to be in the playoffs," Brand says. "I am 26 now. I'm not 22, 23 anymore. I need my shot at getting some hardware. I have to take it upon myself."
The coming weeks will be crucial for many NBA players, but Brand, arguably, has the most at stake. The Clippers were positioned to finish comfortably above .500 and gain a playoff spot, but they entered the week having lost six of eight games. Nearly every team in the West is capable of making a run toward the postseason, which makes the Clippers' pursuit of a playoff berth difficult.
Brand has played the part of the lovable loser too long. He doesn't mind keeping the lovable part. The second part has got to go. "Look, I didn't complain about any of this," Brand says. "I never said, 'Trade me; I want out of here.' I dealt with it. I just don't want to deal with it anymore."
Sean Deveney is a staff writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at [email protected].
Updated on Friday, Mar 3, 2006 11:36 am EST