Kori Ellis
12-10-2004, 10:36 PM
By David DuPree, USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2004-12-09-west-notes_x.htm
Devin Brown has been a Spur since he was 12. Well, sort of anyway. Brown, San Antonio's high-energy reserve guard-forward played in the Spurs/Pizza Hut Drug Free basketball League as a youngster and then went on to play in the Spurs-sponsored Midnight League before finally putting on a Spurs' NBA jersey.
His is the hometown kid who made good.
After moving with his family from Salt Lake City to San Antonio when he was 2 months old, Brown has been almost a local legend. While attending West Campus High School, he became San Antonio's all-time high school leading scorer and is also the all-time leading scorer at the University of Texas-San Antonio.
Undrafted by any NBA team, he was signed by the Spurs as a free agent, waived, re-signed and then waived again. Undaunted, he went on to become the MVP of the NBDL, the NBA's minor leagues.
The Denver Nuggets signed him to a 10-day contract late in the 2002-03 season. The Spurs signed him for the third time in the summer of 2003 and now he is a key player off the bench.
He is a fearless competitor, an aggressive defender and is comfortable at either shooting guard or small forward. And when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season, a number of teams will be looking to sign him. Good luck.
"I've been here for three years and they've been the best three years of my life," Brown says. "It will have to be a really good offer to get me to leave here, especially with me being from here and being so comfortable with this team.
"When you're around 'Pop' (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) and you see his scheme and learn his philosophy and the way he goes about life, you just want to play for him and go out there and do well. All I'm concerned about is doing things the right way."
Popovich says that although being from San Antonio didn't hurt Brown's chances, the player's competitive nature made him finally stick.
"He just kept getting better, playing in the summer leagues and learning the system," Popovich says. "He's really earned it."
Fortified by Fortson:
Danny Fortson has given them the Seattle SuperSonics the rebounding and toughness that they lacked in recent seasons and he has certainly made an impression on opponents, especially the San Antonio Spurs.
In two wins against San Antonio this season, including Wednesday — Seattle's most important game to date — Fortson has 29 points, 19 rebounds and is 19-for-20 from the free throw line.
"He murdered us," Popovich said after Wednesday's game. "He's done a fantastic job at both ends of the floor for them."
Dialing in:
Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves picked up Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell and the moves paid major dividends. This season they took a gamble signing troubled Eddie Griffin and it could turn out to be one of their wisest moves.
Griffin has stretched the defenses and opened things up for his teammates with his long-range shooting. Not only is he averaging 10.9 points a game off the bench, but is fourth in the NBA in three-point shooting at 49% and he is making two a game.
"Eddie gives us a dimension we never had," Cassell said. Last season, the Timberwolves were 27th in the league in three-pointers made a game at 4.0. This season they are seventh, making 6.3.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2004-12-09-west-notes_x.htm
Devin Brown has been a Spur since he was 12. Well, sort of anyway. Brown, San Antonio's high-energy reserve guard-forward played in the Spurs/Pizza Hut Drug Free basketball League as a youngster and then went on to play in the Spurs-sponsored Midnight League before finally putting on a Spurs' NBA jersey.
His is the hometown kid who made good.
After moving with his family from Salt Lake City to San Antonio when he was 2 months old, Brown has been almost a local legend. While attending West Campus High School, he became San Antonio's all-time high school leading scorer and is also the all-time leading scorer at the University of Texas-San Antonio.
Undrafted by any NBA team, he was signed by the Spurs as a free agent, waived, re-signed and then waived again. Undaunted, he went on to become the MVP of the NBDL, the NBA's minor leagues.
The Denver Nuggets signed him to a 10-day contract late in the 2002-03 season. The Spurs signed him for the third time in the summer of 2003 and now he is a key player off the bench.
He is a fearless competitor, an aggressive defender and is comfortable at either shooting guard or small forward. And when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season, a number of teams will be looking to sign him. Good luck.
"I've been here for three years and they've been the best three years of my life," Brown says. "It will have to be a really good offer to get me to leave here, especially with me being from here and being so comfortable with this team.
"When you're around 'Pop' (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) and you see his scheme and learn his philosophy and the way he goes about life, you just want to play for him and go out there and do well. All I'm concerned about is doing things the right way."
Popovich says that although being from San Antonio didn't hurt Brown's chances, the player's competitive nature made him finally stick.
"He just kept getting better, playing in the summer leagues and learning the system," Popovich says. "He's really earned it."
Fortified by Fortson:
Danny Fortson has given them the Seattle SuperSonics the rebounding and toughness that they lacked in recent seasons and he has certainly made an impression on opponents, especially the San Antonio Spurs.
In two wins against San Antonio this season, including Wednesday — Seattle's most important game to date — Fortson has 29 points, 19 rebounds and is 19-for-20 from the free throw line.
"He murdered us," Popovich said after Wednesday's game. "He's done a fantastic job at both ends of the floor for them."
Dialing in:
Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves picked up Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell and the moves paid major dividends. This season they took a gamble signing troubled Eddie Griffin and it could turn out to be one of their wisest moves.
Griffin has stretched the defenses and opened things up for his teammates with his long-range shooting. Not only is he averaging 10.9 points a game off the bench, but is fourth in the NBA in three-point shooting at 49% and he is making two a game.
"Eddie gives us a dimension we never had," Cassell said. Last season, the Timberwolves were 27th in the league in three-pointers made a game at 4.0. This season they are seventh, making 6.3.