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Buck Harvey gets it.
Buck Harvey: Devin departed: What is possible
Web Posted: 09/15/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b....17ce41ea.html
San Antonio Express-News
The Utah Jazz introduced Devin Brown at a news conference Wednesday, and Brown said the right things.
"I want to say thank you," he told the Jazz in Salt Lake City, "for taking a chance on me."
Utah isn't taking much of a chance. Brown's salary is low by NBA standards, and the franchise can end its two-year deal after next season.
But there's also a chance Utah has a steal. Brown fits with Jerry Sloan and what the Jazz roster already has, and the possibilities are even wilder than an undrafted kid winning a ring with his hometown team.
How wild?
The Spurs could, in six months, wish they had Brown instead of Michael Finley.
Some Spurs fans may already wish for that. Brown was greeted with a standing ovation when he returned from injury last season, and that's rare love for a bit player.
Still, the Spurs did what every franchise would have done. Finley over Brown is an automatic, no-blink decision, especially since their salaries this season will be identical.
Brown said the same. He understands why he had to leave San Antonio.
But those opinions are based on reputations, and time has a way of altering those. Finley's career is clearly on the down side, and Brown's has been affected by injury and a lack of minutes.
These men are closer in ability today than most realize. Finley can shoot and add character to a locker room, but Brown can shoot and add some spirit, too. His push to aid Katrina victims in San Antonio last week wasn't part of a franchise public-relations campaign.
Brown can also defend as Finley can't, and he plays with a fearlessness that rivals Manu Ginobili. He also brings something to the Jazz that Finley will never have again. Young legs.
A moment in January told of that. Then the Spurs were leading the Mavericks by two points with 17 seconds left. Ginobili missed a 3-pointer, and springing from the top of the key, seemingly traveling 20 feet in two strides, Brown grabbed the offensive rebound.
Finley played 45 minutes that night and finished with 15 points on 13 shots. Brown was far more efficient with his 15 minutes, ending with two rebounds and two assists to go with his nine points.
As good as Brown was, his time decreased — which is what can happen on a le team with depth. Brown later put together four games of 20 or more points, showing range and versatility, but then the back injury sidelined him.
Had he not been hurt, how good could his season have been? He likely would have taken Brent Barry's minutes in the playoffs.
The back hasn't apparently bothered Brown this summer as much as it bothered other teams. Only Utah showed interest outside of the Spurs, and the Jazz offered just enough to stop the Spurs from matching.
But that didn't stop the Jazz from gushing Wednesday. From Kevin O'Connor, Utah's vice president of basketball operations: "I think what Devin has brought to us is toughness. He's played on a winning team, certainly. He was our first and only choice to be able to come in and fulfill the things we're going to ask him to do. Defensively, he gives us a presence."
After Gregg Popovich, Sloan will make sense to Brown. And then there's a roster with a gaping hole.
The average age of the Jazz is about 26 years, and the team is loaded with rugged, veteran rebounders. From Andrei Kirilenko to Carlos Boozer to Mehmet Okur.
The Jazz drafted Deron Williams, a smart point guard, meaning Brown will be in a system that shares the ball. Better yet, the only proven player at Brown's position is Gordan Giricek.
This is not exactly the same as playing behind Ginobili.
Brown isn't without flaws. The Spurs, for example, likely laughed Wednesday when Brown said at his news conference that he would like to bring a winning at ude to Utah. "That starts in practice," Brown said.
That might start in practice, but sometimes the Spurs started practice without him.
But these are also the things that responsibility and a new venue can improve. Brown has the mind and the body to elevate his career, and moments last season suggested everything is possible.
And if it happens?
Wild, all right.
Buck Harvey gets it.
Sooner or later some here will grasp what was lost over 1 year for $2.5 mil. Perhaps it will be when a 35 year old Brent Barry is the Spurs' primary backup swing next year.Had he not been hurt, how good could his season have been? He likely would have taken Brent Barry's minutes in the playoffs.
give up now....
weve lost a 12th man CBA player.
Spurs cant resign him next year?!1 year
Probably not since the Jazz hold a team option for the 2006-07 season.
Oh god, we win a le with this guy playing next to zero minutes and all of a sudden this is a great in' loss?
Please.
Stay Puff needs to stick to taking money from kids.
Chamber of Commerce needs to watch more basketball.
I disagree with you Marcus, but that was just funny as .
Im not sure i read that right... Devin had trouble getting to practices and stuff? Is that right? Is that just common knowledge and im severely slow/and or out of the loop?
Ding! ding! ding!
I didn't know that about Devin and practice and all that. He just struck me as a guy who would show up early for practice. *shrug* Learn something new everyday I suppose.
coopdogg3
Devin will get his chance to contribute as a member of the Jazz.
He was a very nice bench player for the team in the 0304 playoffs and the 0405 season. But he was unlucky with his back injury happening when it did.
Ultimately I think the Spurs would rather have excellent shooters as perimeter backups rather than Devin, especially considering his injury last season. The Spurs are probabably thinking the team needs shooting more than Devin given the existing strengths of the team.
I liked what Devin brought in the 04 playoffs and this past season. But his injury was just an unlucky thing to happen. He may very well have gotten the bulk load of the playoff minutes coming off the bench, instead of Barry.
I think he missed practice more than a couple of times (some for valid reasons),- iirc he didn't even bother to let Pop know abt it.,
Devin had a rep of being late to practice for a while. He also missed a practice right after he got signed (he called though). The Express-News has written about it a few times.
link oh wonderous one??? Orrrrr you pulling BS from your ass as usual.to stick to taking money from kids
Yeah, but come on, the Spurs shoulda gave him 5 million his own recliner and a free vending machine.Devin had trouble getting to practices and stuff?
But hey, if they dont do everything Marcus wants, they are cheap.
i just wish Devin have a wonderful year in Utah, i would cheer for him
Devin was a very social person. When I say social, I mean SOCIAL. He had many, many late nights, or early mornings I suppose. It was known, at least from my standpoint and information, that some of his personal actions were irresponsible. It was nothing criminal, but more or less, more of a personal standpoint. In terms of the Spurs Organization, It wasn't so much that he had a bad at ude, as he was very personable, but might have been his care-free at ude, which may have bothered some, or may have been taken has immature.
speaking of winning at ude here's one article about Brown that I find kind of funny...
Brown brings 'winning at ude' to Jazz backcourt
Sep. 14, 2005
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
SALT LAKE CITY -- Devin Brown took the blame when the lights went out for a moment during his news conference Wednesday.
"Sorry. I was shooting a little bit earlier," quipped Brown, whose new team -- the Utah Jazz -- can only hope his shooting touch is that good.
The Jazz on Wednesday introduced the 26-year-old Brown, who played in 135 NBA games with San Antonio and Denver over the past three seasons and averaged 5.6 points. He's going from a reserve role with the Spurs to a possible starting spot for the Jazz, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons.
"When you're growing up and developing in this league and you're on a team like San Antonio, you're exposed to a lot," Brown said. "A lot of the things we did down in San Antonio was winning. And that's one of my main things I want to bring with me here -- is a winning at ude."
Brown was born north of Salt Lake City in Ogden, but moved away when he was a baby and was raised in San Antonio.
Brown is the third player to be picked up by the Jazz in the last two months, joining free agent point guard Milt Palacio and center Greg Ostertag, who is returning to Utah after a disappointing year in Sacramento.
Utah's need for a shooting guard developed when free agent Raja Bell, whose market value shot up in his two-year stay with the Jazz, left for Phoenix. The Jazz have Gordan Giricek and rookie C.J. Miles, but Miles is coming straight out of high school and is only 18 years old.
Brown is still young enough to fit in to Utah's rebuilding plan and has some experience. And after making it to the league after going undrafted out of Texas-San Antonio three years ago, he knows how to work hard.
"I think what Devin has brought to us is some toughness. He's played on a winning team," Jazz vice president for basketball operations Kevin O'Connor said in a conference call from Hawaii. "Every year he's gotten better."
Brown is joining a lineup that includes former All-Star Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Matt Harpring. There is also coach Jerry Sloan, entering his 18th season coaching the Jazz.
Brown is used to playing for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who like Sloan can be easily agitated and quite vocal.
"I think it will be real easy," Brown said of the transition. "One of the first things that Kevin O'Connor said to me is 'You're going to hear a lot of the same adjectives."'
I hated to see Devin leave from a personal standpoint (he's one of SA's own).
Let's look at Finley and the old legs take for a minute. Yes, he is an older player and yes, Michael has had some injuries. The facts are this: Last season in the playoffs, Avery Johnson played Michael Finley 37.8 min./game in the playoffs (39.3 min./game in the series they won vs. Houston while shooting .456 from the field). That 37.8 min./game equals the Spurs' top floor-time guy in the playoffs, Tim Duncan (37.8).
Michael won't be used that many minutes for the Spurs, but people forget that Dallas really leaned a lot on Michael and they were no slouch - 58 wins, 4th best record in the regular season. This guy is still a big-time player and he will now have a few less bone chips floating around to bother him along the way.
I agree. Some people are making way too much about this young Vs aging SF, but short term goal for spurs is to REPEAT (that is one of the things they have to achieve) and Finely fits perfectly fine. With no guaranteed recovery from his back issues, it was not a given that he can log heavy minutes and be productive. We are talking about a solid guy in Finley, who can give quality 15-20 minutes and imo still has a solid 2 yrs (irrespective of where he goes next season).
Worrying beyond 2005-6 is a little too early for us (i mean who are not attached to spurs org's decision making). It's not like we have a dumass mgmt. who have no idea what they are doing.
How to Ru(i)n an NBA Franchise - Isaiah Thomas
Chapter One - Give your #5 wing player/IR guy a multi year, multi miliion dollar contract, even though he has disk problems.
If his back turns out to be fine, he's gonna blow up in Utah with more minutes.
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