Post by John on Dec 29, 2006 1:15:41 GMT -4
From the Oklahoman...
Less than a week ago, former NBA guard Devin Brown was an unsigned free agent begging for a phone call while hanging out in San Antonio.
Now he is a key cog in a team's quest for survival.
The Hornets' lengthy injury list grew even longer Tuesday night when starting point guard Chris Paul went down with a sprained right ankle.
Paul is expected to also miss Friday's game against Denver in the Ford Center and Saturday's game at Dallas. He is scheduled to return for Tuesday's game against Golden State in the Ford Center.
Also out at least until next month are sixth man Bobby Jackson (cracked rib) and starting forward David West (elbow). Starting forward Peja Stojakovic (back) is expected to be out until late March.
In the meantime, the Hornets will do what they can to survive, and Brown figures to average 35-plus minutes per game until Paul returns.
Scott has been a firm believer in Brown since the acquisition last Friday.
The same day Brown signed his contract with the Hornets, he started the second quarter against Memphis in the Ford Center.
In fact, Scott actually contemplated signing Brown last off-season.
"I've always liked Devin,” Scott said. "We had talked to him this (past) summer, it just wasn't the right time. We were lucky that he was still available.
"He has experience. I knew he guards people, runs the floor well, he's a pretty good athlete, knows the NBA game. All those things kind of factored into play. I know he can make some shots.”
Brown is powerfully built at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds.
"Watching him play for San Antonio and Utah, I knew he was a good defender, very reliable,” Scott said.
Brown, who turns 28 on Saturday, shares the same birthday as Tiger Woods and
Brown, who turns 28 on Saturday, shares the same birthday as Tiger Woods and LeBron James.
A Texas-San Antonio product, Brown went undrafted out of college. He split time in the NBDL and NBA in the 2002-03 season. Brown started out at training camp with the San Antonio Spurs, was waived, re-signed, waived, sent to the NBDL, where he was tabbed rookie of the year and league MVP, signed by Denver and wound up playing 10 NBA games total.
That was followed by two seasons with the Spurs and one with the Utah Jazz.
Scott used just six players the rest of the way against Seattle after Paul went down, making Brown's presence even more important.
"He handles the ball pretty well for a 2 (shooting guard), so he can relieve that pressure as well and he's very intelligent,” Scott said. "We truly needed some perimeter help.”
Brown undoubtedly was rusty his first two outings, shooting a combined 1-for-11 from the field, 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
Brown knocked off some rust while playing 39 minutes against the Sonics with 16 points (5-for-13 from the field; 2-for-5 from 3-point range) and nine rebounds.
Not bad for someone still learning terminologies in the offense. How does Brown try to blend in until he become more familiar with his teammates?
"I just run around and act like I know what I'm doing,” Brown said with a smile. "I know a majority of the plays. What gets me (confused) is when we're on the fly and they're putting counters in. I don't know any of those.
"But I'd rather go through that and learn it on the fly rather than take days when you work on shooting and other things. It's going to take some time, but the guys are doing a great job of talking to me out there.”
Less than a week ago, former NBA guard Devin Brown was an unsigned free agent begging for a phone call while hanging out in San Antonio.
Now he is a key cog in a team's quest for survival.
The Hornets' lengthy injury list grew even longer Tuesday night when starting point guard Chris Paul went down with a sprained right ankle.
Paul is expected to also miss Friday's game against Denver in the Ford Center and Saturday's game at Dallas. He is scheduled to return for Tuesday's game against Golden State in the Ford Center.
Also out at least until next month are sixth man Bobby Jackson (cracked rib) and starting forward David West (elbow). Starting forward Peja Stojakovic (back) is expected to be out until late March.
In the meantime, the Hornets will do what they can to survive, and Brown figures to average 35-plus minutes per game until Paul returns.
Scott has been a firm believer in Brown since the acquisition last Friday.
The same day Brown signed his contract with the Hornets, he started the second quarter against Memphis in the Ford Center.
In fact, Scott actually contemplated signing Brown last off-season.
"I've always liked Devin,” Scott said. "We had talked to him this (past) summer, it just wasn't the right time. We were lucky that he was still available.
"He has experience. I knew he guards people, runs the floor well, he's a pretty good athlete, knows the NBA game. All those things kind of factored into play. I know he can make some shots.”
Brown is powerfully built at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds.
"Watching him play for San Antonio and Utah, I knew he was a good defender, very reliable,” Scott said.
Brown, who turns 28 on Saturday, shares the same birthday as Tiger Woods and
Brown, who turns 28 on Saturday, shares the same birthday as Tiger Woods and LeBron James.
A Texas-San Antonio product, Brown went undrafted out of college. He split time in the NBDL and NBA in the 2002-03 season. Brown started out at training camp with the San Antonio Spurs, was waived, re-signed, waived, sent to the NBDL, where he was tabbed rookie of the year and league MVP, signed by Denver and wound up playing 10 NBA games total.
That was followed by two seasons with the Spurs and one with the Utah Jazz.
Scott used just six players the rest of the way against Seattle after Paul went down, making Brown's presence even more important.
"He handles the ball pretty well for a 2 (shooting guard), so he can relieve that pressure as well and he's very intelligent,” Scott said. "We truly needed some perimeter help.”
Brown undoubtedly was rusty his first two outings, shooting a combined 1-for-11 from the field, 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
Brown knocked off some rust while playing 39 minutes against the Sonics with 16 points (5-for-13 from the field; 2-for-5 from 3-point range) and nine rebounds.
Not bad for someone still learning terminologies in the offense. How does Brown try to blend in until he become more familiar with his teammates?
"I just run around and act like I know what I'm doing,” Brown said with a smile. "I know a majority of the plays. What gets me (confused) is when we're on the fly and they're putting counters in. I don't know any of those.
"But I'd rather go through that and learn it on the fly rather than take days when you work on shooting and other things. It's going to take some time, but the guys are doing a great job of talking to me out there.”