Kwame Brown spends a lot of time in the weight room these days. The Washington Wizards' 7-foot forward is up to a noticeably bulkier 273 pounds as he rehabilitates a surgically repaired right pinkie toe that is still expected to keep him out the early part of this, his fourth NBA season.

Brown knows the weight will help him stand up to the pounding he will take in the paint. What continues to dog him, however, is the weight of expectations that came three years ago, when Washington made him the first high school player to be taken with the top pick in the NBA draft.



A heavier Kwame Brown hopes to silence critics this season with stronger play. (Susan Biddle - The Washington Post)

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Brown, 22, said he believes that a double standard has been used when people attack him, the same way preps-to-pros stars Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O'Neal were disparaged during their initial years in the league.

"Look at Tracy. Look at Jermaine. [Critics said] 'Oh, those guys are lazy and this and that.' They play 40 minutes a game [now]. They're all-stars and they play hard. But all the people that bashed them, do they ever go back and say, 'Oh, we made a mistake. We didn't give these guys a fair shake?'

"A lot of it is about money. A lot of the times, writers and everybody, bash the black athletes and I laugh. I laugh all the time, when you've got Darko Milicic sitting in Detroit and I haven't heard one thing about this guy. I know when someone reads this, they're going to say, 'Oh, he used the race card.' Who dealt it first?" Brown said. "I don't talk about players, but I'm going to say it. This guy was the number two pick and he did not play. Nobody said nothing. What's the difference between one and two? It's not much difference. I played my 55 games [actually 57 in his rookie season]. A lot of times, they attack us because of the money. You can make your own opinion about what else. Look at the two cases and look at the two differences."

Milicic was only 18 when the Pistons made him the second overall pick in 2003. He played a total of 159 minutes in 34 games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds for the defending champion Pistons last season. Detroit Coach Larry Brown said the comparison is not quite fair.

"The only difference I see between [Brown] and Darko [is] he went with a young team that was struggling," Larry Brown said. "Darko went with a really veteran team that happened to win a championship. I think if Kwame would've been in a situation like that, like Darko was, we wouldn't even be talking about it."

Further, the Pistons and Milicic also faced criticism last year for taking the 7-foot Serbian over Syracuse standout Carmelo Anthony, who went on to lead Denver to the playoffs.

"I think all the number ones, when they're put in a situation like Kwame, [the criticism] is definitely going to be more magnified," Larry Brown said. "More people are looking at the contribution they're going to make immediately because, obviously, the franchise is down. But when you see Darko's situation. . . . He's going to a veteran team, and Darko was a year younger than Kwame."

Brown, whose draft selection all but accorded him "franchise player" status almost by default, has been anything but. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds as a 19-year-old rookie and his well-documented clashes with former Wizards coach Doug Collins and Michael Jordan were enough to make his skin break out. "People treated me like I stole something," said Brown, who steadfastly maintains that he will eventually live up to his No. 1 billing.

In many ways, Brown said, he was misled his first year because Collins had promised him that they'd bring him along slowly. "Anything you give me is a positive," Brown said Collins told him before Jordan came out of retirement in an attempt to lead the Wizards to the playoffs. "They throw me into the fire and they have to blame someone. So they bashed me. You say it's fair or it's unfair, who cares. Right now, I'm just trying to be me. People can say whatever."

Brown doesn't feel that it's fair to compare him to Amare Stoudemire and LeBron James, who both leaped from high school to win the rookie of the year award in the past two seasons.

"How could I have possibly been rookie of the year with the greatest player whoever played the game on my team," Brown asked, referring to Jordan. "It's not my fault they picked me number one. How are you going to give a fair assessment of me -- regardless of the number one pick thing -- without looking at the overall game. A lot of people get down on me or whatever and say a lot of unfair statements, I think. But, I mean, if you look at the statistics, every year I've gotten better. And I definitely feel I've gotten better this year -- even with the foot injury. When I come back -- assuming that I'm 100 percent -- I'm going to be a force to be reckoned with. And so are the Wizards." Kwame Brown spends a lot of time in the weight room these days. The Washington Wizards' 7-foot forward is up to a noticeably bulkier 273 pounds as he rehabilitates a surgically repaired right pinkie toe that is still expected to keep him out the early part of this, his fourth NBA season.

Brown knows the weight will help him stand up to the pounding he will take in the paint. What continues to dog him, however, is the weight of expectations that came three years ago, when Washington made him the first high school player to be taken with the top pick in the NBA draft.



A heavier Kwame Brown hopes to silence critics this season with stronger play. (Susan Biddle - The Washington Post)

_____ Playoffs? _____

Abe Pollin expects the Wizards to make the playoffs. Will they?
Yes
No
Not sure



View results


Note: This is an unscientific survey of washingtonpost.com readers.




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Brown, 22, said he believes that a double standard has been used when people attack him, the same way preps-to-pros stars Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O'Neal were disparaged during their initial years in the league.

"Look at Tracy. Look at Jermaine. [Critics said] 'Oh, those guys are lazy and this and that.' They play 40 minutes a game [now]. They're all-stars and they play hard. But all the people that bashed them, do they ever go back and say, 'Oh, we made a mistake. We didn't give these guys a fair shake?'

"A lot of it is about money. A lot of the times, writers and everybody, bash the black athletes and I laugh. I laugh all the time, when you've got Darko Milicic sitting in Detroit and I haven't heard one thing about this guy. I know when someone reads this, they're going to say, 'Oh, he used the race card.' Who dealt it first?" Brown said. "I don't talk about players, but I'm going to say it. This guy was the number two pick and he did not play. Nobody said nothing. What's the difference between one and two? It's not much difference. I played my 55 games [actually 57 in his rookie season]. A lot of times, they attack us because of the money. You can make your own opinion about what else. Look at the two cases and look at the two differences."

Milicic was only 18 when the Pistons made him the second overall pick in 2003. He played a total of 159 minutes in 34 games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds for the defending champion Pistons last season. Detroit Coach Larry Brown said the comparison is not quite fair.

"The only difference I see between [Brown] and Darko [is] he went with a young team that was struggling," Larry Brown said. "Darko went with a really veteran team that happened to win a championship. I think if Kwame would've been in a situation like that, like Darko was, we wouldn't even be talking about it."

Further, the Pistons and Milicic also faced criticism last year for taking the 7-foot Serbian over Syracuse standout Carmelo Anthony, who went on to lead Denver to the playoffs.

"I think all the number ones, when they're put in a situation like Kwame, [the criticism] is definitely going to be more magnified," Larry Brown said. "More people are looking at the contribution they're going to make immediately because, obviously, the franchise is down. But when you see Darko's situation. . . . He's going to a veteran team, and Darko was a year younger than Kwame."

Brown, whose draft selection all but accorded him "franchise player" status almost by default, has been anything but. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds as a 19-year-old rookie and his well-documented clashes with former Wizards coach Doug Collins and Michael Jordan were enough to make his skin break out. "People treated me like I stole something," said Brown, who steadfastly maintains that he will eventually live up to his No. 1 billing.

In many ways, Brown said, he was misled his first year because Collins had promised him that they'd bring him along slowly. "Anything you give me is a positive," Brown said Collins told him before Jordan came out of retirement in an attempt to lead the Wizards to the playoffs. "They throw me into the fire and they have to blame someone. So they bashed me. You say it's fair or it's unfair, who cares. Right now, I'm just trying to be me. People can say whatever."

Brown doesn't feel that it's fair to compare him to Amare Stoudemire and LeBron James, who both leaped from high school to win the rookie of the year award in the past two seasons.

"How could I have possibly been rookie of the year with the greatest player whoever played the game on my team," Brown asked, referring to Jordan. "It's not my fault they picked me number one. How are you going to give a fair assessment of me -- regardless of the number one pick thing -- without looking at the overall game. A lot of people get down on me or whatever and say a lot of unfair statements, I think. But, I mean, if you look at the statistics, every year I've gotten better. And I definitely feel I've gotten better this year -- even with the foot injury. When I come back -- assuming that I'm 100 percent -- I'm going to be a force to be reckoned with. And so are the Wizards." Kwame Brown spends a lot of time in the weight room these days. The Washington Wizards' 7-foot forward is up to a noticeably bulkier 273 pounds as he rehabilitates a surgically repaired right pinkie toe that is still expected to keep him out the early part of this, his fourth NBA season.

Brown knows the weight will help him stand up to the pounding he will take in the paint. What continues to dog him, however, is the weight of expectations that came three years ago, when Washington made him the first high school player to be taken with the top pick in the NBA draft.



A heavier Kwame Brown hopes to silence critics this season with stronger play. (Susan Biddle - The Washington Post)

_____ Playoffs? _____

Abe Pollin expects the Wizards to make the playoffs. Will they?
Yes
No
Not sure



View results


Note: This is an unscientific survey of washingtonpost.com readers.




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Brown, 22, said he believes that a double standard has been used when people attack him, the same way preps-to-pros stars Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O'Neal were disparaged during their initial years in the league.

"Look at Tracy. Look at Jermaine. [Critics said] 'Oh, those guys are lazy and this and that.' They play 40 minutes a game [now]. They're all-stars and they play hard. But all the people that bashed them, do they ever go back and say, 'Oh, we made a mistake. We didn't give these guys a fair shake?'

"A lot of it is about money. A lot of the times, writers and everybody, bash the black athletes and I laugh. I laugh all the time, when you've got Darko Milicic sitting in Detroit and I haven't heard one thing about this guy. I know when someone reads this, they're going to say, 'Oh, he used the race card.' Who dealt it first?" Brown said. "I don't talk about players, but I'm going to say it. This guy was the number two pick and he did not play. Nobody said nothing. What's the difference between one and two? It's not much difference. I played my 55 games [actually 57 in his rookie season]. A lot of times, they attack us because of the money. You can make your own opinion about what else. Look at the two cases and look at the two differences."

Milicic was only 18 when the Pistons made him the second overall pick in 2003. He played a total of 159 minutes in 34 games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds for the defending champion Pistons last season. Detroit Coach Larry Brown said the comparison is not quite fair.

"The only difference I see between [Brown] and Darko [is] he went with a young team that was struggling," Larry Brown said. "Darko went with a really veteran team that happened to win a championship. I think if Kwame would've been in a situation like that, like Darko was, we wouldn't even be talking about it."

Further, the Pistons and Milicic also faced criticism last year for taking the 7-foot Serbian over Syracuse standout Carmelo Anthony, who went on to lead Denver to the playoffs.

"I think all the number ones, when they're put in a situation like Kwame, [the criticism] is definitely going to be more magnified," Larry Brown said. "More people are looking at the contribution they're going to make immediately because, obviously, the franchise is down. But when you see Darko's situation. . . . He's going to a veteran team, and Darko was a year younger than Kwame."

Brown, whose draft selection all but accorded him "franchise player" status almost by default, has been anything but. He averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds as a 19-year-old rookie and his well-documented clashes with former Wizards coach Doug Collins and Michael Jordan were enough to make his skin break out. "People treated me like I stole something," said Brown, who steadfastly maintains that he will eventually live up to his No. 1 billing.

In many ways, Brown said, he was misled his first year because Collins had promised him that they'd bring him along slowly. "Anything you give me is a positive," Brown said Collins told him before Jordan came out of retirement in an attempt to lead the Wizards to the playoffs. "They throw me into the fire and they have to blame someone. So they bashed me. You say it's fair or it's unfair, who cares. Right now, I'm just trying to be me. People can say whatever."

Brown doesn't feel that it's fair to compare him to Amare Stoudemire and LeBron James, who both leaped from high school to win the rookie of the year award in the past two seasons.

"How could I have possibly been rookie of the year with the greatest player whoever played the game on my team," Brown asked, referring to Jordan. "It's not my fault they picked me number one. How are you going to give a fair assessment of me -- regardless of the number one pick thing -- without looking at the overall game. A lot of people get down on me or whatever and say a lot of unfair statements, I think. But, I mean, if you look at the statistics, every year I've gotten better. And I definitely feel I've gotten better this year -- even with the foot injury. When I come back -- assuming that I'm 100 percent -- I'm going to be a force to be reckoned with. And so are the Wizards."



Brown has made a steady progression in each of his first three seasons, and last season had 18 double-doubles, including back-to-back games in March in which he established career highs with 30 points with 19 rebounds against Chris Webber and the Kings and 27 points and 11 rebounds against the Hawks.

The good times seemed to end there, though. Brown scored in double figures two more times and grabbed more than 10 rebounds once after that. He realizes that he needs to turn those flashes into a steady flame.



A heavier Kwame Brown hopes to silence critics this season with stronger play. (Susan Biddle - The Washington Post)

_____ Playoffs? _____

Abe Pollin expects the Wizards to make the playoffs. Will they?
Yes
No
Not sure



View results


Note: This is an unscientific survey of washingtonpost.com readers.




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"I've got to be consistent," Brown said. "But I played solid last year. Every night, guys knew that I gave them all I had on the defensive end. That's what's going to win you the game. I'm not the guy to go out there and give you 30 every night, but sometimes I can. I showed that."

Brown's desire to hush his critics this season was slowed after he broke a bone in his foot playing a pickup game in Georgia in August. Brown said he was playing against local college basketball players -- "I don't know what people are thinking -- that I'm playing in the road with 2-year-olds?" Brown said, shaking his head -- when he grabbed a rebound and landed on the ground.

Brown, who usually leans on the outside of his foot when he runs, felt a pop. He had surgery shortly thereafter, which required a screw to be inserted into his foot. "It feels weird because my pinky toe doesn't move," said Brown, who will get an update on his foot on Thursday.

The injury occurred at the worst possible time for Brown, who is in the last year of his contract and can become a restricted free agent after the season. Brown isn't optimistic that he will get an extension before Oct. 31, and has placed faith in his agent, Arn Tellem. "I told him, 'You deal with them and I'll try to make it easy on you,' " Brown said. "I don't fight the money battle. The only way you prove that you deserve it is, you go play."

Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan said conditioning is always a concern when a big player has an injury to the lower extremities. He realizes that it will take some time for Brown to make an impact when he returns.

"I don't know what to expect," Jordan said. "Hopefully, it's a breakout year for him. Not just baby steps as far as improvement. Am I telling him we expect big things? No, I'm not. He knows what we want."

The Wizards want Brown to continue to improve his skills as the team's best post defender, provide better help defensively, and shoot more when given the ball. "I'm not a stats guy, but for him to attempt less than eight shots a game, as much as we like to go to him, doesn't make sense to me," Jordan said. "He's got to get his attempts up. He's our number one post option."

Brown admits that he was overly passive in the paint, providing a bit of humor to explain himself. "We need more of that apparently, since we were last in assists," Brown said, laughing. "But that just came with the immaturity with the game and the speed of it. I played hot potato with it sometimes."

Brown has heard the critics for three years. Is this, finally, the year he silences them?

"My mom always said, I did stuff the hard way. But I always did it," Brown said. "I was a small-town, immature kid and now I'm maturing into a responsible adult. Just like anybody, I'm going to have bumps along the way, but I've seen a dramatic change in me from the person that I was when I first got out."

Is the extra weight mostly muscle or fat?

looks like the only way to get him is by trading sweetney. are you prepared to do that?

he's a guy I have been wishing on for a couple years.

I dont know if anyone remembers, but before the Marbury trade I proposed something like 3 #1's and KT for Kwame (this was when KT was getting his 14/9 playing center and Was was full of kids).

One thing we CAN do is continue to add assets to use in a sign and trade. We have next year's #1 (we can trade the draftee, not the pick). We have Sweetney, Ariza, a handfull of expiring deals in TT, Penny and Nazr. Hopefully we have enough chips to sign a stud next offseason. I think its realistic. Dont know if its Kwame, there will be others. There always are

Kwame is right about the Darko comparrison. It's like Kwame has no excuse and Darko has them all.

Detroit wasted the #2 pick on him because they are still stacking up other players like Dyess, Coleman, along with Campbell, Ben, Rasheed.....when does Darko play?

I would love Kwame but the Knicks just don't have enough enless Washington takes a BS offer from the Knicks....that offer no doubt has to include either Ariza or Sweetney....I say nope to that.

I see Sweets and Ariza starting together one day.

Like Oakley said" This Kat got no heart and will never get one..
He also said "why in the hell is the # 1 pick of the draft coming off the bench."

This dude is finish @ 22 yrs of age..

Posted by Bobby:

how many centers you know that cant palm the rock. new york is the last place kb should want to play for.

i believe patrick had a problem palming also, and he was pretty good. not that i'm comparing the two.

Kwame Brown has all the physical tools to be the next Patrick Ewing... He just hasn't put it all together. He's kind of in the same boat as Chandler and Curry (tho of the three, Curry looks like he's got the most realized potential).

He needs a new team, a nurturing coach, and room to play.

Early in his career as a teenager, he had the unforgiving MJ and Oakley criticizing his every move. This is one good reason why MJ (and most superstars) make horrible coaches--- part of the reason they're so good in the first place is that they see subtleties in the game that others simply don't pick up. They think the game is easy.

Perhaps his confidence has been permanently shaken--- or maybe he'll be able to rid himself of the curse if he leaves the team (imho his best option). If I was advising him--- I'd tell him not to re-sign w/ the team no matter what they're offering.

Kwame is scrubb and he will never be a star in this league. I reside in Maryland and I have the privilege to watch this kid for the last 3 years. He has no heart and unlike TMack or Oneal, he doesn' t have the attitude necessary to ever be good. Forget about this kid, Curry is a much better fit.

Posted by NineMike2Whiskey:

I think he is closer to Theo Ratliff at this stage than Ewing. He hasn't got any low post game yet and from what I hear he hasnt learned to bury jumpers consistently yet. But make no mistake, him manning the 5 sure looks appealing......

Curry has been an imposing offensive force for 1 1/2 seasons already; I'm not going to argue with that. But that's not what we're discussing-- this isn't a comparison. The question is more along the lines of "Would Kwame make a good center for the Knicks..."

He's had flashes of brilliance for short stretches-- last year in a two month stretch in Jan/Feb, he averaged around 13.5ppg/8.2rpg. He's had is fair share of nagging little injuries, and that might point to a lack of toughness (or motivation). All of his contemporaries suffer from this.

When you say he has no heart like T-Mac or O'Neal... think about the deer-in-headlights frowns they had on their faces early in their careers when they didn't get the playing time.

O'Neal was a MAJOR bust for his first 4 seasons.

In fact, in his 4th season, Jermaine O'Neal averaged 3.9ppg/3.3rpg in 12.3mpg. Stretched out to starter minutes, 37mpg, those stats only translate to 12ppg/10rpg--- Journeyman PF-type numbers, not superstar numbers.

Posted by diderotn:

Kwame is scrubb and he will never be a star in this league. I reside in Maryland and I have the privilege to watch this kid for the last 3 years. He has no heart and unlike TMack or Oneal, he doesn' t have the attitude necessary to ever be good. Forget about this kid, Curry is a much better fit.

Posted by NineMike2Whiskey:

I think he is closer to Theo Ratliff at this stage than Ewing. He hasn't got any low post game yet and from what I hear he hasnt learned to bury jumpers consistently yet. But make no mistake, him manning the 5 sure looks appealing......