Energy, shooting will boost Brown
posted: Thursday, June 1, 2006

CHICAGO -- On my way out of town, I got a chance to catch up with former Illinois guard Dee Brown.

Brown is a favorite of NBA scouts because of his heart, leadership abilities and basketball skills.

But is he an NBA player?

He is 5-10, is more a scorer than a point guard and shot a miserable 35 percent from the field this season. None of that has NBA player written on it.

Despite Brown's limitations, he impressed the Grizzlies at a workout in Memphis and also wowed the Raptors staff at a workout in Toronto. With the exception of his first workout with the Lakers (where Brown struggled against Juan Jose Barea, another little engine that could), Brown has generated a significant amount of draft buzz.

Why? A few things were evident in his workout.

First, despite his abysmal shooting numbers this year, he's actually a good shooter. He shot 43 percent from 3-point land his sophomore year and an impressive 49 percent from the field.

He showed his shooting stroke in the workout, sinking shots effortlessly from everywhere on the floor. It was 10 minutes into the workout before he missed his first shot.

So why did he shoot so poorly at Illinois last year?

I think defenses focused on Brown, and he lacked the size to get great shots. As a role player in the NBA, he should be able to knock down an open jumper if the defense gives it to him.

The second quality in his favor is his motor, which runs nonstop. When Tim Grover would call time out for a water break, Brown would start running laps while everyone else stopped to rest. He never stopped moving in the two-hour workout.

Third, he's a leader. Brown is vocal on the court, encourages his teammates and really ramps up the energy in the gym. That workout was the fastest paced, most intense workout I saw all week. Everyone benefited from Brown's presence. After the workout, Brown ran five more laps and then got Gatorade for all of his teammates. He's going to be a great locker room guy.

Brown's limitations are pretty clear. He's always going to be undersized. And despite his solid point guard play this year at Illinois, he's going to fare better scoring the ball rather than distributing it.

But given the dearth of quality point guards in the draft, Brown should have a great chance of landing with a team in the early second round. If Earl Boykins can make an NBA roster and a significant contribution on the floor, so can Brown.

Other workout notes:

• Ronnie Brewer of Arkansas heads to Chicago this week to get in some training with Grover before a whirlwind workout tour after the Orlando camp. A number of teams are trying to schedule Brewer, but he's not going to have time to work out everywhere.

He did have his first NBA workout on Tuesday in Houston against Rodney Carney and Marcus Vinicius. Brandon Roy was also scheduled to work out there but canceled.

Given the Rockets' need for a two guard who can play defense and also swing to the point, Brewer could be a good fit in Houston.

The only feedback I've gotten on the workout so far is from Hank Thomas, Brewer's agent. Thomas said the Rockets told him that Brewer was good, and played great defense, but tired out a little at the end -- understandable for a guy who's been working out with his Dad for the past few weeks trying to decide whether to go pro or not.

• Shannon Brown worked out in New York on Tuesday. Brown has been a Knicks' favorite this year so it should've been a big workout. I was told on Wednesday it wasn't his best, however. For his sake, I hope not.

I've been writing for years that the biggest factor in a draft prospect's success has nothing to do with college pedigree, vertical leap or basketball IQ. It has to do with fit. If a prospect finds a team with a coach that likes him and can provide a little playing time and an offense that suits him, he's likely to thrive. If he doesn't, he better start ordering a passport.

It's hard to believe any scenario where Brown would be a good fit in New York. The team is loaded with guards and has a coach, Larry Brown, who hates rookies. This is why Brown needs to hire an agent now. No way I'd send my client to work out for the Knicks. No way.

• The initial impression of Sergio Rodriguez in NBA workouts?

He shot the ball very well and he tested quicker than what some scouts thought he would. However, his body and overall strength were below NBA standard.

"He's just young, he'll get stronger with time," one NBA exec said who saw Rodriguez this week. "The real problem in a workout with Sergio is that he can't show off how well he runs the point. There's no real workout you can run a guy through that shows off court vision or basketball IQ. Sergio's got that."

• We all know draft prognostication isn't an exact science.

Exhibit A: Tayshaun Prince, who scored 29 points in an elimination game against the Heat on Thursday.

Prior to the 2002 NBA Draft, NBA GMs and scouts had Prince ranked as a bubble first-rounder despite a stellar career at Kentucky.

Meanwhile, Duke's Mike Dunleavy was widely considered to be the No. 3 guy in the draft, behind only Yao Ming and Jay Williams.

Today, the Warriors would love to unload Dunleavy while Prince has become the Pistons' go-to guy.

Prince was longer, more athletic and a better defender. Dunleavy was considered a better shooter and passer but really was boosted by the fact that his dad was an NBA head coach.

In retrospect, it was a silly reason for Dunleavy to be drafted 20 spots ahead of Prince.

As I said, it's not an exact science.

This notion that LB hates young players is such a fallacy. Tayshaun Prince in his second year played 33 minutes per game under Brown for a team that won a title. and in his third year he averaged 37. Now my guess is that Tayshaun got great coaching in college and came in defensively and teamwork ready and therefore LB played him. Most rookies are not ready and LB does not bend and give guys minutes just because they are young and the team stinks or because fans want to see them. Just a guess.

[Edited by - Bippity10 on 06-01-2006 1:26 PM]