As mentioned by several readers in the comments of a previous post, Kwame Brown spoke to reporters on Tuesday during an introductory conference call. If you’ve already made up your mind about his signing, nothing he says in August will change your mind, but at the very least he deserves credit for knowing how to say all the right things.
The Freep, News and MLive all came through with a recap of the conversatin, but for the most bang for your reading buck, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com has the longest, most comprehensive collection of quotes.
On Brown not caring what role he plays:
“I’m just happy to be a Detroit Piston,” he said. “I think a lot of things will be answered once we start playing. I’m not concerned about playing time, not concerned if I start. That’s the coaches’ job. I just have to get myself the best prepared as I can.”
On his commitment to defense:
“I can’t speak for Mr. Dumars, but I definitely hope he sees in me what a lot of people don’t see,” he said. “A lot of people don’t take pride in their defense and don’t tip their hat to guys that go out and stick their nose in there and play hard on defense. I think I’ve been one of the underrated defensive players in the league. I think on this team I’ll have a chance to shine and that’s exactly what this team needs. Every team doesn’t need a big guy that plays defense and runs the court, but this team happens to have that gap in the size they need.”
On not living up to expectations early in his career:
“I can sit here and spill out all kinds of stuff, injuries or what have you,” Brown said for the reasons his career has stalled. “But I’m not going to do that. The past is the past. I’m not going to disrespect my new organization by saying anything that sounds like an excuse. This is a first for me – I was able to pick and choose from a couple of different teams. This is where I wanted to go and this is where I decided to be and this is my home now.”
On dealing with adversity and making the most of his new situation:
“I’ve heard it all. I’ve been through it all. I’m only 26, but I’ve been through things the average man couldn’t imagine. Your shortcomings play out in the media and get blown up tenfold, but whatever you can say negative about Kwame Brown, everybody who’s met me hasn’t had that opinion. Those people don’t know me. Those people haven’t sat down and broken bread with me.
“I’m in the best situation ever. I’m in a situation now where no one is expecting nothing. I came into the league the No. 1 draft pick. Now I’m on the different end of the spectrum.”
I love that title. It’s like the old Barnum “Giant Man-Eating Chicken” posters. Also considered “Kwame Brown conducts an interview without turning the ball over” and “Kwame Brown FINALLY escapes the wrath of Jordan by seeking asylum from Joe Dumars”.
Kwame Brown speaks…
mnmnnmnmmn, I like cake.
Other than the fact i don’t like people saying how underrated they are he came out well. cake or no cake.
and ah, i almost forgot….
I might be wrong about that
when i heard kwame “#1″ brown comes to the d, i was shocked and .. somehow, embarassed.
but, i like what i read.
nobody wants to be benched in favor of kwame, this should kick every players ass.
I don’t know why but that part where Kwame Brown says “I can’t speak for Mr. Dumars…” and then goes into a speech about defense makes me think of Joe Dumars as Dr. Evil sitting in his office stroking a hairless cat and going “ex-cellent…my plan is working”. Kwame Brown as Joe’s Mini-Me? Maxi-Me? Anyway, if Kwame plays defense in Detroit he’ll be beloved. I view him as the second coming of Rich Mahorn.
He also said in 2001 that if the Wizards drafted him they’d never regret it. The problem has never been with what he’s said, it’s how he plays. If Kwame comes out in October, gets playing time and doesn’t suck, then I’ll believe it. Until then, I’ll remain confused as to why we’re paying $4 million a year to the Human Victory Cigar’s Backup.
Shinons - Tony Battie makes $5.7M to be Dwight Howard’s backup. Kendrick Perkins makes $4.4M to put up 6.9 pts/6.1 reb in 24 minutes. Kwame Brown isn’t even getting the going rate for backup Cs. You can either sign FAs or use the draft to assemble a team. Maybe the Pistons could have drafted a Spencer Hawes or Nick Fazekas last year. Cheihk Samb was a project at the 51st pick. But if the Pistons had drafted a halfway decent backup it would just mean we’d be talking about how backup PG/SG Louis Williams isn’t worth $5M/yr. Instead we talk about how Kwame Brown isn’t worth $4M/yr. Worth is relative.
But I could be wrong!
joejoejoe - My point isn’t that he’s a back up center but that I have a very hard imagining how he’ll get any playing time over Sheed, Dyess, Maxiell, and Amir when he couldn’t crack Memphis’ horrible front line rotation and has played (or injured) his way out of playing time on every team he’s been on even after having been handed jobs. I just have a problem with the logic. I’ve been confused by the signing since it was first announced and still am. But per the new diplomacy guidelines when discussing Kwame Brown, I hope I’m wrong though.
I hope Kwame gets a fair shake from the Palace crowd early in the year. He’s a guy who’s struggled with his confidence in the past and his home fans have really gotten on him since they expected him to play like the #1 pick or to be good enough to justify trading away Caron Butler. I hope our fans have a “serviceable big man” expectation and not a “this guy was the #1 pick” expectation.
Yeah, the title made me think of Elephant Man.
“I am not a bust! I am a human being! I am a man (to man defender)!”
He’s saying the right things, and if he follows through, I don’t think he’ll have one of his awful down years. Like a few others here, I’d be satisfied if he replicated his season with the Lakers a two years ago in a backup role. The possibilities of a Dampier-like break out isn’t likely even if he puts in the work, but Detroit seems like a good situation for him.
Memphis was tanking last year and only really played guys in their immediate future. Darko was their big man of the future (not a joke), and playing Jason “0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 boxscore” Collins was a big help in the tanking effort. The team made it pretty clear that they didn’t have any real intention of using Brown other than his bigass contract.
Shinons - If you figure on ‘Sheed & ‘Dyess both playing 72 games, add in a 5% reduction in minutes per game, and give the backup center all of the Primoz and Nazr minutes then you are at about 11 mpg for Kwame Brown without taking any minutes from the PF spot. That’s 900 minutes total and would make him the 10th man in the rotation on a healthy roster. Coach Curry will still have Jarvis Hayes’s minutes to split up and decide if CB-Rip-Tay need more rest so there is still room for growth for the other young players with Kwame Brown on the roster.
The only real problem I see with minutes is Amir vs. Maxiell. It’s hard to develop two young PFs you have such good veteran players in front of you.
I need to hear more interviews but I like what I hear from him. I sensed a little defiance in his voice in his interview with Stony & Wojo. So I’m sure he wants to prove everyone wrong. He’ll be a motivated contributor and will at the very least help improve Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson’s games as they go up against him in practice.
“and will at the very least help improve Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson’s games as they go up against him in practice.”
I HOPE YOU ARE RIGHT.
Is that how this works?
PS, I just shot Cheerio’s out my nose reading that statement. Thanks Gary, Ass. (A2Y19 Inside Joke)
I just realized I might be the only person to ever link to other people’s blogs on here so a word of clarity before you all abuse me:
A2Y19 is a Red Wing’s blog called something like “Abel to Yzerman 19″. I found it by following one of Matt’s links a couple weeks ago. It’s remarkable mostly for having some of the most sarcastic/mean-spirited Red Wings fans I’ve ever read about…
Anyways, one of their catch-phrases is “Thanks Gary. Ass.” It was coined during the lockout (if I remember the expression correctly anyways) and is used genuinely to denote someone ruining your fun. Thus the usage above… “I just shot a Cheerio out my nose laughing so hard. Thanks Gary. Ass.”
Anyways now that I’ve COMPLETELY destroyed the funny, I return you to your regularly scheduled turnover, I mean Kwame Brown interview.
@jjj - you got me worried there for a second. I saw jarvis hayes and everything went black in front of my eyes. i had to re-read that line just to make sure we didn’t re-sign him.
and by the way i agree that if all those backup C’s get more than him than he might be a good investment. That is if he doesn’t blow his chances and find himself permenantly benched
this is the best signing ever considering Kendrick Perkins just won an NBA title!
yay! 7 straight years in the ECF here we come!?!?!
joejoejoe
I agree that the minutes for Amir/Maxiell could be more problematic.
They are similar enough in form and function that I figure trade speculation involving either of them is justified.
Ummmm….
Maxy is a 6′7″ mutant freak with huge arms, a low center of gravity and a giant ass. He’s also pretty slow but tough in the block and won’t be pushed around.
Amir is very skinny. Runs like a SG. Has a high center of gravity to go with his amazing ups and uses his incredible athleticism to make up for the fact that he’s weak in the block and often gets pushed around.
I can’t think of anything you’ve ever typed more incorrect than : “They are similar enough in form and function”…
BUT I COULD BE WRONG.
Or something.
OT: The schedule just got released and I was looking it over and wtf! Tnt game on january 19th, Pistons vs Griz? Why are the griz on national tv? The raps are better than the Griz and they aren’t on tnt.
The schedule is out.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/teams/schedule?team=det
I can’t find any particular stretches that make me worried like with the March from hell of two years ago or the January last year that was almost entirely on the road, but this is a pretty road-heavy start, and we play Boston twice the first month.
I’m starting to really like this signing, if Kwame does what he saids in this interview, then he could potentially be a beast here. This team was made with players with “chips on their shoulders” and unfortunately, non-of-those players no longer act like that with the exception of maybe one. Adding Kwame and having him play a limited role might not only boost his confidence but with a guy that has a chip on his shoulder, you might see him play with wreckless abandon for the 10 minutes he does play. Just imagine another Jason Maxiell but 7-feet tall.
Disclaimer: This comment was made only for speculation and by no means represtents the actual views of DDB.com, Matt W., any Detroit Piston fans, Bill Davison, Joe Dumars, the NBA, David Stern, or any living or non-living human beings.
Fanhouse compiled the number of national TV appearances for all teams.
Can be found here. We check in with 14.
PG4L - Maxiell (43% of his minutes) and Amir (53% of his minutes) both play a lot of PF according to 82games.com so there is at least some overlap in their function. Looking at the minute breakdowns by position I’d say it’s Maxiell who is going to lose the most minutes next year because of the acquisition of Kwame Brown — which may or may not be a good idea — Max was suprisingly effective at center (there aren’t a lot of successful 6′7″ centers in the NBA). I wouldn’t be suprised to see Maxiell bubble up in trade talks mid-season from teams needing an energy player because the Pistons are now 4 deep at PF and Maxiell is an attractive player who could play 30 minutes a night on a lot of good teams with a different roster composition.
@matt gibson: “Why are the griz on national tv?” This game has the compelling storyline: former Griz superstar K. Brown takes on his former team! Plus, subplot: Can Darko finally get revenge?
Jees Louise…
RE: “They are similar enough in form and function”
Sorry, I should have simplified my thought and said “they are young athletic PFs on the same team in need of considerably more minutes.”
They are both equally intriguing to Pistons fans and other teams (assumingly).
I didn’t mean to literally imply they had the exact same body and gamestyle.
Matt Gibson and Rob G: I think the game against Memphis is getting televised because it’s on MLK day. One of their few TV appearences last year was a MLK day game at home against the Bulls.
No one cares enough about Brown to showcase him in some revenge game. I hope.
Paul M: What does MLK day have to do with the Griz? Because they’re in Memphis and that’s where he was shot? I don’t get it - do you know?
Rob: The NBA always schedules a bunch of days games (even though it’s a weekday) for MLK Day so that schools can come out. There are several afternoon games on the 19th, and then TNT has a triple-header that night. The Pistons play the first game at 5:30. I don’t think the NBA is making any connection between Memphis and MLK day, probably just throwing the franchise a bone by giving it at least one nationally televised game (even if it starts on a weekday when a lot of people are either still working or stuck in traffic).
Not to mention that OJ Mayo and Gay are getting their chance to shine.
The NBA based its Martin Luther King day celebration in Memphis last year, I think (they honored Bob Lanier). I don’t know whether they’ve started a tradition there, but they might have since the Grizzlies have gotten national exposure on MLK day twice in a row.
The National Civil Rights Museum (which is situated at the former Lorraine Motel) is in Memphis and Martin Luther King Jr. gave a famous speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” in Memphis the day before he was assassinated. It’s not only the assassination that ties King to Memphis even though that is surely the most infamous reason.
“Paul M: What does MLK day have to do with the Griz? ”
MLK and the Grizzlies have an equal chance of make the playoffs, for starters.
The Grizzlies suck
but I’d trade Chauncey for OJ Mayo without blinking an eye
The Wizards never did regret drafting him, he’s a good trading dummy, we got Caron for him, while LA got Gasol for him.