Here I'd been pessimistic about the outlook for the Wizards in an Eastern Conference where Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando are still clearly superior while Atlanta and Philadelphia seem poised for improvement while we tread water. But I hadn't been paying attention to the Dee Brown signing. Now we're set!
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The Dee Brown Era
14 Jul 2008 12:41 pm
Comments (32)
Matt should probably save his sarcasm for another post. This guy was quite the talent, and was going to be a lottery pick until he got hurt in college. It could end up being a decent signing.
God, I'm either getting old or becoming totally disengaged from sports. I saw "Dee Brown" and all that came to mind was "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee".
Yeah, I don't see the down side to this.
How much cap room if any do the Wizards have left?
How much cap room if any do the Wizards have left?
$2.5 million this year, according to the linked Post story.
Jesus, I had no idea Dee Brown was still playing professional ball. I remember watching him win the slam dunk contest on television, and then the following summer I got to meet him when he made an appearance at the basketball camp I was attending. Really cool, friendly dude. He even did his contest-winning eyes-covered dunk for us campers on the blacktop court. I might still have my camp t-shirt that he autographed somewhere in my parents' basement. Was that 1992? F**k, I feel old!
Jesus, I had no idea Dee Brown was still playing professional ball. I remember watching him win the slam dunk contest on television, and then the following summer I got to meet him when he made an appearance at the basketball camp I was attending. Really cool, friendly dude. He even did his contest-winning eyes-covered dunk for us campers on the blacktop court. I might still have my camp t-shirt that he autographed somewhere in my parents' basement. Was that 1992? F**k, I feel old!
Oh wait...different Dee Brown! Haha, I feel like a moron...
Oh wait...different Dee Brown! Haha, I feel like a moron...
Um, it's not the same dude. Hence my lame joke at the top of the thread.
But I heard that the Wizards are looking at picking up Kenny "Sky" Walker next.
maybe the spurs can land Ced Ceballos. that would be sweet.
I, too, think the Dee Brown signing could result in good things. He is a crazy-fast player and good scorer. It is clear the Wizards are going to be an all-offense kind of team. They may not win the East but they're going to be a whole lot of fun to watch.
He can keep the name, but he's required to pump up his Reeboks before every free throw.
I think Matt is also confused actually. Why would he reserve such sarcasm for a young, respectably talented player like Dee Brown if he wasn't mistaking him for the other, "of-Slam-Dunk-Contest-fame" Dee Brown.
I think Matt is also confused actually. Why would he reserve such sarcasm for a young, respectably talented player like Dee Brown if he wasn't mistaking him for the other, "of-Slam-Dunk-Contest-fame" Dee Brown.
While they're at it, they should pick up Spud Webb for backcourt depth.
He can keep the name, but he's required to pump up his Reeboks before every free throw.
I went to Illinois, where Dee went.
Dee was there at the same time as Deron Williams and Luther Head.
The best player was ALWAYS Dee.
Unfortunately, he's short.
But he's a much better talent than Deron ever will be.
But, he's short. So...well...he sucks.
God, I'm either getting old or becoming totally disengaged from sports. I saw "Dee Brown" and all that came to mind was "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee".
Posted by hwest | July 14, 2008 12:58 PM
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My thoughts exactly.
I don't know about the new Dee Brown, but the old Dee Brown wasn't a half-bad player in his day. People remember him for the slam dunk contest, but he was a much better version of Eddie House back in the day. If the new Dee Brown turns out to be as good as the old Dee Brown was, it will be a nice signing.
To correct an error above, I also attended UIUC during their championship run with Brown/Head/Williams, and Dee Brown sucked hard. This was amply confirmed in his time without the other two, and his injury was a godsend that saved him from making the stupid decision of declaring and winding up undrafted. A broken foot after his Junior season didn't hamper him at all in his Senior year, and he wouldn't have been picked at all without being at the helm of a surprisingly good 2006 UIUC team (more accurately, a mediocre team in a surprisingly horrible big 10 aside from OSU).
Just as an update to those (like me) who have never heard of THIS Dee Brown, the Dee Brown of "Wounded Knee" fame died in 2002 at the ripe old age of 94, so I doubt he's won any slam dunk competitions recently.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming....
Damn, I forgot about the Dee Brown from Illinois and got really excited about this for a second. Dee Brown's slam dunk contest appearance is far and away my favorite NBA dunk memory.
Zach may be an Illinois fan, but he's also an idiot. Dee Brown was a first team All-American after his junior year. He was projected towards the middle of the first round.
From the NBA's website...
"Finished with career averages of 13.4 points and 4.9 assists in 34.3 minutes in 137 career games (136 starts) … Named National Player of the Year by The Sporting News as a junior ... Also a consensus First Team All-American, and was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year ... First consensus First Team All-American at Illinois since 1952 … Earned consensus Second Team All-American honors as a senior ... Finished career as the third all-time leading scorer in Illinois history (1,812 points), and ranks second in three-point field goals (299), assists (674), and steals (231) ... Holds the school record for minutes played (4,698), games started (136) and is tied for the record for most games played (137) … His career assist totals ranks fifth in Big Ten history while his three-pointers and steals rank sixth … With current Jazzmen Deron Williams, helped the Illini win their first 29 games of 2004-05 season and advance to the national title game … Started all 39 games, averaging 13.3 points and 4.5 assists (3rd in Big Ten) in 32.6 minutes … Ranked second in the Big 10 and 12th nationally in three-point percentage at .434 (99-228) … Scored 12 points and dished 7 assists in national championship game vs. North Carolina … Hit 8-of-10 on threes in scoring a season-high 27 points vs. Purdue … Averaged 13.3 points and 4.5 assists in 33 games (all starts) as a sophomore (2003-04) … Named Second Team All-Big Ten and an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press … Also named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team and an Academic All-Big Ten selection … Averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 assists in 32 games (31 starts) as a freshman in 2002-03 … Named Second-Team All-Big Ten by the media and Third-Team by the coaches … Also selected to the first-ever Big Ten All-Freshman Team."
You're some fan, Zach. The third all time leading scorer for Illinois sucks, huh? Idiot.
Okay, maybe a projected 2nd round pick, but he was still a hell of a college player.
Alright, I admit I didn't pay attention to Dee's accolades and overstate his horribleness. It's totally off-base on my part, but I never saw him doing well in the NBA, evidenced by the fact that the only positive buzz I ever heard about him leading up to the draft he considered entering and the draft he did enter was, "he'll instantly be the fastest guy in the NBA!" He's doing great as the fastest guy in Turkey at the moment.
I had no clue he was even up for the Wooden Award in '05. To me he was the guy I cursed when the team was losing and Augustine happened to be playing well.
Let me weigh in as a third Illinois fan. As a college player, Dee Brown was very good, but he was clearly inferior as a playmaker and NBA prospect to Deron Williams. He's much more comparable to the other Illinois guard on that team, Luther Head. They're both combo guards with good outside shots, but Luther is both more well rounded offensively and 4 inches taller.
In the NBA, Dee has shown in the limited time he got with Utah 2 years ago that he can be a competant back-up PG and, if you have a big PG, he could see spot duty coming in at the off guard spot. He's very fast, which makes him effective in the open floor. He also has quick hands and can get some steals that way. On the downside, while he's fast in a straight line, he doesn't have the quickness and ability to change directions that you need to be really effective as a 6-foot and under PG in the NBA.
He's also both short and not really stocky and strong, which makes him a defensive liability against bigger PGs.
All told, I think it's a decent signing. He's not a future star, but he's cheap and should be a decent back-up guard. (Personally, if I were looking for a former Illinois star out of the league to sign as a back-up PG, I'd have chosen Frank Williams, but that's a whole different discussion.)
I'm a Jazz fan. I never saw Dee Brown at Illinois, so I can't comment on that, but he was just awful with the Jazz. He does not run an offense well (kinda important for a Jazz PG), and can't shoot a jump shot.
I repeat - cannot hit an open jump shot. His field goal percentage with the Jazz was 32%.
On the upside: He is very fast, and everything I hear or read about him as a person is positively glowing.
Yeah, Dee was great on the Celtics back in the glory days of the mid-'90s. I thought he was doing ESPN in-studio though? Well, never too late to help out the Wiz...
I don't understand this idea that players who are less than superstars should be ridiculed and made fun of. I'm not sure where it comes from.
I do know that people who have actual experience with the game don't do it. So maybe it comes from a lack of familiarity with the true difficulty of playing at the pro level and the rareness of the talent that is required to do so.
Looks easy to play bball on TV doesn't it Matt? That Dee Brown, he's not famous like Kobe Bryant, so he must be a loser!
back in the glory days of the mid-'90s.
Otherwise known as the Dino Radja era!
Comments closed July 28, 2008.
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Heads in the Sand
Unless this Dee Brown can dunk with his eyes closed, the NBA should make him change his name.
Posted by too many steves | July 14, 2008 12:49 PM