Don't Be Scared, Sign Kwame Brown!

As we painfully attempted to watch the Rocky Mountain Revue on the official league site (available through the NBA website), there are few weekend items that jogged the HHB into sharing over the next couple of days.


First thought: Why not Kwame Brown?

Alright, assuming the money ideas are in the right place, why not bring the big fella onto the Hawks roster?

You have a solid group of guys that aren't going to put up with someone who sulks---the energy that guys like Smith, Childress, and Horford provide, along with Johnson's solid leadership is actually infectious, and could bring Kwame around, especially playing at home.

As Bill Shanks can attest (Shanks' "The Hawks Show covered this workout, at the point before the draft (remember, the Hawks had the 3rd pick that year) Kwame Brown was overly excited at the prospect of landing on the hometown team. It was exciting to think that someone who was so widely regarded would actually be excited about playing for the Hawks. Shanks reported that Kwame's workout was jaw-droppingly good and the kid seemed to have his head on straight.

As for his career, don't discount the BRUTAL abuse that Kwame took in Washington impacting everything else moving forward. During his rookie season, Michael Jordan and Doug Collins took turns berating the kid until he really believed he could do nothing right, by most accounts at the time. Jordan, who is known for his unbelievable ability to get in people's heads, was shooting fish in a barrel with the young Brown, who was easily squashed by His Mentally Toughness. As for Collins, teaching apparently was not on the menu in Washington, but plenty of tounguelashings and abuse was served in many courses.

They simply expected that Brown would come in a know how to play basketball from Day One. And when apparently that didn't work, plan B was ready, aim, and fire.

Was that fair? Was that a good recipe for a high school player?

Can you imagine Josh Smith in such a scenario? THHB has speculated many times since his selection about the other places that Smith might have gone in the 2004 draft. Can you imagine him in 2004 Portland? How about Utah? None of these places or staffs would have been able to nurture and develop Smith like Atlanta and the combination of Mike Woodson and Billy Knight.

So assuming that Kwame, still a young 26, can "fresh start" things in Atlanta and put the previous experiences behind him, why wouldn't the Hawks roll the dice on the big guy?

He is precisely what the Hawks need up front, a legit big man to play next to Horford, freeing the ROY runner up to play power forward on both ends, a huge upgrade for the Hawks. He can play the post, but with Horford, Kwame would be counted on for this, which will aid the development and re-programming.

As for cost, I would suspect that Brown would play on the Stephen Jackson Plan, which is a 1-year, prove yourself now and cash in later contract. Jackson played his year in Atlanta on a Million Dollar Contract, but I don't think the Hawks would be able to lull Brown in for that number no matter the situation, but something along the lines of 2-3 million should get him in for the year.

When you consider that DeSegana Diop is pulling down the coin he is pulling from Dallas and the dearth of talented big men around the league, the relationship here makes plently of sense for both parties and ought to be consummated before camp opens in October.


Free Throws:

If you are missing it, and you shouldn't be, the Hawks VP of Public Relations, Arthur Triche, is blogging the RMR games from his usual best seat in the house location wherever he goes. Nobody blogging has seen more and has the historical context of the players, coaches, and referees in the league than Triche, who is turning in witty, insightful blogs from the games and being presented on the Hawks BasketBlog on the team's website.

The HHB has long had fun discussing the team and goings on around the league with Triche, and now everyone is getting to check in with the longtime Hawk watcher. So don't miss out--check it out.