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Pistons' Brown looking to focus on defense
by A. Sherrod Blakely
Tuesday August 05, 2008, 11:15 AM
AUBURN HILLS -- I just got off a teleconference set up by the Pistons with newly signed center Kwame Brown.

He said all the right things, which is what you would expect.

What I found most interesting about him was the fact that he seemed to talk a lot about making his presence felt defensively.

"I think I'm one of the most under-rated defenders in the league," he said.

He spoke glowingly about being back on the Eastern Conference where his size and defensive skills are better suited. He also addressed his reputation of being an under-achiever.
"I've been through it all," he said. "This is the life of a professional athlete."

I'll have more on Kwame's first comments as a Piston later on in Booth Newspapers and mlive.com.

i'm sure everyone in the league knows he s a solid defender, if anything its the stone hands he's got thats the problem.

hes problems r mostly on offense, so I agree on him here

People who know about basketball know that he's a solid defender.

Everyone else thinks he's a total bust at everything.

Kwame should just let his play speak for itself. The guy is going to get ripped on anything he says because he has been one of the worst #1 picks in NBA history.

Like Malinhion said, if you're knowledgeable about the game, and appreciate defense (especially up front) for what it's importance is - you know about what Kwame can do effectively, one of those things being defend. That, along with his agility for a big man (which relates to his defensive ability), is why he's stayed in the league.

Everybody who calls him a scrub are simply off. He is a bust, but it's not like he can't play or doesn't have a place in the NBA.

It's a solid signing by Detroit, and addresses where they were lacking.

Kwame is a bust. Yes. We know that. But he is a serviceable big that provides solid post defense. He's still in the league because of that. Other than his specialty (post defense), he is pretty much average to below average. He still has those stone hands. A turnover waiting to happen.

I don't want to attack Kwame but I remember the Lakers crowd was booing Kwame due to his lackluster mistakes and dumbness. Yes, the LAKERS crowd. I find it very comical.

Yeah, I can't think of a team that wouldn't want his defense down low, I know the Jazz sure wish they had someone like him.

Regardless of where he was drafted he has a place in this league.

If Kwame isn't so dumb on and off the court people would actually respect him as a solid defender. His offensive incompetence is well known, but even his defense can be suspect. He is very quick on his feet making it difficult for the opposing team to abuse the defense with isolation plays, but his inability to contest shots can create problems when the player tries to heave a shot over him, the opposing center has good footwork to make Kwame's positional defense ineffective, or the ballhandler make an extra pass, something Kwame is incapable of reading. He's good for 15 minutes or less, anything more will only spell disaster.

I am skeptical until I see him show some consistency offensively or defensively....

Wow
As a Lakers fan, i say he needs to shut his mouth and come to Staples and prove me wrong.

He's solid man to man but He is just pathetic on pick and rolls and weak side help, lets just hope no one figures that out so he can get some cheese in the nba for a while.

He's been getting cheese, but I don't know what he's done to earn it aside from throwing cakes and being used in trades for better players (Gasol, Butler, etc.).

microfib4thewin wrote:If Kwame isn't so dumb on and off the court people would actually respect him as a solid defender. His offensive incompetence is well known, but even his defense can be suspect. He is very quick on his feet making it difficult for the opposing team to abuse the defense with isolation plays, but his inability to contest shots can create problems when the player tries to heave a shot over him, the opposing center has good footwork to make Kwame's positional defense ineffective, or the ballhandler make an extra pass, something Kwame is incapable of reading. He's good for 15 minutes or less, anything more will only spell disaster.

Exactly. He's a pretty good defender, but he doesn't have the b-ball IQ to play for long periods of time without making a mistake. And by long I mean more than 10-15 minutes.

He's absolutely right about being an underrated defender (and player quite frankly) in the eyes of the average fan (people who understand basketball can appreciate his defense though). I really, really hope he can redeem his name a bit in Detroit and have a semi-break through season.

His skills get out shadowed by his Chris Webber comparisons when he came out of HS, so no one respects him even if he does play solid. I wish him luck in Detroit.

I agree with him, people's view of him is pretty darn low considering the expectations that were put on him. From what I have seen from him he is a good man defender (uses his body well and absorb contact well). Like some have mentioned his B-Ball IQ is not great which translates to him not being a very impressive help defender. Like a Laker fan mentioned he can be exposed in the pick n roll which also reflective of limited B-Ball IQ.

I guess that was my long winded attempt in saying there isn't much to make of this.

kwame is right

Kobay wrote:He's solid man to man but He is just pathetic on pick and rolls and weak side help, lets just hope no one figures that out so he can get some cheese in the nba for a while.

Yup, and he'd be a whole lot more valuable if he could rebound the misses he causes. He would have looked good next to Dwight Howard, letting Dwight roam the paint, blocking shots and rebounding.