TNT crew rips Kwame

[chillzatl]

It was during halftime of last nights Spurs-Sonics drubbing. They talked about a few of the players on the Wizards wanting Kwame Re-instated. To a man they said NO and basically said "this kid needs to learn to take responsibility for himself and be a professional".

The fact that they didn't just say "he's a scrub" or somethign like that, shows that they feel the guy has talent. But they all recognize his problems go a heck of a lot deeper than Jordan or the wizards.

[Diesel]

The problem may indeed go back to Jordan and the Wizards. Not that they didn't develop him although that's a part... But maybe he needed to be in college instead of being the first pick of the draft. Or maybe in a developmental league. Brown is the poster boy for Stern's age limit.

Now another place where Jordan and others may have failed is that they never taught him how to be professional. I remember AL Harrington was taken in by Antonio Davis when he arrived in Indy. I recall that Josh Smith was taken in by Al as a Hawk. I remember that KG was put under the arm of Sam Mitchell and Googs.

I just think you have to have somebody to mentor these young players. They're not all going to come in the league with the maturity of Lebron.

[Lascar78]

I don't think that they recognize that he has talent as much as they recognize that he still has potential. But yes his problems are deep

[hawkster411]

Can someone please be more specific about Kwame Brown's problems?

Diesel makes a valid point that Kwame Brown did not have a mentor. Don't get me wrong, Michael Jordan being one of the best/if not the best player in the game as a mentor. But Michael Jordan has a different mentality as a player than as a GM. I believe Michael Jordan did not bring in Kwame Brown slowly in his first year. Jordan does not have the player development mentality.

Whereas the Atlanta Hawks brought up Josh Childress slowly. At the start of the season, Josh Childress was in the starting line up, then was benched for a few months because Woodson didn't believe he was ready. After Josh Childress's setback, I believe Childress worked his butt off to win back his starting role. A mental game that really helped him elevate himself to the next level. His learning curve accelerated after the benching. I give credit to Woodson and BK for bringing up the rookies slowly.

I believe Kwame Brown needs a change of scenery. A new start where he can work with people that understands his weakness and help alleviate the problem. I believe the Atlanta Hawks can help him find his game and bring the most out of him.

Comments are welcomed...

[TheDude]

good post hawkster...the kid is young and can still emerge..he had/has alot of pressure in washington..but i feel he can succeed with a change of scenery.

[OGRat]

Long as we don't have to pay a lot to find out what his talent truly is.

[Packfill]

I think the big difference between Childress and the success he had versus Kwame and his struggles is that Childress has the mental fortitude to endure a tough stretch and the mental accumen to learn and develop his game. Kwame is just not motivated and lacks the drive to succeed.

[hotboyj]

Kwame's pain started when he was young, since his fater beat him consistently which according to Scoop jackson has made him internalize his emotions. I think he could thrive here in Atlanta, since Woodson yet is a hard coach he still doesn't have to make you look bad in front of the crowd. Most of the times he keeps his composure, which I can't say for Larry Brown.

I just thought I would like to present that to this forum so they could at least know a little more about him. Most of yall think Kwame is a player who doesn't care if he ever doesn't become anything more than a bust. When truly he wants to do better. His situation with Washington is the same as with his father. Except now the abuse is verbal. Now only if he could get away from Washington/his father, and come live in Atlanta/his mother. He has had a rough life and I think once he drops his excess baggage he will be able to move freely and become the #1 pick he is supposed to be. Give the boy a shot is all I ask. I shouldn't hear a word bad about Kwame from you diaw supporters, since Kwame even in the same state would contribute more than diaw on a daily basis.

Here's the article from ESPN.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...on/050505&num=1

[Lascar78]

Quote:

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I shouldn't hear a word bad about Kwame from you diaw supporters, since Kwame even in the same state would contribute more than diaw on a daily basis.

---

If Kwame wants to play here for the 1.1 million Diaw makes next year, I will welcome him with open arms. But if he's to get decent money on his contract, I want much more.

And Kwame's 7, 5, and 1 are not much better than Diaw's 5, 3, and 2

[deester11]

I think something that gets lost about Jordan as a GM, is that he was still living his playing days through Kwame. All of the attention went to Kwame and Jordan because he was the first pick in the entire draft. When he didn't develop accordingly, it cost Jordan. Additionally, Jordan as competitive as he is couldn't get through to Kwame. Very few people have.

Now personally, I would welcome him as a member of the Hawks. I didn't know of all the issues with his father, but I do think that he needs a support group around him that will help him become more than Chris Washburn (without the drugs....). I hope he's a Hawk next year...but he needs a lot of coaching....in life.

[DominiqueWilkins]

I worked for that crew for about a year, and they are just how they are on t.v.

They speak their minds.

[Sage11]

It seems to me that Kwame needs a life coach. It is hard for a young fragile mind to ignore the hate of an entire city. I think before we commit to the kid, we need to investigate what his problems with the wizards really are.

If he is indeed lazy, hustle will be hard to teach him. Nevertheless if he wants a new start he can demonstrate that by making some changes of his own initiative to improve his image and marketability. If the kid can be had cheap, I would be willing to take a chance on him. But I would not give up drafting a Big because we may obtain Kwame-he is simply too risky at this point. BK proceed with caution.

[Weez]

in what capacity did you work for them?