The Lakers have reportedly agreed to terms with free agent guard Shannon Brown. The contract is worth $4.2 million over two years, with a player option on second year.Apparently his agent told the LA Times that Brown turned down more money from the Indiana Pacers to come back to Los Angeles.
Brown was a self-described "throw-in" in the February trade that sent space-cadet Vladimir Radmanovich to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Adam "cry baby" Morrison and the unknown Shannon Brown.
At the time, this was a deal that was strictly financial, as Adam Morrison had battled injuries all year and wasn't very ineffective in his role with the Bobcats. No one really knew that Shannon Brown would soon become a favorite among the Lakers fans.
In his first game donning the purple and gold, Shannon Brown amazed fans with his hops on this play...
The play resulted in a horrendous personal foul call, but people took notice of his athleticism. Mitch Kupchak actually saw something in Shannon Brown almost a month before the transaction as he put up 14 pts in 22 minutes against the Lakers, while with the Bobcats.
Brown would only put up 3.2 ppg in limited play but he shot 52% and shot very well from the three-point line, after it was thought he was only a slasher/athletic type who couldn't shoot. He also scored nearly 5 ppg in 13 minutes of play in the playoffs.
After all, Shannon was forced to shoot after his first Lakers practice. According to the OCRegister's Kevin Ding, Kobe found a wide open Brown in the corner, but he elected not to shoot. Immediately after Kobe told him to "Shoot the ****ng ball!"
For a great article on Shannon by K Ding, click here:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/brown-bryant-lakers-2370495-james-nba
This deal is a win-win situation for both parties. The Lakers get to see if Shannon Brown can become the point guard of the future, while Brown can decide to test the market out again after one year.
It's clear how much Phil Jackson liked Brown. He gave him a chance to guard the bigger point guards in the West in Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups, and Brown held his own. He's a good defensive guard, who can jump out of the gym, and does whatever is asked of him.
The real question is whether Mitch Kupchak can find a taker for Jordan Farmar. He's been a guy that Phil has clashed with on numerous occasions, and his absence would mean more playing time for Shannon Brown.
Are you excited to see Shannon Brown come back and deliver more highlight reel dunks and blocks?! Sound off below.
3 comments:
I like Farmar as well as Brown.I think they should keep Farmar and trade or release Sasha.If they get rid of Sasha, Brown will get more playing time. Farmar might not be phil jackson's favorite player but when he gives him the minutes he usually comes up big, and he can only improve this year. We got Fisher, Farmar and Brown coming off the bench.Get rid of Sasha.He is a virus on a team loaded with talent.
Farmar was off to a good start this year, but regressed this year after an injury. He had his best year with the Lakers in his sophomore campaign when he shot 46% and scored 9 PPG. Maybe it had something to do with a little point guard competition, after the Lakers drafted Javaris Crittenton.
If he does stick it out with the Lakers, maybe the thought of losing even more playing time to a guy like Shannon Brown will light a fire under Farmar. We all know his offense is there, but he needs to stay ahead of his man, and play with consistent defensive effort. Phil has always held Farmar on a short leash, so who knows if the Lakers will let him roam free.
Oh yeah, Sasha said in his exit interviews that he can't play any worse than he did last year. He regressed as well, falling back to his career numbers. The Lakers would be hard pressed to find someone in this harsh climate to take a contract of his size, so they're stuck with him. Just look at it this way, he can't play any worse!
I love the resign of Brown! He did a great job last year with the little time that he had to build up chemistry with the team. Lets hope that having him around will make Famar pick up his game and I have to agree with H B George that the Lakers should get rid of Sasha to have more cap room and to give Famar and Brown both more playing time! Hopefully Morrison could pick up the triangle offense and take the spot of Sasha, since he was a high first round pick.
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