Anyone in the Washington are know what happened to the number 1 pick? I havent heard anything about him and wondered if he was a "project" or if they were bringing him along very slowely. I would think with the small window of oppurtunity with MJ in Washinton they would need someone to produce very quickly
He's being brought along very slowly. Supposedly he doesn't have a good work ethic and isn't adjusting to the NBA life very well. If the Wiz weren't in a playoff hunt he'd be playing 20 minutes a game but hey... MJ's ruining his career in a way. Same can be said for Courtney Alexander.
Jordan isn't ruining their careers, bad work ethic is ruining their careers. Brown is immature, and Courtney is having the same problem in Washington that he had in Dallas. They aren't taking the game seriously.
Alexander would be starting and gaining hype if not for MJ. Point is, Kwame would be getting PT regardless. The Wiz will suck like crap again in a few years when Jordan retires. They'd do better to just collect lottery picks. Kandiman for sure is a bigger bust than Joe.
Sorry guys, but you are all wrong about Kwame. It is a medical condition. Doctors are running tests on Kwame to find out why he gets winded so easily. It is not a matter of being out of shape or taking it seriously. Hopefully they can find the cause for this problem and treat it. If not he may have to give up NBA basketball.
Medical condition!? How'd he be such a great highschool player then? How'd he play virtually the whole game everyday in highschool? You still gotta run the floor like you do in the NBA.
Joe Smith wasn't *that* bad of a #1. He's a productive player at least. You can't say that about all #1 picks.
Was't Pervis Ellison a number one pick? As far as ruining Kwame's career..... the kid is 19 and has only played high-school ball. It's a bit of a jump for HS to the NBA and it 'normally' takes players a few years to adjust or to be allowed by their coaches to paly. Look at Jermaine O'Neal, I think it was his 5th season before he saw any quality playing time, and he's fine now. Give Kwame a efw years (and let him get over that medical condition) and he should be a fine player - in fact I'd say he should be ready to play some big minutes in a few years (conveniently just after MJ retires!) As for Courntey Alexander... the Wizards didn't exactly impress with him logging time last year. There could be worse things than for him to come off the bench and try and see how things work in a winning NBA side before he starts to log major minutes.
I wouldn't worry about Kwame Brown. I didn't know about his medical condition, but as far as his NBA adjustment, not everyone adjusts well. I read an article in SI or ESPN or one of those magazines during Tracy McGrady's 1st or 2nd year talking about how he was so depressed about being in the cold, playing for a team that sucked, and that he wished he hadn't come out. He was not doing well in the transition at all. It was the year before VC came. I felt badly for him at the time, but look where he is now. Same thing with Jermaine O'Neal.
A couple of things: 1.) Kwame has looked absolutey jittery when he was on the court earlier in the season. I completely understand being nervous, but it looked like his head was about to explode. 2.) Collins said he doesn't listen very well. 3.) Apparently he is in really bad shape, because he can only play a couple of minutes before he feels completely drained. They believe it might be a medical condition and are conducting tests. 4.) And like some have already pointed out, the Wizards are in the playoff hunt. It would be stupid right now to try to bring along a player who is only helping you lose games. All that said, the Wizards were complete idiots for drafting Kwame #1. I'm sure he'll somehow end up being pretty good, but with all the verbal bashing he's been taking from Collins, he probably has the worst confidence of any #1 pick ever. I bet the Wizards would like to turn back time and make their selection again. As for Courtney, Collins planned on him being a big part of the team after his emergence last year, but he simply played bad at the beginning of the season. He's starting to pick it up, but it probably too late for him to make a very big impact this season. The Wizards definitely need to try and get somebody this offseason, while there still is a lot of hype surrounding them. They're going to have a lot of room under the cap next season, and the 2003-2004 season they're going to have even more. I wish Jwill came out last year.
Collins doesn't bash him as much as you think. You've probably heard two quotes get replayed over and over again. Nothing more. Kwame Brown is doing just fine up here in Washington. He's going through the typical shakes. The kid is a freak of nature. He's going to arrive on his own time schedule. As far as Jordan ruining anyone's career. I've adressed that before. He's not.
I think Collins is the wrong coach for a guy like Kwame. Considering he's "MJ's Boy" and probably will only be there as long as MJ is.
You're right, "Bashing"is a little harsh, but there's no way his confidence can be very high. Collins has said he's upset with his progress and that Kwame isn't allowing himself to be coached very easily. And then he also said he can't believe how out of shape Kwame is for a 19 year old. Those are all pretty negative things. I've been to about twelve Wizards game this season, and Kwame has just looked spastic when he gets on the court. I can tell he's has a tremendous amount of quickness for his size, but he just looks so uncoordinated. I'm sure he will end up being good, but it looks like it could be a long way down the line. Garnett and Kobe both showed signs of how great they would be in their first season. Kwame hasn't shown anything. When you make someone a #1 pick, they should at least be able to contribute their first season.
