The upcoming NBA season could be billed as the season for comebacks as yet another player is now in the NBA rumor mill in an attempt to play in the big league again.
Kwame Brown, the first overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft (drafted before Pau Gasol) has officially signed with a sports agency called Interperformances in a bid to revive his career in the NBA after three years from his last game. Hoops Rumors picked up their official statement.
[Brown] is ready for a new life," . "His comeback can be the road to glory for a team that believes in him. Kwame is back, physically healthy and ready to be the outstanding player he was on several NBA teams. ... No longer the young man that entered the NBA, Kwame is now an experienced and mature player and man. And he's back, for the love of the game."
But Luke Adams of HR gave his honest assessment. "It seems unlikely that many NBA teams would be eager to take a flier on Brown at this point, particularly since many clubs already have 14 or 15 players with guaranteed contracts."
Truth be told, Brown will find it a challenge to make an NBA roster again. When he was drafted, seven-foot centers were a premium (see the first four players drafted in 2001-Gasol and Tyson Chandler are still active, both seven foot). In today's NBA, centers are almost given away.
Centers that still thrive in the league are either "stretch fives" who has wide shooting range or rim protectors who are used mainly for defense. These days, the defensive duties of centers reach even the perimeter, specifically when guarding the pick and roll. This is why a center like Greg Monroe who puts up double-doubles can find himself on the trading block.
The usual suspect when it comes to centers is the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have shown their interest in someone like DeMarcus Cousins but apparently, they balked at the asking price. If the Cavs are unwilling to trade significant assets for a center, they may have to take flyers on players like Larry Sanders or Kwame Brown.
But Brown's absence from active basketball competition for three years along with the fact that he's 34 years old would be definite red flags. It's an amusing story, but chances of an NBA team actually signing him are slim.