Monday report
They had an Illinois reunion as part of Deron Williams' charity golf tournament Monday. Illini coach Bruce Weber flew in for the event as did Houston Rockets guard Luther Head. So did Dee Brown, in what amounted to a farewell to Utah.
After looking around all summer for an NBA job, Brown signed with the Turkish club Galatasaray Cafe Crown and will leave for Istanbul this week. He probably used the phrase "It is what it is" five times in a three-minute interview.
Brown said the Jazz never made any false promises about his future. I asked if he regretted playing summer league for Utah when he possibly could have auditioned for another team instead.
"It is what it is," Brown said. "I thought I was a Jazzman. I came out and played, played hard, played well. I did everything I was supposed to do. It's a business. They went in a different direction, which is great. I'm still a Jazz fan."
The Jazz signed Jason Hart and Ronnie Price this summer, leaving Brown out of a job as the No. 3 point guard. Brown nevertheless honored his commitment to attend Junior Jazz basketball camps and traveled three weeks through rural Utah, Nevada and Wyoming.
"They gave me an opportunity to play NBA basketball," Brown explained. "All the places, it was the middle of nowhere, and [the fans] always showed me love."
Brown was reluctant to play in the NBA Development League after playing in the NBA last season. The percentages of getting called up were small, he said, and he didn't want to get stuck somewhere he didn't want to be.
Playing in Turkey pays the bills, compared to the comparatively minimum-wage D-League, though it all but rules out the possibility of Brown returning to the NBA this season.
Brown also wouldn't address comments Jazz owner Larry Miller made this summer on the radio questioning whether Brown was a good influence on Williams. Although he clearly took exception, Brown said, "You'll never hear me talk about it."
* * *
Some odds and ends from Monday: Williams said he talked to C.J. Miles more than any teammate this summer. Miles calls Williams his "big brother" and Williams said Miles' confidence was higher than ever.
Price repeatedly said how excited he was to be playing for the Jazz, although he didn't bite on a question comparing the distractions playing with Ron Artest in Sacramento to Andrei Kirilenko's latest blowup.
Price will be asked to shut down the Kobe Bryants and Tracy McGradys of the NBA. I asked whether he'd spent much time in that role with the Kings. "Here and there, but not really," he said.
"I'm really looking forward to take on that defensive role to guard these big-time scorers and get a chance to show that I can defend," Price said. "It's all about competing and will and desire to win games. I love competing. Who wouldn't want to compete against the best in the world?"
Williams on whether he'd be able to make the same leap from Year 2 to Year 3 that he made from Year 1 to Year 2: "I'm going to try. I want to improve every year. I think playing with the U.S.A. team definitely helped. My confidence is a lot higher after the playoff run. I'm looking to have fun."
--Ross Siler
After looking around all summer for an NBA job, Brown signed with the Turkish club Galatasaray Cafe Crown and will leave for Istanbul this week. He probably used the phrase "It is what it is" five times in a three-minute interview.
Brown said the Jazz never made any false promises about his future. I asked if he regretted playing summer league for Utah when he possibly could have auditioned for another team instead.
"It is what it is," Brown said. "I thought I was a Jazzman. I came out and played, played hard, played well. I did everything I was supposed to do. It's a business. They went in a different direction, which is great. I'm still a Jazz fan."
The Jazz signed Jason Hart and Ronnie Price this summer, leaving Brown out of a job as the No. 3 point guard. Brown nevertheless honored his commitment to attend Junior Jazz basketball camps and traveled three weeks through rural Utah, Nevada and Wyoming.
"They gave me an opportunity to play NBA basketball," Brown explained. "All the places, it was the middle of nowhere, and [the fans] always showed me love."
Brown was reluctant to play in the NBA Development League after playing in the NBA last season. The percentages of getting called up were small, he said, and he didn't want to get stuck somewhere he didn't want to be.
Playing in Turkey pays the bills, compared to the comparatively minimum-wage D-League, though it all but rules out the possibility of Brown returning to the NBA this season.
Brown also wouldn't address comments Jazz owner Larry Miller made this summer on the radio questioning whether Brown was a good influence on Williams. Although he clearly took exception, Brown said, "You'll never hear me talk about it."
* * *
Some odds and ends from Monday: Williams said he talked to C.J. Miles more than any teammate this summer. Miles calls Williams his "big brother" and Williams said Miles' confidence was higher than ever.
Price repeatedly said how excited he was to be playing for the Jazz, although he didn't bite on a question comparing the distractions playing with Ron Artest in Sacramento to Andrei Kirilenko's latest blowup.
Price will be asked to shut down the Kobe Bryants and Tracy McGradys of the NBA. I asked whether he'd spent much time in that role with the Kings. "Here and there, but not really," he said.
"I'm really looking forward to take on that defensive role to guard these big-time scorers and get a chance to show that I can defend," Price said. "It's all about competing and will and desire to win games. I love competing. Who wouldn't want to compete against the best in the world?"
Williams on whether he'd be able to make the same leap from Year 2 to Year 3 that he made from Year 1 to Year 2: "I'm going to try. I want to improve every year. I think playing with the U.S.A. team definitely helped. My confidence is a lot higher after the playoff run. I'm looking to have fun."
--Ross Siler
9:41 PM
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2 Comments:
Dee Brown is one heck of a classy young man. I wish him all the best in Turkey and I'll certainly try to follow his career. I am very glad he was able to join his friends this one last time before he's off to Turkey.
Coach, Deron, Dee and Luther - You had a fabulous year 2004/2005. You each have even better years to come. Continue to look out for each other.
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