I Hope This Kwame Brown Post Isn't a Bust

I hope that this post does not come off as yet another contrarian idea. I hope that my enthusiasm is understood as genuine. I hope that Kwame Brown still knows what a rebound is.

This Kwame Brown signing is not a set-your-franchise-back kind of signing. If the Sixers had drafted him, well then, yeah it would have been. No, this is a high reward-low risk, preparing for free-agency kind of signing. The front office found a gem slightly buffed stone with Brown. Despite the facts of the deal, nearly all of Philadelphia's sports media and most of the fan base are reacting negatively based solely on two words: "kwame" and "brown".

Sure, he was a bust as the first overall pick in 2001. Hell, he'd be a bust if he was picked 30th. This isn't 2001 though, and the Sixers are not investing the future of the franchise in him. They are investing $3 million in him. That amount of money is chump change for an NBA team. What they expect from him in return, something that he can do, is to be a good post defender against anyone Spencer Hawes can't guard (which is everyone). He'll split his minutes between the 4 and 5 positions (depending on the strength of the other team's bigs) though Lavoy Allen will get a large share as he develops. Kwame is an above average defender, though his blocks don't reflect that, because he is big and strong. He may not score a lot, but his RPG average should go up with more minutes a game.

The reaction to the signing from the public was as if he were the replacement for Dwight Howard. That's not why he was added to the team. Through the multiple one year contracts that the Sixers are adding, it would be naive to not think they are preparing for the 2013 free agency class. Doug Collins has his players meshing well, but they still need time to be a truly cohesive unit. This is not a D12-will-get-us-there team. The only thing the ownership group is looking to do is to move up to maybe the 7th or 6th seed next year, when they'll have one more year of experience together, and a Liberty Bell filled with money for a free agent.

Kwame signed a two year deal, with the second being a player option. You might ask why they would give him the option, rather than keep it as a team option, and the answer is simple: if he outplays the contract, he walks. Imagine Kwame contributes 9 pts, and 6 boards a game. That would far exceed the money he earns, and would be a similar season to what a 49 year old, $16 million Elton Brand could offer. If he does that, he may get an offer from another team and opt out. And if he doesn't, well then it'll be just a tiny portion of next year's cap with multiple contracts falling off, and he'll stay firmly planted on the bench.

Kwame won't have to contribute much for this to be a solid signing. This isn't the Sixers' all-in year, and he's not the savior center. If we can just see past his history and his name, and look forward to what $3 million bought, we can be a happier fan base. And then...Chris Paul!