Shannon and Kwame Brown could become Heat

[Lebron23]

There soon could be a Brown in town for the Heat. Maybe two.

December 7, 2011

Mark Bartelstein, who represents free agents Kwame Brown and Shannon Brown, said Tuesday night he has had in-depth discussions with Miami about both.

The Heat desperately needs a center, and Kwame Brown could fit the bill. He's coming off one of the better seasons of his career, having averaged 7.9 points and 6.8 rebounds for Charlotte.

"We've talked to Miami quite a bit," Bartelstein said. "We're going through the process and hope to make a decision in the next few days… Miami's a great team and a championship contender and he's got the potential (to help)."

Bartelstein named Charlotte, Boston, Toronto, Philadelphia and Sacramento as other teams in the mix for Kwame Brown.

Bartelstein said he's also talked to Heat president Pat Riley a good bit about Shannon Brown, a shooting guard who averaged 8.7 points last season for the Lakers.

"Yeah, we've talked about him with Pat," Bartelstein said of Shannon Brown, who was LeBron James' teammate in Cleveland from 2006-08. "They're looking for wings. Teaming with LeBron and Dwyane (Wade) would be incredible. (Shannon Brown) is very athletic. They (the Heat) like him."

Bartelstein declined to discuss contract needs regarding either player. The Heat, meanwhile, is trying to figure out how best to spend money in free agency, with players being able to sign starting Friday.

If the Heat waives swingman Mike Miller as part of the amnesty clause, Miami likely wouldn't be more than $4 million over the luxury-tax threshold and could have a $5 million mid-level exception and a $1.9 million bi-annual exception available.

If Miller is retained, the Heat likely would be over the $4 million mark and would then have one $3 million exception available. Miller expressed confidence Tuesday the Heat will keep him.

If Miller stays, Kwame Brown obviously would be a bigger need than would Shannon Brown. The only center the Heat is certain have at this point is returning starter Joel Anthony, who averaged 2.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.24 blocks last season.

Kwame Brown struggled after being the No. 1 pick in the 2001 NBA draft. But last season he at least averaged the most points he has since 2006-07 and his most rebounds since 2003-04.

"He had a great season," Bartelstein said. "He had the chance to play a lot of minutes (26.0 average). He's a greatly misunderstood kid. People look at him as being the No. 1 pick in the draft, but that's in the past. If you just evaluate him as a starting center, he had a great season last year… He's one of the best post defenders in the league and he's only 29 years old."

The Heat's wish list at center includes Denver free agent Nene and Sacramento free agent Samuel Dalembert. But both will command much more than the Heat can pay, with Dalembert telling FOX Sports Florida on Monday it would be "tough" to go to Miami for the $5 million mid-level exception.

Kwame Brown could end up being the best answer in the pivot for Miami.

http://www.foxsportsflorida.com/12/0...02&feedID=3720


Miami Heat (Depth Charts)

C- Kwame Brown
F - Chris Bosh
SF- LeBron James
SG- Dwayne Wade
PG- Mario Chalmers


Bench



C- Joel Anthony/Dexter Pittman
F- Udonis Haslem
F- Mike Miller (Injured). I prefer Shane Battier over Mike Miller. Battier is less injury prone than Miller, better defender, and his contract is much cheaper.
SG- Shannon Brown
PG- Norris Cole (Rookie) and Eddie House

That's a much deeper bench compared to last season.

[D-Wade316]

I'm not interested on both guys. Kwame, as always, is a shitty player. Shannon, while being young, is not what the kind of player the Heat is looking for. The Heat needs defense-first players(Battier and Dalembert) who can also create some shots on their own.

[Haymaker]

Shannon Brown's Ball IQ is pretty low.

[DDensity]

Shannon Brown's Ball IQ is pretty low.

There's a reason many Lakers fans call him Chucker Brown.

[ihatetimthomas]

I'm not interested on both guys. Kwame, as always, is a shitty player. Shannon, while being young, is not what the kind of player the Heat is looking for. The Heat needs defense-first players(Battier and Dalembert) who can also create some shots on their own.

Yea well, the Heat are pretty limited in what they can do. Can they afford a Battier or Dalembert? Those guys are not locks. Kwame and Brown on the cheap are nice pickups and better than the bench they had last year. Team bball IQ severely drops though

[The Big Skinny]

To be honest, Kwame Brown sounds like a good fit to me. Low risk, High reward guy here. Has prototypical size to bang down low, grab rebs and defend other bigs. Joel Anthony is an undersized C who isn't starter worthy. When he got 30 mins a game in 03/04, Brown put up 11 pts 8 rebs. Remember who is on this team. Lebron, D Wade are excellent rebounder at their respective positions and Bosh is decent. All the heat need at C is a big body who can battle down low and give them 20-30 tough minutes. Everyone else this free agency is either too expensive/not worth it or not a good fit (more of a scoring/finesse).

[ihatetimthomas]

There's a reason many Lakers fans call him Chucker Brown.

Yea there really isn't a shot he doesn't like. But he is capable of hitting long range shots and the occasional exciting dunk.

[D-Wade316]

Yea well, the Heat are pretty limited in what they can do. Can they afford a Battier or Dalembert? Those guys are not locks. Kwame and Brown on the cheap are nice pickups and better than the bench they had last year. Team bball IQ severely drops though

I have high hopes. Don't want to do anything with low IQ guys.

In the end, it's all about defense for the Heat.

[ballinhun8]

So you think they could have Battier, Keane, and Shannon with one MLE??

[ihatetimthomas]

I have high hopes. Don't want to do anything with low IQ guys.

In the end, it's all about defense for the Heat.

Kwame is a solid man defender. One of the better defenders in the post.

[D-Wade316]

So you think they could have Battier, Keane, and Shannon with one MLE??

Obviously no. Battier, if Dalembert declines, should be the Heat's first target. Then maybe they can pick Kwame up, or some rookie.

[D-Wade316]

Kwame is a solid man defender. One of the better defenders in the post.

Yeah, but I also want a center who can make shots for their own. He just doesn't fit that criteria.

[All Net]

Shannon was god awful 2nd half of the season, first 20 games? played great but fell off badly after that. Still an option to have which they didn't last year.

[D-Wade316]

It's sad though that he is the best option for the Heat. I guess I should live with that.

[The Big Skinny]

Yeah, but I also want a center who can make shots for their own. He just doesn't fit that criteria.

Who is a better cost effective fit then Kwame Brown?