Kwame Brown

Brown has been in the league for 11 years and is still partly living off the fact that he was the top pick of the 2001 draft. Because of his size and athleticism, he can provide some low post defense. He has not developed much as a basketball player and will only play significant minutes if the 76er season goes all wrong.

Brown turned in his best NBA season in 2010-11 with Charlotte, his fifth team in 10 years. Sure, close watchers of basketball have long ago added Brown’s name to the list of the NBA’s greatest busts, but it’s time we stop thinking about him in terms of what a first-overall pick should do and time to start thinking about how he fits a team. He can defend some and will provide some rebounding support to take the heat off David Lee. Along the way, Brown may get eight points and seven rebounds per game. With Biedrins in front of him, Brown is in a position to get minutes similar to what he had last season with the Bobcats (26.0 mpg).

To say Brown’s career has been a disappointment is an understatement. He won’t provide much more than size and six available fouls off of the bench for the Bobcats.

Like last season, Brown enters training camp with a chance to nab a place in the starting five. He lost the battle last year, but still managed to see 30 starts due to injuries and general ineffectiveness of other options on the Pistons' roster. Being the only returnee at the center position from last year's squad, Brown has the early upper hand landing the gig on opening night, but if he plays like he did last season (4.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg) expect him to lose minutes Chris Wilcox and Ben Wallace early and often.

Given that Detroit drafted Darko Milicic while Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade were still on the board, you would think they might know something about great draft busts. Brown was the top draft pick in 2001 but has never lived up to his potential, disappointing the Wizards, Lakers, and Grizzlies faithful. He's still just 26, however, and has shown brief signs of competency in the past. This is really a no-lose situation for Detroit - they get a cheap and experienced (not to mention big) backup. If he doesn't work out, he didn't cost much and the Pistons still have Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson on the roster just in case.

To say that Kwame Brown has been a disappointment is like saying that the Beatles were a moderately popular band – an understatement and a half. Brown continued his underachieving ways in 2006-07, averaging only 8.4 points and six rebounds while missing half the season with ankle and shoulder injuries. To make matters worse, Brown‘s recovery from offseason shoulder surgery will cause him to miss nearly all of training camp and possibly the start of the regular season. The return of Chris Mihm from injury will decrease Brown’s status in the Lakers’ center rotation, as will the continued growth of Andrew Bynum. Do what the Wizards could not do in 2001 and avoid Brown on draft day.

Here's a fact that will make everyone feel old: Brown is entering his sixth year in the NBA. It seemed like only weeks ago that Brown was a young project, struggling to live up to his sizable potential. My, how times have changed, as now Brown is a veteran project, struggling to live up to his potential. The Lakers will give Brown significant minutes this year at the center position, but temper your expectations.

After setting career-highs of 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in 2003-04, Brown and the Wizards organization held high expectations heading into the 2004-05 season. Brown disappointed in a big way, averaging just 7.0 points and 4.9 rebounds a game and soon found himself on the trade block in the off-season. Washington found a suitor in Los Angeles, as the Lakers needed a big man and the Wizards were in need of a perimeter player after the departure of Larry Hughes. A change of scenery could be a positive for Brown; he'll assume a bigger role in Los Angeles and will be relied upon to clean the boards on both sides of the court. Brown isn't much of a passer or a shot blocker, however, and his contribution is mainly in points and rebounds. He's a decent sleeper play considering he's a young talent who could get big minutes for the first time in his career.

According to baseball legend, when Bernie Williams was a rookie with the Yankees, some of the veterans on the team - Mel Hall, in particular - gave him a rough time. Once Hall left town, Williams came into his own. Now, this is the last time you'll ever see a parallel between Mel Hall and Michael Jordan, but let's just say playing with MJ didn't seem to do wonders for Mr. Brown. Brown is recovering from surgery to repair a foot fracture, but is expected back in time for training camps in October. This could be the season he really breaks out.

Brown, the No. 1 selection in the 2001 NBA draft, showed some glimpses of brilliance last season, but on the whole was inconsistent. This will be a make or break campaign for the third year player. The talent is certainly there for him to be a double-double machine who can throw in some blocks as well -- he'll just have to do it more consistently than he did last season to be the force that he was projected to be when he was drafted out of high school.