Dee Brown: Don’t enter the NBA Draft
Dee Brown, here’s a heartfelt plea from a lifelong Illini fan: Don’t enter the NBA draft.
Dee Brown has thrown his name into the the lot of the NBA draft but kept the back door open by not hiring an agent. That was prudent. Now it’s time for him to reevaluate his stance that going in the second round is fine. This was a surprise to me and to Mark Tupper because it’s an injudicious stance which seems out of character. Dee Brown can be a solid first-rounder, but he still needs to prove that his game will work in the big league. He needs to return to Illinois for his senior season.
I have absolutely loved watching Dee’s three years at Illinois. His personality is vibrant and magnetic, and his energy on the court has sparked the Illini to victory on several occasions when they were in the doldrums. Despite these qualities, I’m afraid that Brown will be a bust if he goes in this year’s draft. Specifically:
- Point guards in the NBA must be able to drive and dish. As the season wore on, Dee relied increasingly on his outside shot and was ineffective in scoring near the basket. In the NBA, if he’s not a scoring threat, big guys won’t come to help on Brown when he drives, limiting his effectiveness to set up his frontcourt for easy scoring opportunities.
- On a team blessed with talented guards Luther Head and Deron Williams, no player in the Illini backcourt served as a true point guard. Williams was closest and wowed TV analysts and scouts alike with his potent passing. Dee was more effective as a spot-up shooter and often needed screens to get his shot. In the NBA, he’ll need to function as a true PG—undersized but with great quickness and scoring ability, cast in the image of Denver’s Earl Boykins. What separates Boykins from Brown at this point is the former’s superior midrange shot and dribble-drive ability.
- Dee Brown earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2005, but I’m still unconvinced about his ability to guard the post-up. He’ll have to do this against stronger, taller guards in the League.
Added to these questions is the Why mess up a good thing? factor. Dee Brown is one of the best things college basketball’s got going. He’s fun, friendly, and media-savvy. He shared the spotlight in 2004-2005 with the rest of the Illinois guards. In the coming year, no one will be paying near the attention to Illinois that was paid last season, but Brown will be the face of the team. He can parlay that attention into success off the basketball court. Few current college basketball players can say they’re as widely known and positively regarded as Daniel “Dee” Brown.
So Dee, don’t do it! Don’t hire an agent. Don’t settle for the second round. Don’t follow Deron. Work on the holes in your game and answer the questions in the scouts’ minds. If Frank Williams couldn’t succeed in the NBA, I’m honestly afraid that at this point, you won’t either.
June 9th, 2005 at 12:06 pm
I really enjoy Dee Browns’ performance on the court and I think that he has all the qualities to make it in the NBA. But if he needs an additional year to go from second round pick to first round pick, I think he should take it. That way he could receive a diploma and a greater chance to be picked up by a better team.
Good Luck in all your endeavors. I enjoy you.
Kenya
April 12th, 2006 at 5:09 pm
I am Dee Browns #1 fan and i will draft u and auggie on my fantasy team like i did with deron!
i lov u always
jerrod
May 8th, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Dee Brown is one of the most electrifying players in college sports, without a shadow of a doubt! I Think if he enters the draft this year, he will follow in Allen Iverson’s footsteps as a fast paced, high intensity,game changing, small player! Give him a few years in the NBA to learn to play with the big boys and he’ll succeed not only on his perimeter shooting but also on the drive and pass. Good Luck Dee!
June 19th, 2006 at 10:29 am
he’s the best NCAA b-ball player and could enter the NBA in the first round but should stay one more year.
August 18th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
I LOVE U DEE BROWN I REALLY THINK U ARE A GREAT PLAYER AND I JUS WANT O SAY HAPPY B-DAY AND HAVE FUN PLAYIN WITH THE JAZZ AND I ALWAYZ DREAMED OF SPENDIN THE THE DAY WITH U AND I UESD YO LAST NAME MINES IS REALLTY TOWNS I MEET U AT THE WHIP WHEN U GOT DONE GETTTING A LININ AND ALMOST DIED CUZ I SAW U AND GOT TO TALK TO U WELL I GO LET U DO WAT U WAS DOIN LOVE YA YOUR #1 FAN
September 8th, 2006 at 1:39 am
whats up dee i know u have alot of people saying that they are your 1# fan but trust me they dont know u have been my number 1 fan since u played with wolf pack team in grammar school. so all the others,they right their fans but not your number 1 fan. so your reply back 2 me if you think im your number 1 fan based on the back grounds i gave u, you should e-mail me a ticket 2 a utah game when u play chicago bulls so i can see you in person and not on tv.
( i met u at extreme sports fitness)
LOVE ALWAYS
jazzy
September 8th, 2006 at 2:20 am
hope i wear your utah jazz jersey soon
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:22 am
I love Dee Brown so much. Im not mad he didnt enter the NBA because the know what he need and dont. I stand behind my man 100%.Love you Dee
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:25 am
DEE I LOVE YOU
May 11th, 2007 at 8:55 am
I have never watch sports really until I saw you playing with the jazz. But from the moment i saw you my heart dropped i have never felt that before. I always think about you now and you are always on my mind. I cried when you go hurt when he fell on your head. I hope you are ok. I am truely in love with you.I dream of what it would be like to spend just like a hour with you i would probably be so nervous. I am 32 so I probably to old for you but everyone thinks i look 20. Anyway my heart aches for you i just thought you should know. Just know when your out there playing i am watching you and I really am your #1 fan. I love you forever.