Kwame Brown's tenure as a Philadelphia 76er came to an end Wednesday night around 5 p.m.
The Sixers waived Brown and Darius Morris prior to their loss to the Raptors to sign guards Lorenzo Brown and Elliot Williams.
Explaining the moves, Brett Brown cited Tony Wroten's play as what pushed Morris out the door, and Kwame ... Kwame "was never able to get on a court."
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Specifically:
The closest Kwame Brown got to seeing the court this season was jogging lightly on the antigravity treadmill beside practice floor at PCOM.
— Christopher A. Vito (@ChrisVito) November 20, 2013
Is there anyone who can't believe Kwame didn't make it to the end of an unnecessary two-year deal?
The guy played nine games the season prior and some combination of Doug Collins, Tony DiLeo and Rod Thron decided it best to give him a player-option.
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From most of what's been reported, it seems as if Kwame, less so than having actual injuries, lacked any real desire to play. John Finger sums it up this way:
In addition to the 30 consecutive DNP-CDs, Brown struggled with injuries during training camp and never got it going. He struggled with a litany of injuries, aches, pains and, perhaps most importantly, motivation. Brown left the team briefly to tend to “personal issues.” When he returned to the team, he missed another practice with more “personal issues” and then was scratched from a game with a sinus infection. A source said Brown often visited the training room and skipped practices complaining of injuries that didn’t exist.
So -- as I baited you with in the headline -- how much did Kwame actually make as a Sixer? Well, once he exercised his player-option this summer, his contract became a two-year deal worth just shy of $6 million. To keep the math nice and neat, we're just calling it $6 million.
If we use this 2011 figure from Grantland as a jumping-on point, that means Brown, the former No. 1 overall pick of the 2001 draft, has now made $64.4 million playing for eight different teams -- even though he never actually appeared in a game as a Milwaukee Buck.
Just pertaining to his Sixers career, Brown played 22 games, 269 total minutes and recorded 41 points, 74 rebounds, 9 assists, 10 blocks and 17 made field goals.
If we break down his contract by each of those numbers independently, then, as a Sixer, Kwame made ...
- $272,727.27 per game
- $146,341.46 per point
- $81,081.08 per rebound
- $666,666.67 per assist (seems apropos)
- $600,000.00 per block
- $352,941.18 per field goal
- $22,304.83 per minute
If you think any one of those numbers are horrifying, consider that Brown has made $13 million in his last two contracts over the last three seasons playing 31 games for three different teams -- even though, again, he never actually appeared in a game as a Milwaukee Buck.
If you think about it that way, then Kwame, in the last three seasons, has made:
- $419,354.84 per game
Lest no one forget the report from John Mitchell last year that Doug Collins actually wanted give Kwame five years and $30 million. Who knows how true that is or was. Let's just end it with these:
I'll always remember the good times, like when Kwame Brown rose from the bench in last season's finale--only to return with a piece of candy
— Christopher A. Vito (@ChrisVito) November 20, 2013
And Kwame Brown, still wearing No. 54, walked through PCOM with a plate of food. Some things never change.
— Christopher A. Vito (@ChrisVito) September 27, 2013
The timeless question: Who's stealing money in the NBA?
Previously:
>>Photos: Kwame Brown is huge in Spain
>>Video: That One Time Kwame Brown Swatted Dwight Howard
>>Kobe: ‘What was I supposed to do? Pass it to … Kwame Brown?’