Wizards boot Brown for rest of playoffs
Forward and team have 'philosophical differences'
The Associated Press
Updated: 2:34 p.m. ET May 3, 2005
WASHINGTON - The Washington Wizards suspended forward Kwame Brown on Tuesday for the remainder of the playoffs.
The announcement came after Brown, coach Eddie Jordan and president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld met for about 10 minutes before the team’s practice.
“We had some philosophical differences,” Grunfeld said, “and we’re putting those behind us and focusing on the job at hand.”
Brown won’t travel with the team or participate in any practices for the remainder of the season. The Wizards are tied with the Chicago Bulls 2-2 in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Game 5 is Wednesday in Chicago.
“We’re not going to get into specifics. We’re going to do things a certain way. These players are committed to that,” said Grunfeld, referring to the remaining players on the roster. “And those are the type of players we want around us.”
Brown played only four minutes in the Game 3 victory Saturday, then didn’t attend practice Sunday and Game 4 Monday. The team had said he was absent because of a stomach virus.
Asked whether Brown was sick, Grunfeld said: “He talked to our trainer and he told him he had a stomach flu.”
Asked whether Brown was upset over a lack of playing time, Grunfeld said: “Everybody likes to play as much as they can. That’s typical for the NBA.”
The team’s action throws into doubt Brown’s future with the team. He turned down a multiyear contract extension last fall, which means he will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Grunfeld had previously said he would like to keep Brown. On Tuesday, he was more ambiguous.
“He’s still part of our organization,” Grunfeld said. “We’ll deal with that in the offseason. He’s going to be a restricted free agent in the summer, and we’ll deal with that at the appropriate time.”