Bobby Brown - Player Profile

Bobby Brown (6'2" 175) Guard

If you are a 6'2" college guard with aspirations of playing in the NBA then you better be able to distribute the basketball and break defenses down off the dribble. When assessing the point guard position NBA executives often talk about the importance of defense and the guards ability to knock down perimeter shots. Yet, much of that is simply NBA GM's paying lip-service to two areas of the game that were once considered fundamentals. Now the necessities for a point guard are: quickness, court vision, passing prowess and his ability to get to the basket. Bobby Brown possesses some of these attributes but lacks others, and that's the reason he's currently playing with Alba Berlin and not in the NBA.

Brown was asked to score in college primarily because of the lack of offensive talent surrounding him at Cal State Fullerton. When he arrived at CSUF in 2003 the Titans were a team in transition. Fullerton was two years removed from NCAA sanctions and in the process of hiring a new men's basketball coach. Bobby Brown posted solid numbers while at Fullerton but his lack of assists raised red flags for most NBA teams. Brown contemplated coming out of school following his junior season but opted to return to Fullerton and work on his game. During his senior year Brown posted career highs in FG%, points, rebounds and most importantly assists. However, Fullerton's lack of national exposure and limited post-season play (2004-05, eliminated in the second round of the NIT) hurt his draft stock. He went undrafted but signed with the Charlotte Bobcats as a member of their summer league team. Unable to impress NBA teams in his five summer league games Brown signed with Alba Berlin and is currently playing in Germany's top division. Brown along with Dijon Thompson (UCLA) and Julius Jenkins (Georgia Southern) have Alba Berlin on top of the Bundesliga standings.

Bobby Brown has good instincts but has a tendency to fall in love with his perimeter shot. He is a better passer and play-maker than a floor leader and as a result his "point guard" skills are devalued when he fails to get the ball to the right person at the right time. Playing at CSUF for four seasons with little to no offensive structure did nothing to improve this area of weakness and lead NBA teams to question his ability to play half-court basketball. When Fullerton's offensive sets bogged down Brown often called his own number in an attempt to salvage the possession. That worked in the Big West but would it in the NBA? It's a question that Brown has yet to answer. But here's my question to NBA scouts and personnel directors. In an age of combo guards, going small and unconventional line-ups why is it out of the question to view Brown as a change of pace guard? The Clippers (Mobley), Spurs (Ginobili), Bulls (Gordon), Knicks (Robinson) and Sixers (Williams) currently all bring volume shooting guards off the bench to help the second unit score the basketball. Plus, this isn't a new revelation, NBA teams have been bring explosive scorers off the bench for years. Bobby Brown reminds us of a young Bobby Jackson, but Nate Robinson and Troy Hudson also come to mind when we watch him play. Brown will have the opportunity to impress an NBA team again next summer but until then Berlin will be happy to have him running their point.

(Ger-1 Bundesliga Stats)

YEAR	TEAM	G	FG%	FT%	3PT%	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
2007-08	ALBA BERLIN	16	0.433	0.810	0.319	3.2	4.1	0.9	0.0	2.7	14.5

Bobby Brown filled up the stat sheet against KK Bosna in a game that didn't want to end. Brown played over 60 minutes, (Yes, 60) scored 44 points, gathered 7 rebounds, dished out 7 assists to help lead Alba Berlin to a 141-127 victory.

(UELB CUP Stats)

YEAR	TEAM	G	FG%	FT%	3PT%	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
2007-08	ALBA BERLIN	9	0.444	0.857	0.404	2.8	4.4	1.1	0.1	3.2	17.4

Brown started four of the five games he played for Charlotte this past summer, but struggled finding his shot. Doubts surrounding his shot selection and "point guard skills" were left unanswered and as a result Charlotte declined to include Brown on their pre-season roster. We can only assume the Bobcats decided adding another point guard who could shoot at or below the 40% mark would be one too many? Last season, Charlotte's starting point guard Raymond Felton shot 38.4% from the field and his back up Jeff McInnis shot 39.2%.

(NBA Summer League Stats)

YEAR	TEAM	MIN	FG%	FT%	3PT%	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
2007-08	Charlotte Bobcats	28.2	0.347	0.833	0.368	1.8	4.0	0.4	0.2	3.0	9.2

I had the opportunity to watch Bobby Brown play on several occasions while he was at Cal State Fullerton and grew to appreciate his game. Initially, I too had doubts about his decision making but after watching Fullerton play a couple times this season I've come to realize that he actually brought stability to CSUF's frantic offensive attack. He's a player who isn't afraid to take the big shot, competes hard and has the ability to take over a game offensively and will his team to victory. Brown is Fullerton's All-Time leading scorer and although he may never average double digit assists he would make a solid addition to any NBA team.

(NCAA Stats)

YEAR	TEAM	MIN	FG%	FT%	3PT%	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
2006-07	Cal State Fullerton	34.6	0.468	0.789	0.388	2.7	5.1	1.3	0.1	3.6	20.2
2005-06	Cal State Fullerton	34.9	0.426	0.727	0.377	2.6	4.6	1.6	0.2	3.3	17.5
2004-05	Cal State Fullerton	35.9	0.414	0.827	0.348	2.6	4.7	1.3	0.1	3.3	16.8
2003-04	Cal State Fullerton	31.1	0.402	0.854	0.405	2.0	3.5	1.1	0.1	2.3	13.2