Moses Brown signed to training camp deal

[THE HCP]

He doesn't look like an NBA player to me.

Didn’t he go undrafted? I believe a lot of others would agree with you.

 

[CupWizier]

He doesn't look like an NBA player to me.

It's just a camp invite. Nothing more and nothing less.

 

[gatorpops]

He looks weak and all he can do is dunk around the basket.

I watched a UCLA full game and he made two swish free throws perfectly and a short time later he was fouled and made the shot and then swished the free throw again. Good shot blocker on defense. Raw young and untaught maybe.

 

[tlongII]

I watched a UCLA full game and he made two swish free throws perfectly and a short time later he was fouled and made the shot and then swished the free throw again. Good shot blocker on defense. Raw young and untaught maybe.

That must have been a season high for made free throws for him.

 

[kjironman1]

Good for him. Hope he makes the most of it.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Is it too early to start the sign Moses Brown to a 2-way contract campaign?

 

[Scalma]

Is it too early to start the sign Moses Brown to a 2-way contract campaign?

Nah.

Btw, he’s listed at 7’1 but there’s no way that’s accurate. I’m guessing he’s closer to 7’3.

 

[CupWizier]

Is it too early to start the sign Moses Brown to a 2-way contract campaign?

Yes.

It's obvious he's a project, but there will be a lot of players that will become available when rosters need to be trimmed down so why hot wait and see who the best possibility might be.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

All aboard!!

 

[BonesJones]

Yes.

It's obvious he's a project, but there will be a lot of players that will become available when rosters need to be trimmed down so why hot wait and see who the best possibility might be.

True. We do still have the 15th roster spot too though.

 

[CupWizier]

True. We do still have the 15th roster spot too though.

yes, but I don't see them using it on a player like Brown where a 2 way contract would be better.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

7'2" with a solid feel for the game -- how can you not sign him to a 2-way?!

He should be a lock to make the team. He's definitely a worthy project.

 

[Scalma]

7'2" with a solid feel for the game -- how can you not sign him to a 2-way?!

He should be a lock to make the team. He's definitely a worthy project.

If Gasol isn’t ready on opening night he might even be on the bench. But yeah I’ve liked everything I’ve seen so far. He could probably hang if we had to throw him out there, but a year of development will really help him. The ESPN guys were also saying he was picking up things pretty fast in camp, according to Stotts, and his instincts have surprised me. Was expecting a lost puppy but he’s been in position more often than not.

 

[BonesJones]

yes, but I don't see them using it on a player like Brown where a 2 way contract would be better.

Yeah, I'm saying sign Brown to a 2 way contract, then if theres somebody better that we really want, then we can sign them with the last roster spot. Assuming that's a coveted player, a regular roster spot might be the difference between landing them or not getting them at all.

 

[Jade Falcon]

I'm so glad we have Gasol to mentor him and Skal. Brown and Skal should be picking Pau's brain every chance they get!!!

 

[Scalma]

Seasoned UCLA basketball fans have discovered what it would take for the Bruins to land another dominant 7-footer from New York.

An act of Moses.

Moses Brown has generated some early comparisons to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that go beyond height and hometown. Both are highly skilled big men who ruled the area around the basket from the moment they lumbered into Pauley Pavilion.

When Brown tallied 19 points and 17 rebounds against Purdue at Fort Wayne earlier this month, he became the first Bruin to reach those figures in his college debut since Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) collected 56 points and 21 rebounds as a sophomore during a romp over USC in December 1966. Freshmen were barred from playing varsity at the time because of NCAA rules.


Nobody is forecasting Brown as a threat to surpass Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, but the 7-foot-2 freshman center has given the Bruins a shot-blocking, rebound-snagging, dunk-hoarding presence they have lacked in recent years.

And, yes, he even has toyed with a sky hook that became the signature move of his famed UCLA predecessor.

“I feel like if I develop my skill set and have a go-to move like he had,” Brown said of Abdul-Jabbar, “I’ll be pretty much unstoppable.”

Some might say he’s already there.

Brown became the first UCLA freshman to record double-doubles in each of his first three games and will give the No. 17 Bruins (4-0) perhaps the most feared player on the court Thursday night at Orleans Arena when they face No. 11 Michigan State (3-1) in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.

“He’s special,” UCLA coach Steve Alford said. “And I think you’re going to see him just continue to evolve because he’s got a motor, he cares, he works. You can get on him [and] he responds to good, tough criticism of making him get better.”

There are plenty of areas to target for a player who has struggled to play out of double- and triple-teams, compiled some comedy-reel traveling violations and shot one free throw that hit nothing but backboard.

But he also possesses soft, reliable hands that seem to catch every pass. He’s avoided the over-reliance on reaching that leads to foul trouble for many big men. His averages of 17.3 points, 12 rebounds and 3.3 blocks a game while shooting 78.9% portend a short college stay.

Brown’s eight blocks against St. Francis in his third college game prompted Alford to tease him afterward as the coach was leaving the interview room inside Pauley Pavilion while Brown entered to speak with reporters.

“You’re not going to block my shot,” Alford, the legendary sharpshooter who remains highly competitive at 53, told his star player. “I’m going to mess with you. I’ll fake and you’re going to foul me.”

Brown is a product of the same neighborhood in Hollis, Queens, that produced Abdul-Jabbar. Malcolm Brown, Moses’ father, said their residence is about seven blocks from where Abdul-Jabbar lived and they frequented some of the same parks growing up.


Moses liked to rouse Malcolm, a construction worker, from his slumber on days he wasn’t working to take him to a park on Hollis Avenue where father and son would sometimes play until 2 a.m. Their one-on-one games ceased once Moses knocked out some of Malcolm’s teeth when he was a sophomore in high school.

“I got elbowed in the mouth,” said Malcolm, a former 6-7 center who played in junior college, “and I told myself, ‘I can’t afford to miss more teeth.’”

Brown was 6 feet by the sixth grade and grew six inches to 6-10 during the summer between his sophomore and junior years in high school while recovering from a fractured growth plate in his left knee. He dunked in a game for the first time at 15, long after he had surpassed his peers in height.

“I just didn’t notice how tall I was,” Brown said, “until I actually got older and I realized I’m actually a giant compared to regular people.”

He remained a humble hulk in part because of his father’s devotion as a single parent and the relentlessness of a grandmother who instilled a work ethic in him.

“My mom would cook and clean and wash clothes at the same time,” Malcolm said, “and every time she would leave the kitchen it would be spick-and-span, so he got it honest.”

Brown said he picked UCLA because he clicked with the coaching staff and enjoyed the friendly vibe he felt on campus. He’s become an instant favorite of classmates who ask him to pose for selfies, taken by his height and massive feet that fill every crevice of his size 18 shoes.

He required a custom-length bed in his room, school officials realizing there’s nothing standard-issue about “Big Mo.” On the court, being the next big thing solves more problems than it creates, especially for his teammates.

“It’s pretty good when you get down into the paint and you have nowhere to go,” sophomore forward Kris Wilkes said, “you just throw it up to Mo.”

But how long will Brown stick around to catch those lobs? Alford has already intimated that he expected Brown to stay for only one college season, though Brown said he’s “not in any rush” to reach the NBA.

Some who have observed both Brown and Abdul-Jabbar said that Brown relies more on power than his 7-1 predecessor, who developed a variety of moves around the basket after the NCAA outlawed dunking before his junior season.

None became more famous than the sky hook, something Brown said he’s tried in practice and might unveil during a game in another reminder of the New Yorker who came before him.

“Sure,” Brown said. “I’ll pull it out.”

https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/la-sp-ucla-basketball-brown-20181121-story.html

 

[Scalma]

This dudes athletic as fuck relative to his size.

 

[theprunetang]

If he does stick around on the team, dude needs a designated free throw coach.

 

[Scalma]

If he does stick around on the team, dude needs a designated free throw coach.

Pargo can handle it.

But seriously, he has huge hands. I think there’s something to players with big hands struggling with free throws. It’s like shooting a tennis ball for them. That shit is hard to control when your hand covers the majority of the ball.

I wish more guys would embrace shooting underhanded.

 

[theprunetang]

Pargo can handle it.

But seriously, he has huge hands. I think there’s something to players with big hands struggling with free throws.

I wish more guys would embrace shooting underhanded.

Are you allowed to do Sky Hook freethrows?

 

[Scalma]

Lillard approves.

6:08


“So much upside. Since September he’s been offensive rebound, offensive rebound. He runs the floor well. He’s receptive to information. He takes criticism.”

“Everyone’s been impressed by him. I’ve never seen anybody get better...from the first day to now... is like a completely different player. I definitely think he’ll make it (nba player)”

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

This dudes athletic as fuck relative to his size.

Yeh, the basket seems like it is just too low for guys like that.

 

[Scalma]

There’s no way he’s not getting a two way, right?

Btw with Gasol most likely not available on opening night, Brown could even be in uniform.

 

[Reep]

Given my concerns on Whiteside, I really hope Skal and Brown could get some minutes and maybe contribute this season.

 

[SIeepwalker]

There’s no way he’s not getting a two way, right?

Btw with Gasol most likely not available on opening night, Brown could even be in uniform.

I would be disappointed if he didn't get one. He's a very young guy with great physical tools, room for improvement, and has shown good things.

If we don't use a way on a guy like that I'm not sure on what we want to use it.

 

[Scalma]

Next year we only have one center under contract (unless you want to count Collins)

Makes perfect sense to develop Moses this season and convert his contract for next season. Would be a cheap depth piece. Guy could probably make an impact right now. I’d be pretty excited to see what he could do after a year in an nba strength program.

 

[THE HCP]

In my opinion he won't make it out onto the floor this season, but it's always good to have extra bodies on the roster.

 

[hoopsjock]

There’s no way he’s not getting a two way, right?

Btw with Gasol most likely not available on opening night, Brown could even be in uniform.

The only way he wouldn't get a two-way is if another team was waiting to sign him outright after training camp ends or if Brown himself decides he doesn't want to be locked into a two-way contract. It seems like he likes it here though so I'd be surprised if either of those outcomes occur.

 

[Reep]

The guy averaged 10/8/2 in 23 min the Pac-12 while being very raw. Hoard averaged 13/7/1 in 30 minutes; and Little 10/5/0.5 in 28 min. Seems like if you could get him on a cheap contract for two years it would be worth it.

 

[tlongII]

The guy averaged 10/8/2 in 23 min the Pac-12 while being very raw. Hoard averaged 13/7/1 in 30 minutes; and Little 10/5/0.5 in 28 min. Seems like if you could get him on a cheap contract for two years it would be worth it.

Little played 18 mins per game, not 28.