Phil Jackson's words might have seemed strange.
He recently declared that Kwame Brown - not Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, or the transition defense - would be the difference-maker in the Los Angeles Lakers' ultimate success or failure.
This is the same Kwame Brown who is two years removed from a disastrous postseason with Washington, who once came under public criticism from Michael Jordan and who missed half of this season with various injuries, averaging just 8.4 points and six rebounds. His most memorable moment involved an airborne birthday cake.
But remember, this also is the same Kwame Brown who, as part of Jackson's "Inside Man" strategy last season, helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a near first-round upset of Phoenix. He also is the Los Angeles Lakers' biggest defensive threat and can take some of the pressure off Kobe Bryant.
The Los Angeles Lakers begin the playoffs today in Phoenix, and no less than their entire postseason hopes rest on Kwame Brown's shoulders - or more accurately, his gimpy ankle.
Good luck. They're all counting on you.
"Kwame coming back and giving us some real good minutes in the last couple games, that's extremely important to us," Jackson said.
"He's the kind of player we feel real comfortable with in
screen rolls and the majority of the stuff we like to do against opponents.
"We feel we have a decisive player in that situation who can step out and play. He may not be able to stop (Suns guard Steve) Nash, but he's going to make him take some jump shots."
So, all Kwame Brown needs to do is neutralize Amare Stoudemire, force Nash into uncomfortable situations and give the Los Angeles Lakers a offensive threat in the post - all on a gimpy ankle.
Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers aren't even sure how long Kwame Brown's ankle will hold up, or how many minutes he can go with just one day off between each of the first three games.
But Kwame Brown is a key to success.
"He's one of them," Kobe Bryant said, "because of his versatility and the number of positive things he can do for us out there, controlling the paint and things of that nature. He's definitely one of them."
At the start of this month, there were no assurances that Kwame Brown even would be on the court at the start of the playoffs. He's been bothered by ankle issues all year and the Los Angeles Lakers hoped that Kwame Brown would merely make it back for the start of the postseason. They weren't certain he would.
In the hours before the April 12 game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Jackson waved a handkerchief when asked about Kwame Brown - apparently a signal of surrender. A few moments after Jackson drew chuckles with his gag, Kwame Brown ambled into the dressing room with a boot on his foot.
Three days later, though, Kwame Brown returned to the lineup. He started the Los Angeles Lakers' final two games of the regular season and, in the season finale, made 7 of 8 shots and scored 17 points.
That's a great sign for the Los Angeles Lakers, considering that Stoudemire is in top form. He was in street clothes last year, when Kwame Brown and the Los Angeles Lakers pushed the Suns to the brink of elimination. But now it's different.
"(Boris) Diaw did a great job," Kwame Brown said of Stoudemire's replacement in last year's series.
"Everybody keeps saying how it's going to be so tough with Amare, but I think Diaw was a very big difference-maker for them winning that series. He made plays, and when he didn't score, he got other guys involved. Amare's a big body. If he catches it in the paint, he's going to finish it."
See more at www.sgvtribune.com
