Brewer Leaping Over Early Hurdles
By Travis Heath
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Oct 23, 2006, 12:28
Last Updated: Oct 23rd, 2006 - 12:38:17
A quick backdoor cut by rookie Ronnie Brewer for an easy bucket at the rim
brought a smile to Jerry Sloan's face -- well, it would have if Sloan ever
emoted in that way on the sideline. While Sloan might not smile about such
things, Jazz fans should. This was just a small sign that Brewer is starting
to grasp Utah's classic offensive attack.
It's an offense that has eaten its fair share of young players alive. It's a
fairly rigid philosophy by today's offensive standards, but it's also a very
effective one when run with precision. It's an attack that relies on getting
as many lay-ups as possible. It requires patience and a willingness to make
the right basketball decision at the right time.
"We usually can get decent shots," Sloan told me at the end of last season.
"It's if we make our lay-ups. I've always said with this team if we make our
lay-ups we're okay."
Fortunately for Brewer, he made his on Friday.
While his offense has been known to eat rookies alive, Sloan himself has been
accused of much worse as the commander-and-chief of the Jazz the past couple
of decades -- especially with the new generation of me-first NBA talents.
Some players go the route of Carlos Arroyo. He rebelled and tried to take
the offense into his own hands which led to a no holds barred showdown with
his head coach. You can probably guess who ended up victorious.
Utah is different that most NBA destinations. There is no chance of the
inmates running the asylum here. It's Sloan's way or the I-80 freeway.
That's why Brewer's exploits against the Kings on Friday night were important,
even if it is still preseason.
Early in training camp Brewer struggled. However, Sloan acknowledged that
such struggles aren't uncommon for rookies. While that might not sound like
much, a player should consider such rhetoric from Sloan as a resounding
endorsement.
Translation: Despite his training camp struggles, Brewer hadn't been banished
to the doghouse just yet.
Brewer's play has picked up during his last three games against Detroit,
Portland, and Sacramento, in which he scored 15 points, 7 points, and 7
points, respectively. It's been more than just his scoring, though.
As described at the inception of the piece, Brewer is starting to understand
some of the nuances of what Sloan expects on both ends of the floor.
A couple of possessions after Brewer's aforementioned backdoor cut on Friday
against the Kings, he led a beautiful fast break in which he set up Matt
Harpring for an easy deuce. This was important because the rookie easily
could have taken the ball to the rack himself. Instead, he gave it up to a
teammate which is the type of unselfish play that if it remains consistent,
can earn any player a seat at Sloan's head table.
Then, as the first period was coming to a close, Brewer stole Brad Miller's
inbound pass with four seconds on the clock. He proceeded to dribble behind
his back before drilling a little floater in the lane right before time
expired.
Not bad, huh? Was this a sign of things to come?
Well, as the second period got under way, Brewer and fellow rookie Dee Brown
collaborated on two consecutive turnovers.
Life as an NBA rookie is far from easy.
That said, Brewer is showing some signs. He's doesn't look like the type
who will try and stage a coup every time Sloan gives him an awkward eye.
In addition, he's beginning to show that he's willing to listen and respond
with his play to Sloan's sometimes harsh criticism.
No doubt, Brewer will make plenty of mistakes as his rookie season progresses,
many of which will most likely draw the ire of his head coach. If preseason
is any indication, though, you can expect him to take those mistakes in stride.
For a rookie, sometimes managing the psychological hurdles is half-the-battle.
If that's true, one could say that Brewer has looked like an Olympic caliber
hurdler so far this preseason.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_19067.shtml
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