Brown or Vujacic: Who Helps the Lakers More?

Written by Daniel Buerge on 08/02/2010 in Editorials - 16 Comments

Recently a lot of talk has been surrounding the Lakers and their quest to fill out the 2010-2011 roster. Rumors have been swirling around guard Sasha Vujacic and free-agent swing-man Shannon Brown. While Brown is technically still a free agent, the talk in Los Angeles has been about trading Vujacic in order to accommodate the re-signing of Brown.

Apr 14, 2010 - Los Angeles, California, U.S. - BASKETBALL - Los Angeles Lakers guard SASHA VUJACIC dribbles against Los Angeles Clippers during a NBA basketball game at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers won 107-91.

Both scenarios bring certain pros and cons to the Los Angeles roster, but which one will benefit them more than the other? If this was strictly a monetary decision the Lakers would choose Brown. There is no doubt they can re-sign him for less than what they are currently paying Vujacic, as well as what he will be owed next season.

Rumor has it that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has been shopping Vujacic, specifically to Minnesota, in order to free up cap space and bring back the high-flying Brown.

The strange thing about this scenario is that almost every member of Lakers Nation believes Brown is a better fit than Vujacic, but that may be a slightly biased view. Brown’s acrobatics and ability to take off like a 747 are certainly going to excite the crowd much more than Vujacic’s inconsistent three-point shooting and scrappy defense. However, does that make Brown a better overall fit for the club?

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About the Author

Daniel is the editor-in-chief for Lakers Nation. He's always doing his best to keep you informed and entertained. Follow Daniel on Twitter - @DanielBuerge_LA.

Comments

comments

http://twitter.com/TheKevinMast Kevin Mast

I think Vujacic is more important. We need 3point shooters and defense more than acrobatic dunks.
http://twitter.com/TheKevinMast Kevin Mast

I think Vujacic is more important. We need 3point shooters and defense more than acrobatic dunks.
http://www.richardsonshops.com RockitD

I’d definitely send Sasha packing to keep Shannon. I like the Machine, but I’d really like to see what Brown can do for us.
http://www.richardsonshops.com RockitD

I’d definitely send Sasha packing to keep Shannon. I like the Machine, but I’d really like to see what Brown can do for us.
mOo

vujacic is a better defender than brown..and you know defence is most important.. I’ve jet to see a nother NBA player gard like Sasha..he preSsure you he gets under ur skin…and we all saw he is good under pressure ( making two important free throws late in game 7)… i think we should bring both of them back…
mOo

vujacic is a better defender than brown..and you know defence is most important.. I’ve jet to see a nother NBA player gard like Sasha..he preSsure you he gets under ur skin…and we all saw he is good under pressure ( making two important free throws late in game 7)… i think we should bring both of them back…
Andy

I was never a big fan of Vujacic. What can Brown do for you? Fly over your entire defense and dunk on your ass! Keep Shannon, lose the machine.
Andy

I was never a big fan of Vujacic. What can Brown do for you? Fly over your entire defense and dunk on your ass! Keep Shannon, lose the machine.
vplaza

Sasha cashed in on a good season. Unfortunately, since doing that, he hasn’t played to a level deserving of what he makes, taking away much needed salary space for the Lakers to bring in other players or re-sign Brown.

He’s a better defender than Brown, but he’s also not playing basketball worth $5M+ a year. If he was knocking down the shots that he was during his contract year, then I say keep him. But if he wants to stay, the Lakers should find a way to restructure his deal (which I know won’t/can’t happen).

As for Brown, as long as he doesn’t get stupid money, he can only help the Lakers. He may not become a great player, but with the experience he has in the Lakers’ system, he should improve and do his job as expected, which is to help the second unit hold leads when the starters need a break.
vplaza

Sasha cashed in on a good season. Unfortunately, since doing that, he hasn’t played to a level deserving of what he makes, taking away much needed salary space for the Lakers to bring in other players or re-sign Brown.

He’s a better defender than Brown, but he’s also not playing basketball worth $5M+ a year. If he was knocking down the shots that he was during his contract year, then I say keep him. But if he wants to stay, the Lakers should find a way to restructure his deal (which I know won’t/can’t happen).

As for Brown, as long as he doesn’t get stupid money, he can only help the Lakers. He may not become a great player, but with the experience he has in the Lakers’ system, he should improve and do his job as expected, which is to help the second unit hold leads when the starters need a break.
Obozo

Sasha is more versatile. He can advance the ball from back-court
without a shadow, unlike Brown, who can barely dribble. He can
shoot, he just needs PT. He has good height for a guard at 6’7″.
That Shannon dunk on all the shirts out there, he missed, by the
way. All that being said, yeah, we Minnesota Timberwolves will
take Sasha off your hands, if you give us a salary break. It’ll
help your cap, and we need a shooting guard at this juncture. We
can give him some PT, too. But don’t try to screw Kurt when you
dump him.
Obozo

Sasha is more versatile. He can advance the ball from back-court
without a shadow, unlike Brown, who can barely dribble. He can
shoot, he just needs PT. He has good height for a guard at 6’7″.
That Shannon dunk on all the shirts out there, he missed, by the
way. All that being said, yeah, we Minnesota Timberwolves will
take Sasha off your hands, if you give us a salary break. It’ll
help your cap, and we need a shooting guard at this juncture. We
can give him some PT, too. But don’t try to screw Kurt when you
dump him.
Alex V

People may have forgotten that the Lakers tried to not play Sasha against Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals even though Sasha said his badly sprained ankle had healed. They played him 1 minute in game 1 won handily at home with Farmar and Brown taking up all the back up guard minutes. Game 2 at home, Sasha gets no minutes and Lakees win. But then Lalers go on road in Phoenix and get pummeled in second halves when back court duo of Farmar and Brown shriveled under the pressure. (Just look at their shooting percentages.) Lakers reluctantly play Sasja at home in game 5 and he stops Dragic cold. In post-game interview, none other than Lamar Odom credited Sasha as the best player off the bench that helped spark a much needed victory (when this same Lamar had called out Farmar in games 3 and 4 for pkaying selfish). Then Lakers go up big in game 6 first half by again inserting Sasha into rotation. By the time Sasha gets called for flagrant foul 1 against Dragic on a flopper in second half, Lakers were on their way to a laugher with a 17 point lead

Fast forward to the Finals. Lakers needed to win a much needed game 3 to retake home court advantage especially in the 2-3-2 home court format. Sasha, not Brown, is inserted into the game with a 5 point lead in Bostin with 35 seconds to go in the game. He gets the in bounds, is immediately fouled, and makes BOTH free throws to extend lead to 7 with 30 seconds to go and essentially sealed the Lakers’ victory.

Then after Boston wins next two games in games 4 and 5, Lakers come home needing to win both games 6 and 7. Who scored the most points off the bench in that must win pressure backed game 6 off the bench? It was not Lamar, or Farmar, or Brown. It was Sasha, with 10, including 2 huge 3 pointers. Then finally in game 7, as we all know, again it was Sasha and not Brown, in at the end of the game, with 10 seconds to and the Lakers with a two point lead. Who is fouled off the in bounds? Sasha, who had played well,but had not played for the last 8 minutes in the 4th. Dude clutches up and absolutely flushes two free throws with PERFECT arc, rotation, spin,clam, poise, you name it. Check it out on youtube. 4 point lead. 2 possession game. 10 seconds left. game, set, match, champagne.

So to the author of the blog question who is better for the Lakers, Shannon Brown or Sasha? And to all the casual fans out there, nothing against Shannon, but regular season uncontested fast break dunks in the open court do not equate to playing under pressure in the playoffs. Please don’t get fooled that athleticism equates to talent, skill, determination, grit, passion or poise. In every aspect of TEAM basketball, Sasha this playoffs AND in playoffs past has shown that, irrespective of salary, he is better, more dependable, consistent player WHEN IT COUNTS.

Can Shannon ever play under that type of pressure? The answer all of us says is I DON’T KNOW. We hope so, because he is a tremendous athletic talent. However, in Sasha’s case, you can go back to Sasha’s first playoff season as a pro in the NBA in the year the underdog Lakers almost took out top ranked Phoenix in the playoffs (and Raja Bell clothes lined Kobe). For those serious fans who remember, Sasha played eveery playoff game that year and shot 60% behind the 3 point line. So from year 1, he has demonstrated that he can play under pressure and when the moment demands it. Like Kobe said of him after game 7, behind Derek Fisher and himself, Sasha is the only other guy on the Lakers that he could count on to shoot a game winning shot without fear.

As the Laker fan I have been, it is disappointing to see fans, even coaches and even a biased commentator like Stu Lantz, and even Laker assistant coaches like Brian Shaw underrate Sasha’s value and contribution to the team,and overrate more athletic players like Farmar and Brown who do not run the offense, turn the ball over too much, shoot too much, or not play defense over the screen as opposed to under it. I said it last year, and I will say it again this year: Sasha nee to play meaningful minutes in the playoffs if the Lakers want to make the Finals. I didn’t expect last year that Sasha would have a significant role in 3 of the 4 games the Lakers won against Boston…
Alex V

People may have forgotten that the Lakers tried to not play Sasha against Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals even though Sasha said his badly sprained ankle had healed. They played him 1 minute in game 1 won handily at home with Farmar and Brown taking up all the back up guard minutes. Game 2 at home, Sasha gets no minutes and Lakees win. But then Lalers go on road in Phoenix and get pummeled in second halves when back court duo of Farmar and Brown shriveled under the pressure. (Just look at their shooting percentages.) Lakers reluctantly play Sasja at home in game 5 and he stops Dragic cold. In post-game interview, none other than Lamar Odom credited Sasha as the best player off the bench that helped spark a much needed victory (when this same Lamar had called out Farmar in games 3 and 4 for pkaying selfish). Then Lakers go up big in game 6 first half by again inserting Sasha into rotation. By the time Sasha gets called for flagrant foul 1 against Dragic on a flopper in second half, Lakers were on their way to a laugher with a 17 point lead

Fast forward to the Finals. Lakers needed to win a much needed game 3 to retake home court advantage especially in the 2-3-2 home court format. Sasha, not Brown, is inserted into the game with a 5 point lead in Bostin with 35 seconds to go in the game. He gets the in bounds, is immediately fouled, and makes BOTH free throws to extend lead to 7 with 30 seconds to go and essentially sealed the Lakers’ victory.

Then after Boston wins next two games in games 4 and 5, Lakers come home needing to win both games 6 and 7. Who scored the most points off the bench in that must win pressure backed game 6 off the bench? It was not Lamar, or Farmar, or Brown. It was Sasha, with 10, including 2 huge 3 pointers. Then finally in game 7, as we all know, again it was Sasha and not Brown, in at the end of the game, with 10 seconds to and the Lakers with a two point lead. Who is fouled off the in bounds? Sasha, who had played well,but had not played for the last 8 minutes in the 4th. Dude clutches up and absolutely flushes two free throws with PERFECT arc, rotation, spin,clam, poise, you name it. Check it out on youtube. 4 point lead. 2 possession game. 10 seconds left. game, set, match, champagne.

So to the author of the blog question who is better for the Lakers, Shannon Brown or Sasha? And to all the casual fans out there, nothing against Shannon, but regular season uncontested fast break dunks in the open court do not equate to playing under pressure in the playoffs. Please don’t get fooled that athleticism equates to talent, skill, determination, grit, passion or poise. In every aspect of TEAM basketball, Sasha this playoffs AND in playoffs past has shown that, irrespective of salary, he is better, more dependable, consistent player WHEN IT COUNTS.

Can Shannon ever play under that type of pressure? The answer all of us says is I DON’T KNOW. We hope so, because he is a tremendous athletic talent. However, in Sasha’s case, you can go back to Sasha’s first playoff season as a pro in the NBA in the year the underdog Lakers almost took out top ranked Phoenix in the playoffs (and Raja Bell clothes lined Kobe). For those serious fans who remember, Sasha played eveery playoff game that year and shot 60% behind the 3 point line. So from year 1, he has demonstrated that he can play under pressure and when the moment demands it. Like Kobe said of him after game 7, behind Derek Fisher and himself, Sasha is the only other guy on the Lakers that he could count on to shoot a game winning shot without fear.

As the Laker fan I have been, it is disappointing to see fans, even coaches and even a biased commentator like Stu Lantz, and even Laker assistant coaches like Brian Shaw underrate Sasha’s value and contribution to the team,and overrate more athletic players like Farmar and Brown who do not run the offense, turn the ball over too much, shoot too much, or not play defense over the screen as opposed to under it. I said it last year, and I will say it again this year: Sasha nee to play meaningful minutes in the playoffs if the Lakers want to make the Finals. I didn’t expect last year that Sasha would have a significant role in 3 of the 4 games the Lakers won against Boston…
http://www.blackfiregames.com/shop/ space game

Too bad that 95%% of the articles posted on various sites are not even close to this one. People just write anything on their sites. I’ll check out some more articles here.
http://www.blackfiregames.com/shop/ space game

Too bad that 95%% of the articles posted on various sites are not even close to this one. People just write anything on their sites. I’ll check out some more articles here.