Some wisdom from my journeyman friend, Myron Brown

GrandeDavid · by **GrandeDavid** on Sat May 07, 2005 2:15 pm

<img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=Myron+Brown+basketball+player/v=2/SID=w/l=IVI/SIG=124pbeqfv/EXP=1115570860/*-http%3A//www.eurobasket.com/photos/Brown_Myron.jpg" style="border:0;"/> 
 
http://www.usbasket.com/USAplayer.asp?PlayerID=14940
 
Personal Data: 
 
Height: 190cm / 6'3'' 
Position: Guard 
Born: 1969 
Nationality: USA 
Agency: Duran International 
College: Pittsburgh 
 
Previous teams: 
 
Uberlandia (BRA) 
Trotamundos (VEN) 
Sicc BPA (ITA) 
Castelmaggiore (ITA) 
 
Career: 
 
1990-1991: Pittsburgh (NCAA1) 
1991: drafted by Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA,2nd(34)) 
1991-1992: Minnesota Timberwolves 
1993-1994: Minnesota Timberwolves 
1994-1995: Ft.Wayne Fury (CBA) 
1995-1996: Ft.Wayne Fury (CBA) 
1996-1997: Ft.Wayne Fury (CBA) 
1997-1998: Mans Jeans Verona 
1998-1999: Scavolini Pesaro (ITA) 
1999-2000: Bini Viaggi Livorno (ITA) 
2000-2001: Francia Catene Castelmaggiore (ITA) 
2001-2002: Sicc Aurora Jesi (ITA) 
Nov.2002: Midwest All-Star Touring team (playing exhibition games against NCAA teams) 
2003: In May replaced Izett Buchanan at Trotamundos de Carabobo (VEN) 
2004-2005: Detroit Motown Jammers 
2005: Unit/Uberlandia (BRA) 
 
Myron Brown is one heck of a unique individual. He's very outspoken, very polite around your parents...actually polite around anybody. But when you sit next to him at a basketball game he's capable of yelling out a few four letter bombs. I know, I sit next to him and have befriended this journeyman American basketball player who played for my pro team in Uberlandia, Brazil...until he tore his Achilles tendon. First major injury of his career, but hey, he went injury free until 36. That's a nice career. 
 
I can tell some tales of visiting him pre and post surgery at the hospital in Uberlandia where the team surgeon, and a running and mountain biking buddy of mine, did the surgery very successfully. I can tell you about his good contributions to my championship caliber club in Uberlandia, mainly in the attitude department. But more appropriately, I'll share some of his wisdom and hilarity with all of you as I did a more or less informal interview throughout yesterday's big game in which Uberlandia defeated Rio de Janeiro 86-82. 
 
David: 
 
Myron, what'd I tell you about San Antonio coming back and rolling over Denver? 
 
Myron: 
 
Yeah, Denver wasn't ready for a tough, veteran team like San Antonio...damn, who the hell's smoking in here!!!!!? 
 
(I also pick up the faint aroma of a burning cigarette somewhere in the arena) 
 
Reminds me of Turkey. I hate smokers, man! Israel’s bad about smokers but Turkey's the worst. At halftime, most of the arena lights up, even some players do... 
 
David: 
 
Good players or scrubs? 
 
Myron: 
 
No, some actually top Turkish players light up at halftime...on the damn floor on the way to the locker room! Its crazy! When you come out of the locker room at halftime you nearly choke to death! 
 
David: 
 
Myron, is San Antonio going all the way? 
 
Myron: 
 
They should, otherwise they’ll have hell to pay to you! For real, they look pretty tough and now I hear they can run like Phoenix and there ain’t no way Phoenix can come close to matching San Antonio’s defensive intensity, so yeah, I think its San Antonio’s to lose. But Shaq may have something to say about that. 
 
David: 
 
I understand you’ve faced Manu Ginobili several times in Italy... 
 
Myron: 
 
He’s a great, great player...but a flopper. If there’s anything I hate in basketball...in life, actually, its cheaters and floppers. Again, Manu is a great player, and over in Italy, he was falling if you just knicked his drawstrings, man. Lots of European players used to complain about it, so I can imagine what they say in the NBA! One time when he played for Kinder Bologna I came off a screen and me and Rashard Griffith knocked him hard on his ass. I was like, “ahight, you wanna go down, I’m not letting you flop the cheap way. I’m gonna put you on your ass to make it worthwhile”. 
 
Nah, Manu’s a great player and a cool guy and nobody’s out there to hurt anybody, but you gotta make statements throughout any given game to be a winner in basketball. 
 
David: 
 
San Antonio’s about to face Seattle and Ray Allen is already crying about Bruce Bowen... 
 
Myron: 
 
Bruce Bowen is my kind of player. He gets in your ass and stays quiet. I tend to talk alot on the floor, but that’s my style and I back it up. I’ve worked out with Ray Allen a few times and I can tell you he’s...soft and... he’s soft. We’1l just leave it at that. He’s a great player, a great shooter, but I don’t like him. Let him cry. Its all about the end result on the floor and I think San Antonio and Bruce Bowen understands that. When guys start looking for fouls, crying in the press and to the refs, that’s because they’re intimidated. 
 
David: 
 
So you think Ray Allen is intimidated by Bruce Bowen? 
 
Myron: 
 
I think he’s intimidated by failure, and he’s on a big stage now and he knows that Bruce is gonna do whatever it takes to knock him off his game. 
 
(Myron and I both yell at a ref during the game over a bad call. Then as Uberlandia´s coach starts criticizing his player who commited the phantom foul, Myron cannot resist)... 
 
Myron: 
 
Hey, get off his back, man! Support your players, he just made one mistake! Let him play! Don’t take him out of his rhythm! 
 
Myron then leans over and tells me: 
 
I’m a family man, I try not to curse, I don’t drink and I always give people the benefit of the doubt. But if I call you na a**hole, you really must be one. This coach is one and I know he can hear me. I remember my first game here you were yelling “Hey Brown!” and all kinds of stuff at me throughout the game. I’m telling you I heard every damn word. I was like “Damn, who’s the American in here speaking English!? Where’s he at!?” 
 
(The game continues and Myron shouts advice to various players) 
 
David: 
 
So what do you think about Valtinho? Can he play in the NBA? 
 
Myron: 
 
I don’t know, but he’s definitely good enough to draw interest from teams. They’ll definitely pay his trip to town to work out. He’d be a very nice player in Italy or Spain. But if you become his agent, don’t ever let him play in Turkey or Israel. They throw batteries at you over there and in Turkey players, even the home team, get spit on by fans, Its unbelievable. Greece is also horrible, man. It wasn’t worth the money to me when I played in Israel and I was one of the top earners. 
 
David: 
 
I imagine Valtinho would also have issues with the poor hygiene of some of those Turks and Greeks, wouldn’t you agree? 
 
Myron: 
 
Aw, man, in Greece and Turkey sometimes you walk in the arena, especially after halftime, and the smoke mixed with the nasty body odors of the fans is enough to kill you, man. For real, its unbelievable. Some very poor hygiene! 
 
(laughs) 
 
David: 
 
So what do you think about the Brazilian league? 
 
Myron: 
 
Its like a great B league in Italy. You’ve definitely got some terrific talent like Valtinho and Black (Alexander Blackwell, from New York, also a friend of mine) and lots of other guys, but I’m talking about the parity. You play in a top league like the Italian A where I played with Ginobili, you’re talking about every game being like this one. A fight, man. You can lose and win on any given night and guys are a lot more crafty. Here in Brazil, you’ve got about six really good teams, and 12 weak ones. So they need more parity in Brazil, but its coming. Here in Brazil its softer, but it ain’t too bad. Valtinho needs to get outta here fast now that he’s entered his prime. You gotta get him outta here. He should be able to make lots more money in Europe, maybe even in the NBA. 
 
David: 
 
Just waiting for him to sign the contract... 
 
Myron: 
 
I hear ya. 
 
(more screaming at the coach and Myron turns to me and laughs) 
 
David: 
 
Why the hell is the coach chiding his players when the foul is called!? He should be working the refs! 
 
Myron: 
 
Exactly! (gives me a little punch in the arm). This guy has no clue! He's a nice guy off the floor but the guy cannot coach. 
 
I think I’m gonna strangle our coach. He’s an idiot. Actually he’s knowledgeable about the game but the worst game manager. All he does is scream at his players, never compliments them and he overuses Valtinho. Did you know that Valtinho has not gotten one minute off since my injury? That’s 11 straight games playing every second at 100%. Yeah, you gotta get him out of here. 
 
(Myron yells at the coach again to get off his players’ backs, to let them work through their mistakes|) 
 
I’m 36 years old, I’m practically retired and I’ve played on every level in just about every continent. So I feel I have a right to speak my opinion. 
 
David: 
 
What about the assistants, like that Mario guy who was at my house the other day? 
 
Myron: 
 
He’s an errand boy and couldn’t diagram a play if you put a smoking gun to the side of his head. He’s a nice guy but an idiot when it comes to basketball. He’s decent at stretching players out. 
 
(laughs) 
 
David: 
 
You oughtta be a coach, dude. 
 
Myron: 
 
I’m actually gonna coach my son’s junior high team in Pittsburgh when I get back home in a month. 
 
David: 
 
By the way, you aren’t obligated to stay here, and you’ve said how much you miss your family, so why do you hang out here still? 
 
Myron: 
 
Well, I want to be walking when my wife and kids pick me up at the airport in Pittsburgh. I’m getting the stitches out today, but I still can’t put much weight on (the injured) leg. Also, I want to get paid. The team owes my three months worth of salary. This is bullsh!t. And the players here accept it. If the owner decides to be late paying his players and coaches, he can and there’s nothing nobody can do about it. 
 
That’s why I want to kick the coach’s ass. The players are under tremendous pressure from having won the South American championship, now they are busting their asses to get a top seed for the Brazilian playoffs, AND they have not been paid in three damn months...so what does the idiot coach do? He continues to scream at them, in practice, during games, nonstop. I’m telling you, its good I’m injured because I probably would’ve jumped his ass in practice one day in defense of the team, especially the young kids on the team who are scared to stand up for themselves. Imagine, you have pressure to perform your job at the highest level yet you have not been paid in three months. Wouldn’t you feel like kicking somebody’s ass? 
 
David: 
 
Most definitely, dude. But hang in there. I know the owner and he’ll pay you. He’s just a selfish fat pig, literally. And next year there’s going to be a player’s association like in the NBA, so all this will stop. 
 
Myron: 
 
Yeah, that’s why I might be willing to come back next season, if they’ll have me. But I won’t go through this again. I’ve got too many opportunities and responsiblities at home in Pittsburgh than to (mess) around in Brazil not getting paid. But I do like the team and the fans are great. 
 
David: 
 
So what are you doing during your free time when you're not hanging out with your Spurs fan American buddy? 
 
Myron: 
 
Missing my family. Seriously, man. I can't wait to get home and see my wife and kids. But like I told you, I want to be able to walk when I see them. There's lots of temptation in Brazil, too many nice looking women, but I'm a family man, always have been, always will be. Either you are on the side of the line I'm on, or you're on the wild side. I've always been a loyal person, especially to my wife and kids. I know lots of guys who get different women every night here and in Italy, but that ain't me. So that's about it. Just missing my family, waiting to get my money, waiting for my achilles to get better and supporting the team. <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6171/GD.jpg"/></div> 
Edited by: <A HREF=http://p204.ezboard.com/bsanantoniospurs62937.showUserPublicProfile?gid=grandedavid>GrandeDavid</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/flags/usa.gif" BORDER=0> at: 5/7/05 2:05 pm

by **Unknown** on Thu Jun 16, 2005 3:54 pm

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Some wisdom from my journeyman friend, Myron Brown

Some wisdom from my journeyman friend, Myron Brown

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