Kwame Brown waived, The Philadelphia 76ers waived former No. 1 overall draft pick Kwame Brown and Darius Morris and signed Elliot Williams and Lorenzo Brown on Wednesday. The new additions to the Sixers roster are in Philadelphia and available to play in tonight's game against the Toronto Raptors at the Wells Fargo Center.
Kwame Brown did not play in the final 30 games last season, despite being healthy, and had yet to appear in a game this season because of an injured hamstring. Morris was the team's third-string point guard.
"Kwame's injuries got the better of him," first-year Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "Through his injuries, he was never really able to get on the court. We wish him well. I'm convinced that if he can find a career-best fitness level, that he still has value. A big man that can move like he moves, he is valuable. He's too big and mobile not to if he can get in great shape. So we made the decision to open up roster spots and we have a little bit of flexibility and we wish both of them well."
The emergence of backup point guard Tony Wroten and backup center Brandon Davies contributed, in part, to the decision to release Kwame Brown and Morris.
Kwame Brown, 12-year NBA veteran, was guaranteed $3 million this season as part of a two-year deal signed with the Sixers before the start of last season, which reunited him with then-coach Doug Collins, his original coach with the Washington Wizards, who selected the 6-11, 270-pound center with the top pick in the 2001 draft. His professional career has been marred by injury, and the disappointment was exacerbated by a questionable work ethic.
The 31-year-old appeared in just 22 games during his tenure in Philadelphia, averaging 1.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.2 minutes.
Morris (6-4, 195), a former Los Angeles Lakers guard, was signed to a partially-guaranteed contract this summer. The 22-year-old appeared in 12 games with the Sixers, averaging 6.9 points and 2.6 assists in 16.1 minutes. He scored a season-high 20 points in a blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
"With Darius, I think Tony Wroten has proved that he's a legitimate backup to Michael [Carter-Williams], and can play some two-guard. They can play together," Brett Brown said. "And Darius, as the third point guard, we're trying to identify different type of prospects. Darius had some really good performances for us. He's an NBA player. He's a young guy who wants to get better. In just the situation that he was in with us, it became a little bit of a numbers game, and he fell short of that."
Williams, 24, played his college ball at Duke and Memphis before being selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
The 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard missed the entire 2010-11 season with a knee injury and a large chunk of the 2011-12 season with a dislocated shoulder. He appeared in 24 games, averaging 3.7 points and less than one rebound in 6.2 minutes. Williams spent this past training camp with the Cleveland Cavaliers but was waived on Oct. 25.
Lorenzo Brown, 23, played at North Carolina State and averaged 12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and an Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 7.2 assists per game as a junior last season. The 6-5, 186-pound guard was selected with the 52nd overall pick in this summer's draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but was also waived on Oct. 25.
Brett Brown said the availability of Lorenzo Brown and Williams did not factor into the decision to waive Kwame Brown and Morris.
"Not really. We're always reviewing," Brett Brown said. "We're trying to methodically and I think patiently try to find people, and it's always a balance of reacting too quickly, giving somebody enough time, letting them play different positions if that's required. And that process has played out with those two."
Kwame Brown did not play in the final 30 games last season, despite being healthy, and had yet to appear in a game this season because of an injured hamstring. Morris was the team's third-string point guard.
"Kwame's injuries got the better of him," first-year Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "Through his injuries, he was never really able to get on the court. We wish him well. I'm convinced that if he can find a career-best fitness level, that he still has value. A big man that can move like he moves, he is valuable. He's too big and mobile not to if he can get in great shape. So we made the decision to open up roster spots and we have a little bit of flexibility and we wish both of them well."
The emergence of backup point guard Tony Wroten and backup center Brandon Davies contributed, in part, to the decision to release Kwame Brown and Morris.
Kwame Brown, 12-year NBA veteran, was guaranteed $3 million this season as part of a two-year deal signed with the Sixers before the start of last season, which reunited him with then-coach Doug Collins, his original coach with the Washington Wizards, who selected the 6-11, 270-pound center with the top pick in the 2001 draft. His professional career has been marred by injury, and the disappointment was exacerbated by a questionable work ethic.
The 31-year-old appeared in just 22 games during his tenure in Philadelphia, averaging 1.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.2 minutes.
Morris (6-4, 195), a former Los Angeles Lakers guard, was signed to a partially-guaranteed contract this summer. The 22-year-old appeared in 12 games with the Sixers, averaging 6.9 points and 2.6 assists in 16.1 minutes. He scored a season-high 20 points in a blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
"With Darius, I think Tony Wroten has proved that he's a legitimate backup to Michael [Carter-Williams], and can play some two-guard. They can play together," Brett Brown said. "And Darius, as the third point guard, we're trying to identify different type of prospects. Darius had some really good performances for us. He's an NBA player. He's a young guy who wants to get better. In just the situation that he was in with us, it became a little bit of a numbers game, and he fell short of that."
Williams, 24, played his college ball at Duke and Memphis before being selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
The 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard missed the entire 2010-11 season with a knee injury and a large chunk of the 2011-12 season with a dislocated shoulder. He appeared in 24 games, averaging 3.7 points and less than one rebound in 6.2 minutes. Williams spent this past training camp with the Cleveland Cavaliers but was waived on Oct. 25.
Lorenzo Brown, 23, played at North Carolina State and averaged 12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and an Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 7.2 assists per game as a junior last season. The 6-5, 186-pound guard was selected with the 52nd overall pick in this summer's draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but was also waived on Oct. 25.
Brett Brown said the availability of Lorenzo Brown and Williams did not factor into the decision to waive Kwame Brown and Morris.
"Not really. We're always reviewing," Brett Brown said. "We're trying to methodically and I think patiently try to find people, and it's always a balance of reacting too quickly, giving somebody enough time, letting them play different positions if that's required. And that process has played out with those two."
