January 21st, 2008 - With 4:10 left in the third quarter, Kwame Brown headed to the bench with a hearty set of boo's.

Again.

In this game against their Pacific-rival Denver Nuggets, Kwame and the Lakers had let a double-digit lead slowly dwindle, until the Nuggets matched it at 77. It was a critical point in the game, and the Lakers crowd – still reeling from recently losing Andrew Bynum, their star center - held little back in showing their displeasure.

And during the Nugget run, Marcus Camby was literally washing the floorboards with Kwame Brown.

In the eight minutes after halftime, Camby logged eight points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a blocked shot. In the meantime, Kwame had tallied only one point, and had just gotten his shot blocked by PG Anthony Carter, who stands a full 9 inches shorter than he.

As Kwame slowly meandered pine-wards, an interesting scenario occurred: Ronny Turiaf, like a puppy fresh off the leash, bounded in to replace him. And for an ultra-brief second, Kwame Brown eyed the over-eager, energetic Turiaf, and paused. The joy, the energy, the optimism.

Kwame just didn't seem to understand.

And, from his spot on the Laker bench, Kwame Brown joined the Staples Center crowd in watching the gangly, unruly Ronny Turiaf lead the Lakers on a 24-5 run that stretched deep into the fourth quarter. With his unbridled energy and emotion, Turiaf hit all four corners of the court, and made a normally energetic-looking Marcus Camby look lethargic in comparison. With Turiaf’s help, the Lakers took the wind out of the Nuggets, and emphatically sealed the game.

The Lakers were victorious, 116-99.

Kwame Brown was traded less than two weeks later.

* * *

The difference between Potential ("Upside") and Actuality is vast in the NBA. In real time, if a loose ball is available in the vicinity of a player, there are an innumerable amount of factors that determine the probability of that player getting that ball. Length, speed, or height for example. Maybe their times running the forty yard dash. But by far, the most influential factor in apprehending a loose ball is the ability to dive on the freaking floor.

Often, Ronny Turiaf is the first to that loose ball. But if Potential was Actuality, he wouldn't even be in the league.

Let's be honest, Ronny doesn't exactly have Dwight Howard's frame. He's shaped more like a dumptruck than a Ducati, less like the face on a Wheaties box and more like the box itself. In the world of professional basketball, he could easily slip through the cracks on looks alone, and wind up playing in the Netherlands somewhere for TeamJoetbal Ya!

That is, if he fit through the cracks.

When compared to Kwame Brown, it's hardly a contest. Brown was taken by Jordan and the Washington Wizards as the #1 draft pick. A sleek, wiry and nimble gazelle, a hair shy of 7 feet, Kwame was one mentor away from becoming the next Karl Malone. His high school tapes showed him owning wave after wave of poor, defenseless JV All-Stars. Kids who couldn’t handle his brawn or match his speed. He put up numbers swollen so thick, they could have been entered in county fairs.

Kevin Garnett was blossoming in Minnesota. It could happen again, right?

Yeah, not so much.

In the six years since entering the league as the #1 draft pick, he has broken a 10-point average only once. Instead of proving himself a dominant interior presence, he has shown his best asset is his contract…used in being dumped for better players and cap space. His superior athletic abilities – which still exist, mind you – are greatly overshadowed by his on-court laziness, poor decision making, and bad attitude.

His name evokes ire in fans, and is synonymous with a lack of effort…and wasted opportunity.

And up until Friday, February 2nd, he was being out-played by Ronny Turiaf.

* * *

Ronny’s story was a bit more Great Expectations than Wuthering Heights. He came from Martinique, a French isle in the Caribbean Sea, and moved to Paris at age 15. After several years of promising and inspiring play, he was recruited by Gonzaga University, earning numerous accolades in the process.

His numbers weren’t pedestrian, but he was better known for his on-court passion and team leadership than his actual basketball play. The Gonzaga players and staff swore by him, but when it came down to fundamentals, the NBA scouts were less than floored.

He was injury-ridden, having suffered a stress fracture in his right leg.

He lacked a solid post-up repertoire, relying more on put-backs than pivots.

In short, he was like a fragile mascot in a 6-foot-10 body…with cornrows. No one knew whether or not he could bang with the NBA bigs, or whether he’d splinter like a dropped egg.

And so, tentatively, the Lakers took him with the 37th pick in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft.

* * *

Let’s take this a step further. Please read the following statement slowly.

It’s a good thing Ronny Turiaf played with so much less intensity and passion, because if he didn’t he might have died.

It’s true. Literally, he could have actually died. Feel free to read it again.

It goes like this - during Turiaf’s post-draft physical and before summer league play, the team doctors found an enlarged aortic root in his heart. The condition was similar to that of Jason Collier, the Atlanta Hawks reserve who died suddenly of a heart attack in 2005. Though this abnormality voided Turiaf’s rookie contract, the Lakers decided to get Ronny the medical attention he needed…though they were under no legal obligation to do so.

Had he not been drafted, and therefore not been given an exam with such detail, the heart complication most likely would have been missed.

And if he had been judged just on his looks, well, he probably would not have been drafted at all.

* * *

Now healthy and robust, Ronny Turiaf has led the Lakers in blocks since Andrew Bynum’s departure, despite playing roughly 23 minutes a game. Though his exuberance often gets him in foul trouble, he provides a spark akin to Dennis Rodman for those champion Detroit and Bulls teams. Simply put, when he’s in the game, the place perks up. The good plays are celebrated, the cuts are sharper and quicker, and the defensive intensity is…palpable. He’s going to be a Laker for a long time.

Simply put, when Kwame Brown is in the game, there’s more wincing than a birthing video.

And so, Kwame was traded. I wish him the best. Heck, maybe he needs pass-first guards like Kyle Lowry or Mike Conley to help him succeed. He’s served the Lakers for three hard-fought and transitional seasons. Just for that, I hope he does succeed. And honestly, Memphis is a finely-run organization. He could turn it around. If it could happen anywhere, why not there? With all his potential…

…why not for Kwame Brown?