Kwame suspended for rest of playoffs

WASHINGTON -- Kwame Brown joined the Washington Wizards to much fanfare as the first high school player chosen No. 1 overall in the NBA draft. Now it appears likely he'll leave the team in disgrace, suspended on Tuesday for the rest of playoffs.

The Wizards told Brown he was no longer welcome, leaving him behind as they flew to Chicago for Wednesday's Game 5 of their first- round series against the Bulls.

"We had some philosophical differences," president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said.

Brown is in the final year of his contract and hoped to have the type of breakthrough season that would net a huge payoff this summer. He played just four minutes in Saturday night's Game 3, then didn't attend Sunday's practice or Monday's Game 4 victory. The team had said he was absent because of a stomach virus.

Asked whether Brown was really sick, Grunfeld said: "He talked to our trainer and he told him he had a stomach flu."

Asked whether Brown was upset over a lack of playing time, Grunfeld said: "Everybody likes to play as much as they can. That's typical for the NBA."

Brown won't travel with the Wizards or participate in any practices for the remainder of the season.

"We're going to do things a certain way. These players are committed to that," said Grunfeld, referring to the remaining players on the roster. "And those are the type of players we want around us."

The suspension -- announced after Brown, Grunfeld and coach Eddie Jordan met for about 10 minutes before practice -- throws into serious doubt Brown's future with the team.

He turned down a multiyear contract extension last fall, making him a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Grunfeld had previously said he would like to keep Brown. On Tuesday, he was more ambiguous.

"He's still part of our organization," Grunfeld said. "We'll deal with that in the offseason. He's going to be a restricted free agent in the summer, and we'll deal with that at the appropriate time."

A message left for Brown's agent was not immediately returned.

Brown has been a major disappointment since the Wizards drafted him out of Glynn Academy High School in Georgia in 2001. After a miserable two years dealing with the demanding Michael Jordan, Brown showed glimpses of his potential last season when he followed a 30- point, 19-rebound game against Sacramento with a 27 and 11 performance against Atlanta, but he often languished in single digits.

He averaged 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds for the season, just enough improvement for the Wizards to hope that his long awaited breakout was on the horizon.

But Brown broke a bone in his right foot during a pickup game last summer and started the season on the injured list. He played in just 42 games, starting 14, and was essentially a big-body role player off the bench. He averaged 7.0 points and 4.9 rebounds and was frequently booed at home.

Brown's numbers were much better on the road -- a result, he claimed, of the treatment he received from the Wizards' fans. Gilbert Arenas even appealed to fans not to boo Brown before the Wizards' first home playoff game Saturday. The fans responded by cheering Brown graciously when he entered the game for his four minutes of play.

Brown began his first postseason with flair, scoring all of his 13 points in the first half of Game 1 at Chicago. But he scored just two points in 21 minutes in Game 2.

Brown's off-the-court lowlight was a DUI arrest in Georgia in 2003. Just 19 when he was drafted, Brown also struggled adjusting to life in the NBA. As a rookie, he was chewed out regularly by Michael Jordan and coach Doug Collins. Later, Brown spoke with bitterness about the criticism he received.

Four years ago, the Wizards imagined that Brown would one day lead them to the playoffs. Now they will continue in the postseason without him.

"This is not a distraction for us," Eddie Jordan said. "We're a close-knit family. We're moving forward. We're committed to winning."

Added forward Antawn Jamison: "I love Kwame to death, just like a little brother. Hopefully he can get situated."

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