At the beginning of the 2008-09 season, Shannon Brown's NBA career, then barely two years old, appeared to be on life support.
He'd gone from first-round draft pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers (25th overall) to also-ran with the Chicago Bulls to playing in the NBA's developmental league. He landed with the Charlotte Bobcats at the beginning of last season and was later thrown into a trade package that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers
Brown, a veteran of executing set plays after three years with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, picked up the Lakers' triangle offense quickly and thrived in Phil Jackson's system. By the end of the season, he was a key contributor to a team that won the NBA championship.
Though just a year ago Brown was wondering about his future, last week he participated in a star-studded celebration at the Staples Center when the Lakers got their championship rings.
Already, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Brown is showing that he's a candidate for more playing time this season. He signed a two-year, $4.2-million contract last summer, and he has been working with point guard Jordan Farmar to create a 1-2 punch on offense.
Brown also can play the point, although he has been used mostly as a shooting guard. "I'm still learning, and I definitely get to learn from him," Brown told the Los Angeles Times last month about working with Farmar. "Him being a true point guard, he sees a lot of things. Either one of us could push it at any time. We play off each other."
Brown played 22 minutes in the Lakers' most recent game, a 94-80 loss to Dallas, and scored 12 points.
Oh, and Brown had the play of the preseason that had fans talking for days. He completed a nasty one-handed dunk in an exhibition win over the Golden State Warriors, showing off the hops that MSU fans witnessed in 2003-06.
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