Power of Caring
  presented by CIGNA

Brown must sweat out whether he'll even have a job.    (Greg Foster)

Chucky Brown has a month of patience left in him, six weeks tops. That's all he can afford. "The union and the owners have some time to mess around right now," he says. "But come August or early September, they need to go out and get something done. Stop this one-meeting-a-week crap."

Brown, 30, has decisions to make, and not a lot of time to make them. He's not one of the high-profile free agents, like his former North Carolina State teammate Tom Gugliotta, who are secure in the knowledge that as soon as the lockout ends, the vault will open for them. Brown, a 6'8" forward who last season averaged 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Atlanta Hawks while earning the NBA minimum for veterans, $272,250, is a journeyman free agent who has never made more than $650,000 in a season—a pittance by NBA standards. He is the kind of player who squeezes himself into the small salary-cap spaces left after the stars have been paid.

LOCKOUT LIMBO   Intro The Rookie The Star The Journeyman The G.M. The Agent The Fan Your Turn: Resolve the Dispute!

He was a free agent when the last lockout ended, in 1995. After all the first-tier free agents had been signed, he was offered a two-year, $925,000 deal from the Rockets. Brown accepted. He knows that he may not be as lucky this time, which is why Europe has entered his thinking. "The problem is that by August 1, all the best-paying spots in the European leagues will be gone," says Brown's agent, Bill Neff. "If the lockout is still in effect by then, guys like Chucky will have to make a choice. Do they go to Europe, where they can maybe get a contract for around $1 million, or do they pass it up and take their chances on the NBA?"

There is no question that Brown, who has played for eight NBA (and two CBA) teams in nine pro seasons, wants to stay in the U.S. He briefly played for an Italian league team (Panna Firenze) in 1992-93 and didn't have a great experience. "I wouldn't want to go back to Europe," he says, "but if I have to, I will."

Other players seem prepared to go as well. Former Sacramento Kings guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf has already signed a contract with a team in Turkey, and two other free agents, swingman Mario Elie of the Rockets and center Michael Stewart of the Kings, have said they would be open to playing in Europe. "The competition for spots in the European leagues is going to be much heavier than usual if this lockout lasts into the fall," says Neff.

But Brown isn't worried—yet. The twists and turns of his career have prepared him for this uncertainty. "I'm used to it," he says. "I believe there will be a spot for me somewhere in the NBA, and when the call comes I'll just throw my stuff in a bag and I'll roll."

The next time someone tells you this dispute is only about multimillionaire owners and multimillionaire players, tell him about Chucky Brown.

Issue date: July 20, 1998