Brown Can Look and Learn

Whether he wants to or not, Kwame Brown will have time to reflect on what has gone wrong over the last seven weeks.

Sidelined until at least next week because of a strained hamstring, Brown is averaging 5.9 points and 6.2 rebounds, numbers that failed to match even the most conservative training-camp estimates.

Magic Johnson, vice president and minority team owner, hoped for 12 points and nine rebounds a game out of him. Owner Jerry Buss called him a big key to the season.

There was hope and hype after he arrived from the Washington Wizards for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins, but with Butler averaging 15.9 points and Atkins averaging 2.4 points in limited minutes, early returns on the trade heavily favor the Wizards.

Laker Coach Phil Jackson suggested the downtime would be a good thing for Brown, allowing him a chance to digest the offense. Brown agreed.

“I think I could use this time to see in-game situations, see how Lamar [Odom] handles the [power forward] spot, see how they run it,” Brown said. “Just observe everything, just get mentally focused and be ready to play.”

Brown felt his hamstring pop after trying to steal the ball from Clipper guard Sam Cassell in Friday’s game. He hoped to return earlier than the timetable given by team officials.

“Feels good when I’m on these [anti-inflammatory] drugs,” Brown said of his hamstring. “That Indocin is some powerful stuff.”

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Luke Walton, out because of a hip flexor injury, said he hoped to return Thursday against the Seattle SuperSonics, but Jackson has had to lower his expectations based on the revolving door to the trainer’s room.

“The first month, I thought if we could play .500 ball, I’d be really happy, given the schedule we have,” Jackson said. “With the injuries we have now, I think even that expectation might be a little bit more than I should expect.”

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Jackson, providing a facetious outlook on the double teams Kobe Bryant has seen so far:

“I don’t see why they even go guard the other guys on this team. They should just all go guard him, put five against one. As soon as he puts it on the floor and catches it, they’re just about all converging on him.”