Traditionally rookie cards are supposed to go up in price...
It's been nearly two years since the trade that sent former #1 pick Kwame Brown, along with Laron Profit, to the Lakers for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins. In the time since that August '05 trade, Butler developed into an All-Star, Laron Profit ended up playing in Turkey, and Chucky Atkins went from being disliked in L.A. and D.C. to being adored in Memphis. In the same time that all this was happening, Kwame grew a taste for cake. While it's nice to see how the teams have changed since the trade, it's hard to make an informed decision until you have that indisputable visual evidence. So let's take a look at the tale of the tapes...
Caron and Kwame were both lottery picks that had displayed flashes of brilliance before the trade. Caron was generally considered more consistent while Kwame had a much stronger upside, as evidenced by his 30 point, 19 rebound performance against the Kings. The announcers were so shocked that remained silent throughout the clip.
The most disturbing part of this for me is the final score. Arenas went for 27 points, 10 assists, and 8 steals to go along with Kwame's 30 and 19, yet the Wizards only won by six. Just imagine if Arenas and Haywood put up those kind of numbers this year. Washington wins by double digits easily. But I'm getting off topic.
After the trade, Caron's game steadily improved, culminating with his All-Star appearance this year, and as we all know, there's not an All-Star player around that doesn't have a highlight reel.
While Caron has become one of the best players in the league, Kwame has, well...
But don't worry, the Lakers still think he's the best!
Just in case you want some statistical analysis, here you go:
