Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM | January 25, 2007
Seattle SuperSonics rookie forward
Andre Brown got the call he had been waiting for Thursday night. On the other end of the line was Sonics General Manager Rick Sund, who told Brown the team had elected to sign him for the remainder of the 2006-07 season after his second 10-day contract expired Wednesday night at midnight. Less than three weeks after Brown made the NBA for the first time, he now knows he will be sticking around at least until the end of the season.
"It feels good to get the call," a smiling Brown told the reporters who waited after Thursday's practice to speak with him. "I was pacing around my hotel room wondering what was going on, but I'm glad I got the call. It's a good feeling. Now I can call this place home."
When Sund called, Brown was on his cell phone with his mother back in his native Chicago. After chatting with Sund, he quickly called her back to share the good news.
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"It feels good to get the call. Now I can call this place home."
Terrence Vaccaro/NBAE/Getty
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"I talk to them every day - my mom, my uncle," said Brown. "I stay in contact with my daughters - hearing their voices, that's what keeps me going day in and day out. Knowing that you have somebody looking out for your best interests and keeping you sane for the moment, that makes me feel good."
For Brown, Wednesday night's news was two and a half years in the making. Undrafted out of DePaul in the 2004 NBA Draft, Brown played in Korea and the D-League, amongst other places, while playing for the Sonics and the Spurs in the Rocky Mountain Revue Summer League the past two summers and earning an invitation to training camp with the Atlanta Hawks last fall. That put Brown on the Sonics radar, and when they needed help on the glass, they called him up from the D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce - and gave him a chance.
"I'm really proud of him," said Sonics Coach 
Bob Hill. "It's the first time he's been up in the NBA. We gave him an opportunity to come up here and then I gave him an opportunity to play and he's taken full advantage of it. It makes you wonder why he's not already in the NBA, because he obviously has an NBA body, he's got NBA athleticism, he's a terrific, instinctive rebounder and I think he has great upside."
Hill showed no hesitation in giving Brown minutes. In less than 10 minutes per game, Brown has averaged 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, shooting 59.3% from the field. Brown's 11.9 rebounds per 40 minutes lead the team, but it was Brown's key block in overtime of the Sonics Jan. 12 win over Utah that - along with his six points in that game - proved he belonged.
"That's when you could tell they accepted him in the locker room," said guard 
Earl Watson. "Guys went out of their way to talk to him, guys included him in conversations. From that point on, he was accepted."
In trying to break into the NBA, Brown was encouraged by former DePaul teammate Bobby Simmons and Chicago natives Quentin Richardson (who preceded Brown at DePaul by a year) and Juwan Howard, guys he played against in the summer when he returned home. Succeeding against established NBA veterans went a long way toward giving Brown confidence.
"Those guys, from playing with them in the summer time, they always told me, 'Stick with it.' They knew I belonged," said Brown. "'Don't hang your head. It's not over.' They motivated me also because they believed in my game and believed in me. Each year, playing with those guys, I could feel my game just getting better and I felt more confident."
Brown has now joined their ranks, playing against his friends and players like Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, someone he idolized growing up in Chicago. He is humble, but has yet to appear awestruck at any point.
"When I first got here for my 10-day, it was like, 'Oh, man, I'm here in the NBA, I'm playing with the guys I normally look up to,'" Brown said. "Now, it's a job and I've got to continue to work hard to get better."
By doing that, Brown will make the Sonics better. Not only has he contributed when he has gotten on the court, but also by improving Sonics practices. Brown is part of a new-look Sonics second unit, along with 
Luke Ridnour, 
Damien Wilkins and 
Johan Petro, that has improved the intensity when the Sonics scrimmage.
"Our practices are now very, very competitive and he's a big part of that," Hill explained. "He runs the floor and Luke and Damien are looking for him, so they're keeping the first unit on their toes and making practice very competitive, which is good."
Brown has won over his Sonics teammates and coaches, which meant the news that he is sticking around was exciting for everyone.
"Good for Andre Brown," concluded Hill. "It's a good news story."
"You're happy for him," said Watson. "The guy plays hard in practice, plays hard in games. Everyone has a different story (for how they came into the NBA)."
Watson practiced after an MRI showed no serious damage to his left shoulder. Watson has a bone contusion of the acromion area of his scapula and anticipates playing Friday, when the Sonics host Minnesota (7:30 p.m., 
, FSN, KTTH 770 AM).
"It feels okay," Watson said. "I'm sore, but in the NBA, you have to play with pain. That's a part of the business."
"He didn't play like he had any pain either," said Hill.
Sonics forward 
Rashard Lewis had a checkup yesterday to get an update on his recovery from surgery to repair the tendon sheath on the back of his right hand. Lewis was given a new glove and a new splint and cleared to begin shooting with his right hand. He is able to participate in 5-on-0 drills, but cannot have any contact yet. He'll be re-evaluated in two weeks, when he should be nearing his return.
Hill reiterated that the Sonics plan to recall rookie center 
Mouhamed Sene from the D-League tomorrow morning. The tentative plan is to have him with the team at least through the team's trip to Texas next Tuesday and Wednesday. The timing is right to recall Sene because, after hosting Forth Worth tonight, the Idaho Stampede is off until Jan. 31.
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