Brown getting a chance to show what he can do

ATLANTA — Jerry Sloan's decision to start Derek Fisher at shooting guard may be the best thing that's happened to the young NBA career of ... Dee Brown.

Follow the dots.

With veteran combo guard Fisher backing up Brown's former University of Illinois teammate Deron Williams at the point, Brown — the 2006 second-round draft choice who had to beat out undrafted free agent Brian Chase for a roster spot in training camp — spent the early part of the season largely languishing on the Jazz bench and playing just a couple minutes' worth of garbage time every few games.

But after Sloan had seen enough for now of youngsters C.J. Miles and Ronnie Brewer at the 2 spot, it was Fisher's turn.

Sloan also doesn't want to unnecessarily overtax either Fisher or Williams, and he's concerned about what happens when both get into early foul trouble. So the Jazz coach turned to Brown, a Chicago-area high school product who takes as much pride in the fact he graduated with a degree in sports management as the reality that he starred at Illinois and is now playing in the NBA.

(The newest tattoo adorning Brown's left forearm — it depicts the NBA's easily recognized player logo, only Jerry West is wearing a mortar board — attests to that.)

Sloan made the call because a certain question — What can Brown do for you? — kept nipping at his mind. Why not find out, the Jazz coach eventually decided.

"He hasn't played (much)," Sloan said, "so I don't know who he is.

"(It's) that way with a lot of young guys. You have to find out how they're going to do. And they're going to make some mistakes. You have deal with some of that and just move along and see what happens."

What Sloan's seen to date — Fisher went to off-guard and Brown became his buddy Williams' backup back on Dec. 2 against Seattle, eight games ago — has been a mixed bag.

Brown played at least 10 minutes in his four games since the switch, but more than 10 just once in the past four.

He's made more than two baskets in a game only twice all season and has hit 7-of-27 from the field — no 3-pointers — in the aforementioned eight-game span. His turnover total is low, but so is his assist count.

Yet the oft-critical Sloan sounds terrifically protective of Brown, saying mostly good things about the still-learning rookie.