OKLAHOMA CITY — Guard Devin Brown's deep-down desire when he played for the Jazz last season was to log major minutes.

He's realizing it this season — while playing for the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, his new home after a roundabout route, and some admitted trying times, landed him here from Utah.

"I just wanted to show more of what it is that I could do — in, you know, in 30-to-35 minutes, not 15-to-20," said Brown, who signed with the Jazz as a free agent from NBA-champion San Antonio in 2005 — but lasted only one season before Utah traded him last July to Golden State as part of the deal that brought veteran guard Derek Fisher to the Jazz. "So, that's where the frustration was."

It mounted in Oakland, where he was prepared to report for training camp with the Warriors in early October before being told hours before camp opened that Golden State decided to waive him.

"As soon as the trade happened, we tried talking to Golden State about, 'There's a lot of guards — let us know right now what's going to happen,' " said Brown, a Utah native. "Everything was fine, then all of a sudden I get a phone call at 7:30 in the morning before the first practice that they were gonna do what they did. It was kind of like, 'Well, I mean, you should have let us know this in July.' "

Brown's contract contained a buyout clause that called for him to receive $500,000 of what would have been a $2.6 million salary for the 2006-07 season had he stuck with the Warriors.

That checkbook cushion allowed him to sit tight while awaiting a decent NBA opportunity, which presented itself when the Hornets signed him on Dec. 22 to a deal that is now guaranteed for the rest of the season and worth nearly $600,000.

"The best thing to do was wait it out," said Brown, who played mostly shooting guard in Utah. "There was no use going overseas, there was no use going to the D-League. There was no need for any of that."

Brown didn't know if his opportunity with the injury-stressed Hornets would be long-term when he signed, especially after he made just 1-of-10 shots from the field in his first two games.

But now — with the Hornets missing star point guard Chris Paul since late December because of a sprained right ankle — Brown is not only starting at the point, but also averaging 31-plus minutes and 12-plus points per game.

That's 10 more minutes and about five more points than he averaged in 81 games for the Jazz.