Two Absences From Workouts Led to Brown's Suspension

CHICAGO, May 4 -- Kwame Brown's season-ending suspension from the Washington Wizards was handed down after the young front-court player missed two workouts and was barred from attending Game 4 of the playoff series against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, according to sources familiar with the events leading to Brown's suspension.

The sources said the rift between the former No. 1 overall draft pick and the team began during the regular season when Brown, 23, got frustrated with his broken foot and his inability to consistently be a part of the offense.

Brown's unhappiness came to a head on Saturday when he played a season-low four minutes during the Wizards' 117-99 win in Game 3. Brown missed practice the next day and didn't call the team to explain his absence. Brown then failed to immediately return a message left by team officials, who called Brown a second time seeking an explanation. Brown eventually called head athletic trainer Eric Waters and informed him that he had a stomach virus.

Sources said the Wizards were willing to let the incident pass. But when Brown skipped the morning shoot-around on Monday, team officials called him and informed him that he was not allowed to attend Game 4 that night, a source familiar with the situation said. Coach Eddie Jordan said Brown's absence was due solely to illness.

The next day, Brown met with Jordan and President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld for no more than 15 minutes and the three decided that Brown wouldn't be with the team for the rest of the season. The suspension likely ends Brown's tenure with the team. He is a restricted free agent at the end of the season and sources said he has told teammates he wants to play elsewhere next season.

The two unexcused absences were first reported by the Washington Times.

"I'm not surprised at all. I expected this," said Bulls assistant coach Johnny Bach, who spent two years as an assistant under Doug Collins in Washington. "He was unable to produce the number one rating that people expected. He had a teammate who was [going] in the Hall of Fame, Michael Jordan, with the practice habits, high demands for performance. Michael even took him under his wing for a time. He brought him home, fed him, took him to Hoops [Gym in Chicago], took care of him. He had a coach in Doug Collins who was really demanding and Kwame wasn't able to meet any of the demands. Practice demands. Emotional demands. It seemed like along the way, he had an inability to handle all of it. And his answer, always, was to withdraw. Some people can face the difficulties and demands and respond. And he was not one of them."

Brown could not be reached to comment. Three messages left at his Virginia home were not returned.

Jordan denied the Times' report that Brown's suspension was expedited by a "profanity-laced exchange" with him during their meeting. "A profanity-laced conversation -- it never happened," Jordan said. "We met, and it was a 10-minute meeting, maybe 15 and . . . it was a professional atmosphere."

Point guard Gilbert Arenas, who on Tuesday had confirmed that Brown was sick, admitted last night that he had merely been covering for Brown.

"You know I'm trying to be a good teammate," Arenas said. "It is hard, when you think the world is against you. You feel that everything is against you. He knows and I let him know that I'm behind him. Anything he needs, I'm going to be there. I'm not going to let a situation like this destroy his career. If I did, I'm not a good teammate. I'm not a good leader."