Why is Brown being intelligent a negative?

[celts55]

So I'm watching CSNNE and they reported that there are people who question Brown's commitment to basketball, because he has too many other interests. Things like chess, reading, education. I even read some people say his interviews are too good. I've read he goes to the gym at 5:30 each day to work out, and he has a great work ethic, so why the question?
Really! What is it about a young articulate black man that makes some people react this way? Sorry, but I truly don't believe him being " too smart" would be a problem if he was white. Would people like him better could not put two sentences together? I'm sure many will get defensive, but think about it for a little bit first.
I'm sure there a plenty of player who have other interests, and do many other things in the off season. Why is it that an issue for this young man for some reason?
Anyway, that's just the way I'm seeing it, from what I'm watching and reading. Thought I'd just post my thoughts on it. Wish I could articulate them as well as he does.

[BitterJim]

So I'm watching CSNNE and they reported that there are people who question Brown's commitment to basketball, because he has too many other interests. Things like chess, reading, education. I even read some people say his interviews are too good. I've read he goes to the gym at 5:30 each day to work out, and he has a great work ethic, so why the question?
Really! What is it about a young articulate black man that makes some people react this way? Sorry, but I truly don't believe him being " too smart" would be a problem if he was white. Would people like him better could not put two sentences together? I'm sure many will get defensive, but think about it for a little bit first.
I'm sure there a plenty of player who have other interests, and do many other things in the off season. Why is it that an issue for this young man for some reason?
Anyway, that's just the way I'm seeing it, from what I'm watching and reading. Thought I'd just post my thoughts on it. Wish I could articulate them as well as he does.

He's different, which I think scares people a bit.  I'd definitely prefer a player that wants to take classes and learn in his spare time than party

[walker834]

I agree with you.  The style of play in the nba is suffering because of it as well.   A lot of players play the game like it's a video game.

[knuckleballer]

So I'm watching CSNNE and they reported that there are people who question Brown's commitment to basketball, because he has too many other interests. Things like chess, reading, education. I even read some people say his interviews are too good. I've read he goes to the gym at 5:30 each day to work out, and he has a great work ethic, so why the question?
Really! What is it about a young articulate black man that makes some people react this way? Sorry, but I truly don't believe him being " too smart" would be a problem if he was white. Would people like him better could not put two sentences together? I'm sure many will get defensive, but think about it for a little bit first.
I'm sure there a plenty of player who have other interests, and do many other things in the off season. Why is it that an issue for this young man for some reason?
Anyway, that's just the way I'm seeing it, from what I'm watching and reading. Thought I'd just post my thoughts on it. Wish I could articulate them as well as he does.

I'm not sure race is an issue here.  I remember similar things being said about a Red Sox prospect named Lars Anderson about 7 or 8 years ago.  I think people want their ball players to focus on playing ball 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.  Then maybe hanging with their friends and chasing girls.  Also, it might mean he won't take instruction well and question authority kind of like Rondo did.  Personally, I don't think it really matters one way or the other, but I get where people are coming from.

[positivitize]

My biggest worry is that his interests are too diverse.

There was an article floating around yesterday about how he plans to take graduate classes it MIT and Harvard. While I think that's great and ambitious and I'm happy for him to have that opportunity, graduate school isn't something attempted lightly. It's a huge suck on both time and energy, and something that requires a large percentage of one's focus in order to succeed. I think it is fantastic that he wants to challenge himself--he wants to win EVERYTHING, not just basketball--but everything that I've read about succeeding within the NBA says that the league needs to take up the player's lives. I don't worry about his work ethic. I worry about him spreading himself too thin and crashing, or getting bored of the daily grind of working out early in the morning, practicing and watching film, working out in the evening, traveling, sleeping at a hotel and repeating that process almost every day for years.  He's a 19 year old who thinks he can do EVERYTHING, and he probably could do ANYTHING, just not ALL THE THINGS.

There are not enough hours in the day.

(source: I'm finishing up my 2nd to last year in my PhD)

[Sketch5]

Micheal Jordan has a high IQ and he had a decent career. 

Not saying Brown will be Jordan, but I get that IQ can make some one over think how the attack it. So I get why some people might not be high on it.

But Stevens is a smart dude, and Brown seems respectful, so I think while he might challenge his coach (which is can be good at times) he will also, unlike Rondo, listen.

[trickybilly]

LOL if MIT starts becoming a draw card for FAs.

Hasheem Thabeet:

"Look you know, obviously basketball is my life, but after that I really would like to start to  further develop Chomsky's Minimalist Program, and obviously with my Swahili background I feel I will be able to contribute some interesting insight into case marking, tense problems, and of course, morpho-phonology. I think you will see this on and off the court, and I'll be listening to the Dean, to Danny. Boston is just a great fit for me."

[BitterJim]

My biggest worry is that his interests are too diverse.

There was an article floating around yesterday about how he plans to take graduate classes it MIT and Harvard. While I think that's great and ambitious and I'm happy for him to have that opportunity, graduate school isn't something attempted lightly. It's a huge suck on both time and energy, and something that requires a large percentage of one's focus in order to succeed. I think it is fantastic that he wants to challenge himself--he wants to win EVERYTHING, not just basketball--but everything that I've read about succeeding within the NBA says that the league needs to take up the player's lives. I don't worry about his work ethic. I worry about him spreading himself too thin and crashing, or getting bored of the daily grind of working out early in the morning, practicing and watching film, working out in the evening, traveling, sleeping at a hotel and repeating that process almost every day for years.  He's a 19 year old who thinks he can do EVERYTHING, and he probably could do ANYTHING, just not ALL THE THINGS.

There are not enough hours in the day.

(source: I'm finishing up my 2nd to last year in my PhD)

If he's taking a full course load, it's definitely an issue.  But if it's one (online) class, what's the problem? NBA players have free time, and there are MUCH worse things he could do with that time

[celts55]

My biggest worry is that his interests are too diverse.

There was an article floating around yesterday about how he plans to take graduate classes it MIT and Harvard. While I think that's great and ambitious and I'm happy for him to have that opportunity, graduate school isn't something attempted lightly. It's a huge suck on both time and energy, and something that requires a large percentage of one's focus in order to succeed. I think it is fantastic that he wants to challenge himself--he wants to win EVERYTHING, not just basketball--but everything that I've read about succeeding within the NBA says that the league needs to take up the player's lives. I don't worry about his work ethic. I worry about him spreading himself too thin and crashing, or getting bored of the daily grind of working out early in the morning, practicing and watching film, working out in the evening, traveling, sleeping at a hotel and repeating that process almost every day for years.  He's a 19 year old who thinks he can do EVERYTHING, and he probably could do ANYTHING, just not ALL THE THINGS.


There are not enough hours in the day.

(source: I'm finishing up my 2nd to last year in my PhD)

I understand what you are saying, but apparently he took some graduate classes while at Cal. While not as intense as the NBA, it still demands a lot of time. Also, he wouldn't be going for a graduate degree, he wants to take some classes, because he likes to learn. No matter how much time is spent on basketball, there has to be some free time. I find it refreshing that he prefers to use his in this manor instead of, say video games.
Lastly, I would hope, being as bright as he is, he'll figure out him limitations pretty soon. I mean, I thought I could do everything when I was 19.

[mctyson]

So I'm watching CSNNE and they reported that there are people who question Brown's commitment to basketball, because he has too many other interests. Things like chess, reading, education. I even read some people say his interviews are too good. I've read he goes to the gym at 5:30 each day to work out, and he has a great work ethic, so why the question?
Really! What is it about a young articulate black man that makes some people react this way? Sorry, but I truly don't believe him being " too smart" would be a problem if he was white. Would people like him better could not put two sentences together? I'm sure many will get defensive, but think about it for a little bit first.
I'm sure there a plenty of player who have other interests, and do many other things in the off season. Why is it that an issue for this young man for some reason?
Anyway, that's just the way I'm seeing it, from what I'm watching and reading. Thought I'd just post my thoughts on it. Wish I could articulate them as well as he does.

There have been examples in NBA history of supremely talented players who, whether rightly or wrongly, have been excoriated for not putting basketball as the absolute first priority in their lives.

A good example is Vince Carter.  http://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/carter-criticized-after-loss-1.284617

I remember people directly blaming Carter and his decision for that loss, and the label of "not 100% into basketball" kind of stuck with him for the rest because of it. He also really isn't an emotional guy on the court so that didn't help.

In short - there is nothing wrong with having all these interests.  Life is indeed bigger than sports.  But when you are paid millions of dollars to play said sport, it has to be your biggest priority outside of your family.  If there is ever even a whiff of a chance that a side interest or education pursuit has affected your game, NBA fans will tear you down.

[Celtics4ever]

All other things being equal, I would take a smart guy over a dumb guy any day of the week.

 The only time its good to have a dumb guy is the service and that is situtional, and you get a guy who will blindly follow orders sometimes is useful.   Other times, you want initiative and innovation and I am a veteran.

Some GMs view this as a negative because he wants to know the why of basketball tactics and strategy rather than just doing what is told.   Most NBAers do what they want anyways so I am not sure this is as big as a deal as they make out.

[positivitize]

My biggest worry is that his interests are too diverse.

There was an article floating around yesterday about how he plans to take graduate classes it MIT and Harvard. While I think that's great and ambitious and I'm happy for him to have that opportunity, graduate school isn't something attempted lightly. It's a huge suck on both time and energy, and something that requires a large percentage of one's focus in order to succeed. I think it is fantastic that he wants to challenge himself--he wants to win EVERYTHING, not just basketball--but everything that I've read about succeeding within the NBA says that the league needs to take up the player's lives. I don't worry about his work ethic. I worry about him spreading himself too thin and crashing, or getting bored of the daily grind of working out early in the morning, practicing and watching film, working out in the evening, traveling, sleeping at a hotel and repeating that process almost every day for years.  He's a 19 year old who thinks he can do EVERYTHING, and he probably could do ANYTHING, just not ALL THE THINGS.

There are not enough hours in the day.

(source: I'm finishing up my 2nd to last year in my PhD)

If he's taking a full course load, it's definitely an issue.  But if it's one (online) class, what's the problem? NBA players have free time, and there are MUCH worse things he could do with that time

Grad Level online courses are few and far between, and what I've seen from Brown gives me the impression that he values the intellectual atmosphere and collaboration of the classroom--which the online classes typically don't provide.

Typically a grad level class is a 3 hour seminar, one day a week, sometime between 5 and 10 PM. Typical homework for a graduate level class involves reading 2 books a week closely, and writing 2-5 pages about what you've read. I know that History, Literature, and Philosophy programs all have similar requirements. It' possible that graduate level hard science/economics courses require less work, but I tend to doubt it. Even if he had time to do the work, he would not be able to attend every class with the way the current NBA schedule is set up. If he misses 1 class, he's missed a week of class. If he's missed 3 classes, he's missed a fourth of the semester.

For example, I doubt that his schedule will allow him to commit himself to being somewhere every Thursday from 6 to 9. I also doubt that he'd be able to complete the work required at the level required without sacrificing from his attention to his game.

[straightouttabahstun]

I'm not worried one bit because Brad Stevens is also extremely intelligent and will find a way to connect with the kid and help him channel his intellect into his game. When Brown was talking about Brad, you can tell he had a lot of respect for him right away. If you get both a really talented and smart individual like Jaylen behind Brad Stevems, he could really excel. This is probably his absolute best opportunity as a rookie. If he had gone to say Phoenix or Denver, this may have been a bigger concern.

[hpantazo]

My biggest worry is that his interests are too diverse.

There was an article floating around yesterday about how he plans to take graduate classes it MIT and Harvard. While I think that's great and ambitious and I'm happy for him to have that opportunity, graduate school isn't something attempted lightly. It's a huge suck on both time and energy, and something that requires a large percentage of one's focus in order to succeed. I think it is fantastic that he wants to challenge himself--he wants to win EVERYTHING, not just basketball--but everything that I've read about succeeding within the NBA says that the league needs to take up the player's lives. I don't worry about his work ethic. I worry about him spreading himself too thin and crashing, or getting bored of the daily grind of working out early in the morning, practicing and watching film, working out in the evening, traveling, sleeping at a hotel and repeating that process almost every day for years.  He's a 19 year old who thinks he can do EVERYTHING, and he probably could do ANYTHING, just not ALL THE THINGS.

There are not enough hours in the day.

(source: I'm finishing up my 2nd to last year in my PhD)

If he's taking a full course load, it's definitely an issue.  But if it's one (online) class, what's the problem? NBA players have free time, and there are MUCH worse things he could do with that time

Grad Level online courses are few and far between, and what I've seen from Brown gives me the impression that he values the intellectual atmosphere and collaboration of the classroom--which the online classes typically don't provide.

Typically a grad level class is a 3 hour seminar, one day a week, sometime between 5 and 10 PM. Typical homework for a graduate level class involves reading 2 books a week closely, and writing 2-5 pages about what you've read. I know that History, Literature, and Philosophy programs all have similar requirements. It' possible that graduate level hard science/economics courses require less work, but I tend to doubt it. Even if he had time to do the work, he would not be able to attend every class with the way the current NBA schedule is set up. If he misses 1 class, he's missed a week of class. If he's missed 3 classes, he's missed a fourth of the semester.

For example, I doubt that his schedule will allow him to commit himself to being somewhere every Thursday from 6 to 9. I also doubt that he'd be able to complete the work required at the level required without sacrificing from his attention to his game.

He's a smart kid, I'm sure he understands that. There are plenty of graduate level courses though that don't require strict attendance, and the instructors are understanding of people who are working full-time, but you still get a Harvard quality education out of it, at the Harvard Extension School. He could easily take one of those courses each summer instead of playing video games, and it would not take away from his game at all. They are a bit expensive, but he will certainly have the money for it.

The majority of Harvard students are excellent at multi-tasking, and highly competitive. They get up very early in the morning to exercise or train for sports, then got to class, then go to volunteer activities that are fairly intense, then go back to class, then go to perform in team practice/games, then study, then do it all again the next day. He sounds like he would fit right in.

I agree with the OP, why is it looked at as a bad thing when a guy says I can't wait to take a class at Harvard or MIT, yet it is never looked at as a bad thing when they say I can't wait to hit the clubs at South Beach or LA for example? At least Brown will be healthy and sober and rested the next morning.

[droopdog7]

So I'm watching CSNNE and they reported that there are people who question Brown's commitment to basketball, because he has too many other interests. Things like chess, reading, education. I even read some people say his interviews are too good. I've read he goes to the gym at 5:30 each day to work out, and he has a great work ethic, so why the question?
Really! What is it about a young articulate black man that makes some people react this way? Sorry, but I truly don't believe him being " too smart" would be a problem if he was white. Would people like him better could not put two sentences together? I'm sure many will get defensive, but think about it for a little bit first.
I'm sure there a plenty of player who have other interests, and do many other things in the off season. Why is it that an issue for this young man for some reason?
Anyway, that's just the way I'm seeing it, from what I'm watching and reading. Thought I'd just post my thoughts on it. Wish I could articulate them as well as he does.

He's different, which I think scares people a bit.  I'd definitely prefer a player that wants to take classes and learn in his spare time than party

Pretty much this.  The a different kind of guy, so people will wonder about him.