Brown’s return gives Cavaliers a big lift

He made some clutch plays in Monday’s win over the Bucks.

GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

CLEVELAND — Left on the bench for three games, Devin Brown did the only thing he could do.

He watched and waited.

The 6-foot-5 Cavaliers swingman also took note of something important.

“A lot of guys in this league really don’t box out,” Brown said.

Brown took full advantage of that flaw Monday when he got a chance to play again. His off-balance putback late in the first overtime helped the Cavs beat the Bucks, 104-99, in double overtime.

It was one of several big plays Brown made down the stretch in his return to the floor.

“I hadn’t played the last three games, so I had a lot of energy,” he said.

The return of LeBron James and Larry Hughes from injuries left Brown sitting after being a regular part of Coach Mike Brown’s rotation the first 21 games.

“He wasn’t out of rotation because he was playing bad,” Mike Brown emphasized after Monday’s game. “I’ve been in search mode. That’s what I still am in.”

With a number of options to use at shooting guard or small forward, the coach is still figuring out who can do what for the Cavs.

“I want to try to give guys opportunities to play, and I don’t want it to be a one game and done,” Mike Brown said. “I felt it was Devin’s turn [Monday].”

Brown responded with 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 30 1/2 minutes. He shot 4-of-7 from the floor.

Brown hit a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter. He took a charging foul later in the quarter. He helped force the second overtime by grabbing an offensive rebound in traffic and scoring as he got knocked sideways with 16.8 seconds left in the first OT. It was one of three offensive rebounds he grabbed.

“If we’re going to take some of the [long jump] shots that we take,” Devin Brown said, “at times you have a crease where you can get offensive rebounds, especially an important one, so you’ve got to take that chance and go after it.”

In his first year with the Cavs, Brown entered the NBA as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He has played with four other teams, paying his dues with plenty of time on the bench his first three years.

The Cavs do not look like they will have a set rotation anytime soon. What Brown brings to the floor, though, does not change.

At 220 pounds, he is big and strong enough to mix it up as a defender and rebounder. He is not a pure shooter, but he understands the game well. He is willing to attack the basket and tries to make sure the ball and bodies move when he’s on the floor.

Expect to see more of Brown when the Cavs play at New York tonight before hosting the Lakers on Thursday.

“He’s going to continue to get an opportunity,” Mike Brown said, “but I can’t sit here and say this is going to be how its going to be for the next 50, 60 games or whatever we have left.”