NBA's Brand making his mark in movies
Elton Brand took a seat at the head of a fancy hotel conference table and settled right into a conversation about the upcoming release of a movie he co-produced. When the discussion shifted back to basketball, it became clear the venture is merely an interesting diversion.
At least for the near future.
The Los Angeles Clippers' star would rather be in high tops, so Elton Brand is doing only a limited amount of promotion for "Rescue Dawn," one day on each coast. He was at The Regency yesterday touting a project that chronicles the inspirational escape of American pilot Dieter Dengler from a prisoner-of-war camp in Laos.
The movie opens July 4 at the Angelika Film Center in Manhattan and goes into national release nine days later.
"It's a story of survival," said Elton Brand, who spent a month on location in Thailand two summers ago. "It's not a war epic or anything like that. No one dies from a gunshot in the whole movie. It's more about friendship and inspiration, and the trials and tribulations you go through in everyday life and in a dire situation like a POW camp."
He clearly put a great deal of effort into the picture, which stars Christian Bale and Steve Zahn.
Still, there's more important work to be done on the court.
Elton Brand continues to simmer over missing the playoffs in April on the final night of the season. The disappointment is spurring a renewal of sorts.
"I'm invigorated," he said.
This return trip is almost over. The Peekskill native is scheduled to visit his basketball camp tomorrow in Brewster before heading back to Los Angeles, where the summertime routine includes 2 1/2 hours of strength-and-conditioning work in the early morning.
He comes back in the evening for extensive shooting drills.
"All we had to do was beat Sacramento," Elton Brand said of a critical game in the season's final week. "They were out of the playoffs. I don't even know how hard they were playing, but once they had a lead, they were like, 'We're going to win this game.' I was just disgusted.
"Our effort as a team wasn't there. ... Next year, I'm coming in with the same mind-set - every game counts. I'm halfway through now. Now it's time for me to get some hardware. I'm definitely not going to do a Kobe Bryant or anything like that, but I want to win."
Elton Brand, 28, has spent eight seasons in the NBA.
He's enjoyed just one winning season, but the approachable power forward is not comfortable making trade demands like his Los Angeles Lakers counterpart.
"You have a team, and they have faith in you," Elton Brand said. "They pay you a lot of money. It's like, 'If you didn't want to be here, you kind of had a chance to explore somewhere else.' You know what I mean? I'd rather try to find a way to do it with the team I'm with, and if it can't happen, you move on."
There will be some important decisions to make at season's end.
Elton Brand's $82 million deal ends in two years, but he's got an option to escape following the upcoming season if the Los Angeles Clippers don't find a way to reverse the momentum.
"Last season left a terrible taste," Elton Brand said. "We had gotten one game away from the Western Conference finals (in 2006), and then last season we (barely) missed the playoffs. ... It really put things in perspective. As a captain and a leader, I know what I have to do this season to make sure that doesn't happen again. A half game - it's ridiculous. Now every game, we have to have that attention to detail. We can't miss a beat."
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