BROWN IS FOCUSED ON POSITIVE CENTER AIMING TO HAVE BREAKOUT SEASON FOR LAKERS.

Byline: ROSS SILER Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO -- No matter how low Kwame Brown got last season, Lakers coach Phil Jackson refused to introduce any more negativity into Brown's basketball career.

When Brown was struggling with the triangle offense -- struggling sometimes just to catch the ball in the post -- Jackson tried to break the game down to its basics. All he asked of Brown was to run the floor, rebound and play defense.

Now the Lakers are hoping Brown can put together the pieces and pick up where he left off last season, when he averaged 12.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in the final 18 games while Chris Mihm was out with an ankle injury.

During a long interview last week, Brown talked about the importance of gaining his teammates' trust and believing in himself. The Lakers open training camp in 10 days with the hope Brown finally will live up to his enormous potential.

The difference for Brown from his first season with the Lakers could be as simple as having confidence with the ball when he catches it down low.

``I think now my mindset and my teammates' mindset should be: If I have the ball on the block, let me go to work,'' Brown said. ``As opposed to the beginning of last season, I was looking to just pass the ball and get the ball to Lamar (Odom) and Kobe (Bryant).

``I think now that when I get the ball, I've earned the trust in them and in myself to go ahead and go to work.''

Brown walked around all summer with a card in his wallet bearing the numbers 15 and 10. Jackson gave it to him at the player exit meetings in May, trying to motivate Brown with a target number of points and rebounds he could average this season.

Asked if this could be a breakthrough season for him, Brown did not hesitate in answering ``yes.'' Although he won't turn 25 until March, this will be Brown's sixth season in the NBA.

``I don't like saying that, because every year I've said that, I've gotten hurt,'' Brown said. ``After my third year, I had a great finish with the Wizards, then I broke my foot that summer. I just want to come in healthy. That's it. If I come in healthy with a positive attitude, then I'm good.''

Brown spent the offseason strengthening his legs to avoid a repeat of the hamstring injury that cost him 10 games last season. He worked on the jump hook and short jumpers he hopes will become staples of his game.

When it comes to his free-throw shooting, Brown also could be a changed man. He shot a career-worst 54.5 percent from the foul line last season and admitted being wary of going to the line. He was able to laugh, however, at the memory of last season's airballs.

``It's not that I improved as a foul shooter; I improved mentally,'' Brown said. ``Most of the time, I didn't even want to get fouled because I didn't want to go to the line. At the end of the year, all they would do is foul me, so I'm like, `OK, I've got to go to the line, so you might as well stand in there and just make it.'''

There is always an issue, though, for Brown. This season, it might be the NBA's new ball. The size of his hands has long been a question mark, and Brown said he is no fan of the synthetic ball that will be used for the first time.

The ball is easier to grip than the old leather model when dry, Brown said, but is heavier and more slippery when wet. If the new ball hits the rim, he added, it is most likely not going to result in a friendly roll.

Jackson also will have to figure out how best to use the combination of Brown and Mihm, both of whom are primarily centers. Mihm was starting and having a career-best season before he was injured; Brown did not sound inclined to play a power forward spot on the wing.

``Anytime you've got a 270-pound guy on the wing, I don't think that's his best advantage,'' Brown said. ``I'd definitely like to be down low, challenging guys and putting the pressure on people.''

Most importantly, Brown has settled into being a Laker. He said he better understands the triangle and its rhythm of cutters. He has learned to slow down and avoid rushing to make a move before he has the ball.

Brown said he wants this season to be about defense first, especially in stopping the pick-and-roll. He has thought back countless times to the shot Phoenix's Tim Thomas hit in Game 6 of the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Suns, which ended up being a crucial loss for the Lakers.

Much of the credit for Brown's turnaround goes to Jackson, who could have buried the former No. 1 overall pick last season but didn't.

``It would have been easy for him to say, `We've got this guy, he ain't doing (anything), and that would have been it,'' Brown said. ``That's the true meaning of a coach, when he can lift a player up.''

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