OT - Elton Brand to lose starting job to Jason Smith?

[supersub15]

Link

Then we asked Jordan about Brand working with the second team. Jordan said, "We have him playing some five with the second unit." Then we asked if that might mean a change to the starting lineup. Here's where it gets interesting. Jordan said, "Ummm," then there was a long pause and he smiled and said, "Who knows? Nothing is going to change until Wednesday, if there is a change."

Okay, that's not definitive, but certainly that's cause for raised eyebrows. We also talked to Brand. What he said seems more likely that there will be a change. Said Brand: "Today, he was talking about me working with the second group, getting some more center touches and stuff like that rather than playing with the fast-paced tempo of the first group, so definitely something is going to happen."

Just like our JO trade, the Brand signing by the Sixers has turned into an albatross. Fortunately, we recovered somewhat...

[DG88]

Wow that signing was said to have been better than the O'Neal signing. Both were flop signings but BC saw that things weren't working and shipped JO to Miami. The Sixers on the other hand sign Brand to a 6 year $82 million deal and his first year he was injured for the rest of the season.

[duppyy]

Wow that signing was said to have been better than the O'Neal signing. Both were flop signings but BC saw that things weren't working and shipped JO to Miami. The Sixers on the other hand sign Brand to a 6 year $82 million deal and his first year he was injured for the rest of the season.

You mean O'Neal trade.

[dillio]

What seemed like a coup at the time really ended up biting them in the ass. People were mighty pissed in Clipper-land for Brand abandoning ship after helping to recruit Baron Davis, in hindsight who knows if that would've even been a playoff team?

[djsunyc]

sixers got played by david falk...

[Brinbe]

Funny how things work out, right?

But this is a nice approach to things, especially if Brand is willing to go along with it. He'll still get his minutes, surely, but the slower pace should do him some good. Also, props to Jordan for going with this plan, even if it may be a necessity to improve that struggling Sixer team.

[DG88]

Wow that signing was said to have been better than the O'Neal signing. Both were flop signings but BC saw that things weren't working and shipped JO to Miami. The Sixers on the other hand sign Brand to a 6 year $82 million deal and his first year he was injured for the rest of the season.

You mean O'Neal trade.

You know what I mean

[cyp316]

They should try and trade Brand to either Chicago or Detroit ...both those teams could potentaially use him...although I am guessing that they have already tried to trade him..

[freamon]

Brand's was one signing that took out two teams: the Sixers as well as the Clippers who had relied on him and signed Baron Davis to pair with him.

[BirdmanPresents]

Yes..the signing HAS been an ALBATROSS

[youngLion]

What a turnaround for Stefanski and the 76ers. When they nabbed Brand from the Clippers it was being hailed as a big coup, and it was said that they had the best offseason of any team. Now he seems to be on the downswing of his career and he's ostensibly holding them back, not that Jason Smith is really a legit option as a starting 4.

While it seems clear that Brand isn't the guy he used to be before his injuries, I have to believe that he's better than a 10 & player. I think he could do good work on Cleveland, or Detroit or Chicago as an earlier poster mentioned.

[LieCheatSteal]

I think Marrese Speights was close to starting over Elton before he got injured. A starting front court of Smith-Dalembert would have been terrible. Speights starting over Brand, in the context of this article, makes more sense.

Elton looks small, fat and slow out there. There's little lift in his legs (probably hasn't recovered from his ACL injury yet). His shots been terrible, a lot of front rims. His style of play doesn't really mesh with the run and gun style that a lot of players on this team (Lou Will, Iggy, Thaddeus and Dalembert) is more built to play. The Princeton offense doesn't really suit him, as predicted by a million soothsayers.

I wouldn't necessarily compare this to the O'Neal situation. This is much worse. At the very least, O'Neal was an close to expiring deal. Elton has like 4 more years to go at close to 16 million per. This contract can't be moved at all. Also, he's not exactly a great salesperson for basketball in Philadelphia either- Philadelphia currently ranks last in attendance. So, it's way worse than the O'Neal thing.

[inrapscity]

brand's going to get traded soon book it

[Test of Wills]

brand's going to get traded soon book it

No one is taking that contract back. Unless they're getting back a solid prospect or two, even then I doubt it. Brand's contract will handcuff a team for years so if Thaddeus or Holiday aren't going with him then forget it.

[BirdmanPresents]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jvFC-g-IFY

AN ALBATROSSS!!! I CANT BELIEVE THEY SIGNED AN ALBATROSSSS!!!!

[Kevin Willis]

Yes..the signing HAS been an ALBATROSS

Coming from the Birdman - nice. Looks a bit like Elton too...

[jonny three time]

This also has to do with the fact that the Sixers don't have a starter who's decent at shooting 3s. Brand obviously isn't the player that he used to be, but Smith is a player in the mold of a Bonner/Ryan Anderson type guy. Good offense's use stretch 4s (or stretch 5s in ours and Utahs case) in the starting unit rather than having them as situational guys coming off the bench.

[RINSE]

btw, he didnt hurt his ACL. He tore his achilles.

[Komodo]

Sucks for the 6ers, but good for us, so