Sixers lose Brand for a month

I know I'm late on this news but the Sixers revealed today that they will be without their big free agent signing, Elton Brand, for a month after he dislocated his shoulder on Wednesday. While Brand hasn't exactly taken the Eastern Conference by storm, he has been a solid player and his presence will be missed down low. In his absence, Thaddeus Young will likely start at power forward which should open up their offense and allow the team to be more up-tempo. Rookie Marreese Speights also figures to get more playing time, something he probably deserves anyway.

It's way too early to call the signing of Elton Brand a mistake but the Sixers had to know what they were getting themselves into. Brand has been injury-prone throughout his career and has never played all 82 games in a season. He also has clogged up the middle and forced the Sixers to slow things down. With Brand out I would expect the team to run and gun much like they did at the end of last season. Sadly, losing their best player will allow the Sixers to play the style of basketball that actually suits them. I expect them to rise in the standings while Brand is out which should make for an interesting situation when Brand comes back in January.