Sixers sign Nick Young, amnesty Elton Brand

While they might not be making earth-shattering moves, at least the Sixers are making things interesting this offseason.  First, they draft another extremely talented swing player that can't shoot from the outside.  Then, they re-sign the much-maligned but actually decent Spencer Hawes to a reasonable 2 year, 13 million dollar contract.  Today they have made two more moves, signing swingman Nick Young and amnestying Elton Brand.

Young is another shooting guard/small forward to add to the Sixers collection, though he can actually shoot the three ball a little bit.  He signed a one year, 6 million dollar contract which could prove to be a good value for a player that can come off the bench and average around 10 points a game.  Given his penchant for volume shooting, it's a fair guess that he is a replacement for Lou Williams.

To have room to sign Young, the Sixers had to use the amnesty clause on Elton Brand, buying out the last year of his contract that would have paid him 18 million next season.  While Brand has been a great leader on the Sixers, he hasn't lived up to his huge contract, averaging just 11 points and 7 boards last season.  Expect him to latch on with another team in need of his veteran presence but he is completely off the Sixers cap this season.

The Sixers were one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals last season.  Have the moves they made so far this offseason made them any better?  Not really, but perhaps they aren't quite done re-tooling.

20/20 Hindsight: Elton Brand vs. Josh Smith

Just throwing this thought out there. Remember back in the offseason when the Sixers were looking to sign a power forward and the rumor was they were going to sign either Elton Brand or Josh Smith? I know we are only halfway into Brand's first season as a Sixer, but compare the stats of the two so far this season:

Brand: 29 games, 13.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.5 BPG
Smith: 38 games, 16.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.6 BPG

Both players have missed some time due to injuries, of course Brand is currently out for the year. Josh Smith is a box score stuffer who would have fit right in with the Sixers run-and-gun style of play that Brand has issues keeping up with. Throw in the fact that Smith is 23 and Brand is almost 30 and out for the season and it's almost a no-brainer which player the Sixers should have pursued. Of course, there is no way to know if the Sixers would have made an offer to Smith, a restricted free agent, that was high enough that the Atlanta Hawks couldn't have matched. The Grizzlies did manage to sign Smith to an offer sheet but the Hawks matched it, keeping Smith in Atlanta.

Hindsight is 20/20 but you won't find a Sixer fan anywhere who wouldn't rather have the young, athletic Smith on the team than the injured Elton Brand. I hope Brand does everything in his power to prove us all wrong.

Money well spent: Elton Brand out for the year

I guess 80 million dollars doesn't buy what it used to.

Elton Brand, the Sixers big free agent acquisition in the off-season, has been in and out of the line-up all year, playing 29 of 47 games. After missing an entire month due to an ailing shoulder, a month in which the Sixers played their best basketball of the season, Brand has been slowly worked back into the line-up, coming off the bench and getting limited opportunities. He hasn't looked at all like a player worth the huge contract the Sixers gave him.

Now his contract looks even worse. News came out today that Brand will miss the rest of the season after he has shoulder surgery on his right shoulder. At least now the Sixers can get back to playing their preferred run and gun style and don't have to worry about easing Brand back into the fold.

So Brand's worst season as a professional basketball player has come to an end. He finishes averaging 13.8 points per game and 8.8 boards per game, numbers that are way below his career average of 20 and 10. The hope for the Sixers is that Brand has the surgery and can come back next season ready to finish out the remaining 4 years of his contract. If he can't play much better than he did this season then the signing that looked like the Sixers were taking the next step could hold back the franchise for years.

Elton Brand better come back strong next season or GM Ed Stefanski is going to need to get his resume together.

Sixers knock off Rockets, reach .500

(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Since I bashed the Sixers a bit after their last game, I think it is only fitting that I give them some credit after erasing a 15 point deficit and beating the Rockets, in Houston, 95-93.

The Sixers didn't play particularly well until midway through the 3rd quarter when the Rockets had a 65-51 lead. From that point forward, Philly outscored the Rockets 44-28 and won the game after Andre Iguodala hit a pair of clutch jumpers in the final 2 minutes. Iggy led the team with 20 points while Lou Williams added 17 off the bench.

Elton Brand played much better on Wednesday in his 6th man role. Brand had 14 points, 7 boards and 6 blocks, easily his best game since returning from the separated shoulder injury. Perhaps that will quiet some of those trade rumors?

The Rockets have been one of the hotter teams in the NBA so the Sixers have to feel good about their come-from-behind win. Any time you can knock off one of the top teams in the West on the road, that's a quality W.

3 posts in a row about the Sixers on ATPS?? Let's just say I'm making up for a real lack of Sixers coverage earlier in the season.

Brand, Sixers come up short against Hornets

(ap)

Now that the Eagles are done, I figured it was time for me to start paying more attention to the Sixers. After a tremendously slow start to the season, the Sixers have been streaking lately, recently winning 8 straight games and pulling themselves near the .500 mark. It's no coincidence that the Sixers went on this run as soon as their big free agent acquisition, Elton Brand, went down with an injury. With Brand out, the Sixers were able to do what they do best: run and gun.

Well, Brand is back in the lineup and things should really get interesting as the Sixers try to integrate the big man into their running style of play. They were unsuccessful on Monday against the Hornets, a game the Sixers led at halftime by 7 points but still ended up losing 101-86. Brand came off the bench for the Sixers and played only 18 minutes, totaling a whopping 0 points and 3 rebounds. Leading the way for the Sixers offensively was Thaddeus Young, who totaled 22 points. Andre Iguodala chipped in 17 points and added 7 assists but none of it was enough to overcome Peja Stojakovic's 6 3-pointers and Chris Paul's stat-filling line of 27 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds and 7 steals. That's right, the barely six foot Paul grabbed 10 boards and nearly put up a quadruple-double.

While this was only the second game back since his injury, Brand's uninspiring play is hardly encouraging. The Sixers are going to have to figure out how to work him into the run and gun offense that the team likes to run otherwise Brand will turn into the most expensive 6th man in the league.

The inability to get the team playing to its strengths was the reason Mo Cheeks was fired. Let's hope Tony DiLeo figures out a way to put the pieces together.

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.

Sixers knock off World Champion Celtics!............. in exhibition opener

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

The Sixers have beaten the defending World Champs!! Ok, so it was only an exhibition game but it still feels good to say. The Sixers are expected to make "the leap" this year and be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, so any time they can play with and even beat the Celtics is something worth noting.

For the game, the Sixers started the group that is likely to start for most of the season: Andre Miller at the point, Andre Iguodala at shooting guard, Thaddeus Young at the small forward, Elton Brand at power forward and Samuel Dalembert at center. Each of the starters played a minimum of 20 minutes with Young leading the whole team with 36 minutes. Louis Williams came off the bench and led the team in scoring with 27 points while Brand had 4 boards and 11 points in his Sixers debut. The Celtics played with all their big stars and got out to an early lead but the Sixers fought back in the 3rd quarter and held on to win, 98-92.

In all, not a bad way to start the exhibition season. The Sixers will play 6 more games as they prepare for the season opener on October 29th.

Click here for the box score for the game.

And, here's an impressive dunk by Bill Walker over Theo Ratliff:

Iguodala stays a Sixer with 6 year deal

The Sixers appear to have taken care of their last piece of off-season business: ESPN.com is reporting that they have signed Andre Iguodala to a 6 year, 80 million dollar deal. Iguodala was a restricted free agent, and no team really had enough money to pay him, so it was only a matter of time before he re-signed with the Sixers.

While 80 million does seem like a ton of money, Iguodala is a crucial part to the Sixers future. In the last few years he has proven that he might not have what it takes to be a number one guy on a contending team, but he definitely can play second fiddle behind a guy like Elton Brand. The team will go as far as Iguodala and Brand can take them, and with both signed for at least the next five years, the future of the team is in their hands. With 160+ million dollars tied up between the two of them, they better deliver.

This move caps a busy off-season for Ed Stefanski. He has signed free agents Elton Brand, Royal Ivey and Kareem Rush to contracts while re-signing restricted free agents Louis Williams and Iguodala. Stefanski certainly deserves high marks for all of these moves; the Sixers had a ton of salary cap space and Stefanski used it wisely.

Sixers schedule released, season begins October 29th

The Sixers have released their schedule for the 2008-2009 season. Your first chance to see Elton Brand will be October 29th against the Toronto Raptors. The season ends on April 15th against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Sixers will also play 7 games on national television, including 4 on ESPN and 3 on TNT.

Another important game to note: Elton Brand returns to LA to take on the Clippers on New Years Eve. Think he's gonna hear some boo's?

Click here for the complete schedule.

Elton Brand is a Sixer!!

The Sixers appear to have pulled it off. After trading away Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth to clear up cap space, the Sixers have lured the best available free agent, Elton Brand, away from the Clippers. According to ESPN, the Sixers have offered Brand a 5 year deal worth a reported 82 million dollars, and Brand is going to accept it.

The move makes the Sixers an instant contender in the Eastern Conference, where everything is up for grabs behind the Celtics. Ed Stefanski appears to have pulled off a major move in his first off-season as the Sixers GM, one that will help the team continue it's rise to the top.

Brand's career stats:

Year	Team	G	MPG	FG%	FT%	OFF	DEF	RPG	APG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
99-00	CHI	81	37.0	0.482	0.685	4.3	5.7	10.0	1.9	1.6	2.81	3.20	20.1
00-01	CHI	74	39.3	0.476	0.708	3.9	6.2	10.1	3.2	1.6	2.96	3.30	20.1
01-02	LAC	80	37.8	0.527	0.742	5.0	6.6	11.6	2.4	2.0	2.16	3.20	18.2
02-03	LAC	62	39.6	0.502	0.685	4.6	6.8	11.3	2.5	2.5	2.60	3.30	18.5
03-04	LAC	69	38.7	0.493	0.773	3.9	6.4	10.3	3.3	2.2	2.80	3.30	20.0
04-05	LAC	81	37.0	0.503	0.752	3.7	5.9	9.5	2.6	2.1	2.26	3.00	20.0
05-06	LAC	79	39.2	0.527	0.775	3.0	7.0	10.0	2.6	2.5	2.19	2.90	24.7
06-07	LAC	80	38.5	0.533	0.761	3.4	6.0	9.3	2.9	2.2	2.53	3.00	20.5
07-08	LAC	8	34.3	0.456	0.787	2.6	5.4	8.0	2.0	1.9	2.13	2.60	17.6
Career	--	614	38.3	0.505	0.738	3.9	6.3	10.2	2.7	2.1	2.52	3.10	20.3

Sixers deal Carney, Booth to clear salary for Brand or Smith

According to Yahoo Sports, the Sixers have made an interesting trade that helps clear cap space to sign a big-time free agent. The trade can't be announced until tomorrow, but the Sixers have agreed to trade Rodney Carney, Calvin Booth and a future 1st round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a 2.8 million dollar trade exception.

While this trade looks extremely lopsided on paper, and giving up a first round pick is never a good thing, the Sixers have now positioned themselves to make a serious run at one of the two big free agents out there, Elton Brand or Josh Smith. The trade clears up an extra two million dollars that can then be built into a salary offer for either player.

It has been speculated that Brand was going to go back to Los Angeles to team up with the newest Clipper, Baron Davis, but as more time passes, the Sixers have gotten increasingly aggressive in going after Brand. ESPN's Marc Stein reports that the Sixers are a "serious threat" to lure Brand out of Los Angeles. The Sixers initially didn't think they could compete financially but with the trade they are right in the mix.

Elton Brand is probably Plan A, making Josh Smith, who visited the Sixers last week, Plan B. Smith, a restricted free agent, is in a different situation from Brand, who is an unrestricted free agent. Any offer the Sixers make to Smith can be matched by the Atlanta Hawks, so it makes sense that the Sixers would first pursue the player they have more control over signing.

Losing Rodney Carney, and to a lesser extent Calvin Booth, won't hurt the Sixers too much, but it does affect their depth. Carney showed flashes of potential but struggled to find his place on the Sixers. With the immediate impact that Thaddeus Young made on the team, Carney became expendable. Booth was a bit player who could block shots but made little impact when he was on the floor.

The Sixers have now lined themselves up to sign a big-time free agent that can have a huge impact on the team. Let's hope the extra money is enough incentive to lure Brand or Smith to play for this up-and-coming Sixers team.

Elton Brand opts out but intends to stay in L.A.

Elton Brand has officially opted out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, but Sixers fans shouldn't get too excited. While it has been rumored for weeks that Brand would opt out of his contract and that the Sixers would pursue him, Brand made it clear that he plans to continue playing for the Clippers:

"We're opting out...... it definitely doesn't mean I'm leaving the Clippers. We're trying to work it out. My intention is to stay."

It appears that Brand and the Clippers are trying to work out a deal that won't handicap the franchise from signing more players. Sounds like the Sixers might need to look for other options to spend their free agent money on.

Sixers drafted a "poor man's Elton Brand"

Just thought I would pass this along. According to Chad Ford of ESPN, Marreese Speights, who the Sixers drafted with the 16th pick in the draft, is going to be a great fit for the Sixers:

I like this pick for Philly. Speights has a lot of talent and he fits a need for Philly. He's an excellent offensive player who can score in the post and facing the basket, and he can rebound. He is kind of a poor man's Elton Brand.

Thought this was interesting considering all of the talk we have been hearing about Elton Brand possibly coming to Philly as a free agent. Who better to teach Speights than the guy he plays most like? Good pick by the Sixers either way, Speights should develop into the inside presence they lack on the offensive end.