Bad news came today for the Sixers. It’s been announced that Elton Brand will have season ending shoulder surgery. Say what you will about whether or not you think that Elton Brand is a good fit on this Sixers team. But, the fact remains that anytime you lose an $80 million investment, it’s a big blow. I have said many times that I think the Sixers are a better team with Brand, but as we all know, the results so far make me look insane. The Sixers have played much better basketball this season when Brand was out with his injury. I will not deny that. Well, now they are in a position where they have no choice but to play without Brand. The Sixers will certainly play up tempo and we all know they can do that as well as anyone. The problem to me is not in the short term. But, let’s assume for a second that the Sixers play well enough to reach the playoffs. In the playoffs, the game slows down considerably and defense and shot making in the half court are at a premium. That is where the Sixers struggle. Unfortunately, we have not seen much of the Sixers with a healthy Brand. I do think without the weight of trying to fit Brand into the schemes, the team can play loose and will probably benefit in the short term. I have felt that the Sixers lack of shooters put too much pressure on Brand, and that had more to do with the team’s struggles. A low post threat is almost worthless if he isn’t surrounded with guys who can make an outside shot consistently. Maybe I have been wrong about Brand’s addition, and it was the wrong move for this team. I don’t think we have enough to make that determination, and now we won’t know until next season. A lot of questions will now arise for Stefanski. Will they attempt to make a trade? It’s possible, but not likely. We have not heard from Ed Stefanski yet, so I’m sure we will know a little more when he addresses this new development. So many questions are out there, with no answers at the moment. The questions are not only regarding the status of the team without Brand for this season, but what the team with Brand next year will look like. Stay tuned.
Terrible news not matter what you thought Brand’s impact would be when he if he was able to get healthy. At least we know what we know what to expect of the team without him. Still a playoff team, who hopefully learned something from last years run.
I agree Ryan. The silver lining is that the team played much of this year without Brand already and played well so I think they are comfortable, but I would have liked to see a healthy Brand and see what kind of team they became. I guess we all have to wait.
Also i think very few have been paying attention to how well Iguodala has been playing recently. He can still be frustrating to watch at times but he’s not forcing things as much as he was early in the season.
And Dunleavy Jr.’s stache is ridiculous.
Yeah. Iggy is playing great right now. He really needs to step up and be a leader. Although, sometimes when he shoots a jumper I wonder if the ball will get stuck in the rafters. And thanks for pointing that ot about Dunleavy Jr.! I made a note to put that on here somewhere. To call that a 70’s porn stache is giving it too much credit. It looks more like a racoon pooped on his lip.
If the Sixers make the playoffs, that’s when they’ll miss Brand. There lack of a post presence is what doomed them vs Detroit last year.
Agreed Scott…Completely. The game is different in the playoffs and running up and down the floor does not win games. If it did, the Suns would have won a title by now.