Elton Brand agrees to go to the 76ers

Elton Brand has reached a verbal agreement to sign a multiyear contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to an NBA source who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on player movements. The deal is believed to be in the $80-million range and expected to span five years. - LA Times

Thanks Joe for posting this link in the comments!

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Monday night that the Philadelphia 76ers are again “actively involved” in the Brand hunt — and a very serious threat to tempt him away from L.A.

Sources say that the Sixers are growing increasingly confident in their ability to create additional salary-cap space by finding a new home via trade for swingman Rodney Carney and center Calvin Booth … and then make a sufficiently rich offer Brand would struggle to refuse. - ESPN.com

Basically Ed Stefanski and the Sixers are for real about improving this team now and will pull all the stops to get it done. Moving Calvin Booth and Rodney Carney without taking salary back (potentially to Memphis or Minnesota) would free up just under $3M on top of the $11-$12.5 in estimated cap space the 76ers already have. It appears they will use that money to first go after Elton Brand and I assume if that fails to pump up their offer to Josh Smith. If the Sixers can make the deal to gain additional cap space the Clippers should be pretty worried. That is, if Brand is really all about winning at this stage of his career. Remember this is an elite player who has only been in the post season one time.

Update: I think the deal to send Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth to Minnesota is pretty much done.

Does Elton Brand really want to win?

Let’s take a look at the potential rosters/situations of the teams involved to see which one gives Brand the best opportunity to compete for a championship.

Philadelphia 76ers

Starters: Samuel Dalembert / Elton Brand / Thaddeus Young / Andre Iguodala / Andre Miller

Top reserves: Louis Williams / Reggie Evans / Willie Green / Jason Smith / Marreese Speights

Subjective:

• Brand is from New York and coming to Philadelphia would bring him back East closer to his roots
• Playing in the weaker Eastern Conference from a competition standpoint gives him the best chance to compete for a championship
• Playing along side a defensive-minded center always tends to benefit scoring PFs like Brand
• Not a one-year wonder. With the young on this team and the addition of Brand the Sixers should only get better and be in contention for at least the next 3-4 years (if Andre Miller stays)
• Team up with his old point guard Andre Miller again
• With the addition of Brand the Sixers must get a perimeter shooter (Chris Quinn! We can offer him $1.91M for one or two years regardless of our cap situation using the Bi-Annual Exception.)
• I think it is safe to say with the addition of Brand and say Quinn as a back-up PG and shooter the Sixers are easily a 50+ win team ensuring a first round home playoff series. And depending on what other moves Detroit makes, could jump up to 2nd in the East.

Los Angeles Clippers

Starters: Chris Kaman / Elton Brand / Al Thorton / Cuttino Mobley / Baron Davis

Top reserves: Eric Gordon / Tim Thomas / Brevin Knight / DeAndre Jordan (to my knowledge they are the only players currently under contract or expected to be. The rest still need to be re-signed.)

Subjective:

• Brand is already the face of the Clippers franchise
• In L.A. he is close to the Hollywood life he enjoys as a movie producer
• He opted out released statements saying he wanted to return and that he would essentially take a pay cut in order for the Clippers to go out and bring in an impact player. Mentioning Baron Davis by name. Would he really go back on his words?
• The Clippers would be much improved, but I still think that roster is only good for bottom in the Western Conference fighting for a playoff spot depending on how Portland’s young group does next season. Are they a 55-win team?

Golden State Warriors

Starters: Andris Biedrins / Elton Brand / Al Harrington (he will absolutely demand a trade if G.S. were to find a pure PG and Harrington gets benched for Brand) / Stephen Jackson / Monta Ellis

Top reserves: Brandon Wright / Marco Belinelli / Anthony Randolph (lots of free agents, would Richard Hendrix even make this team if they added another PF in Brand?)

Subjective:

• Biggest pay day he could dream of at his age
• Still in California to support his movie career
• This team isn’t a playoff team to me

What it really comes down to for Brand

If he wants to win the Sixers are clearly the best option. If he wants to get paid while maintaining his Hollywood lifestyle, the Warriors are the choice. If he wants to remain the face of a franchise and stay loyal, the Clippers are the answer.

I don’t think Golden State should have a chance at Brand. There team wouldn’t be good enough. As a basketball player it should always be about winning and the money comes second. In the late stages of an elite players career money shouldn’t be the determining factor. Brand has money, he has been paid roughly $81 million dollars in basketball salary alone in his career. Never mind any endorsements.

If you are Elton Brand and David Falk (his agent) and you are looking at the teams courting him, is there any question which team gives Brand the best chance to win? Win now and for the life of his expected contract?

This is more than just Elton Brand for the Sixers and their fans

By making the move to free up cap space the Sixers puts added pressure on Atlanta as well. I don’t think they had or have any intention of matching “any” offer. They offered Josh Smith something like $45M at the beginning of the 2007 season which he turned down looking for a max or near max extension. Atlanta obviously wasn’t willing to bump their offer enough to satisfy Smith before the extension period ended to get a deal done. If you are an Atlanta fan why would you believe what that organization is spewing? Do you really think they are prepared match an offer of $65M or more? And I tend to give NBA people credit, and think they had to anticipate the number for Smith rising dramatically when he became a free agent. Why even let the guy get on the market if you were willing to pay that much?

Finally, isn’t this what we all have been waiting for? A GM knowledgeable, capable and savvy enough to change this franchise for the better. Not only that, it is clear Stefanski has the full backing from ownership to do whatever it takes. GO SIXERS!

The others on the Sixers’ radar, include Los Angeles Clippers’ unrestricted free agent Corey Maggette and two restricted free agents, Golden State’s Andris Biedrins and New Jersey’s Nenad Krstic. - Philly.com

Yet another name is now popping up on the Sixers free agent radar. I think this will continue to happen as the chances we land Elton Brand continue to die. As of right now the Sixers can’t completely blow Atlanta out of the market by offering Josh Smith a contract the Hawks can’t afford to match, which leaves all the cards still in Atlanta’s favor. Unless the Sixers can move a player to free up additional cap space or the 2008 NBA salary cap is larger than estimated, I just don’t think we are going to be able to land Josh Smith. Atlanta’s management has made so many promises and assurances to their fans that allowing a core player to leave would be disastrous for that franchise who are just turning the corner.

Because of that new players will be under consideration for the Sixers to improve the team even if they don’t land one of their top guys. Enter Nenad Krstic. A 7-foot center/power forward who was highly touted coming into the league. Before Krstic got hurt I think he was essentially on the path to become a similar player as Pau Gasol offensively. He used his height, quickness and soft touch to score around the basket with both hands. He has a nice jump hook and mid-range jumper as well which makes him very effective in pick-and-pop situations. He was progressing fairly rapidly and averaged 18ppg and 7.5rpg on 56% shooting against Shaq and Alonzo Mourning in 4 playoff games verse the Heat - as a rookie!

Then he tore his ACL, which stunted his growth and damaged his confidence. Last season he only played 45 games and wasn’t as effective as he once was.

The big question if the Sixers are really considering Krstic is can he return to form, continue his development and remain healthy?

The guy is only 24 (turning 25 later this month) and had/has a lot of potential. Looking at the market for PFs and centers Krstic might have the best low-post and overall offense game among free agents NOT named Elton Brand. The kicker - he wouldn’t cost the Sixers $11-$12 million per year like Josh Smith will. That gives Stefanski more options to continue to add pieces that fill holes and make this team better long-term.

It looks like the Nets are willing to let Krstic, who is a restricted free agent, go. They aren’t willing to give anyone big money for longer than 2 years so they are loaded for the LeBron James auction. They also have bunch of bigs with the addition of Yi and rookie Ryan Anderson. Any New Jersey natives or Nets followers that can add some insight about Nenad Krstic?

What do you guys think about the newest additional to the Sixers free agent list? If the price is right do you think he would be a solid free agent pick up?

An NBA source said the Sixers had made contact with unrestricted free agent Corey Maggette and hope to speak with him next week. - Philly.com

The question is why?

Because the competition in this year’s free agent market isn’t as weak as everyone expected. Going into July 1 it was the Memphis Grizzles and the Philadelphia 76ers with significant cap space to pursue the top free agents. With the recent developments in Golden State and with the Clippers, now there are 2 other teams involved. That means more competition to sign Josh Smith and more heat on the Sixers regarding their own restricted free agents, Andre Iguodala and Louis Williams.

Let’s consider Corey Maggette with the Sixers

There are a couple possible scenarios.

Possibility 1: The Sixers can’t steal Josh Smith away from Atlanta or convince Elton Brand to leave the Clippers. Therefore Corey Maggette would be signed as the major impact player of the summer. To me this is the most likely of the possible scenarios. Corey Maggette is clearly a big upgrade over our current starting shooting guard Willie Green. He adds a proven scorer to the lineup who can get the foul line and put pressure on opposing defenses. He also runs the floor well and fits with the Sixers’ current style of play. Maggette’s defense is pretty weak. It’s more about effort and the desire to lock up on defense rather than physical deficiencies. Who knows whether that will change if he got in the right environment, but I am not banking on it. Another thing to consider… the addition of Maggette will probably stunt the offensive growth of Thaddeus Young to some degree. We already complained about the lack of plays being called for Young; I don’t see how that gets any better when you add an offensive player such as Maggette. In this scenario how much better do you think Corey Maggette would make the Sixers?

Possibility 2: Once again the Sixers lose out on their top PF targets. But, so does Golden State and they make a HUGE offer to Andre Iguodala in the $14-15M+ per year range, and Stefanski and the Sixers don’t match. I see two outcomes here.

1. We lose Iguodala outright and sign Corey Maggette as his replacement.
2. We work out a sign and trade with Golden State for Iguodala involving Al Harrington who will soon be asking for a trade anyway. And then sign Corey Maggette as well. Now our starting line-up is A. Miller, Corey Maggette, Thaddeus Young, Al Harrington and Samuel Dalembert.

I think we all agree outcome 1 would suck! The Sixers will be worse off in my book. But what do you think of outcome 2? We get an upgrade at PF with Harrington and improve the shooting guard position with Maggette. But we also make room for Thaddeus Young to thrive by clearing the potential logjam at small forward. I hear a lot of Sixers fans calling for a sign and trade of Andre Iguodala. Well I just presented you with one. What do you think?

How do you guys feel about the prospect of Corey Maggette in a Sixers uniform. As well of the likelihood that it will actually happen?

So what is this big “plan” Ed Stefanski has to improve the Philadelphia 76ers going into the ‘08 - ‘09 season? These quotes will give you some insight into what he is thinking now that the NBA Draft has come and gone.

“We’re trying to build like Detroit, meaning we’re not looking to have that one superstar, but we want to have a lot of good players on the floor together. Detroit is doing it with a different style than us, because our style is to be athletic and push the ball. I know Mo Cheeks wants me to get him a shooter because he asked me the other day if I could get him one or two. I want to, but we’re really looking for people who are athletic and long and defensive-minded. That’s our first priority.” - New York Daily News

- - -

“I have no problem going after anyone if it makes sense,” Stefanski said of pursuing restricted free agents.

“If we don’t get fortunate, or we don’t like what we see in the free agent market, then we could use the money in the way of a trade.”

“We have 11-plus million and if we get the guy we really would like as a big (man), I would think that person’s going to demand the whole $11 million. So we’re not really going to have the luxury of going out and getting a real, real good shooter in people’s eyes. But as I’ve said to many people, I believe that the players in our system are going to become better outside shooters.” - Delco Times

All that helps us (the fans) begin to make inferences into what moves might go down in the next month or so. It also tells me the style of play we saw the Sixers flourish in towards the end of last season won’t change much. Most importantly it solidifies the identity Stefanski and Cheeks are molding for this franchise. A young, fast, athletic and long team who will push the ball and lock in on defense.

I love that. It plays to the strengths of the core members of the Sixers and will be an exciting brand of basketball that should entice more fans to the Wachovia Center (along with more wins!). That means any new player brought to the team should in some way fit within that style of play. That still leaves two main holes that must be closed if the Sixers want to contend in the Eastern Conference: inside scoring to strengthen the half-court offense and perimeter shooting.

76ers’ 2008 Free Agent Wish List

Below I have compiled a list of free agents that fill needs for the Sixers that Stefanski/Cheeks might be interested in based on what they’ve said. It’s broken down by position rather than free agent status because I think that is a better way to look at the market based on our team’s needs. Key: (R) Restricted

Big Men

1. Josh Smith (R) 2007 salary: $2,243,543 - “Athletic, long and defensive-minded” that Stefanski quote describes Josh Smith to a “T” and is the reason I have him ranked #1 in this category. Pete and I also believe this is the guy the Sixers are targeting and referring to when they say “get the guy we really would like as a big (man).” And it just so happens Josh Smith is visiting the 76ers this week according to John Smallwood. Smith would bolster our defense, fit perfectly with our up-tempo style and is young. That bodes well considering this team is still developing as a whole. His post game is still raw, but I have seen flashes of dominance on the block and facing up inside 15-feet. With Iguodala, Smith, Williams and Young, the Sixers would be in position to compete at a high level for a very, very long time. Because of that I think he should be their prime free agent target. Here is my question: Would Josh Smith really leave his hometown if he is offered equal money to stay?
2. Elton Brand 2007 salary: $15,344,000 - Everyone wants Brand and have him as the Sixers #1 option. I just don’t think he is at this point. Sure it sounded good when he was on ESPN 950 talking about the possibility of coming to Philadelphia, but in reality I don’t see that as anything more than standard procedure for a guy looking to improve his situation. Signing Brand outright as an unrestricted free agent is a pipe dream because he won’t take a $5M pay cut to come here at this stage of his career. Especially when its not likely we would be a championship caliber team with only his addition. That means we would have to negotiate a sign-and-trade with the Clippers to get him. That becomes tricky because I don’t think the Clippers are looking to rebuild or dump salary. That pretty much eliminates the idea of trading say Reggie Evans’ $4.6M contract, the Utah first-round pick and absorbing the rest of his contract with our cap space. That leaves a sign-and-trade involving Andre Iguodala, and I just don’t think Stefanski has any plans to do that. Should he? I think you can argue both sides of the fence on that point. With the addition of Baron Davis I think it’s safe to say all Elton Brand to Philadelphia talk should stop.
3. Emeka Okafor (R) 2007 salary: $5,427,307- I don’t think the Sixers have any chance of prying Okafor away from the Bobcats, but he fits the mold of what Stefanski and the Sixers are looking for. Athletic, long and defensive-minded. You pair him with Sammy and we have one of the best defensive and rebounding front-courts in the NBA. I also think the development of Okafor’s post game would benefit greatly being locked in at the power forward position and not having to play much center. But like I said, not chance of him leaving Charlotte. Larry Brown wouldn’t allow it.

Point Guards

1. Chris Quinn (R) 2007 salary: $687,456 - Pete tipped me off to this Notre Dame product. He is a 6′ 2″ point guard who shot the three at a 40% clip last season. I think he is a life-long back-up but a good one to have for a team that lacks a true reserve point and guy who can shoot the three ball with some consistency. Oh, Quinn is first on the list because I think he is more attainable.
2. Daniel Gibson (R) 2007 salary: $687,456 - I’d be surprised if Cleveland let him go because he protects LeBron from getting quadruple-teamed every possession. With that said they certainly can’t afford to overpay for him either. They if they want to compete for LeBron’s continued services in 2010 they had better be prepared to outbid nearly every major market franchise who is chomping at the bit for that huge free agent pool. I like Gibson because he is more of a shooter than point guard but has proven he can handle those duties on a team with a marquee scorer. As long as he isn’t asked to do too much playmaking I think he’s fine at the point. Like Quinn he serves two purposes for the Sixers as a back-up PG and needed outside shooter.
3. Shaun Livingston 2007 salary: $4,404,629 - Heard a lot of campaigning for this guy once the Clippers indicated they wouldn’t pick up his qualifying offer making him an unrestricted free agent. Right before he got hurt Livingston was averaging 30mpg, 9ppg, 5apg while shooting 46% from the field and 70% from the line. He is only 22-years old and clearly had lots of potential. My concern: has the injury dramatically decreased the likelihood of him reaching that potential? To my knowledge he resumed basketball activities in the middle of June but still may not be cleared to participate in the Vegas Summer League. He also isn’t a very strong perimeter shooter. The price and whether he can play this season will determine if he is worth the risk.

Shooters/Shooting Guards

1. Ben Gordon (R) 2007 salary: $4,881,669 - I was back and forth between Gordon and Ellis for first on this list, but I went with the perimeter shooting. Gordon is a career 41% 3pt shooter, and he takes 4.5 per game. There were only 6 other players in the league who shot over 4 threes per game and had a better shooting % than Gordon last season. I loved Gordon in college and got lukewarn on him in the NBA because outside of AI I am not a fan of undersized shooting guards. But the Sixers need what he brings to the table. He can come right in as our starting shooting guard, something he hasn’t been consistently in Chicago. And unless the Bulls get rid of Larry Hughes I am not sure he will be starting either if he is back with Chicago.
2. Monta Ellis (R) 2007 salary: $770,610 - Might as well take him right off the list. With Baron Davis gone there is no way in hell Golden State lets Ellis leave. Especially when at best they probably have a 25% chance to getting Gilbert Arenas to leave Washington for the same amount of money. Ellis had a break out year last season and have a lot of Sixers fans on the bandwagon. He is a slashing combo guard that can get into the paint as will. When a 6′3″ player shoots 53% from the field that means he is getting easy shot after easy shot. The one weakness is that Ellis is a poor 3pt shooter and that doesn’t help the Sixers already stocked full of wing players who prefer to drive to the cup.
3. Corey Maggette 2007 salary: $7,000,000 - This is actually a player the Sixers could probably get fairly easily, but should we? If Josh Smith doesn’t work out Stefanski could settle for a shooting guard. Maggette is easily a big step up from Willie Green, and the one thing he really does better than Andre Iguodala is get to the foul line and knock them down (9.7 attempts per game at an 81% clip). He shot a career best 38% from the 3pt line, but I honestly don’t think that was typical and wouldn’t expect him to shoot that well next year. If that $11M is burning a hole in the Sixers pocket to the point they want to spend it now, Maggette might be the best available player on the market.
4. Eddie House 2007 salary: $1,500,000 - Need a shooter who is now playoff tested? Eddie House is your guy. He proved in the NBA Finals last season he isn’t afraid to take and make outside shots. The reason I like him is because he can also handle a bit of the point guard duties as well. With Boston placing priority on the highly coveted James Posey, House could be stolen from under their nose.
5. J.R. Smith (R) 2007 salary: $2,134,067 - Athletic 3pt shooter who loves to get out on the break and can finish at the rim. Smith would fit perfectly on the Sixers with his style of play. And I would much prefer him over Willie Green as my starting shooting guard. What scares me is Smith can sometimes be a head case. Not sure we want to risk added that type of attitude to this franchise. From a talent standpoint he will likely get $5-6 million from someone.
6. Delonte West (R) 2007 salary: $1,889,760 - Not a great 3pt shooter, but a decent shooter who can play the point as well. He started for Cleveland, but I think he is better served as a back-up player who can play two positions.
7. Roger Mason 2007 salary: $770,610 - Very good shooter who probably won’t be resigned by Washington because they have to go all out to keep Arenas. With all the injuries Mason actually played 21mpg and shot 39.8% from three on 4.1 attempt per game. He is definitely worth $2-$3 million per year if you are looking for a perimeter shooting threat.
8. Kareem Rush 2007 salary: $770,610 - Another decent 3pt shooter with nice size for the shooting guard position. If the Sixers are just looking for a shooter who isn’t a small forward, Rush would be a reasonable choice at a decent price.
9. Juan Dixon 2007 salary: $2,550,000 - Journeyman who can shoot the three and score. If the Sixers were a contender, I would be higher on Dixon coming in as a veteran shooter to strengthen the bench for the playoffs.
10. James Jones 2007 salary: $2,900,000 - Very good 3pt shooter but we have too many small forwards already. Are you willing to trade Carney to make room for him?

There is a pretty long list of free agents. Herein lies the problem. Teams literally started meeting with players at 12:01a.m., the first minute they were allowed by league rules. Players aren’t going to be waiting around for the Sixers to come calling. Since I believe Stefanski will be targeting Josh Smith, those negotiations probably won’t be quick and easy. During that time all these other players will either be scooped up by the highest bidder or resigned by their current teams who aren’t in the market for one of the few big time free agents. So I am worried that if we don’t land Smith and those negotiations drag on too long, there won’t be anyone of value left for the Sixers to bring in.

Then you have to factor in we still have to sign Iguodala and Williams this summer as well. If a team (Memphis/Golden State) comes in and offers Iguodala a contract larger than the cap hold allocated for him on the Sixers’ books and Stefanski matches before we sign our top FA, that $11M cap space will shrink taking us out of the market for any big time player.

I am excited to see what happens. But I am also staying grounded because the possibility of us NOT getting anyone of significant value seems pretty high to me. The restricted status and current teams’ strong desire to keep their players makes this free agent market tough to maneuver.

As usual I will leave you guys with a few questions/thoughts…

• If the Sixers don’t sign any of these big time free agents, how will you feel about the team going into next season?
• If the Sixers can’t get a big impact player, should they divvy out their cap to role players who would fill a need (shooter or back-up PG)?
• If free agency isn’t an option a trade may be. I will probably wait and see before I do a post on potential trades to acquire a marquee player.
• Should the Sixers just bank the money and wait until next summer or even the summer of 2010?

I am working on a monster of a post entitled “Ed Stefanski’s Master Plan for the Sixers.” I can’t finish it until July 1st at the earliest when I have a better picture of who is in and out of free agency. In the meantime I figured I throw this question out to you guys.

Who should remain on the Sixers roster next season and who should be gone? Why?

I’ve read a lot on this blog and in forums different views on who should remain on the team and who we should let walk. If you don’t already know its a 12-man active roster with 3 players inactive. Here is the current roster with estimated salaries. Players who are free agents are clearly marked as well.

Right before the NBA Draft I wrote a fun post called Put Your Draft ‘Eye’ to the Test. Basically giving you a limited description of two players and asking you to pick which one was the better prospect. Here are the results:

I cautioned everyone NOT to guess who the players because you would be wrong. That was a bit of reverse psychology trickery on my part knowing everyone would take that as a challenge and give their best shot. Well I think it’s time to unveil who the players are and show you exactly why I called it a “fun little test” and not to guess.

Player A is…

Player B is…

We have to say thanks for comparing us to the likes of D.J. Augustin, CDR, O.J. Mayo, Mario Chalmers, and Eric Gordon. Haha, I told you not to guess didn’t I!

By far my favorite part of this was, when Pete read the first commenter’s suggestion that he was Willie Green, his reaction was (jokingly) - “Now I have to kill myself!” Priceless.

I had to take a step back for a while before I reacted to the Sixers draft day. When the pick was made Pete and my reaction was “eh.” Nothing surprising and nothing special. I have to admit I am a little bit disappointed but not as much as I was last night. It’s not that they didn’t select the player I preferred (J.J. Hickson), but that we walked away from this pretty talented draft with one player when the Sixers clearly have many needs.

I think it is well known the Sixers have 3 main holes in their roster:

1. PF/low-post scorer. Not some cupcake PF that likes to shoot from the perimeter either. A guy that is willing and able to bang in the paint, command a double team and score with his back to the basket.
2. Shooter and not just a 3pt-shooting specialist. (Rant coming) If you’re going to pay a guy to shoot, make sure he can knock it down from all over the court. I personally hate 3pt specialists who are incapable of pump faking and taking just one step in and hitting that shot. They just settle for the contested three when defenders are closing hard rather than showing the ball, making the defender look stupid by jumping completely out of the play and getting an even easier 17-foot shot.
3. Back-up point guard. Preferably one who is being groomed as our future starting point guard

The Sixers probably did the best they could in this draft to address hole #1 by taking Marreese Speights with the 16th pick. Apparently this was their guy all along, and they asked every question, reviewed every aspect of his game and turned over every stone to be sure of the pick. The questions about his work ethic and on/off attitude on the court weren’t even an issue for Stefanski and DiLeo. Speights has been working extremely hard in Vegas with trainer Joe Abunassar. I did some research on Abunassar, and he is the real deal of NBA trainers. Not on the level of Tim Grover but right up there. That is very comforting for me since I was definitely in the “pass on Speights because he’s lazy” camp.

Marreese Speights may or may not be an big-time impact player this upcoming season or ever for the Sixers. Much of it will be determined by his continued hard work and development. From a skill standpoint and potential to be starting PF there is very little question there. I am actually not ruling out the chance that he actually steps in and contributes right away a la Thaddeus Young. Why? Pete and I both believe Stefanski’s big free agent move is going to be in the form of a shooter - not impact PF. I wish I could tell you what exactly that means (Pete thinks Ben Gordon), but I don’t really know. What I think everyone knows is the chance of us getting Elton Brand (via free agency) for less money than he is currently expected to make is the type of miracle Philadelphia fans rarely experience. Josh Smith is a real possibility simply because he is in our price range, but unless Atlanta was bluffing in their recent remarks about matching any deal for Smith that seems like an unlikely outcome as well.

What I will be looking for this season from Speights is his pick-and-roll game. I think he immediately becomes the best pick-and-roll big man on our roster. And I believe that is something he can step in and do successfully right away if only on a limited basis. He will need to develop his strength, NBA post game and defense, but I am going to be optimistic regarding his impact this season.

Grading the actual pick I give the Sixers an A+ based on what was available to them at 16.

That was the end of the draft for the Sixers! I progressively got more irate every time I didn’t hear “we have a trade” while Mario Chalmers was still on the board. Then almost spontaneously combusted when I heard that Miami had acquired Chalmers for two 2009 second-round picks and cash considerations. Ironically (sadly), ONE OF THOSE 2ND-ROUND PICKS WAS THE SIXERS‘, acquired by Miami in the Jason Smith/Daequan Cook trade in last year’s draft!

With the number of quality players at multiple positions I can’t understand how nearly every team was able to make some sort of move while the Sixers could not. Not only that, but there were countless opportunities with very good players unexpectedly falling that would have filled multiple needs. With so many teams willing to sell picks for cash ($3M maximum) and/or future second rounders, I am just confused by the Sixers’ non-existent maneuvers to improve the team via this draft. I keep hearing about this “plan” for the team; I just don’t understand why that plan didn’t incorporate this draft. I heard Stefanski’s post draft quotes, one of which said he tried to acquire a late-first round pick or early 2nd-round pick, but the deals fell through.

I DO believe Stefanski tried to make a move but for some undisclosed reasons teams wanted to deal with everyone BUT the Sixers. As a depressed fan with no inside information as to why some draft day deals went through and others died I feel like we got blackballed or something. I don’t think us being purposely excluded from trades is a reality nor do I plan to spew any conspiracy theories either.

Overall draft grade - C+ If Marreese Speights turns into our starting PF of the future then clearly the grade would be much better, but that remains to be seen. As of today, we got ourselves a nice young big man who management projects to be a marginal contributor at best next season.

I will leave you guys with this…

What’s next for the Sixers in the off-season?

This is nothing more than a post for you guys to flood the comments with pre, during and post NBA Draft talk. Sixers or other. And keep it all in one central location.

I will lead off with my ideal scenario for the Sixers.

With all the recent shuffling and moves Chad Ford (and others) in his most recent NBA Mock Draft has Mario Chalmers dropping to 17. I say the Sixers “buy” a later 1st round draft pick and take Chalmers at 16 which would sure up our PG needs with a guy who can also shoot the three and lock up on defense. Then take J.J. Hickson with the later first round pick the Sixers would have acquired. The slightly different version of that would be to draft two PFs with the picks and let them battle it out which would increase the chance we land a guy who will actually become a real player in 2-3 years.

This recent development by the Spurs supports my idea as a real possibility for the Sixers.

The Spurs sent an e-mail to every team in the league at 3:30 p.m. saying that they were willing to move the 26th pick. The e-mail asked league executives to “E-mail us your interest and your offers to 26.”

That’s the first time I’ve heard of something like this in all of my years covering the draft. Make your Spurs pitch below in our comments section. - Chad Ford, ESPN

Open discussion…

Think you can spot talent and draft better than most NBA GMs and basketball player evaluators?

I know you do because you probably wouldn’t be on this blog and other sports forums critiquing and criticizing the decisions of your favorite team’s management. So with the 2008 NBA Draft today, I put together this fun little test for you.

The Challenge

It’s quite simple actually. Pick the the player that you think is the better overall prospect based on the information provided. To take the possibility of a dispute out of the equation, there is without question a better player. Don’t try to guess the players - trust me you won’t get it.

Player A - Point Guard

Measurements

Height (w/o shoes) - 5′ 9.88″ / Height (w/shoes) - 5′ 10.88″ / Weight - 175lbs / Wingspan - 5′ 11.5″ / Standing Reach - 7′ 7.5″ / No Step Vertical - 30.5 / Max Vertical - 36

Player Description

Strengths:

• Very quick especially with his first step
• Athletic and very good jumping ability
• Good mid-range and three-point shooter
• Aggressive on-ball defender and fundamentally overall sound defensively
• Solid, but still developing court vision
• Good decision-maker and looks to get teammates involved first and score second
• Proven leader

Weaknesses:

• Vastly undersized and skill may not be able to overcome his lack of height
• Short arms and small hands which can hurt him defensively
• Needs to improve strength to finish around the basket
• Can sometimes get pushed around by tough on-ball defenders and bigger point guards on offense

Player B - Shooting Guard

Measurements

Height (w/o shoes) - 6′ 2.75′‘ / Height (w/shoes) - 6′ 3.75” / Weight - 210lbs / Wingspan - 6′ 5” / Standing Reach - 8′ 1” / No Step Vertical - 24 / Max Vertical - 28

Player Description

Strengths:

• Crafty scorer who is able to use his body to create space to get his shots off
• Really likes to bang and get inside to rebound for a guy this height
• Streaky shooter but does have decent range on his shot
• Toughness
• Core strength
• Shows a desire to play good defense
• Unselfish and is a great teammate/intangibles

Weaknesses:

• Foot speed and athleticism leave something to be desired
• Quickness on defense
• Is an odd tweener in that his game and mentality are better suited to a small forward but his size puts him as an undersized shooting guard
• Extremely unorthodox style

Make your choice!