Brand’s MRI revealed a fracture of the humeral bone and a tear of the labrum. Sixers team physician Dr. Jack McPhilemy did not believe the injury would require surgery at this time, the team said in a statement. Brand will begin rehabilitation immediately. – ESPN.com
I say “at least a month” because the doctor said he didn’t believe the injury would require surgery. I read that as there is a chance once they start rehabbing that he would.
Bad news for the Sixers who have won two straight going to Washington, a team they just beat 104-89 on Saturday. Just another set back for a Sixers team trying to find themselves and lock in on an identity.
I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a silver lining, but for all the people that think the Sixers would be better off without Brand and that he doesn’t fit with this team, right now is the perfect chance to see if you are right.
The Sixers face one of, it not the, toughest stretch of games over the next month. Starting tomorrow here is what the Sixers are looking at over the next month
- 12/19 at Washington
- 12/20 vs Indiana
- 12/23 at Boston
- 12/26 at Denver
- 12/29 at Utah
- 12/31 at LA Clippers
- 1/02 at Dallas
- 1/03 at San Antonio
- 1/06 vs Houston
- 1/07 at Milwaukee
- 1/09 vs Charlotte
- 1/11 at Atlanta
- 1/14 vs Portland
- 1/16 vs San Antonio
- 1/17 at New York
- 1/19 vs Dallas
That is a pretty tough stretch and will test the Brand-less Sixers to their limit. Was last year’s playoff run a mere hot streak and not the expectation? Or is that level of performance what we should expect from this team, and they have simply just started slow and aren’t as bad as they look? We will sure find out over the next 30 days.
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
Don’t like this at all. Would rather see the team adjust with new coach and all players to determine what changes are necessary. I see absolutely no positives from this. Speights would get some time with or without Brand. Sammy/Brand combo also needs refining. Not a good thing!
If we can beat the teams that we SHOULD and can steal just one game from a good team, we will go .500 over the next month. I think what we can expect from this team for the rest of the season depends on whether we hit that mark or not. Anything above would be pleasantly surprising. Anything lower and the best we can hope for is a low seed and a first round exit.
The vacuum that Brand leaves could be a plus in that it will give more minutes to Speights and Evans, two who generally play with unbridled
enthusiasm, which sometimes trumps skill and often separates winners from losers. They both go to the orange ball without invitation. In a game of instincts and whiles, they have ‘em. Unselfconscious aggressiveness is a key to winning play. Their passion could rub off on others. Speights is young and raw, Evans weak offensively but their basketball spirits are true – and helpful. Brand’s 16 pts. can come from other sources if necessary. I think Sixers will be a snappier team without Brand though game results may still disappoint, considering schedule.
Even though incorporating Brand has been less successful than we had hoped and there is a possibility that our new coach may actually find it easier in Brand’s absence to get us back to pushing the ball like we did last year, I’m with sfw. We now have a real mess on our hands.
The longer Brand is out, the longer it will take to get him integrated into DiLeo’s new system at both ends of the floor. Also, this will make the evaluation process that much more difficult, both for the team and for individual players. I now have all kinds of questions popping up in my head, such as:
—What if we are no more successful under DiLeo than we were under Cheeks? How will we know what to attribute it to? How much will be due to Brand’s absence? How much will be due to DiLeo’s ideas just not being the right ones? How much will be due to not having the right players?
—On the flip side, what if we are more successful under DiLeo? How much will be due to DiLeo himself and his ideas? What effect will Brand’s absence have had? Can we expect to be better still when Brand returns?
—How do we properly evaluate our needs going forward in the absence of a key component of our future and how will this affect our prospects for success next year? (I hate to write off this season already, but it sure isn’t looking good now.)
Couple this with a few other questions….
—-Who will be our future PG, when will he get here, and how long will that adjustment period take?
—Who will be our future coach and how long will that adjustment period take?
…..and we could be pretty unsettled for quite a while. With all of these changes I think there’s a good chance we will have some difficulty parsing out exactly who and/or what is responsible for any success or failure we have and how best to go about improving the team.
so why’d we get Brand if we are better off without him? That sounds… well nuts.
My guess? this season is a complete wash out. The entire problem I think, is the team lacks chemistry and lacks an identity.
With Brand out, the identity will be run and gun again, but when he returns it’s muddled once more. Also with him out, they can’t build chemistry.
None of that says they can’t win a ton of games, who knows maybe with an uptempo game they go 15-5 while Brand is out, but it just doesn’t answer any questions, and when he returns we are back at square one.
bski, Thanks for the detail/clarity. Much better said. I agree completely.
Ugh, this is such a huge blow. Elton was already just starting to get his NBA “wind” back, as far as endurance, let alone the timing and feel he had for the game when he was a healthy Clipper. Not a good sign he has a pretty serious injury this soon after coming back from a major surgery (obviously on different parts of the body, but…ehhh).
One and only positive I can see in this: the offense is going to be very, very dependent on A-Miller & Iguodala now…which will in effect raise their stocks WAY higher than they currently are. Ditto for Dalembert, who we can expect to be in the double digit rebounding category again with Brand gone. For those that wanted to make a trade (I’m not one…yet, although the injury changes a lot)…this is a slight boon as it will enhance the value of any “chips” we have.
But what everyone else is saying is spot on…the one thing we’ve sorely lacked is to develop offensive chemistry with Brand. Not having him for a month will kill that…plus another 2-3 weeks until he gets back in the shape he was in…crap.
It’s like our whole team, along with DiLeo, has just been slapped with an “interum” tag.
quickie: The Warriors just cut Richard Hendrix. Who? Dave T is right more often than not with his scouting, and he was really high on the kid before the draft and thought he’d do really well in the NBA if given the chance. Maybe the Sixers sign him to a couple of 10-day contracts? BTW, he went head-to-head with Speights in college, and Hendrix more or less outplayed him.
Our new coach was putting a secondary break and quick offense in to take advantage of Elton as a trailer, does he shelve that now? Picture Reggie or Sammy as a trailer,oops !!! I agree with you guys, this is a major step back. Zack, Hendrix would be worth a shot but I would rather give his teammate at Bama a try, J. Davidson is out there I believe, he is an athletic freak who has good ball skills.
All of this wringing of hands over the temporary loss of a 16 & 10 ’one thrust and done’, semi-robot of a player, albeit a good shooting one from key extended on either side. There are reasons Brand’s teams have made playoffs only once is 9 yrs – and he’s one of them. Stefanski got snookered by playoff optimism (and over-the-top signings); and myth: Cheeks, Williams, Iguodala; Brand. The spring and summer of ‘08, he won’t ever forget.
Zach: Good call on the Richard Hendrix cut! Looks like they were choosing between him and Marcus Williams to waive for Monte Ellis’ return. Picking him made sense, as Marcus Williams has a a bit more value as a future trading chip, and they already have Biedrins, Maggette, B Wright, Randolph and Turiaf at the forward spots.
Zach, I was such a fountain of babble about so many people in last June’s draft (Eric Gordon, DJ Augustin, A. Randolph, M. Speights, Brandon Rush, B. Lopez, CDR, R. Hendrix, Jamar Butler and Brian Roberts) that I’m surprised any individual actually stood out with the way I went on haha. I get a little neurotic around draft time!
I’d be THRILLED if we signed Richard Hendrix to two 10-day contracts, and then seriously thought about keeping him on board for the rest of the year. Although I don’t think the latter could happen, since we’d probably have to waive somebody once Brand returned, and I doubt we’d waive any of our vets or Jason Smith.
Hendrix is a total gem…a beefy undersized guy that is a BEAST on the boards, fearless, and a nice post game 5-8 feet from the basket. Closest comparison to a guy coming out of college recently would probably be Paul Millsap from two years ago, although Hendrix isn’t as adept a rebounder, but does have a bit more skill on the offensive end.
suede, I feel like Brett Favre, I say I’m gone but then I can’t help myself and come back… I’ll be stuck in the horrendous traffic out here, or waiting in line at the bank and I start thinking about stuff like, “You know what? The Sixers never did address the lack of basketball IQ of the team…” OR “In hindsight, should we have taken Donte Greene or Kosta Koufos instead of Speights?” OR “George freakin’ Hill… How the hell did the Spurs brass know that? I wish WE knew…” OR “So much for the 3-point shooting developing internally – I wish someone would ask Stefansky about that.” OR “I wonder what would happen if we asked Brand to learn to shoot the three…”
p.s. about R Hendrix…not that one vs. one matchups matter as much in college, as defense is much more team oriented, but Zach is absolutely right…Hendrix KILLED Mareese Speights and the interior defense Florida had:
vs. Florida: 24 pts, 16 rbs, 4 asts
vs. Florida: 22 pts, 8 rbs, 4 asts
DaveT., I hope your right about our pieces gaining value somehow with Elton out, Itry to be optimistic and if Reggie or Sammy play well ,who knows. Zack, keep waiting for Weaver to get some run but O.City needs some veteran leadership in the backcourt and Watson tries to give them some. Jumpin, did you read the Doc story on E.S.P.N.[ FOUND THE LINC ON HOOPSHYPE].
DeepSixer:
I’m not “optimistic” persay, but you have to figure with a new coach, the honeymoon period, and the fact for the last three years this team has shown improved play the second half of the season…it’s reasonable to think we can at least hold par with hovering around .500. Let’s not forget, through hard work and defense, this team minus Brand IS the team that played kickass ball the 2nd half of the year. Not saying that will happen now, but we did have all the same pieces, except for substituting Speights for Jason Smith.
I absolutely think our other players trade value will go up. In fact, I don’t see how they can’t. Iguodala is now forced to average at least 18 ppg or so…Thad and Lou’s scoring should increase, as well as A-Miller’s. Brand’s 16 ppg has to be filled up somewhere.
If A-Miller can start playing like he did last year…hitting a damn jumper and actually RUNNING A @!#$ing team…his trade value will be pretty high near the deadline. Dalembert’s rebounds, as long as he gets some extra PT, are a given to go up as well.
Jameer Nelson:
Just a sidenote, as I’m watching Magic/San Antonio right now…but Jameer has REALLY elevated his game this year. It’s the first time we’re really seeing a bit of the St. Joe’s swagger he had during college. His passing is more crisp and confident. He takes it to the basket with more aggression. He’s reading defenses better, and seems to be just seeing the floor more as an NBA PG. Nice to see him finally start coming into his own this year and really earning that $7 million+ a year contract.
Said it at the beginning of the year, I’ll say it again: the Orlando Magic, not the Cleveland Cavaliers, are the “other” team in the East people need to worry about. I will not be surprised at all when the Cavs start dipping a bit after January, and the Magic keep their 54-55 win level of play up.
Thanks, suede! I hadn’t seen it. A good retrospective and a fun read.
The Doc-tah!!
I usually don’t like trade talks early in the season, but I want to propose something.
The former Sixer John Salmons is having an awsome season for the Kings. Something like 19 ppg (im not positive though)
Any chance we would WANT to get him through a trade?
DaveT., I would agree with you about Orlando if they were on an equal playing field but Cleveland seems willing to do whatever it takes to keep Lebron happy and Orlando seems a bit capstrapped. Szerbiaks! contract may yet yield the final piece for Cleveland [Marian?]. I thought after their 1st year that D. West was better but Jameer is becoming a point that you can win with, something I wasn!t sure of early on. Guest, he is becoming a nice player and at 5 mill. you get more bang for your buck than with Iggy [11.5 mill.].Jumpin, I didn!t know his daughter got to be that highly ranked in tennis, I wonder what she could have become on the basketball court ,after all she has the Doc!s hands.
i actually like the injury, throw the sixers in some cold water and see whether they sink or swim. fair enough. the honeymoon is over. whatever they can do will at least be earned and not just some illusion.
Dave T: i’m happy bout the stock rising. i really do think that what will eventually transform this team into a more capable one is a trade. a subtraction and then addition. dunno for sure if it’ll happen tho. i’ve been seeing Orlando too, they’re one step short of the real thing i think.
guest: salmons talent wise is comparable to willie green. he just happens to maximize his potential unlike Iguodala. you know he’s never gonna come back here though.
Jkay: Cool we see eye to eye on the “other players stock rise” thing…but on your last point…John Salmons is comparable to Willie Green talent wise. PLEASE tell me you’re kidding?!?!?! John Salmons, while he might have been one of the most inconsistent Sixers of the 00’s era, is a good three rungs up on any ladder of comparable talent to Willie Green.
He’s a total ball hawk on the ball, and is a FAR better defender in both individual and team aspects than Willie. In fact, one of these years I will not be surprised if Salmons is on the 1st team all NBA for defense…and if there was a 2nd or 3rd team, Salmons would be able to regularly make it. He’s a great passer for a SF his size and has top level bball IQ and ability to see the court…again, KILLS Willie in this area. The one knock used to be his shooting, and over time, he’s developed into a more consistent shooter than Willie. He’s more consistent, reliable, and a better and creative overall scorer.
C’mon, comparing sheer talent between Salmons and Willie is a joke. At best, Willie is a nice piece off the bench that provides good energy, hustle, defense and slashing ability…that could occassionally fill in as an adequate starter. Salmons at his best is a true starting quality NBA SF, has an incredibly versatile game, makes others around him better, and is a top flight defender.
I really don’t understand all the Willie Green hating around here. He isn’t a great player, but he definitely belongs in the league.
The real problem is everyone’s expectations of how he should play. I would argue that over half the teams in the league would find a spot for him in the rotation, including some playoff teams.
Dave T- There actually are first and second team all-defense every year. Here is a comprehensive list.
I’m sure there are certain political qualifications that determine who makes these teams, but if Salmons was as good a defender as you claim, why isn’t he used as a lockdown defender on a playoff team?
I don’t mean to call you out, but you are definitely exaggerating his defensive and overall skill.
If you can back your claim with video/statistical/anecdotal evidence, though, I would gladly take your side.
Boomdizzle, I was surprised to see C.Paul on that list. With our DEFENSIVE personality it would be nice to get somebody on that list when we get better as a team.I like Salmons offensive game now that his shot has improved and he seemed to give effort defensively. Willie has improved 2 of the 3 things he needed to this year, defense and decision making. If he could shoot a little better from deep he would raise his value even more and become what we need off the bench.
Looks like B.Roy welcomed J.Richardson to the western conference. I wonder how good Minn. would be with a Jefferson,Roy and Love trio ?
Suede – I watched that Portland/Phoenix game last night. Brandon Roy has the game we all wish Iguodala had. He can do everything on both sides of the ball. He played a lot of big point guard at Washington which improved his ball handling, passing and ability to see the floor and lead. He has developed better jump shot and is getting better every time I see him in the post against guys his size or smaller.
Really nice player only getting better and already a leader. Player you can build around. We are still searching…
I read somewhere that there were knee issues coming out of college, well there better have been for McHale and a few other G.M.!s to pass on him.
Dave T….from last thread…..about Ramon Sessions:
He caught my eye a bit last year. This year I’ve been following him very closely because he’s on my ReclinerGM Fantasy Team. He was still on the board in the latter rounds and I grabbed him. (Just ahead of Dannie, who also wanted him if I remember).
Like I said before, he was playing fantastic ball earlier, so I don’t know why he’s getting squeezed out now. During the game on Wednesday the Bucks announcers were talking about the difference between Ridnour and Sessions. They went on at length about how Ridnour is always on the move, is very good at finding guys and passing while in motion, and plays better that way. They said that Sessions is more of a “stand still” type of point guard who will pick up his dribble more (I don’t know that I agree with this so much). They never said that playing that way is a negative for Sessions, just that he plays a different style than Ridnour. Also, without saying so directly, the Bucks announcers gave me the impression that Ridnour is getting the bulk of the minutes because Skiles wants to push the ball and he feels that Ridnour is better suited to play that style.
I know we want to play an uptempo style and push the ball but I still think that, if Sessions is getting squeezed out in Milwaukee, he would be a great pickup for us.
2006 was the year Portland got in position to be extremely good because if you remember they got LaMarcus Aldridge that year as well. I was high on him and thought Portland got a ridiculous steal because they only gave up the “potential” of Tyrus Thomas. Dumb, dumb, dumb by the Bulls who clearly were desperate for front court scoring. Dumb.
No clue what Toronto was thinking taking Bargnani at number 1. People too obsessed with foreign players as usual. Jordan made his second draft blunder taking Adam Morrison over Roy and Rudy Gay.
Roy should have been the first pick in the draft. I never understand drafting tall guys with a high talent ceiling who will most likely be mediocre over the best player available. Speaking of Roy, the guy he was traded for ain’t too shabby. Randy Foye was starting to kick ass switching between the 1 and 2 before McHale became head coach. Look at his numbers from 11/23 to 12/12 then compare them to his past three games where McHale is making him run the point primarily. Good old Kevin McHale, screwing crap up again. But on that note, maybe it will lower Randy’s trade value and we can pick him up. Randy and Mike Miller for Iggy and Jason Smith?
It’s time to see if Lou Will can be a viable starting guard in the NBA. If not, he and another (Sammy, Andre, Reggie?) could be used to get our scoring/shooting guard. Thinking Ben Gordon. Lou would work coming off the bench in Chicago when Heinrich is healthy. I think Chicago would be interested.
Blski, I got to watch a lot of Sessions when I was scouting the next big thing for the Sixers [Fazekas] late at night with a cold beer in hand and he and M.Kemp looked like a future N.B.A. backcourt but boy was I wrong about Fazekas. S.F.W., L.Will. played his best last year next to A.Miller, rather than Willie, and I ,for one, would love to see him get the chance to start next to A.Miller now. It would answer 3 big questions for this team if it worked; 1] could he be the 2 guard we have been lacking [20 ppg.] 2] do we resign A.Miller [ need a strong p.g. if L.Will. is your starting 2 guard] and 3] will we be good enough defensively with this setup. Personnally I think A.Miller is better using his strength to guard the bigger 2 guards than pressuring and going under the screens at the top and with Elton and Sammy we should be okay against penetration. I just think L.Will. has a better chance to be a #1 scorer in this league than Thad because of his swagger and scoring mentality. What do you guys think ?
Suede….I’d be willing to give it a shot. So, you’re talking about Miller-Williams-Iguodala-Young-Dalembert for a starting 5? If we do this it would create an opening for a shooter (Rush or Marshall) to get some run with the second unit. It also should open up some minutes for Ivey.
It really is time (a little late, IMO) to find out exactly what we have in some of these guys. Now that DiLeo is going to implement “our system”, we need to know a) Who can play well in it. b) Who can play with whom. c) Who we will be keeping going forward. d) What we still need.
I have read several times that the philosophy is to establish our uptempo style of play and then to let Brand figure out where to fit in when he gets back. If that is indeed our plan, then we had better get to it. If we can answer some (hopefully all) of these questions while Brand is out, I’ll be happy.
We have a couple months (before the trade deadline) to sort this out. Before we make any deals, I’d like us to have a clear idea of what we are doing and where we are going.
We have to establish something (a system, a style, an identity, a philosophy, a core group of players) solid to build around first and then go from there. Otherwise we will continue to spin our wheels indefinitely wondering whether it’s the system, the coach, or the players who are letting us down.
Blski, the problem with L.Will. coming off the bench is most of the p.g.!s coming out of college this year are small or slight of built especially the guy I like [Collison] If we bring in one of these guys can they play with L.Will. off the bench, doubtful, but with a bigger 2 guard [Willie,Rush, etc.] that could work. If Thad could become the best 6th man in the league [15 ppg.?] than the move of L.Will. to starter hurts our bench less. I!m assuming nothing changes at the trade deadline because as much as I want Sam out of here, it is not as easy as it sounds and E.s. seems to be a Sam guy. Like you said the roles should be put in place by years end. Jason should, if healthy, take Theo!s spot next year and Marreese the backup 4 plus some backup 5 minutes. Reggie, in the next month, could have something to say about that though, man I love what he brings to this team, in spite of his skill set. Elton, hopefully becomes an 18 and 10 guy with maybe not as many minutes as during his earlier career [32 ?] because if we play uptempo than the more the merrier.
Boom: I actually wasn’t aware there was a 2nd team all defense for the NBA, good to know. And Boom, for the record, I’m not a Willie hater at all…I’m definitely in the camp of: “In the right situation as a 7th guy off the bench, Willie is great at bringing hustle, energy, slashing, defense” mindset. He’s no NBA starter, but I’ve always liked him off the bench.
Why isn’t John Salmons used as a defensive guy for a playoff team? Well…because his Sixers and and Kings teams sucked and weren’t ever in the playoffs (except for the ‘05 Sixers…and possibly 02-03 Sixers if that was his rookie year). I’m can’t provide individual statistical analysis for him on defense, because I don’t feel defense for an individual can be successfully measured through mathmatics. So all I’ll say is…watch him. I’m not saying right now he’s an all-NBA defender…but it’s in his potential to be there.
Dan: Your trade idea of Iguodala to the TWolves is probably the first realistic trade brainstorm I’ve ever heard on this forum. Usually people throw out “lets give them our garbage for…their all star!” But the T-Wolves could definitely use an athletic, versatile, both-sides of the court SF to add some scoring punch, defense, passing. Especially since Brewer is injured and not panning out as expected…and they clearly don’t like Carney. And we obviously could use a young PG that can shoot the rock, and Mike Miller…a 6′8 scorer and 3 point machine…would be a great addition.
I wouldn’t pull the trigger though. Why? Because I don’t trust Foye yet at all…far too injured, inconsistent, and honestly I never really thought he was an ideal NBA starter (for the future, obviously he’d back up A-Miller for now)…and Mike Miller is a HORRIBLE defender. And honestly, I just can’t see a Foye, Miller, Thad, Brand, D-Bear combo putting us in the top of the East. Still, that’s a real creative idea, I like the thinking behind it.
Bski: Nice post. And the comments you heard about why Bucks brass like Ridnour over Sessions…is exactly why I’d love to have Sessions on our team. Ridnour is a pretty good player, but he’s not nearly as effective in the halfcourt. If people are standing around and he has the ball, he’s not generally going to be creative enough to slide through the defense and create opportunities for others.
Sessions has a great halfcourt game…I mean damn, watching him with Kemp and Fazekas at Nevada, they had GREAT chemistry. He knows when to get the ball down low, vs to the wing, when the team needs him to score a basket vs. distribute, and he’s a great cutter off the ball…just a smart, heady player. And he’s perfectly capable of running the break too.
Phoenix/Portland: I hope people were able to catch this one late last night…it was one hell of a game. Playoff atmosphere, players were chippy and real into it, high scoring, both teams shot well, back and forth the whole game with several mini comebacks, both teams put on nice offensive displays at different points. Games like this are why I love basketball.
Dave T, Thanks. I try not to put BS out there as it’s a waste of time. I think Foye is a starter in the league, Monta Ellis style (but a lot bigger). I think he would thrive with another combo guard like he did at Nova. The trade I really wanted the Sixers to make last year was Sam for Mike Miller and Kyle Lowry. But then Miller was traded to the Wolves which nixed it. Look at how the Grizz have been playing with Lowry as the starter. He doesn’t put up huge numbers but he wins games because of his defense and basketball intelligence.
Ok. City offered Kristic 15 mill. for 3 years, Nets probably won!t match; there is one less possible destination for Sammy. Dave T., good interview with D.Coleman. Dave T., would you give up this years #1 for Sessions ?
Suede – To interject my opinion on your question to Dave T, HELL NO!