In this day and age it is incredibly difficult to 'steal' a player. For some, trades like the one that sent Pau Gasol to the Lakers would constitute a steal, except that trades require two agreeable parties, hardly a classical definition of theft. With the complexities of the NBA's salary cap and luxury tax, along with 24-hour coverage of a player's every whim and fancy, it can be near impossible for a team swoop in a steal another's asset unexpectedly or for a player to sour on his team and bolt out of the blue.
However, on July 10th the Philadelphia 76ers managed to complete one of the most decisive robberies in recent memory. They convinced former All-Star and marquee free agent Elton Brand to abandon the L.A. Clippers and sign a new five-year deal worth $82 million to play in Philly. This is after the Clippers committed big money to free agent point guard Baron Davis (reportedly) at Brand's urging. It was widely assumed that his opting-out in L.A. had everything to do with extending his contract and nothing to do with an imminent departure. Ten days later the landscape of the Eastern Conference was significantly altered.
Brand represents the ideal fit for this team that had money to spend. Last season this super-athletic team went on a tear in the second half of the year to eek into the Playoffs. They played an up-tempo offense that was quarterbacked by a reborn Andre Miller. Few teams could match up with their young legs and heady playmaker, but their savvier opponents were able to keep them in check by slowing the game down and forcing the Sixers to play halfcourt basketball; hardly a strength of a team with no shooters and no low post-presence.
Enter Brand who will now anchor the Sixers' starting power forward slot, giving them some much-needed post scoring, as well as another shot blocker alongside Sam Dalembert and a more experienced team leader that can take the reigns of the club from the ill-equipped Andre Iguodala. He gives Philly an option in half-court offensive sets that can create his own shot down low as well as draw double-teams away from the perimeter.
That, though, is where problems remain. Unfortunately the Sixers were unable to lure a dependable shooter to the team this summer, and unless one of the mainstays shows up to camp with a more consistent jumper, this issue could come back to haunt the team during the season and, especially, during the Playoffs. Combining that limitation with the reality that this team will not be sneaking up on anyone this year (especially since the Brand signing) and the Sixers could be looking at another lower-four seed this postseason.
Part of the reason for that is the uncertain development of Andre Iguodala. This time last year he was being handed the keys to the franchise. Despite turning down a massive extension last summer, he was seen as the future of the 76ers post-Allen Iverson. His season, though, didn't quite blow anyone away. His stats remained more or less even with the year before, though they did dip in a few key areas (rebounds, assists, free throw shooting). His shooting remained erratic and, most importantly, he choked severely in Philly's Playoff series against Detroit. In fact, given the quality of play that netted the team two unexpected wins in the series it could be argued that a productive Iguodala could have put more than just a scare into Detroit's Playoff success. While an elevation is his play may not have guaranteed Philly the series, it may have gone a long way towards justifying the large contract Philly would inevitably bestow to their restricted free agent (which turned out to be six-years, $80 million). The hope now is that with Brand on the floor to relieve some of the responsibility of carrying the team his game will be free to grow without such burdensome expectations set at his feet.
All told, though, this season should be a positive one. They managed to walk away with their best-case scenario in free agency and also managed to re-sign Iguodala and key restricted free agent Louis Williams. They may not have joined the ranks of Boston or Detroit this off-season, but they've taken another step further away from the lottery position they held the two springs previous. Philly is about as intriguing a team as there is this season because so much of the roster remains so young and unproven. If they can take another step forward as a group this season then they'll be a legitimate force going into 2009-2010.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
PG - Andre Miller
When Andre Miller left the Clippers (where he last played with Elton Brand) and joined the Denver Nuggets in 2003 it looked as though he was going disappear into the glut of mid-level point guards good enough to start but not good enough to make a measureable difference to a team. However, when he was traded to Philly two seasons ago his career was rejuvenated. All of a sudden that player who averaged 10.9 assists in '01-'02 was back, leading the most exciting run-n-gun offence in the Eastern Conference. On a team stocked with young talent like Iguodala, Dalembert and Thaddeus Young it was the 32-year-old Miller who proved to be the most integral cog in the Sixers' machine. His ability to sculpt a workable offense out of a group of still-raw athletes was a sight to behold - and it's no wonder why this team is looking to extend his contract now rather than wait for it to expire next summer.
SG - Andre Iguodala
Iguodala is a good player, make no mistake about it. People felt he was worthy of his own team a year ago and there was a reason for it; he's athletic, he can rebound, he gets steals and he plays defense. The problem is that his improvement hasn't come in leaps and bounds like some might have expected it to. He seems better equipped to be a third best player on a Playoff team - like Josh Howard or Shawn Marion - than he does to be the number one. His game is too erratic for that and he hasn't (yet?) proven capable of leading his team by example on the court. So now that responsibility is clearly off of his shoulders with Brand (and Miller) on the team and he enters a career crossroads where he will demonstrate for all to see if he's an underrated third-best player or an overpaid, overhyped, 'shoulda-been-better' player.
SF - Thaddeus Young
In some ways Young is in the same place Iguodala was in his sophomore year. He's big and athletic and he does lots of good stuff on the court. He's the trendy youngster to back in Philly right now because his so-called 'upside' seems so limitless to so many. In truth, Young is a very rawforward who is going to have to dedicate himself to some serious skill-development before he takes the next-step as a player. If he can start rounding out his game he could be the next Gerald Wallace. If he doesn't he could be the next Stromile Swift. It's up to him.
PF - Elton Brand
One of the best and worst things about this signing revolves around his returning from an injury. The best part is that any player, especially one of Brand's caliber, is going to be desperate to play ball again after having to sit out virtually an entire season. That is especially true when you want to prove that you are in fact fully recovered from surgery. The downside then is that he is a player retuning from an injury that cost him virtually an entire season, and while it is widely believed that he is fully recovered and rearing to go, fans will breathe a lot easier once they've seen him perform at an All-Star level out on the court.
C - Sam Dalembert
Barring an unexpected dismissal for not sitting with the 76ers at lunch, Dalembert is going to look to improve up on a career-year a season ago. After years of showing flashes Dalembert finally looked like he'd put it all together last season. He broke the double-digit barrier in rebounds per game (10.4), he got his blocks back up above two (2.3) and he managed his lowest foul output since his rookie year (a still uneasy 3.3 a game). Combine that with a newfound mid-range jumper and Dalembert, at 27, is rounding into his prime quite nicely. Playing alongside Brand, who is an equally capable defender, should allow Dalembert to cut into that fouls per game issue and really work out one of the last kinks in his game. It took a while getting there, but Dalembert is finally finding his groove in the NBA.