Our goal at Them’s Good Eaton has always tended more toward “analysis” than “up-to-the-minute updates,” as we try so intently to explain in our About TGE section. So when Ed Stefanski masterminded the free agent signing of Elton Brand for the Sixers, we set about thinking of some different kind of analysis we could give you on the move.
Well, we give up on trying to find a different angle. We’ll just repeat what everyone else has said: thank you, Ed!
Brand instantly makes the Sixers a player in the Eastern Conference, something they haven’t realistically been since the 2001 Finals ended. And while the Celtics, Pistons, and any team featuring LeBron James (even one with such a poor supporting cast) are still above the Sixers in the conference pecking order, there’s no reason to think that these Sixers can’t challenge for a spot in the conference finals.
A couple of quick hit musings…
- Brand simultaneously addresses the Sixers two biggest needs: a legit power forward, and someone who can score in a half-court set. No longer will we see Reggie Evans hoisting turnaround jumpers from the top of the key with the shot clock running down.
- We’ve always been a bit wary of advanced statistical analysis when it comes to basketball — it’s much more of a team sport than baseball, where sabermetrics is such an effective tool — but ESPN’s John Hollinger absolutely loves this move for the Sixers. In fact, he forecasts the 2008-09 Sixers at 52 wins — which would have been good for 3rd or 4th place in last year’s Eastern Conference.
- And while we’re on the topic of advanced statistics: among active players, Brand is 8th in career Player Efficiency Rating, ahead of some pretty illustrious names (Allen Iverson, Paul Pierce, and Steve Nash to name a few). Oh, and he’s 23rd all time, too.
- The whole starting lineup suddenly looks a lot better. Brand bumps Thaddeus Young to small forward and Andre Iguodala to shooting guard, and the Sixers wind up with a much more robust (and better defensive) lineup that looks like this: Andre Miller (6′2″), Andre Iguodala (6′6″), Thaddeus Young (6′8″), Elton Brand (6′8″), Samuel Dalembert (6′11″).
- Speaking of Dalembert, how stoked must he be? He once again becomes a secondary offensive option, so he can go back to focusing on what he’s good at: offensive putbacks, shotblocking, and defense.
- Finally, how good did the old Sixers uni look on Brand in that photo shoot? Do yourself a favor and go sign Sixers4guido’s petition to bring back the classic uniforms.
Obviously the Sixers aren’t done yet. Stefanski must find some way to add a shooter — after last year’s Korver trade, this team was absolutely abysmal from beyond the arc — and since the Sixers are now out of cap room, he’ll have to get creative. Depressed Fan has a rundown of the potential methods, and it looks like signing a shooter for the veteran minimum is the most likely at this point. As he said in that post, Depressed Fan’s going to come up with a list of candidates at some point, so if you’re interested, we’d recommend checking back there.
Alright, that’s all for now. Enjoy the last weekend of baseball before the All Star break, folks.
