Posted: Monday, January 12, 2009, 3:55 PM | 11 comments |
 

Brand in Practice
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During today's practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), injured forward Elton Brand hit the practice floor and participated in contact half-court drills. Brand did not look to be favoring his left arm or shoulder, but he did say afterwards that "It's not 100 percent, I can feel that, but it's pretty good."

Brand scrimmaged in a half-court setting, but did not go full court. He said he plans to go full during tomorrow's practice.

So when will he be back? The 76ers play at home Wednesday against the Portland Trailblazers and Friday against the San Antonio Spurs.

"Wednesday might be out, but I'll be practicing tomorrow," Brand said. He, and coach Tony DiLeo, said they would consult the medical staff and determine when Brand will be back in the lineup. But it looks to be very soon.

"We have Reggie Evans on our team, so of course I got hit," Brand said about today's effort. "And one time Royal Ivey grabbed [my arm], but that's good because that's what will happen in a game.

"It was good to be out there with the guys. They forgot I was hurt, they fouled me pretty hard."

Brand said he's still thinking about the shoulder injury -- dislocated in the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 17 -- but that he needs to work past that mental block.

DiLeo said he was encouraged by Brand's presence today. DiLeo said if things go well tomorrow, and there isn't another setback, Brand's return is just a matter of consensus from the doctors as well as Brand that things feel comfortable and ready. No one would offer an exact game, but if Brand mentioned the Trailblazer game, we could see Brand in the lineup as early as this weekend.

--Kate

 
Posted by Kate Fagan @ 3:55 PM  Permalink | 11 comments
11
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:13 PM, 01/12/2009
    kate: probably impossible to tell if brand's legs seemed strong in both shooting and jumping (some running but not like full court). taking some "pounding" from evans will get him use to actual games. hope the psychological hurdles of either the shoulder or, more importantly, integrating back into the flow of the team, won't be a problem.
    — 127sixer59
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:34 PM, 01/12/2009
    Wouldn't it make sense to wait until he's virtually 100 per cent to avoid re-injury and given the teams' current roll?
    — person
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:07 AM, 01/13/2009
    if Dalembert keeps getting these sporadic minutes, we're gonna win alot more games. Bob, you sound like the guy that said the Phillies wouldn't win another World Series LOLOLOLZ!
    — CallerNo9
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:07 AM, 01/13/2009
    The question is whether his return will help this team or not. We seem to play the run and gun game very well, but not the half court game. Brand is a half court player. Better to let him sit until we figure out how to get him involved in the offense in a way that wins games
    — jeff gross
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:41 AM, 01/13/2009
    When you invest $80mil in a player you are kinda forced to use him no matter what, and that is what the Sixers will do.....hey, what if they put Brand in at the center spot and bring soggy Sammy off the bench? I just hope they don't mess up the current on-court chemistry....Brand may have to take a back seat in the offense to the rejuvinated Iggy and consistently solid Miller.
    — MrFancyPants
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:37 AM, 01/13/2009
    The Sixers style of play all along was supposed to be a fast break team, but they were most importantly supposed to play as a team. I think we are seeing that now and hopefully will continue with Elton in the lineup. Elton doesn't have to score 20 a game but his 10 boards and 2 blocks will be invaluable. And during crunch time when a half court offense is needed, Elton can make something happen or allow either of the Andres to make something happen. As we saw during the Detroit series last year, the team was lost when it couldn't run. Having Andre Miller as your best post-up option won't help you win in the long run.
    — t.j-101
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:13 PM, 01/13/2009
    I wonder if the way Azinger approached the Ryder Cup, developing small teams that became cohesive and had chemistry to work together well, is somethng that happens with an NBA team and it's rotation..ie Lou and Speights, Miller and AI. It looks like right now, they have groups that work well together in different spots of the game and different combos that we didn't have before Dileo...Brand is going to need to find that same chemistry that they have already developed these past games without him. I think it will require some patience though.
    — srvdove
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:40 PM, 01/14/2009
    It's simple, RUN FIRST, HALF COURT SECOND! I'm a Mo Cheeks fan but he seemed to have missed that point. We've got a team of young thoroughbreds and one gifted inside worker, so you go to your strengths first. When that fails you can fall back on Brand.
    — Barton
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:12 PM, 01/14/2009
    I've been watching the game tonight, and I've gotta say that I'm impressed with the improvement with the Sixers. Suddenly Iggy and Miller can hit 3-pointers? Crazy. If they keep going like this, I'd really really like to see DiLeo and Miller both return next year.
    — Oliver
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:29 AM, 01/15/2009
    Really nice defensive insensity last nite. Object lesson in the concept that defense is the key to getting the running game going.
    — K,M


11 comments
About John Mitchell
John Mitchell is in his first year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.

Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.

ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI

Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.

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