Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 3:25 PM | 20 comments |
 

Elton Brand's Search For A Niche
options
 

I don't see a lack of confidence in Elton Brand.

I don't sense him having doubts about himself.

I do sense . . . puzzlement.

Watching the 76ers' games, seeing him in practice, paying close attention to his interviews, I sense a guy in search of the rugged, bruising power forward he used to be.

But whatever he's looking for, coach Eddie Jordan apparently doesn't see it, either. Going in to tonight's game in New Jersey, Brand hasn't been on the court in two of the last three fourth quarters. He only appeared in the other one after Marreese Speights went out with a banged knee.

I'll accept that Jordan's eye, as an experienced coach, is more trained than mine, but I still don't see the explosion in Brand's legs. I see him bumping and grinding and using his strength and body positioning, but still struggling to break free for his mid-range jump shot or a hard move to the rim.

When Brand was with the Los Angeles Clippers, he knew when he'd be on the court, where he'd be spotted, how he'd be used. He doesn't seem to have that comfort zone yet. And it's even harder to find when some of the players around him, notably center Samuel Dalembert, are equally struggling. Those two have been trying to locate chemistry since early last season.

''I don't think I've had the opportunity to be out there and say 'Hey, let's do something different,''' Brand said after Tuesday's practice.

But understand this: Unless Jordan has a sudden, dramatic change of plans, the starting lineup will remain in place.

"We look at Elton and Sam as our starting 4 and 5 (power forward and center),'' Jordan said. ''We give them the chance to keep those minutes. They won that in training camp.''

And if, for the moment, that means Speights and Jason Smith are on the court down the stretch, so be it.

I don't think Jordan's plan is etched in stone for even the next 8-10 games, but I do believe Brand--as a veteran and as a major free agent acquisition--has earned the right to try and play his way back.

 
Posted by Phil Jasner @ 3:25 PM  Permalink | 20 comments
20
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:56 PM, 11/11/2009
    Phil, My being the only one so far to post a comment is indicative of how virtually nobody cares about this totally mediocre team. Sam The Sham is horrendous. Thank you, Braindead Billt King. A signing that has gone down in infamy. And No Shot Stefanski is just as bad with his signing of Generic Brand. He has become a stiff. But I do have a niche for him. Some other team's roster.
    — baabyrrej
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:07 PM, 11/11/2009
    zzzzzzz same old stuff...its because of this and that....we dont care trade elton brand he does not fit with the sixers. at this point we be in a better situation to start speights and jason smith over sam and elton. start jrue, iggy, thad, speights and jason smiths. they have the best chemistry and lou is better coming off the bench.
    — world champs
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:09 PM, 11/11/2009
    If Jordan would give Brand 30 + minutes a game we would know if he is living up to what we need or not. He had 8 points in the first quarter against the Nets last week and barely played after that. At least give the guy a chance to prove his worth or fail.
    — CBent1
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:05 PM, 11/11/2009
    CBent1....great comment..he has done well but eddie jordan hasnt gave him good starter min....i think he could avd 17 9...and that better than 10 6...give the man an chance...he's playing solid.....VOTE FOR IGUODALA TO GO TO THE ALLSTAR GAME EVERYONE....
    — iguodala215
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:41 PM, 11/11/2009
    Agree that Jordan needs to give Brand 35 minutes per game to see what he can do once and for all and how the team does with him in the lineup for that long.
    — chuckw
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:00 PM, 11/11/2009
    As I noted in another post earlier today, we will not know what Brand can do until EJ gets him up to 30-45 minutes playing time per game. Maybe EJ knows something the rest of us don't? Could it be that Brand is not 100%???? That would be of absolutely no surprise to me, though the fact that Brand is complaining about lack of PT suggests that maybe he is healthy.
    — john newlin
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:54 PM, 11/11/2009
    it's really not Brand's fault that the players around him can't guard the perimeter. I dont know why people think this team has a problem scoring, all that thinking with the Princeton O leaves them brain dead on the defensive end.
    — CallerNo9
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:41 PM, 11/11/2009
    How about starting by trying to search for a way to pay us back all the money he is stealing.
    — DennyP
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:11 PM, 11/11/2009
    Brands niche should be to retire and own a carwash
    — gwite
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:06 PM, 11/11/2009
    IT seems pretty simple from this vantage point -- play Speights and Brand at the 4 and 5, rotating them based on match-ups...that would open up the short range game for Brand a bit. And while the D might suffer a bit, it's clear that the problem with this team is Sam, not EB.
    — jmk1512
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:35 PM, 11/11/2009
    I got a niche for him...centerpiece of a trade to anywhere else for picks.
    — JSaq
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:09 PM, 11/11/2009
    Brand is a worse deal than CWebb, because when we signed Brand we had cap space. We acquired CWebb by trading garbage for garbage.
    — Chainsaw
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:08 AM, 11/12/2009
    iguodala has my vote. as a point guard. sp8ts and brand together. too offensive minded.
    — combocancer1975
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:52 AM, 11/12/2009
    We're not paying someone $80+ million to find their niche. If you get paid that much you have to have a significant impact IMMEDIATELY. I said all along they shouldve gotten Josh Smith. They never shouldve made this move. Smtih is about 7yrs younger than Brand. Brand is already 30 and while thats not old the guy has already lost a step. He hasnt played in 2yrs. Why on earth would you pay a guy that kind of money after he came off a season ending injury. He has STARTED only 29 games in the past 2 yrs. As much as it pains me to root for my team to lose the only way for them to get better is to get worse. They need to stop making the playoffs because it will keep them stuck in mediocrity. They need to miss the playoffs so they can get high draft picks or lottery picks. This team isnt going anywhere the way it is now.
    — philliekev04


20 comments | View All Comments | View All By Latest
View comments: 1  |  2
About Bob Cooney
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.

Join on Facebook   

Advertise Here
Latest Sixers Videos