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Yesterday at the Wachovia Center, the 76ers officially introduced Brand, a 6-foot-8 power forward and two-time all-star, as their free-agent addition.
All involved parties - Brand, his agent David Falk, and 76ers president and general manager Ed Stefanski - agreed that the deal was the result of an unexpected, and whirlwind, eight days of talks.
At the end of June, Brand had assumed he would remain a Los Angeles Clipper. Yesterday, he held a Sixers jersey and smiled for the cameras.
Brand, a 29-year-old native of Peekskill, N.Y., made one thing clear: The dedication of the 76ers caught his attention.
He said that another suitor, Golden State, had offered more money. Brand added that with Falk on his side, he was sure he could have gotten even more.
"But I coined a term," Brand said. "Ed [Stefanski], David [Falk] and I coined a term: the 'Phillymax.' They gave everything they could. Another team I passed on didn't come close to that. Having the fact they believe in me and wanted to give everything they could, even though it's less, that really hit home with me and made me say, 'That's the kind of people I want to work for and with.' "
Brand said Golden State's offer was for five years and $90 million. Brand's deal with the Sixers is believed to be for five years and $82 million.
During his nine-year NBA career, the former Duke standout has averaged 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He is one of only four players, along with Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett, to have career averages of 20 and 10. Last season, Brand missed all but eight games with a ruptured left Achilles tendon.
Brand said he was "100 percent" healthy. Stefanski said the organization felt confident and secure after its thorough review of Brand's health.
The 76ers entered this summer with about $11 million in salary-cap space. In order to get themselves in Brand's ballpark, the team cleared an additional $2 million in cap space by shipping forward Rodney Carney, center Calvin Booth, and a future first-round pick to Minnesota. That deal was made official yesterday.
Last week the 76ers courted a restricted free agent, 22-year-old Josh Smith from Atlanta. Stefanski said that although Smith is a talented young player, the organization could not pass on the opportunity to bring in one of the "top four or five power forwards in the league."
Falk said that for personal reasons, because Brand and his wife, Shahara, are expecting their first child, Brand wanted to "get a certain amount of stability in his life."
He wanted a long-term deal with the Clippers.
On the afternoon of the same day that Brand opted out of his contract, there was an offer from the Clippers.
Falk said Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy had explained that owner Donald Sterling was not comfortable making the offer - believed to be for five years and about $70 million - and that if Brand refused, Sterling would be just as happy as if he accepted it.
At that same time, the Clippers agreed to a five-year, $65 million deal with former Golden State guard Baron Davis, which limited the offer they could make to Brand.
"I never said, 'Go get Baron and I'll come,' " Brand said. "Baron said [to me], 'Do what's best for you.' "
Falk called that turn of events "disturbing" and said he was astounded at the way the Clippers handled his client.
Falk and Brand were led to believe that further discussion was not an option. "That set the chain of events in motion that led us here," the agent said.
Brand said he had called his agent at 12:01, the first minute that teams are allowed to make contact, and asked, "Philly didn't call?"
"That was a negotiation ploy," Stefanski joked. "Act like I don't care."
Nothing could be further from the truth.
"He was always on the team's board," said Peter Luukko, the president and chief operating officer of Comcast-Spectacor. "But he had to opt out."
Stefanski laid the groundwork for this opportunity in December when the Sixers traded Kyle Korver and his $4 million contract to Utah, getting the expiring contract of Gordan Giricek and a first-round pick in return.
"Since we made the [Korver] trade, all we kept saying was, 'We need an opportunity,' " Stefanski said. "Well, the good Lord sent him down. The opportunity did come and we were there and we were prepared."
Stefanski, Brand and Falk all referred to "a lot of sleepless nights" over the last eight days.
"That should explain why we were so interested in a guy like this," said Stefanski, tossing a thumb at Brand.
"Elton is going to be a mentor," Stefanski said. "These young guys; it's going to be great for him to be around."
Brand said he first considered the 76ers as early as last season, when he heard they were clearing cap room for this summer. He said he watched as the 76ers had a great second half of the season, eventually losing in six games to Detroit in the playoffs.
"I was drawn to this team," Brand said.
The Sixers have established themselves as a strong defensive team, one that likes to score in transition. The one gaping hole, Luukko said, was that second option to go with forward Andre Iguodala (19.9 points per game).
"I saw as the year went through to the playoffs: We needed another option," Luukko said. "And this is another option . . . to say the least."
"Besides the basketball, he is one of the good guys in the NBA," Stefanski said. "He does all the right things. The community of Philadelphia, we just inherited a real good guy.
"We went to the hill, to the max, for this guy. The Phillymax."
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