Bob Cooney: Brand just as frustrated as Sixers fans

THIS ISN'T the way Elton Brand envisioned his first two seasons here either, 76ers fans.

When pointing out the disappointment with the Sixers organization, one of the first issues that is always brought up is the 5-year, $80 million contract to which general manager Ed Stefanski signed Brand in the summer of 2008.

Brand had missed 74 games the previous season with the Los Angeles Clippers after tearing his left Achilles' tendon.

Last season, after averaging just 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in his 29 games with the Sixers, Brand was shut down due to a shoulder injury, prematurely ending another season.

For 2 years, Brand hasn't concentrated on basketball during the offseason. Instead, it has been all about rehabilitation. He has admitted that his leg was nowhere near 100 percent at the beginning of last season and you have to wonder how healthy he was coming into this one.

As the season progressed, Brand seems to have gotten stronger, although his numbers (13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds) haven't been close to the career averages of 20 points and 10 rebounds he brought with him when he signed that huge contract.

Now, another injury, Achilles' tendinitis in his right leg, has sidelined him for the past two games and maybe longer.

Is it a case of Brand, turning 31 in 6 days, breaking down?

Brand is the closest thing to a tough, physical presence the team has down low. He throws his 6-9, 254-pound body into and through people each and every minute he's on the court. Could it be a case of all that pounding taking its toll? Brand doesn't think so.

"I have battled injuries the past two seasons, something I've never had to do before," he said recently. "And during the offseasons [after the injuries] a lot of my time was spent healing and rehabbing, not necessarily on the basketball court. So maybe my game has been a little behind of where it was. But I also think I've been getting better all year.

"I know people are looking for those numbers [20 and 10] from me. I understand that. But we do have Sam [Dalembert] down low, and he gobbles up a lot of rebounds. And at the beginning of the year, I wasn't getting many minutes, so it's hard to score when you're on the bench."

Probably the fiercest competitor on the team, Brand truly believes that he can, and will, return to his former self.

"Oh, absolutely," he said. "There is no question in my mind."

That was said before the recent injury, which is the opposite Achilles' that he hurt in Los Angeles.

We'll see.

Earlier this week, the Sixers and Allen Iverson officially announced what many had expected - that he won't be returning to the team this season. The reason given was so Iverson could help care for his ailing 4-year-old daughter, who is suffering from an unspecified illness. And that's a reason no one can argue with.

Looking at his time here this season since he came back in early December and then the 25 games he played as a Sixer can stir all sorts of mixed reactions. Mine is this: I still think it was a good move.

Did he help the team win more games than it would have without him? Probably not. Did gobbling up minutes that could have been spread to younger players, specifically rookie Jrue Holiday, hinder their progress? A little bit.

Was Iverson anywhere near the player many expected him to be? No.

But . . .

If you look at this Sixers team now, a team that is not going to make the playoffs and is playing out the rest of the season with nothing more to gain than statistics, you see a blank stare. A look that states without words that the season is over.

The team had that same look back in early December, before Iverson's return.

When Iverson came in, the team was in the midst of a 12-game losing streak. Although most of the losses were close, the Sixers didn't seem to know where to turn in time of crisis. There wasn't much personality in the locker room and you had to wonder if the 19-year-old Holiday, and still short-in-the-tooth players like Thad Young and Marreese Speights, were going to get anything at all out of the season.

Then came Iverson and the attitude changed, even if the results didn't. Back was an enthusiasm that had been missing, both at practice and at games. In the locker room, attention was drawn to him, from media and teammates. He would sing, jab at players, show off his artistic ability on the white board. The locker room and the team had life again and certainly seemed to want to play more than before the return of No. 3.

His 34-year-old body, however, proved it could no longer handle the reckless style that Iverson put it through during his 14 years in the league. His quickness had deteriorated much like the cartilage in his right knee.

When Iverson returned to the team just after the All-Star break after missing five games to be with his daughter, Messiah, he seemed comfortable with the time he spent away from the team, away from the game. His three-game return probably pounded that point home to him, as he could manage only 24 total points in his last three games.

Now his career, after 914 games and 24,368 points (22nd all-time on NBA-ABA career scoring list) appears to be over.

And now comes word that Iverson's wife, Tawanna, has filed for divorce.

Many have e-mailed that coach Eddie Jordan hasn't done many things right with this team, and with a 22-38 record, it's hard to argue. But he is right when he talks about what Iverson contributed.

"He brought a tremendous amount of spirit," Jordan said. "He brought a toughness and a desire to win that this team needed. He is a special player, one of the best to ever play the game. Players like that don't come around very often."

The player who came back to the Wachovia Center court on Dec. 7 wasn't the one Jordan spoke of, with Iverson's obvious deflated ability. But what he did bring was much needed.

And his departure, after numerous stints away from the team, also came at the right time.

UPCOMING GAMES:

Tonight vs. Boston Celtics

(38-21), 7 o'clock

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WIP (610-AM)

Notes: The Celtics lead the season series, 2-1, and in those three games have averaged 105 points a game and shot 50 percent from the floor. They've also canned close to nine treys a game in the three meetings, including 14 in an early-season win.

Sunday at Toronto Raptors (31-28), 12 o'clock

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WIP (610-AM)

Notes: The Raptors enter tonight's game against the Knicks with a four-game losing streak. They are battling injuries to key players Chris Bosh (sprained ankle), Jose Calderon (right elbow laceration) and Hedo Turkoglu (sprained left ankle).

Tuesday at Indiana Pacers (20-41), 7 o'clock

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WIP (610-AM)

Notes: The teams split a home-and-home series earlier in the season, with the visitors getting the wins. The Pacers have been suffering from a lackluster inside game, as they have been outrebounded in nine straight games.

Wednesday vs. Charlotte, (28-31), 7 o'clock

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WIP (610-AM)

Notes: Again, the return of Larry Brown. Many want him back in Philadelphia. Well, he will be. At least on this night. Stephen Jackson has scored in double figures in 45 straight games, a franchise record.

BY THE NUMBERS

9: That's how many minutes rookie guard Jodie Meeks has gotten since he was acquired at the trade deadline for Primoz Brezec and Royal Ivey. Sixers management has stated that the team coveted Meeks before June's draft and tried to acquire him then. Will there be a better time than now to get a look at Meeks to see what he can do?

19.8: That's the margin of defeat the Sixers have suffered in their past six games.