Out with the new and in with the old.
The Sixers announced on Monday that they signed 37-year-old #FormerSixer Elton Brand, waiving rookie Christian Wood to create a roster spot in the process. Just like the Mike D’Antoni hire, the possibility of this move was mentioned a few weeks ago in an ESPN article.
The circumstances surrounding this move are quite different than the last time Brand signed in Philly, as a premier free agent in the summer of 2008. Gone is the “Philly Max,” replaced by the idea that Brand can provide the young Sixers with some badly needed veteran leadership in the locker room.
Brand spent four years in Philly starting in 2008 before he was amnestied during the ill-fated summer of 2012. He was a reliable contributor on those Tony DiLeo/Doug Collins teams (13 points, 7.4 rebounds, excellent post defense), but Brand never quite regained the form he showed in Los Angeles that earned him a five-year, $82 million contract from the Sixers.
The major reason Brand is in Philly is because of his professionalism, and he knows that. He only played 36 games last season for the Atlanta Hawks. Earlier today, Brand penned a wonderful essay for The Cauldron talking about why he returned:
I’m not coming here to hold Jahlil’s hand — or anyone else’s, for that matter — because that’s not what he needs. But I do believe my experience and wisdom can benefit him and my other young teammates. It’s about communicating with them like men, starting to grow together, and — hopefully, eventually — winning some ballgames. That’s what Sam Hinkie and I talked about when he approached me about joining the team, and what has me so excited about this opportunity.
No need to add more to that. The only question now is if Marc Zumoff will give us at least one more, “Elton Brand… fighting the good fight!”
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann