After the recent flurry of activity by the Sixers, I wonder who is calling the shots? Is it lame duck President Rod Thorn? Or has Doug Collins wrestled control of all basketball related decisions? If I had recently purchased an NBA franchise, I'd want to make sure the man in charge of our long term direction, had more at stake than Thorn has. One minute the Sixers are openly searching for a replacement for Thorn, the next minute he's making draft picks and signing free agents. Is this all part of a grand plan or are the Sixers simply making a series of moves in a vacuum? Is there a big picture or is it a case of "See, we told you we wouldn't stand pat after last year's success?"
Before I continue, I have a confession to make. Elton Brand is one of my all-time favorite 76ers. I know that injuries prevented him from living up to his "Philly-Max" contract but the toughness, hustle and respect for the game and his team that Elton displayed on a daily basis cannot be denied.
That being said, I don't necessarily disagree with using the amnesty clause on Brand. I just wonder if the Sixers amnestied him just for the sake of doing it. If getting rid of Brand's locker room leadership and inside prescence only yields Nick Young, I can't jump up and down. Yes, Nick Young can shoot and has shown the ability to score, albeit while playing for a dreaful Washington Wizards team. His production took a sharp drop when he was traded to the contending LA Clippers. His maturity level, shot selection, and willingness to play defense have all been questioned.
I know many have made the argument, that the Sixers had to amnesty Brand; that they had no other options. While it may be true that they had no other real options of players to amnesty, nowhere in the collective bargaining agreement does it state that a franchise must use it's amnesty rights. Brand's 18 million would have created just as much space under the cap next year when a much deeper free agent class will be available. For my money, keeping Brand would have at least provided rookie Arnett Moultrie a role model of how to carry yourself as an NBA big man. Who fills the role of inside tough guy now? Recently resigned Spencer Hawes? Not likely. Lavoy Allen? Maybe, but playoff success withstanding, that's a tall task for a second year player who was a late second round pick.
Young will replace Lou Williams, and I guess a 6'6 scorer is better than a 6' scorer. Williams had the rare ability to frustrate and dazzle, often within the same possession. Hopefully, Young will connect with the Sixers faithful as Williams did. It was often Williams-and Brand-who would face the music after a tough loss. In his tenure here, Lou Will became the voice of the Sixers. That may not be as easy to replace as it sounds.
So far this offseason, the Sixers have drafted a 6'8 swingman and a 6'11 inside prescence, resigned Spencer Hawes, signed Nick Young, and given Williams and Brand their walking papers. While the Hawes signing was relatively inexpensive, does he really add much more than the trio of Lavoy Allen, Nic Vucevic, and Moultrie could provide? It depends on what version of Spencer shows up. Will it be the Spencer Hawes of the first ten games of the year, or will it be the post-injury Spencer? And if Hawes is able to display the abilities he showed early on last year, can he stay healthy enough to do it on a consistent basis?
All there's left to do now is wait to see if another shoe is about to drop. Will recently named Olympian Andre Iguadola be the next to go? Is there another free agent ready to sign? The Sixers could still use a starting power forward-the former Mr. Kim Kardashian-and a back up point guard. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
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