Elton Brand Is Not To Blame for Sixers’ Struggles
During this unprecedented time in not only sports but in the world, there is little to do but reflect. And many Sixers fans have begun that reflection.
They have reflected on the struggles of this team, whether Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can co-exist, and on why Elton Brand made the moves he did this offseason.
In a monumental free agency period, Brand elected to part ways with Jimmy Butler and in doing so, cleverly was able to bring in budding star Josh Richardson. In the deal, he not only got Richardson, but he created the space to sign a respected veteran, Al Horford.
In addition, he brought back fan favorites James Ennis III and Mike Scott on cheap deals. And secured Tobias Harris on a massive contract that dubbed him a Sixer for years to come, albeit at a steep price.
Before the season, fans were excited. While there were questions regarding how Horford and Embiid may gel, and where the shooting would come from, one thing was clear: the Sixers would be a top-five defensive team in the league.
Now, sitting at just 39-26, if this NBA season does resume, the Sixers will be challenged to acquire a home-court advantage in the postseason in a competitive Eastern Conference. And fans are justifiably not happy about it.
Many are to blame. But all does not fall on Elton Brand’s shoulders.
Plenty of fans want to use Brand as a scapegoat. They say he constructed a team destined for failure and that his signings of both Horford and Harris were uncalculated and irresponsible. These are easy claims to make in hindsight, but few made these claims before the Sixers’ struggles began.
ESPN’s NBA experts picked the Sixers to finish second in the Eastern Conference and chose them as the third most likely NBA champion. Las Vegas pegged the Sixers at 8/1 odds to be the NBA Champion in early October. The media, experts, and betters all liked what Elton Brand had done in the offseason and saw the Sixers as legitimate contenders.
For two years in a row, the Sixers were plagued in the playoffs by dynamic wings on both the Raptors and the Celtics.
So, Brand assembled a lineup of long, athletic, defensive stoppers to match up with the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Pascal Siakam.
Al Horford was coming off of a season in which he shot 54% from the field, 36% from three-point range and averaged a solid 14 points. He played solid defense and while some identified him as past his prime athletically, he was still a very productive force for a good Celtics team.
Tobias Harris was a budding superstar on the Clippers before he was traded to Philadelphia. With the Sixers, he slowly became a go-to scoring option. Although he did not shoot a great percentage his first season with the Sixers, it was clear he would be given a maximum contract somewhere, and Brand could not let him walk.
And Josh Richardson was quickly becoming one of the league’s best two-way players. He averaged nearly 17 points on the Heat and was one of the most impactful pick and roll players in the entire NBA.
These three, paired with Simmons, Embiid, and a capable bench seemed to be destined for success by relying on intense defense and physicality, representative of the blue-collar city of Philadelphia.
However, the result has been far from pretty and many have taken the blame. But when it comes down to it, the players have not played to their potential. They have not gelled as they should. And the coaching staff has not put them in the best positions to thrive.
Brand entrusted Brett Brown with figuring out how to mesh a group of extremely talented players and he has failed to do so. Individual failures by each player are evident. Ben Simmons still refuses to shoot, Embiid is oft-injured, and Horford seems to be aging quickly. But when it comes down to it, Brown has failed to maximize the talent on this roster, the most important duty of a head coach.
So, it is not Elton Brand’s head Sixers fans should be calling for. It is Brett Brown’s. Just because things have not worked out does not mean that Elton Brand did not do his job this offseason. He acquired talent. Experienced and established talent. That is the job of the general manager. Fans can argue about money and what each player should be due, but in a league where the money is aplenty and cap space continues to expand, money continues to play less of a role in winning.
This downtime is not an excuse to become complacent with the Sixers’ performance. It is not a time to rationalize why the season has been a failure. And it is certainly not a time to pitch the season as a success.
It is a time in which fans – and Brand himself – need to recognize that it is not the individual players who have hindered this team.
It is who is leading them.
Featured Image: 6ABC
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Categorized:Sixers