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Christmas in July, with plenty of presence

Sixers sign former Clippers power forward Elton Brand.

Gordie Jones

July 10, 2008

PHILADELPHIA |

After Elton Brand made the decision to sign with the 76ers, a friend called to remind him that Philadelphia fans -- Eagles fans, in point of fact -- had once booed Santa Claus.

The guy had the story all wrong, as Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski reminded Brand at his introductory news conference Wednesday afternoon in the Wachovia Center: Actually, the fans pelted Santa with snowballs at halftime of a long-ago Birds game.

None of that came as a surprise to Brand. After all, he told his buddy, Saint Nick ''had 30,000 people with no gifts.''

Wednesday only seemed like Christmas in July, because everybody got what they wanted. Brand, a 29-year-old power forward who has played the last seven years with the Clippers, was bestowed with a five-year, $82-million free-agent contract. The Sixers received the low-post scorer they so desperately needed.

''He will be perfect for us,'' Stefanski said.

''I won't let anybody down,'' said Brand, who in his first nine seasons (including two with the Bulls) averaged 20.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

The 6-8, 254-pound Brand is, Stefanski noted, one of four active players to put up 20 points and 10 rebounds a night for his career, the others being Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan

And having a guy like that on hand would appear to go a long way toward vaulting the Sixers, 40-42 and a first-round playoff loser this past season, toward the upper reaches of the Eastern Conference -- assuming they can re-sign free agents Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams and address their glaring need for a shooter.

''I don't have a huge ego, but whatever team we put out there, I feel we're going to compete,'' Stefanski said. ''Now I feel we have a better chance since we got him.''

The big question is whether Brand, a two-time All-Star, is good as new after missing the first 74 games in 2007-08 with a torn left Achilles tendon, an injury he suffered in a workout last summer. Dr. Craig Morgan of Wilmington, Del., surgically repaired the tendon, and Stefanski and Brand both claim he has made a full recovery -- something underscored by the fact that he averaged 17.6 points and eight rebounds in the eight games he played.

''We feel very, very comfortable,'' Stefanski said. ''We had more than our medical staff look at it.''

''Everything is fine, and I'm excited,'' Brand said. ''The explosiveness is there, and I'm prepared to do some big things this year.''

He signed with the Sixers, even though the Golden State Warriors offered him more money (five years, $90 million) and in large part because the Clippers would not offer him more than five years and $70 million.

The Clips, notorious for their penny-pinching, could have given him as much as $120 million over five years after he opted out of the final year of his contract, during which he would have earned $16.44 million. Brand's agent, David Falk, said his client was not looking for a maximum deal but was hoping for more than $70 million.

Instead, Brand said, ''we were left with an ultimatum'' on June 30, the day before the free-agent period opened.

Falk said he was told by Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy that team owner Donald Sterling ''wasn't comfortable making the offer, and that if Elton turned the offer down, the owner would be just as happy if he accepted it.''

Falk found that ''very disturbing.''

''They basically told us that the owner was unavailable to discuss the offer any further, and it was basically accept it or don't accept it,'' he said. ''And that's a very difficult position to accept, when you're a player of Elton's stature.''

Brand had long been aware that the Sixers had room under their salary cap -- they began the free-agency period with $11 million in available space -- and said he contacted Falk at 12:01 a.m. on July 1 to ask if he had heard from the team. Stefanski's call came roughly 30 minutes later.

Falk, the GM said, gave him ''homework,'' asking that he clear additional space in order to reach what all parties called ''the Philly max.'' Stefanski would ultimately do that, trading guard/forward Rodney Carney and center Calvin Booth to Minnesota, to gain nearly $3 million more.

In the meantime, there were some anxious moments, particularly when Golden State made its offer.

The Warriors did lose guard Baron Davis to the Clippers as a free agent recently, but they went 48-34 in the rugged Western Conference last season.

''They're trying to do some things,'' Brand said, ''but I feel Philly has already done that with the nucleus they have.''

He also cited ''the players here, the organization here, the tradition here'' as things that drew him to Philadelphia. And he said he liked how passionate the fans are.

Pretty generous thing to offer. But that's to be expected, when it feels like Christmas in July.

gordon.jones@mcall.com

610-820-6628