Brand?

[TheGuiltyParty]

Wow... I'm slightly speechless. The Brand rumors don't shock and as Jasner and SF76 have said, there's a good chance Brand is playing us. What is interesting is the straight up dumping of Carney, Booth, and I assume Utah's pick for nothing. If this works and Stefanski gets Brand or Smith... then it will be worth it. However, if he strikes out and we end up with nothing from this gained cap room then Ed will have just given away Korver, Carney, and Booth (who cares) and left this team with a huge need for a shooter when he had one.

[tk76-]

KK was a good sign at a reasonable contract- but otherwise Ed is having to scramble because BK's other questionable singnings (Evans, WG, Booth) are difficult to unload, and are tying his hands.

[jemagee]

It's all a calculated risk, and trading carney and booth isn't for nothing...it's for cap room which allows the sixers to make the offer to brand, brand might still say no, sure, but without making that trade the sixers have no shot at him, and maybe if he says no the offer sheet to smith can be larger and the hawks won't match) maybe something else happens...again, nothing is set in stone but the sixers have to make the effort and i'm glad they are making the effort, and as far as i'm concerned they aren't giving minnesota much at all in totality ioncluding both players and the pick...do you really think the timberwolves with kevin mchale will use any pick wisely anyway?

[jemagee]

Billy King did not sign reggie evans to his terrible deal he just obtained it by trading a shorter contract (but less useful player really, which is kind of sad)

[Skates]

Wow... I'm slightly speechless. The Brand rumors don't shock and as Jasner and SF76 have said, there's a good chance Brand is playing us. What is interesting is the straight up dumping of Carney, Booth, and I assume Utah's pick for nothing. If this works and Stefanski gets Brand or Smith... then it will be worth it. However, if he strikes out and we end up with nothing from this gained cap room then Ed will have just given away Korver, Carney, and Booth (who cares) and left this team with a huge need for a shooter when he had one.

This is the fun of being a GM.  If Stefanski does not go all out to get Brand or Smith he will be accused of being another typical Philly GM hwo doesn't really try hard enough to build a winner.  if he does go all out and fails, then he's an idiot, even if the chips were stacked against him by BK (Brand) and the CBA (Smith) all along.  So far he seems to be taking calculated risks, trading fringe players and role players (essentially Carney and Korver), to greatly improve our chances of signing a big name FA.  At worst we retain the cap space we paid for with players and can use it down the road.  He has not touched the higher end core of the team yet, only players who are of the type that can generally be acquired later at reasonable prices.

[TheGuiltyParty]

It's all a calculated risk, and trading carney and booth isn't for nothing...it's for cap room which allows the sixers to make the offer to brand, brand might still say no, sure, but without making that trade the sixers have no shot at him, and maybe if he says no the offer sheet to smith can be larger and the hawks won't match) maybe something else happens...again, nothing is set in stone but the sixers have to make the effort and i'm glad they are making the effort, and as far as i'm concerned they aren't giving minnesota much at all in totality ioncluding both players and the pick...do you really think the timberwolves with kevin mchale will use any pick wisely anyway?

I'm not really concerned with McHale's use of the pick or really even losing Carney but I believe, and I think you said this earlier in this thread, that Ed had better have gotten a strong indication from either Brand or Falk that this extra space was going to put the Sixers in a great spot to sign him. Is it possible that the Carney trade is merely lined up but not executed?

[jemagee]

I believe that the t'wolves trade hasn't been executed, and no one but that yahoo dude seems to be reporting it as done...i expect it's 'in place' and on hold until the sixers know for sure if they can make the offer to brand and if he'll say yes, and they won't know for sure how much they can offer specifically until the cap is announced.

Additionally, if the trade doesnt happen it's nice to see that carney is in play and maybe memphis ponys up a point guard or something?

[DuckyNinja]

Say that Brand and Smith do fall through, as well as the Carney/Booth thing.  That still leaves us with 12ish mil cap space.  We could probably pry Marion away from Miami with like...Carney, Smith, Booth, and a first.  Just using it as an example to show that just because we don't get one guy doesn't mean we're screwed.

[jemagee]

I'm not interested in the sixers renting a guy for one season and then hoping he resigns, and marion WAY over values himself in my estimation.

I've said repeatedly that it won't be over just if they miss on brand or smith...it's a long off seeason

[DuckyNinja]

I'd be interested in renting a guy like Marion for one season simply because that would be 28 mil off the books next year.  Even after signing Iggy and Williams to extension, that still comes out to around 20-22 mil next offseason to sign, re-sign, or trade.

[Derek Bodner]

Also, my friend described Elton Brand as a slightly better defensively version of Zach Randolph.  That certainly put a damper on things.

Your friend is wildly misinformed.  calling Brand slightly better defensively than randolph is like calling Kobe a slightly better offensive player than Rodney Carney.

[TheGuiltyParty]

I doubt Miami sends Marion (an expiring contract as you said) for cap relief this summer along with a late first and Carney. If we do go after Marion, I imagine Miami is going to demand Miller in return.

[jemagee]

I wonder if the heat coachinig staff and GM will put too much stock in beasleys summer league performance and think mariion is even more expendable, here's hoping beasley continues to dominate

[The Poster]

house for sale...let the rumors fly1

http://www.bergproperties.com/blog/basketball-star-elton-brand-places-his-5471-square-foot-house-in-los-angeles-hollywood-hills-back-on-the-market-for-49985m/4213/celebrities

[jemagee]

I love how rumors get started....this is the second time he put the house up for sale in the past couple years, his asking price is pretty much the same now as it was then, even with a downturn in the housing market...maybe with his fat new deal in LA he's looking to step up to something bigger, maybe he doesn't like the location, or maybe he's just a real estate player trying to make a profit

Brand owns several other properties, including a place at 942 S. Mansfield Avenue in Los Angeles that he purchased in August 2007 for $1,527,000, and a house in Peekskill, N.Y. that he has owned with his mother since 2002, according to public records.

I wonder if he knows Jo and Natalie and Tootie.

All the realgmers must be going nuts over this news