Maybe. What pisses me off the most is that he even told them he would come back for less money and now he isn't. I don't even know why I'm so upset, I'm not a huge Clippers fan or anything.
Keyword is "was". Still effective but nowhere near the level of a healthy Baron Davis. And the last time Miller was pared with Brand, well, it didn't quite work out so well.
Look at it this way. KG goes to Boston, first yr in wins a ring. Allen Iverson goes to Denver, struggles to make the playoffs second yr. Both are considered elite players, both are considered some of the best at their positions. But when it comes down to the bottom line, at the end of the day, any above mediocre player can look spectacular on a mediocre team. The real superstars are separated from the wanna be's by how the react and perform when they are surrounded by the means to win and the people to help them be successful. IMO, Brand and Maggette aren't. Brand IMO, is like Odom in the sense that on a team like Clipp land he's a star but you put him on a team like Miami, Lakers, etc. he becomes a solid contributer, third option. I'm not knocking their games, I'm knocking their hearts.
I like the Clips even though they're our "rivals". What Brand did, most NBA fans will disapprove of. Anyone that makes a verbal commitment, gets a franchise to bend over backwards, and then renege and leave on a prima-donna excuse is shameless and deserves contempt.
I agree with everything until the third option part. But I understand what your saying and it makes a lot of sense. Good post bro.
Heh, at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if Brand decides to void his verbal contract with the Sixers after they desperately tried to clear cap space and join another team. Surprising that Maggette is the only Dukie who seems to be keeping his word.
I wouldn't discount Odom's defense. He does get into trouble being a tweener, but he's active on the boards and can make some defensive plays.
I dont know about that. How many positions can Brand play? Odom can play three, four if you're hard up. Brand is a much better PF than Odom, but I dont know about all around player.
Miller ppg- 17 assistspg -6 rebounds-4 turnovers-2 Davis ppg- 21 assistspg - 7 rebounds 4 turnovers-2 not that big of a difference 2 buckets a game
It's not just the fantasy stats, it's the intangibles too. Baron provides leadership and clutch play. Miller folds like a house of cards.
So what if he can play 3 positions did that help him in the playoffs? I rather have someone that can play 1 position really well than a guy that can play 3 and is just above average.
Odom's moving back to the more natural SF position next year anyways so it doesn't matter. I'd rather have Odom than Brand. When a former pothead is more trustworthy than a two-faced liar, that says something.
He'd be the best player in Miami not named Wade from day 1. Brand and Maggette havent had the opportunity gift rapped for them like KG so I'm not sure how you can possibly say either is mediocre based on a hypothetical comparison. Were you questioning KG and Allen's heart all those years they played on crappy teams? I doubt it. But what's the difference? They got on a good team and played their game. No reason to think a talent like Brand or even Maggette wouldnt/couldnt do the same.
That cant actually be a serious question. Brand by a freakin mile. Odom isnt half the interior defender or shot blocker. Brand is a tencious rebounder and low post scorer where as odom can be but hes a perimeter player who floats and you dont particularly notice at times. I wouldnt call Odom soft but hes only a step up from it. He shies away from contact and despite his size doesnt play well with his back to the basket. hes not a natural scorer like brand is. While Odom shows much more range that range also works against him at times when he falls too in love with his perimeter game instead of backing down smaller SF's.
How can you bash Maggette and Brand's heart then like a player like Odom who has no drive or passion at all? The guy disappears for weeks at a time and is the meaning of soft. He has all the talent in the world but cant seem to put it together for any significant amount of time. I mean he couldnt even function as the 3rd option on a very good team.
Maybe because Odom doesn't hold a tiff with the coach or break his word and leave a franchise in crumbles?
I think you're reaching quite a bit. I don't even think Brand vs. Odom is a debatable topic, and Odom is one of my favorite players. Elton Brand is the superior player without question. I'd much rather have him on my team. Elton Brand can carry a team as the #1 option. Odom is a #3 option at best. If we're basing this on the supposed "hand shake" situation with Baron, then I don't know. We don't know what really went on and what was promised, or what wasn't promised. However, I do believe that Philadelphia presents Brand a far better opportunity to win. Brand+Davis wouldn't be emerging out of the West any time soon. Philadelphia is a realistic contender for the #2 seed in the East. He made the right decision, IMO.
Well that's a separate issue. If we're just talking about their game, and on court contributions, you cant possibly want Odom over Brand.
Yeah, and I'd never view Elton Brand as a cancer of any sort. He was an unrestricted free agent. The destination was his choice.
It isn't a debatable topic because Odom's really better at being a SF which he should be next season if he sticks around. I dunno about realistic contender for #2 seed in the East. I still put Detroit and Orlando/Cleveland above them for now. I don't quite consider Brand a good fit for our triangle anyways and again, Odom should be playing at SF anyways. Maybe not when he's playing, but in the front office, he's looking like Carlos Boozer II. Destination is his choice but when the Clips go out of their way to get Davis, someone Brand wants, and Brand agrees to come back for less and then breaks that word, then he's someone to be held in contempt.
So I guess Brand is stupid for going to a better team and is in the East. Lets face it Clippers could maybe get a 8th seed in the West while now in the East they could push for 3rd or 4th. I shouldn't say stupid but perhaps he was a clipper if only GS was the only 1 after him. Once Sixers pushed for him he rethought his options.
He's not stupid. Just morally bankrupt like Carlos Boozer. If he wanted to keep up his good image, doing this won't help.
I think it was a good decision to go to Philly, I really do. Only thing that bothers me is that he gave them his word and did not live up to it. One thing is that Clippers management and Baron Davis said that Brand should do what is best for himself and this clearly was but he did give them his word and he deserves all the bashing he is and will get. He told them exactly what to do to retain him and they did it. He didn't do his part. I'm just happy for Philly fans. They deserved to see another big time player come to Philly. Iverson was the heart of that team and when he left, it was awkward. AI is my favorite player ever and seeing him in that Nuggets uniform annoys the hell out of me. I still have a shirt of him in a Sixers uniform that I wear when I go out.
If he was rethinking his options, maybe he should've recognized that he forced the Clippers to sign Davis, which they obliged. You don't tell someone to do something for you and then turn tail when they do. Edit: Seems he's been going for Philly all along which makes his efforts to push Clips into getting Davis all the more repugnant.
I also have to point out that the agreement happened when GS was the only team involved. Brand wasn't expecting someone else to jump in. When the Sixers offered what he said to Davis/Clippers organization is thrown out. He took the better choice for him and I have no idea why he is getting all this flak.
Really he forced the Clippers to sign Davis? Did he put a gun to their head? Maybe Brand the humble guy that he is wasn't expecting alot of buzz around him. I'm just saying when the Sixers offered him all bets are off, this is a better opportunity for him to get a ring. Barron Davis was a idiot for even leaving GS.
When he opted out he said Philly would be an option for him, so he always knew they could be in the picture. He still said he wanted to resign with the Clippers depending on what they did. They got the player he wanted and he left for basically the same money. He should have been honest and not led Clippers fans, and everyone else, into thinking him coming back was just a formality, and that it was essentially a done deal. One can argue that Philly is a better option, and so I do understand why he'd want to play their, but it doesnt change the fact that he handled this poorly. And he deserves flak for that.
