A New Brand Of NBA Betrayal
After days of assurances to the Clippers that he will stay, supposedly even agreeing to accept less money if they can bring Baron Davis to play with him (which they did), restricted free-agent Elton Brand decided to desert the Clippers after all. He'll join the Philadelphia 76ers after they offered him $79.795 million over five years, trumping the Clippers' "take it or leave it" offer that is rumored to be $20 million less.
Brand said that he left Los Angeles not because of the money, but because he wanted to be in a competitive team, which is a slightly legitimate reason. Even with Davis' addition to the Clippers, no one will say that they would be a playoff contender coming out of the West if Brand stayed. Last season, all eight playoff teams in the West won more than 50 games. Golden State won 48 games and missed the playoffs, yet they would've been the fourth best team in the East. If Brand resigned with the Clippers, they would have to compete against the same eight playoff teams last year, plus an uprising Portland Trail Blazers.
But even so, with Brand in Philadelphia, a trip to the Finals isn't ensured. Sure, the Sixers, the seventh best team in the East in 2008, will be better as Brand joins Andre Iguodala, Andre Miller, Samuel Dalembert's wingspan, Thaddeus Young, and Louis Williams. But are they getting pass Boston or Cleveland next season? Are they even better than Orlando or Washington or a re-tooled Detroit or improved teams like Toronto, Miami, Milwaukee, and Atlanta? The Clippers with Brand and Davis is probably the eighth or ninth best team in the West, but the Sixers with Brand is probably the seventh or eighth best in the East.
So is this double cross really worth it? Not only did he dupe Clipper fans, not only did he dupe the Clipper organization, he also duped good friend, Baron Davis. If reports were true and Brand did promise Davis that the two of them will lift the Clipper organization into prominence, it's exceptionally low of Brand to back out of that deal, leaving Baron alone in Los Angeles. It's like in Seinfeld when Jerry made a pact with George that they'll both propose to their girlfriends, George with Susan and Jerry with Melanie. But when Jerry discovered that his soon-to-be fiancée eats her peas one at a time and decided to not forgo with the engagement, leaving George engaged with Susan. Severing a good friendship like that isn't worth a move to Philadelphia. If he was signing with Detroit or Miami, I'd understand. If he was signing for more than a 100 million over five years, I'd get it (although, Brand isn't even in the top 25 of players right now so he'd be overpaid way too much). But in this circumstance, the greatest Clipper in history just tainted his name, his overall "good guy" reputation, to be knocked-out in the first round of the playoffs.
Brand said that he left Los Angeles not because of the money, but because he wanted to be in a competitive team, which is a slightly legitimate reason. Even with Davis' addition to the Clippers, no one will say that they would be a playoff contender coming out of the West if Brand stayed. Last season, all eight playoff teams in the West won more than 50 games. Golden State won 48 games and missed the playoffs, yet they would've been the fourth best team in the East. If Brand resigned with the Clippers, they would have to compete against the same eight playoff teams last year, plus an uprising Portland Trail Blazers.
But even so, with Brand in Philadelphia, a trip to the Finals isn't ensured. Sure, the Sixers, the seventh best team in the East in 2008, will be better as Brand joins Andre Iguodala, Andre Miller, Samuel Dalembert's wingspan, Thaddeus Young, and Louis Williams. But are they getting pass Boston or Cleveland next season? Are they even better than Orlando or Washington or a re-tooled Detroit or improved teams like Toronto, Miami, Milwaukee, and Atlanta? The Clippers with Brand and Davis is probably the eighth or ninth best team in the West, but the Sixers with Brand is probably the seventh or eighth best in the East.
So is this double cross really worth it? Not only did he dupe Clipper fans, not only did he dupe the Clipper organization, he also duped good friend, Baron Davis. If reports were true and Brand did promise Davis that the two of them will lift the Clipper organization into prominence, it's exceptionally low of Brand to back out of that deal, leaving Baron alone in Los Angeles. It's like in Seinfeld when Jerry made a pact with George that they'll both propose to their girlfriends, George with Susan and Jerry with Melanie. But when Jerry discovered that his soon-to-be fiancée eats her peas one at a time and decided to not forgo with the engagement, leaving George engaged with Susan. Severing a good friendship like that isn't worth a move to Philadelphia. If he was signing with Detroit or Miami, I'd understand. If he was signing for more than a 100 million over five years, I'd get it (although, Brand isn't even in the top 25 of players right now so he'd be overpaid way too much). But in this circumstance, the greatest Clipper in history just tainted his name, his overall "good guy" reputation, to be knocked-out in the first round of the playoffs.
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