i'm just as disapointed in myself as i am in the sixers. i consider myself someone that understands the game. i was excited about brand. i was thinking about a hard worker with a high bball iq who could score in the post, blocks shots, and rebound.

i never stopped to think how he put up 20 and 10.

i never stopped to think that barkley is the only undersized power forward in history who really "scored in the post" and that it was more likely that brand scored facing the basket and on fastbreaks and garbage points. he wasn't a guy that could draw a double to create for teamates or punish someone in the block by either scoring or getting fouled.

it never dawned on me that he was a really bad ball handler and passer so going into him in the post is a double negative. not only can't he finish, but he gets stripped and/or turns the ball over a lot trying to create from there.

it never dawned on me that he would have no prayer of guarding the new age power forwards like rashard lewis that are athletic and shoot the three.

it didn't dawn on me that he would demand touches to the detriment of the rest of the team.

i still wouldn't call him the biggest bust ever, because he is still servicable for what he does. he could be a guy that you literally couldn't put out on the court at all. he hasn't reached that level (yet).

if you read between the lines of eddie jordan's quotes i don't think it is. eddie sees it for what it is.

brand can be a udonis haslem type for this team.

he can trail on the break and hit that foul line jumper. he can weak side shot block. he can scrap and get offensive boards. etc..

but he can't be a focal point of the offense or log more than 25 to 28 minutes a night.

the good news is that i think jordan realizes that and isn't going to defer to brand because of his contract or standing in the league. that is a good sign.

rather than forcing a square peg into a round hole, just make the best of it.

now whether brand is willing to play that role is another story.

'brand can be a udonis haslem type for this team.'

I once said Brand can be a Reggie Evans type guy for us, but I like your example of Haslem better, hence a decent 10-15ft jumper.

I was pretty excited when we got Brand, the first real PF for our franchise since Barkley. But that was almost a year and a half ago now.

I get this Barry Zito feeling with Brand. Only Zito never got hurt.

Watching guys with heart like Lopez, Hassell, and Najera is disgusting.

Yeah, I agree. Same feelings.

But I evaluate Brand differently than I evaluate the kids w/out the injuries. He was NOT worth the cash. Fair enough. But, for me, it's just way too early to sense whether or not he could be of use to a team in the final leg of a season, and, perhaps, in playoffs.

I'm more concerned about the kids--playing in years 2, 3, and 5 on a losing franchise. When you spend years on a team that nobody takes seriously, that shapes how you play the game. And I'll admit this much: I don't see much heart in many of the players on this squad.

Young's numbers, at season's end, will be particularly intersting to me. Defenses will now pay attention to him. Last year, he scored well enough, but played a lot like a cupcake. I'll be interested to see how he responds, and if he ever starts to look a bit tougher (going to the hole and drawing fouls and on D). And Speights, sooner or later, needs to get serious about defense.

I'm not at all convinced that this "core" is solid. I'll reserve final judgement until Spring. But I'm suspicious of a lot of things...and Brand's not really at the TOP of the list.