Today it became official that Elton Brand would be join the Philadelphia 76ers next season as today a deal was finalized at $82 million over 5 years. 76ers fans couldn’t be happier as they now have a legitimate star on the team who averages 20.3 PPG for his career. Clippers fans on the other hand are, understandably, pissed off. They are upset because earlier in the week Brand had publicly stated that he wanted to remain with the Clippers but wanted to be in a winning situation. Upon hearing this Clippers owner Donald Sterling went out and signed Baron Davis to the team. Fans drooled over the fact that their team would now boast Baron Davis and Elton Brand but the saliva dried up quickly on that one.
Both Brand and teammate Corey Maggette opted out of their contracts at the end of the season and decided to try free agency. Maggette made no promises about coming back but Brand said he loved LA and wanted to stay in town if the right deal was offered. However Brand never waited for an offer and simply flew the coop over to Philly. The thing that bothers fans the most is that Brand is not only the face of the franchise but he is well known as being a character guy so fans feel he now reneged on his word and is really just another selfish NBA player who doesn’t care about anything but the almighty dollar.
Brand’s agent David Falk is also being blamed for Brand leaving as people in LA are convinced Falk did this as retaliation for the Clippers not extending Brand’s contract when they had the chance and also for the franchise not drafting Mike Bibby in the 1998 draft. While Falk may have had some influence on Brand in the end it is not his decision to make as Elton Brand is a grown man and can decide things like this for himself. Obviously he thought the 76ers were a better fit for his playing style so he decided to move teams.
Unfortunately now for the Clippers their best players are Chris Kaman and Baron Davis which hardly puts the fear in opposing teams. Luckily though with Brand and Maggette leaving the Clippers have lots of cap room to bring in some more free agents and try and put a contender on the floor. They are in the Western Conference though so they are going to need a lot of help.
Paul Staying in the Bayou
Today Chris Paul signed a 4 year $68 million extension with the New Orleans Hornets to remain with the team until 2012. Fans couldn’t be happier as they now have one of the best point guards in the game locked up for a long time.
Last season, Paul led the NBA with averages of 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals. He was the Hornets' second-leading scorer at 21.1 points per game and helped the Hornets reach a franchise-record 56 regular-season victories. He has since been selected to play for Team USA next month at the Olympics in Beijing.
Maggette to Warriors
It is almost official that Corey Maggette will be singing with the Golden State Warriors very soon. The deal is reportedly worth $50 million over 5 years. The deal would help the Warriors replace the loss of Baron Davis who signed with the Clippers.
Maggette, a 6-foot-6 swingman who led Los Angeles in scoring last season, should fit splendidly into Golden State coach Don Nelson's up tempo style of play. He averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season for the dreadful Clippers, finishing slightly off his career highs in all three categories.
Around the League
DeSagana Diop signed a five-year, $31 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. This comes six months after Dallas sent him to New Jersey as part of the Jason Kidd trade.
The Memphis Grizzlies signed Spanish center Marc Gasol on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Sacramento Kings re-signed point guard Beno Udrih on Wednesday to a five-year deal. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut is reportedly close to signing a five-year, $72.5 million extension later this week.
James Jones signed a five-year contract on Wednesday with the Heat. The deal will pay him $4 million next season and could be worth more than $23 million over the life of the deal.
Chris Duhon signed a two-year deal Wednesday with the New York Knicks worth more than $11 million. Many people believe Duhan chose the Knicks over the Orlando Magic because he believes he has opportunity to be a starter in NY.
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