The Philadelphia 76ers signed Elton Brand on Monday in order to provide the team with more of a veteran presence. For one of the young guys, though, that meant he had to go. That guy would be Christian Wood. Brand hopes to bring a lasting impression to the team, and looks to mentor the young guys, and share some knowledge.
Here’s all the morning news you need to know.
Lasting Impressions from Long Road Trip — Sixers.com
"For the first time in his two-year NBA career, Nerlens Noel has reached double-figure point totals in six consecutive games. He generated at least 11 points, and shot no worse than 54.5 percent from the field in each outing of the Sixers’ road swing, which coincided with his double-digit scoring streak. Since the team’s trek began in Milwaukee on December 23rd, Noel has averaged 15.2 points and 8.5 rebounds. He’s also converted 69.6 percent of his field goals attempts, swiped 15 steals, and recorded 15 blocked shots. Brett Brown believes that the spike in Noel’s production represents yet another positive byproduct of having Ish Smith back on the team. Smith joined the Sixers for the final five outings of their trip. “You zoom into Nerlens, and you have one of your better young players reaping the benefits of a chemistry that they established last year,” said Brown."
Elton Brand is signing with Philadelphia Sixers to mentor Jahlil — ESPN
"The 36-year-old Brand played last season with the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 36 games, but he has not played this season. Brand writes that he never tried to mentor players in the past because he was “following the NBA blueprint that had been engrained in me from the beginning: Play well, keep your head down, offend as few people as possible, and get paid.” He hopes to be a “positive influence” for the 76ers, specifically with Okafor, who he writes is “a good kid with a good heart.” Brand also mentions Nerlens Noeland Joel Embiid. The 76ers suspended Okafor for two games last month after videos surfaced of the team’s first-round draft pick being involved in scuffles in Boston after a game against the Celtics. Okafor, who turned 20 on Dec. 15, is averaging 17.3 points and 7.7 rebounds."
76ers waive Christian Wood to make room for Elton Brand — NBC Sports
"I rated Wood a first-round prospect, but he went undrafted amid attitude concerns. The The 76ers signed him to a very team-friendly contract – three more unguaranteed seasons at the minimum, including a team option for the final season (which would allow to make him a restricted free agent after three years as opposed on unrestricted free agent after four if desired). And the 20-year-old has shown flashes in the D-League, averaging 15.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Young, talented and raw – Wood is exactly the type of player rebuilding teams should take a chance on. It’d usually be telling that the team that best knows Wood would waive him. But signing Brand, like trading for Ish Smith, was clearly drive more by Jerry Colangelo than Sam Hinkie. How well does Colangelo, hired just a few weeks ago, know Wood? Perhaps, Hinkie had significant say in which player to drop once Brand’s signing was agreed upon. But that would mean only so much."