Diagnosis Philadelphia

26 games into the season, sleeper favorite Philly has fired a coach, lost Elton Brand to a major injury, and uniformly disappointed the basketball media. Given the rising strength of the East's "middle class" after Boston and Cleveland, the Sixers even look iffy for the playoffs. So, what went wrong, and what can the Sixers do to correct this problem?

A Bust By Any Other Name

Interestingly, Elton Brand has cultivated a reputation as an elite player in the NBA. This is despite playing in 12 playoff games in a 9+ year career. And despite being little more than a more media-savvy Zach Randolph (I'd say classier, but walking out on a handshake deal with the Clippers last summer was a non-story only because of the Clippers' bumbling reputation). Brand is an effective low-post scorer (20.1 career ppg on 50.3 FG% and 73.7 FT%), a once-great, now-good offensive rebounder (he hasn't been near the league leaders in OffReb% since 2005), and a pedestrian defender whose reputation is padded by impressive block totals, which hide a lack of quickness and size that precludes him from effectively guarding the real "elite" at his position.

Brand could be a useful player on many teams, but the currently constructed Sixers are not one of them. Last year, the Sixers were an average team who overcame a dearth of offensive sophistication (league worst FT and 3PT percentages) with piles of easy buckets coming from:

1) fast break hoops created by a ball-hawking, plus defense at almost every position that caused extra possessions (117 more turnovers for Sixers' opponents, 4th in the league in steals)

2) put-backs and dunks courtesy of the league's 2nd best offensive rebounding.

Brand's strengths and the Sixers' needs are clearly not congruent. Brand's ability to score and rebound in the post replaced already efficient contributions by Samuel Dalembert, Reggie Evans and Thaddeus Young. Effectively, Brand pushed Dalembert out of his comfort zone, Young to the perimeter and Evans to the bench in order to average less than 45 FG% and less than 3 offensive rpg for 36 mpg. Furthermore, the Sixers with Brand are now about league average in steals, and have a negative turnover differential. While I will be the first to admit that a team can be effective in transition without having thoroughbreds at every position, the stats point to the Sixers having a less dynamic defense this year. Back to the offensive end, Brand doesn't shoot enough threes or shoot free throws well enough to solve the Sixers' problems there.

What's the solution?

Clearly, Brand and his 6-year, $80 million dollar contract aren't going anywhere soon. In the future, the Sixers should deploy Brand in advantageous situations. Ideally, Brand should be deployed with inefficient scorers Willie Green and Lou Williams to minimize their negative impact on production, and hopefully produce more double-downs in the post, resulting in open looks that will make these poor shooters perhaps average. When playing with the younger second unit, Brand could provide a consistent option for every offensive set, as well as "veteran presence" on the court. Brand makes too much money not to start, but anchoring the Sixers' reserves would be a more effective use for his talents. Besides, what better way for Brand to continue being classy than to accept a non-traditional role!

Additionally, the Sixers should make a hard push for Ben Gordon, either in trade or in 2009 free agency. In his career, Gordon shoots over 41% from three and 85% from the free throw line, blowing away the meager contributions of Green and Williams. An in-season trade of Williams and promising but injured Jason Smith would require Gordon's permission, but an outright signing next summer could be tricky to do with Gordon's contract demands, and potential negotiations with Andre Miller. Despite these drawbacks, Gordon is one of the few players available that could help address the Sixers most pressing offensive issues.

*All stats are from Basketball Reference