All Hail Ed Stefanski - Wednesday, July 09, 2008
350 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: Michael Bradley

   The Boston Celtics are still the Eastern Conference favorites. Orlando looks pretty tough, too. Washington has its nucleus in tact. Cleveland still has that LeBron fellow. And it's not like the Pistons are going to stink.

   But the Philadelphia 76ers, who have floundered in the wallows of mediocrity since their run to the Finals in '01, are suddenly a player again in the NBA, and fans have one man to thank: Ed Stefanski. From the moment he took over as GM, he has charted a course designed to produce one outcome: The arrival of Elton Brand. Tuesday night, he closed the deal. Today, Brand will be announced as a Sixer, and fans should rejoice.

   This is the kind of daring front-office behavior that has been missing in this town, and it wouldn't be surprising if Sixers fans are stunned by it and not quite sure how to act. A big-name free agent has arrived in town, choosing to play for Philly, not Los Angeles, Golden State or anybody else. He wants to be a Sixer. Okay, so he'll be well compensated (five years, $82 million or so), but Brand could have been paid that much by the Clippers. Instead, he switched coasts and conferences to be a Sixer. Imagine that.

   Stefanski began his quest for the power forward in December, when he started to clear cap space by trading Kyle Korver. It was a questionable move for some, because he was giving up the team's only long-range shooter. But it not only gave the Sixers more flexibility, it triggered a big second-half drive to the playoffs. Tuesday afternoon, he cleared more space by convincing Minnesota to take Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth for practically nothing in return. That was the final step in the securing of Brand, who now gives Philadelphia the legitimate low-post scorer they have lacked for years.

   Get your tickets now, people, as Andre Miller, Thaddeus Young, Andre Iguodala (we think) and Sammy Dalembert team with Brand to make the Sixers vital again in the East. Training camp doesn't start for another three months, but the excitement has started already. Who knows what else Stefanski might do before then, but it will no doubt be successful. The Sixers matter again, and fans had better thank Stefanski wherever they see him.

   Even if you're still stunned by his actions. You had better get used to it. This guy means business.