Thursday Roundup: Finding the Silver Lining in Wake of Elton Brand Injury

It would be interesting to know the inner reactions by Sixers' brass and players when they were informed this week that Elton Brand would be out for the rest of the season.

Team president Ed Stefanski could have felt a sharp pain in his backside around the area where his wallet resides; Brand played only 29 games in year one of his five-year $80 million deal. There's no telling how effective Brand will be when he comes back this season. That's an unknown with a huge price tag attached.

Coach Tony DiLeo is probably disappointed he didn't have more time to effectively mesh the differing skills of the halfcourt oriented Brand with his thoroughbred young core of Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala and company.

The players themselves? I'm sure they felt sympathy for their fallen comrade-in-arms, but as soon as they hit the floor Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers, they had to be feeling loose and carefree knowing one thing:

They can run again.

And run the Sixers did, plugging in promising youngster Thaddeus Young at the four-spot, immediately making Philly's starting five much more athletic and potent in the full-court game. Center Samuel Dalembert can rebound (he amassed 20 caroms Thursday night) and outlet to any of the other starting four on the floor (Miller, Iguodala, Young, or guard Willie Green).

The result was high-octane movement that resulted in transition baskets. The perimeter troika of Iguodala (20 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds), Green (23 points), and Miller (13 points, 12 assists) benefited immediately, and Philadelphia outlasted the Pacers 99-94.

The loss of Brand does throw into sharp relief the lack of depth on the Sixers' bench. While the starters excelled, the bench combined for just 11 of the team's 99 points. Designated sixth man Lou Williams shot poorly (2-7 for five points), and no one else on the bench can be relied upon to give consistent offensive production.

Up to this point, Philadelphia suffered the same identi

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